Padres pinch-hitter Díaz doubles in 9th inning to spoil no-hit bid by Reds RHP Nick Martinez

CINCINNATI (AP) — San Diego Padres pinch-hitter Elias Díaz hit a double off the wall in left-center in the ninth inning to spoil a no-hit bid by Cincinnati Reds right-hander Nick Martinez on Friday night.

The 34-year-old Martinez walked two and struck out six and was lifted from the game after allowing his first hit. He matched his career high of 112 pitches thru eight-plus innings, 75 for strikes.

Martinez’s previous season high for pitches was 102. He has never pitched a complete game in the major leagues.

The Reds led the game 8-0. Cincinnati’s Spencer Steer has homered three times for the first time in his career.

The closest the Padres have come to a hit was in the fifth inning, but Will Benson made a sliding catch on a line drive by Gavin Sheets.

Martinez’s last two appearances came in relief, in which he tossed a combined three shutout innings.

San Diego has been no-hit 11 times in franchise history. The last no-hitter thrown against the Padres came on Aug. 14, 2001, when Diamondbacks left-hander Tyler Gilbert held them hitless in his first MLB start.

Martinez is trying to record the 18th no-hitter by a Reds pitcher and the first since Wade Miley on May 7, 2021, in a 3-0 win at Cleveland.

There have been three no-hitters thrown at Great American Ball Park since it opened in 2003 by Reds right-hander Homer Bailey in 2013, Jake Arrietta of the Cubs in 2016, and the Giants’ Blake Snell last season.

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