Reds: ‘What a difference a day makes’

By HAL McCOY

As Rock and Roll Hall of Fame vocal artist Dinah Washington sang in 1958, “What a difference a day makes, 24 little hours.”

Just one day, 24 little hours, after the Cincinnati Reds scored 10 runs on 14 hits, they scored no runs on three hits Tuesday night and lost to the Milwaukee Brewers, 2-0.

Washington was known as Queen of the Blues and the blue-clad Brewers gave the Reds a big does of the batting blues.

The Reds had a harmless single by Joey Votto in the third inning, then two hits by catcher Tucker Barnhart, who didn’t start the game.

He entered the game in the sixth inning after catcher Devin Mesoraco suffered a bruise when he was hit by a pitch on the right wrist.

Barnhart banged the Reds second hit of the game, a double leading off the seventh, but was stranded at third base.

Barnhart then delivered the team’s third hit, a two-out double in the ninth, but Jose Peraza, the potential tying run, flied to right field to end it.

Milwaukee starter Junior Guerra struck out Billy Hamilton (0 for 4, three strikeouts), then walked the next two. Adam Duvall and Scooter Gennett both hit the ball hard, but both were caught deep in the outfield.

Mesoraco was hit by a pitch to open the second, but never budged off the first base bag. Votto singled with two outs in the third, the only hit off Guerra.

Amazingly, even though it was 0-0 and the Reds had only one hit, Milwaukee manager Craig Counsell lifted Guerra for a pinch-hitter with one out and one on in the seventh.

Guerra pitched 6 2/3 innings and gave up no runs, one hit, walked three and struck out seven.

Cincinnati starter Sal Romano was just as good as Guerra and took a two-hit shutout into the sixth inning.

But he walked Lorenzo Cain on a full count to open the sixth. Then, strangely, with Cain standing on first base, Romano threw a pickoff throw. It was high, wide and ugly past first baseman Votto and Cain took second.

Perhaps unnerved by his faux pas, Romano’s next pitch was a belt-high 94 miles an hour fastball to Eric Thames and Thames deposited it into the right field seats, the two runs the Brewers needed. Thames hit 10 home runs against the Reds last season.

The Reds, who dropped to 3-and-14 on the season, were forced to face strikeout artist Josh Hader the last two innings.

Of the six batters he retired, three were strikeout victims — Hamilton, Votto and Scooter Gennett.

Relief pitcher Amir Garrett continued to his scoreless streak with a scoreless inning. He replaced Romano in the sixth with a runner on base and no outs. He gave up a single to put runners on second and first with no outs. But he coaxed a double play out of Domingo Santana and struck out Eric Sogard on a full count.

During the game, the Reds announced a minor trade that sent pitcher Ariel Hernandez to the Los Angeles Dodgers. The Reds acquired two minor leaguers, right handed pitcher Zach Neal and first baseman Ibandel Isabel. Neal will be sent to Class AAA Louisville and Isabel to Class A Daytona.

4 thoughts on “Reds: ‘What a difference a day makes’”

  1. i just wonder how this FO thinks they can get tickets sold this summer??? Reading Dick Williams saying just stay the course.. hmm is that stay the course of being a very BAD team for the next 3-5 years will some how shockingly change things without Better management coaches and players (outside this organization)???? Just think our bench has 3 guys that are similar (Gosselin, Pennington & Blandino). The only POP off the bench is your backup catcher in Mesaraco!!!.. Price said he wanted the best 25 guys, well that didnt happen, Dixon proved he should be on this team.. thats POP off the bench!! and he can play multiple positions.. Senzel is going thru what Bryant went thru to save a extra year, but as soon as he did get to that point, should be up here. Cant tell me he is not ready when you have others on the MLB roster that are worse than him and have no long term future!!.. SS is the position that needs a stabilized hitting and fielding type player. We have now Peraza who has no ability to drive the ball into the gaps and the FO signs a Cuban SS that has no pop but plays supposedly a very good Defense at SS. How many of these does a team need in the pipeline?? I would let Larkin teach him everything about SS and let him stay at SS. Not move him all over the place.. Anyay I want to trust this ownership and FO types have the knowledge to make this Reds team a team the fans would be proud of, but the tanking is keeping fans from buying tickets.. Bobblehead night, they didnt have more fans that the bobbleheads they were giving away.. and the Sunday game after?. there was hardly anyone at the ballpark..no worries by the FO on this either?? I want to believe they are on the same plan as the Astros and Cubs, but, those teams traded or signed better players!!!.. This FO thinks all the talent comes from the minors.. If that was true, other teams would be solely doing this!!.. GRR i want to believe my chances of seeing the Reds a World Series champion again will happen before i pass on.. Sadly they are heading in the Bengals direction. Never caring to win anything for the fans, but pocketing all the revenue given to each from each’s specific league!!

  2. i also meant to add, The Cubs and Astros got better managers and coaches to lead and get the best out of their players from the rebuild. We haven’t seen that yet here in Cincinnati as the rebuild is ongoing with no end in sight!!

    1. I wish someone would explain this to me. Is leadership worth anything? This is the refrain heard on local radio by professional commentators: “Well, it’s up to the players. Not the managers fault the players are not achieving. Price only can use the players he has etc.” So that makes the manager just an official. What I’m talking about is a guy who has the instincts combined with fire.

  3. Second verse is same as the first. Bad pitching and no hitting. I think if someone needed fired it was the person responsible for putting this team in the shape it is in. What could be expected if you gut a team and get trash in return. You and I both know if you try to win with players of minor league caliber you will wind up where the Reds have the past 3 years. Put the blame where it belongs.

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