Category: Cincinnati Reds

By Hal McCoy
Contributing Writer

America’s Team suddenly is Team Slump.

For the third straight game Saturday night, the Cincinnati Reds were shut out by the Milwaukee Brewers, this time by 3-0 on one infield hit after losing the previous two by 1-0 and 1-0.

With the defeat, the Reds (50-43) abdicated first place to the Brewers (51-42) in the National League Central.

Not even a pre-game Reds Hall of Fame ceremony, a huge rainbow over Great American Ball Park before the game and 39,897 fans, could snap the Reds to attention.

The three shutouts stretched the Reds scoreless streak to 27 straight innnings. After hitting home runs in 22 staight games, the Reds managed seven total hits in those 27 innings, two doubles and five singles.

After striking out 18 times in Friday’s 1-0 lloss, they struck out 12 times Saturday afternoon.

It is, indeed a team slump, a malady rampant from top to bottom. Spencer Steer is 0 for 21, while TJ Friedl, Matt McLain, Elly De La Cruz, Jonathan India and Luke Maile all are in the offensive doldrums.

After a weather delay that pushed the game’s start back an hour and 16 minutes, the Reds were held to one hit, a broken-bat infield single by Jake Fraley in the fourth inning off Brewers starter Freddy Peralta (6-7).

Peralta held the Reds to that one hit while walking two and striking out five. Peralta hadn’t won a game since May and was 0-4 in his previous eight starts.

And that hit came after umpire Brian O’Nora missed a 2-and-2 pitch that Peralta threw right across the plate.

The Brewers used three solo home runs to account for their three runs, two off starter Andrew Abbott and one off relief pitcher Buck Farmer.

Abbott’s first pitch of the game to Milwaukee leadoff hitter Christian Yelich landed in the left field seats and the Brewers had a 1-0 lead before Abbott broke sweat.

William Contreras led the fourth with an opposite field home run into the easily reached right field moon deck to push his team’s lead to 2-0.

Abbott (4-2) left after six innings with a respectable line — two runs, three hits two walks and three strikeouts. But his offense was as silent as an underwater submarine.

Buck Farmer took over in the seventh seventh and his second pitch was desosited into the upper deck in left field by Owen Miller.

After Peralta left, three Millwaukee relief pitchers finished the mop-up. Elvis Peguero issued a two-out walk in the seventh, but retired the other three. Joel Payamps pitched a perfect eighth with two strikeouts

Closer Devin Williams and his devastating change-up, call The Air Bender, finished it with a 1-2-3 inning with two strikeouts.

It was his 22nd save and he saved all three shutouts — three innings, no hits, no walk, six strikeouts.

By Hal McCoy
Contributing Writer

That was no video replay, that 1-0 Milwaukee Brewers 1-0 victory over the Cincinnati Reds Friday night in Great American Ball Park..

That was live and a repeat, the second straight 1-0 win for the Brewers over the Reds, this one in front of a full house of 41,514.

The Brewers beat the Reds, 1-0, in Milwaukee in the last game before the All-Star break, a four-hitter started by former Reds lefthander Wade Miley.

The main culprit Friday was All-Star pitcher Corbin Burnes as the Brewers beat the Reds for the sixth time in eight games this season.

Corbin was even better than Miley. He force-fed the Reds with cutters and change-ups and pitched six scoreless two-hit innings, striking out 13.

Corbin faced the Reds in Milwaukee on July 7 and held them to two runns and three hits over six innings of a 7-3 win.

Those two harmless hits were singles by TJ Friedl and Will Benson and were the sum total of Cincinnati’s offense and the Reds struck out 18 times.

And Corbin nearly passed out on the mound with two outs in the fifth. After a pitch to Matt McLain, he crumpled to his knees. He stayed down for nearly seven minutes while the Brewers’ trainer gave him a full examination.

Amazingly, he stayed in the game and struck out the side in the sixth, his final inning.

With the win, the Brewers pulled into a tie for first place with the Reds, both at 50-42, with two games remaining in the series.

Cincinnati starter Graham Ashcraft kept in step with Burnes, minus the strikeouts.

He escaped minor problems in the first three innings, but escaped, holding, the Brewers to three hits through six innings.

But Willy Adames, who munches on Reds pitching like a ham sandwich, opened the seventh with a double over center fielder Friedl’s head. Owen Miller singled Adames to third.

Ashcraft was replaced by Lucas Sims and Victor Caratini blooped a shallow single to right, scoring Adames with the game’s only run.

