That’s 13 2/3 scoreless innings.
The Cincinnati Reds were not impressed. They ripped him for nine runs and six hits.
In two-thirds of an inning — nine runs in the first inning.
Arrighetti’s nicknane is Spaghetti and he was serving meatballs to the Reds on Wednesday night in Great American Ball Park.
The Reds scored nine runs in the first inning on their way to a 12-5 drubbing of the first-place Astros. It was Cincinnati’s eighth straight win over Houston and their third straight win.
Arrighetti had given up a total of seven runs over five starts in August was named American League Rookie of the Month.
The first inning looked as if the Reds might match the 14-run first-inning the amassed in a 1989 game.
It all began on Arrighetti’s second pitch of the game, a Monster Mash home run by Jonathan India.
And here is how the nine-run inning unfolded.
—India cold-cocked a 1-and-0 93 mph fastball 436 feet that slammed against the center field batter’s eye. 1-0.
—Elly De La Cruz doubled and Tyler Stephenson grounded out with De La Cruz motoring to third.
—T.J. Friedl doubled home De La Cruz. 2-0.
—Spencer Steer lined to left for the second out, but Ty France singled home Friedl. 3-0.
—Jake Fraley walked, then France and Fraley pulled off a double steal.
—Santiago Espinal walked, filling the bases, and Amed Rosario singled home two runs. 5-0,
—India walked, refilling the bases and De La Cruz singled home two runs. 7-0.
—Taylor Scott replaced Arrighetti and De La Cruz stole second. Stephenson singled home two runs and all nine runs were charged to Arrighetti. 9-0.
The sordid first-inning wrap up: Nine runs, seven hits, three walks, a home run, two doubles, three stolen bases.
De La Cruz had a double, a single, drove in two, scored two and stole a base, all in the first inning.
By the seventh inning, it resembled a spring training exhibition as both teams emptied their benches.
Before the seventh inning most of the starting nine departed, every position starter but Espinal had at least one of the Reds’ 14 hits. And Espinal drew two walks and scored a run.
Houston used 18 players and the Reds used 15, but only two pitchers.
Starter Nick Martinez, recipient of the nine-run first, gave the Reds 5 2/3 solid innings — four runs, but only one earned, three walks and a career-tying seven strikeouts over 107 pitches.
He was followed by Brent Suter and he provided 3 1/3 innings of one-run, three-hit pitching with six strikeouts, to record only his second career save.
And the veteran left-hander said during an interview on Bally Sports Ohio that it was his first post-game TV interview during his entire career.
“Now I might as well check it off the bucket list,” he said with a laugh. “Nice to get off the one on saves. I think I got my first one in 2021, so it’s cool. I had the changeup work, my slider, all of it working.
“A nine-run first inning and a great job by Martinez, an amazing performance by all the guys,” he added. “We got to keep it going. We have a tough stretch coming which is why I was trying to go as deep as I could.”
De La Cruz finished with two doubles, a single, two RBI, three runs scored and a stolen base. In addition to his home run, India walked twice and scored three times.
Stephenson produced two hits that drove in three.
The Astros played like anything but a first-place team. They struck out 13 times, they made two costly errors, they put their first batter on base in four innings but scored in only two of them and hit into two double plays.
After the Reds finish with Houston on Thursday afternoon, they embark on a 10-day, 10-game trip to New York for three, to Atlanta for a one-game make-up game, three in St. Louis and three in Minnesota.
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