Diamondbacks 9, Reds 0: Lawlar's 3-RBI Night Blankets Cincinnati

A two-run swing in the second, then Chase Field never cooled off

August 21, 2026 - Phoenix - Jordan Lawlar turned on a sinker that stayed up, sent it 377 feet to left, and the night stopped feeling close.

His two-run shot in the second made it 3-0. He added an RBI single later for a career-high three RBI and the first three-hit game of his career. The Arizona Diamondbacks piled up 15 hits, stole early bases like a track meet, and beat the Cincinnati Reds 9-0.

Arizona stayed one game behind San Diego for the final NL wild-card spot. Cincinnati has dropped six of eight.

Four innings, six runs, Lodolo never found the brake

Gabriel Moreno singled Corbin Carroll home in the first. Lawlar's homer and an Ildemaro Vargas sacrifice fly made it 4-0 before the second ended. Arizona stole four bases in the first two innings, just the fourth time in franchise history the club did that.

The third and fourth kept the conveyor moving. A double scored Lawlar. Geraldo Perdomo singled Carroll home again. By the time Nick Lodolo (3-3) left after 3 1/3, he had allowed six runs on 10 hits and two walks. Arizona scored in each of the first four innings and led 6-0.

Perdomo finished with three hits. Moreno, Tim Tawa, and Carroll each had two. Nolan Arenado and Tawa tacked on two more in the eighth. The lineup did not need a late surge. It needed Lodolo to miss, and he missed often.

Rodriguez kept the zeroes stacked

Eduardo Rodriguez (13-4) worked 5 2/3 innings, four hits, two walks, four strikeouts, zero earned runs. His ERA dropped to 2.61. The left-hander did not need a complete game. He needed enough outs for a bullpen that was protecting a multi-run lead in a playoff race.

Arizona scored again in the seventh when Lawlar singled Perdomo home, then twice more in the eighth on Arenado's single and Tawa's double. The Reds managed four hits all night. They never put a runner across.

The only early scare for Arizona was not on the scoreboard. Reds left fielder Michael Toglia left in the first after a diving catch on Perdomo's ball in the gap. He landed hard on his right shoulder and exited with a dislocation. Cincinnati's night got worse from there. The Reds have dropped six of their past eight. A 9-0 in Phoenix does not fix that math.

AthX Engine graded the shutout first

AthX Engine put Arizona at 21 team fantasy points, clear of every other club on Friday's slate. Rodriguez scored 15.66 pitching fantasy points. Lawlar scored 10 hitting fantasy points. Fantasy points measure the box. Price is a separate market number.

What's next

Michael Soroka starts Saturday for Arizona against Rhett Lowder. One shutout does not lock a wild-card seat, but nights when Lawlar's bat and Rodriguez's arm land on the same card are why AthX Engine keeps both pages open in August.

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*Sources: ESPN recap, ESPN box score, MLB schedule, AthX Engine scoring. Information only; not financial advice.*