The Reds reached second base only twice. McLain walked with one out in the second. Jake Fraley struck out. McLain took second on a wild pitch, but Elly De La Cruz struck out on three pitches on his way to a three-strikeout night.

Friedl singled with one out in the third. After McLain struck out, Fraley was hit by a pitch, putting runners on second and first. De La Cruz struck out again.

That started a dry spell during which 19 of the final 20 Reds went down, 12 via strikeouts.

The only hitter to reach base during that futile span was Benson with a one-out single in the fifth.

After Burnes burned the Reds, Elvis Peguero pitched a 1-2-3 seventh with a strikeout, Joel Payamps pitched a 1-2-3 eighth with two strikeouts and closer Devin Williams put the exclamation point on it in the ninth for his 21st save.

It was the same three relief pitchers, in the same order, that finished last Friday’s 1-0 game.
Fraley was batting third in a lineup, a switch that had Jonathan India dropped from third to fifth. Fraley led the ninth by working a 3-and-2 count, then struck out. De La Cruz flied to center. India, too, worked a full count and struck out, the Brewer’s 18 strikeout victim.

Ashcraft (4-7) gave up a one-out double in the first to Wlliam Contreras, but retired the next two. He walked the leadoff hitter in the second, but the Reds turned a double play.

He walked No. 9 hitter Joey Wiemer with one out in the third. He took second on a ground ball. Contreras singled to left and Wiemer tried to score.

Catcher Tyler Stephenson grew a beard waiting for Wiemer to arrive and he was out on left fielder Spencer Steer’s perfect peg, his first career outfield assist.

Ashcraft pitched a perfect fourth and fifth. He gave up a leadoff single to Wimer in the sixth and the Reds turned another double play.

Then came the decisive seventh as the Reds’ record in one-run games fell to 20-16. The Brewers are 16-7 in one-run affairs.

By Hal McCoy
Contributing Writer

Pete Rose might be saying with that impish grin, “So, how am I looking now?”

Folks near-and-wide scoffed at him when he was afforded the chance to make the first wager when sports betting was legalized in Ohio.

He bet, probably facetiously, that the Cincinnati Reds would win the World Series.

The Reds are closer to that goal than the 100 losses and last-place finish most people believed.

The Atlanta Braves and Tampa Rays appear to be baseball’s first class citizens, but the Reds have stood up to the Braves in head-to-head battles and early in the season they took a game from the Rays in Tropicana Field, 8-1.

And most of those games were before the arrival of a carload of the Reds’ high-performing rookies.
So, after four days off for the All-Star break, the Cincinnati Reds pick up their bats and gloves Friday night in Great American Ball Park, wearing their black City Connect uniforms with a post-game fireworks display.

What the Reds need to do, though, is display some fireworks on the field, the way they do against most every opponent except the Milwaukee Brewers.

After losing two of three in Milwaukee before the break, the Reds host the Brewers Friday night for the start of a three-game series.

The Reds begin the second half with a one-game lead over the Brewers, but have lost five of the first seven against their No. 1 contender.

After Milwaukee leaves town National League West opponents San Francisco and Arizona visit GABP, then it is back to Milwaukee and a three-game series.

And it would behoove the Reds to crank it up against fellow National League Central opponents. They are 12-14 against the NL Central while Milwaukee is 17-9.

While the Brewers have outscored the Reds in the first seven games, 33-26, most of the games have been tight and exciting. Four runs have been the widest margins, 5-1 and 7-3 Brewers wins. The Reds won one game by 8-5.

The Brewers have beaten the Reds twice by one run, 5-4 and 1-0, and are adept in one-run games with a 16-7 record. The Reds are 20-16.

What do the Reds need to do in the second half, other than beat Milwaukee?

They surprised everybody in the first half, sneaked up on unware teams. Las Vegas pegged them for 65 wins. They already have 50. Las Vegas can be wrong, too, but not often.

What the Reds need to do is continue to play their old-school style baseball. Continue their all-out aggressivenes, continue to steal bases, continue to play hard until the last out, continue to play nose-to-the-dirt defense, continue to mix in well-timed home runs.

Will the rest of the league catch up to rookies Elly De La Cruz, Matt McLain, Spencer Steer and pitcher Andrew Abbott?

It is doubtful, espcially with the balanced schedule that means there are a lot of teams the Reds have yet to face, a lot of teams that haven’t faced the pressure the Reds apply.

If there is one flaw, it is the pitching, particularly the rotatation that is still without Hunter Greene and Nick Lodolo.

