Reds 4, Diamondbacks 2
PHOENIX -- Mat Latos tied a career high with 13 strikeouts and Shin-Soo Choo and Brandon Phillips hit first inning home runs to lead the Cincinnati Reds to a 4-2 victory over the Arizona Diamondbacks on Sunday, breaking a three-game losing streak.
Latos (7-1) did not have a strikeout in the first two innings, but struck out the side in the third, fourth and sixth innings, mixing a mid-90 mph fastball with an 88 mph slider. He struck out two in the fifth, one in the seventh and one in the eighth.
Leadoff hitter Choo hit his home run on the third pitch of the game by Arizona starter Randall Delgado (0-1), and Phillips hit a two-run home run, his 11th of the season, after Zack Cozart doubled.
Choo's leadoff home run was his fourth this season, second in the National League to Gerardo Parra of Arizona, who has five.
Parra doubled and scored on Miguel Montero's two-out single in the eighth inning, knocking out Latos.
The D-backs are the only major league team that has not been shut out this season. Every other team has been shut out at least three times.
Right fielder Jay Bruce of Cincinnati (45-32), who hit three home runs in the first two games of the series, had two doubles. Cozart also had two hits, and his sacrifice fly in the second inning made it 4-0.
Aroldis Chapman gave up an RBI-single to Wil Nieves in the ninth before getting Willie Bloomquist to fly out with runners on first and second for his 19th save.
The Reds have the third-best record in baseball, but are third in the NL Central behind St. Louis and Pittsburgh.
The D-backs (41-34) had a four-game winning streak snapped, but maintained a three-game lead in the NL West.
Parra and Bruce each have 24 doubles, tied for second in the NL, one behind Yadier Molina of St. Louis.
Latos, who gave up five hits and two walks, struck out 13 against Milwaukee on June 25, 2012. He has lost once in 23 starts since Aug. 24, 2012, to Pittsburgh in his previous outing June 18.
NOTES: Jay Bruce had his streak of eight home runs in nine games broken Sunday. The run tied Leo Cardenas, Johnny Bench and Greg Vaughn for the best in franchise history in the last 50 years, according to Elias. Frank Robinson had nine home runs in nine games in August, 1962, and also the Reds' record for home runs in 10 straight games. ... Arizona 2B Aaron Hill, who has been on the disabled because of a broken left hand since April 15, was 9-for-24 with six RBIs in six games on a rehab assignment at Triple-A Reno and is expected to rejoin the D-backs when they begin a 10-game trip in Washington on Tuesday. "It's possible," manager Kirk Gibson said. ... Cincinnati will conclude interleague road play this season with a two-game series against Oakland beginning Tuesday and a three-game weekend set in Texas. The Reds swept a three-game series against the A's in Oakland in 2010, the last time the teams met. ... D-backs RHP Trevor Cahill will make his scheduled start Tuesday after recovering from a right hip contusion that limited him to one inning when he took a line drive to the hip last Wednesday against Miami.