Manager David Bell has patched the void with bailing wire and duct tape. The team earned run average is 4.87. Only three last plce teams, Colorado, Kansas City and Oakland, have higher ERAs.

Cincinnati’s starters rarely make it past five innings, mean Bell has to wear a path from the bullpen to the mound nearly every game. The Reds lead all MLB teams with 332 relief appearances. Next closest is 317 by the injury-riddled Los Angeles Dodgers staff.

The Reds have worn a groove in I-71 between Louisville and Cincinnati shuffling pitchers. They have used 33 different pitchers, 24 out of the bullpen.

They lead MLB in bullpen innings pitched and the danger is fatigue. Closer Alexis Diaz was a strikeout machine up until a couple of weeks ago. He is still 26 for 27 in saves, but his strikeouts are down and he consistently puts runners on base lately.

In his last five one-inning closing appearances, he has give up at least one hit each time and two hits in last two appearances. But he escaped each time with no damage.

It brings up a major question as the August 1 trade deadline approacches.

Are the Reds in it to win it? They certainly are as proven by their willingness to not only call up rookies, but to play them every day.

Does that make them active on the trade market in seach of starting pitchers and relief pitchers?

Do they mess with success? Do they mess with karma? Do they take the attitude that if it isn’t broken, leave the tools in the box?

With Greene and Lodolo expected back shortly after the trade deadline, that would be like adding two starting pitchers, and two very good ones.

And the bullpen has been unexpectedly good on most occasions lately, with a hiccup here and there.

The decision, of course, is up to Nick Krall and so far Krall Ball is working.

Except against the Milwaukee Brewers. . .so far.

By Hal McCoy
Contributing Writer

If there was a higher league than MLB, Elly De La Cruz would star in it.

Since there isn’t, De La Cruz continues to do unfathomable and uncanny things in the current league.

It was The Elly De La Cruz Show, an Emmy winner for sure, Saturday afternoon in American Family Field during the Cincinnati Reds 8-5 victory over the stunned Milwaukee Brewers.

It featured a straight steal of home by De La Cruz, but that was just the burning candles atop the cake.

On two pitches, just two pitches, he stole second, third and home, the first straight steal of home since Brandon Phillips did it in 2009.

And it was the first time a Reds player stole second, third and home in one inning since 1919. And that didn’t happen on two pitches.

So in little more than a month in the majors, the 21-year-old rookie has hit for the cycle and stolen home, two thins that most major leaguers never do during an entire career.

The Reds victory was impressive, a triple-comeback win that enabled them to retake their two-game lead over the Brewers. And it assured that the Reds would hold first place after Sunday’s game before MLB takes its
All-Star break.

Back to De La Cruz.

With the score tied, 5-5, in the seventh inning, TJ Friedl was on second with two outs. De La Cruz, down 0-and-2, punched an opposite field run-scoring single to left, pushing the Reds in front, 6-5, for the first time all afternoon.

Then he stole an extra run. Literally. He stole second. He stole third when the Brewers didn’t cover the bag. Before a pitch was thrown, De La Cruz saw pitcher Elvis Peguero with his back turned as he walked toward the mound, staring at center field.

De La Cruz broke for home and slid head-first across home plate. And it was 7-5.

“I was looking at the guy (Peguero) walking with his back to home So I just slid into home and I was going whethere I was safe or out. Lucky enough, I was safe,” said De La Cruz during a post-game interview with
Bally Sports Ohio.

Before bolting for home, De La Cruz took off his helmet and adjusted his dreadlocks, but he said it wasn’t to lull the Brewers into not paying attention.

“There was a hair caught in my helmet so I had to remove it, get it all set up,” he said. “But I was looking at him. Once I saw him move back to the mound, I knew I had to go. That’s just one of the decisions you make right (at the time). I said, ‘OK, I’m going, here I go.’”

And away he went.

“I don’t necessarily think about robbing home when I’m on base. Whether it’s first to second, second to third or third to home, it’s on my mind that I have an opportunity to do that. Sure enough, today it was third to home,” he added.

Everybody who know there are stitches on a baseball knows the 2023 Reds are The Combackers.

They outdid themselves Saturday in coming back for the 33rd time this season. They came from behind three times.

They trailed, 1-0, in the first. They tied it, 1-1, in the third.

They trailed, 4-1, in the third. They tied it, 4-4, in the fourth.

They trailed, 5-4 in the fifth. They tied it, 5-5, in the fifth, 5-5.

Then came The Elly De La Cruz Extravaganza.

Cincinnati starting pitcher Luke Weaver gave up five runs and six hits in 3 2/3 innings, including two home runs by Willy Adames, so his record stayed at 2-2. But the Reds have won his last eight starts.

Adames homered in the first, but the Reds tied it, 1-1, in the second on a home run by Will Benson. That extended the Reds’ home run streak to 22 straight, breaking the 1956 team’s record.

The Brewers scored three on Christian Yelich’s run-scoring double and a two-run homer by Adames for a 4-1 Brewers lead.

Cincinnati’s other poker-hot hitter, Joey Votto, tied it in the fourth with a first-pitch 423-foot three-run home run. Since his 0 for 21 absence, Votto has 14 hits, seven of them home runs.

Milwaukee barged back ahead, 5-4, in the fourth on Brice Turang’s run-producing triple.

With Matt McLain on second in the fifth after a single and stolen base, Brewers pitcher Bryce Wilson struck out Jonathan India and De La Cruz.

Then Brewers manager Craig Councell outthought himself. Despite Wilson striking out two straight, he brought in a relief pitcher to face Jake Fraley, who owns a track record against Wilson. He was 0 for 9 against Peguero.

But he lashed Peguero’s first pitch into right field, sending home McLain to tie it.

After Weaver left, relief pitchers Ian Gibaut, Daniel Duarte, Lucas Sims, Buck Farmer and Alexis Diaz held the Brewers to no runs and three hits over the final 5 1/3 innings.

The only problem after Weaver left was in the Milwaukee sixth. After two outs, they loaded the bases against Duarte and Sims, but Sims retired Christian Yelich, Milowaukee’s most dangerous hitter, on a ground ball to Votto, leaving the scored tied, 5-5.

Diaz struck out the first two in the ninth, gave up a ground ball single to William Contreras, then ended the game on a ground ball by Adames for his 26th save in 27 opportunities.

 

 

By Hal McCoy
Contributing Writer

The Milwaukee Brewers made a high-decibel statement Friday night in American Family Field.

They aren’t going away and they won’t let the Cincinnati Reds creep away from them in the National League Central standings.

The Brew Crew, wearing their powder blue City Connect uniforms, bludgeoned 14 hits, seven for extra bases, all of them loud and long, en route to a 7-3 victory.

The Reds? Four hits, two by Joey Votto

That ended Cincinnati’s five-game winning streak and cut their first-place lead to one game.

And they weren’t intimidated by Reds rookie pitcher Andrew Abbott, even though Abbott stuffed them on no runs and one hit in six innings during Abbott’s MLB debut in early June.

The Brewers lowered the boom early with back-to-back-to back doubles in the first inning by William Contreras, Willy Adames and Owen Miller, all putting dents in the outfield wall.

In his first six starts, hitters were 0 for 14 with runners in scoring position, but the Brewers beat him twice in the first inning.

That made it 2-0 and it expanded to 4-0 in the second when Abbott issued a walk and number nine hitter Joey Wiemer, a University of Cincinnati product cracked a two-run homer.

After starting his career 4-0, and the Reds won his first six starts, Abbott was hit with his first defeat.

Meanwhile, for four innings the Reds were helpless against former Cy Young award-winning Brewers pitcher Corbin Burnes.

He was perfect for three innings, nine up and nine down. He walked TJ Friedl to open the fourth and Matt McLain forced him at second.

Burnes made two unsuccessful pickoff throws. If Burnes made a third throw to first base and diidn’t pick off McLain, McLain would be awarded second base. Burnes threw over and picked off McLain.

The Reds finally broke through for a hit in the fifth, a leadoff broken-bat bloop to left field by Elly Fitzgerald. Joey Votto stepped to the plate and his hit did not break his bat, nor was it a bloop. He blasted a 417-foot home run over the right-center wall. Since his 0 for 21 slide, Votto was 6 for 11 with three homers.

And it was the 21st straight game in which the Reds have hit a home run, tying the club record set by the 1956 team.

More importantly, it put the Reds back in the game, trailing 4-2.

When the Brewers batted in the bottom of the inning, Abbott issued his only walk and Adames followed it with a home run and it was 6-2.

So after giving up only five runs in his first six starts, Abbott gave up six runs and nine hits, six for extra bases that included the two home runs.

Milwaukee added its seventh run in the seventh when Fernando Cruz and Alex Young issued three walks. The first walk, issued by Cruz, scored on a single by Victor Caratini.

The Reds made some noisy in the ninth when relief pitcher Tyson Miller walked two and Votto lined a run-scoring single.

With one out, that forced Milwaukee manager Craig Counsell to bring in closer Devin Williams with runners on third and second.

Williams struck out Spencer Steer with a 1-and-2 change-up. He walked Tyler Stephenson on a full count to load the bases.

Reds manager David Bell sent Nick Senzel to pinch-hit for Luke Maile. Senzel hit a two-run homer Thursday in the 10th innining to beat the Washington Nationals, 5-4.

Senzel struck out on a 1-and-2 change-up. to end it.

On June 2, the Reds were in third place, three games behind the Brewers with a 26-30 record. They lost three of four in GABP to fall 5 1/2 games back. Since then, they were 22-6 before Friday night.

But they’ve lost four of five this season to the Brewers with two more games in Milwaukee Saturday and Sunday. After the All-Star break, Milwaukee visits Cincinnati for three more games.

By Hal McCoy
Contributing Writer

The magic and the karma possessed by the Cincinnati Reds continued on a steep upward plane Tuesday morning/afternoon in Washington.

Strapped for starting pitchers, as they have most of the season, the Reds reached into the independent Atlantic League for help and found Brett Kennedy.

And what better name to send to the mound on Independence Day in Washington than a Kennedy.

“A lot of times I thought I might be out of the game,” said Kennedy before the game. “I’m going to try not to disrupt what is going on here.”

Disrupt? The only thing he disrupted on this day was the swings of the Washington Nationals’ bats during the Reds 8-4 victory.

Kennedy’s debut, the 32nd different pitcher to take the mound for the Reds, was made easier by the offense behind him, a 16-hit, three-homer assault.

The Reds hit three home runs, two by Jonathan India and a three-run rip by Nick Senzel, who showed why he only starts against left-handed pitchers.

The Reds, least known for power, have hit at least one home run in 18 straight games, longest home run streak for them since 2000.

In addition, the Reds swiped five bases, giving them 100, most for a season since 1995 and they haven’t even reached the All-Star break.

Nobody was more appreciative of Kennedy’s contribution than India.

“Unbelievable. . .I just met him this morning,” said India during a post-game interview with Bally Sports Ohio. “Out of nowhere he just comes in and deals. That’s great. That’s what we needed. We didn’t have a fifth starter, so he comes in and did his job and I can’t thank him enough.”

And the Reds’ win on Independene Day as the self-anointed America’s Team?

“Look what what we did, we came out and won,” said India. “We won on America’s day and we’re America’s Team. What more can I say?”

Without saying, the Reds did it all with their Bat Attack.

Ellly De La Cruz contributed four singles, India had three hits after entering the game 2 for 22, and Spencer Steer had four hits.

It all added up to Cincinnat’s 18th win in 22 games and its 17 win in its last 20 road games.

Through four innings, the Nationals had only two base runners against Kennedy, a double and a walk, while the Reds dissambled Washington starter Patrick Corbin.

Corbin beat the Reds twice last season, but on this day when the game began at 11 a.m. the Reds had six runs and 10 hit before noon.

Kennedy hadn’t pitched in the majors since 2018 and was working for the independent Long Island Ducks when the Reds rescued him on May 13 and placed him at Class AAA Louisville.

And the last games he pitched in the majors in 2018 was for the San Diego Padres against the Reds. He threw 44 pitches in the first inning and gave up four walks and four runs.

There was no sign of that Wednesday, until the sixth inning when he gave up a walk and a single. At that point, he had given up only two runs and the Reds led, 7-2.

He was replaced by Fernando Cruz and he gave up two straight hits and both the runners that Kennedy put on base scored to cut Cincinnati’s advantage to 7-4.

Cruz hit Riley Adams to fill the bases with no outs. He struck out CJ Abrams, struck out Derek Hill and retired the Nationals best hitter, Lance Thomas, on a foul fly to left, preserving Kennedy’s win

The Runnin’ Reds attacked Corbin early and often. They scored two hustle runs in the first. With one out, Matt McLain turned a routine single to left into a hustle double. He scored on India’s single.

De La Cruz singled and India hot-footed it to third, enabling him to score on Steer’s bloop single to left that plopped to earth between three Nationals defernders.

De La Cruz opened the third with a single and, as usual, easily stole second on the first pitch before Steer walked. Senzel unloaded his three-run homer and the Reds led, 5-0.

The Nationals scored a run off Kennedy in the third on Abrams double, a ground ball and a sacrifice fly.

India’s first home run came with two outs in the fourth. His second home run, on back-to-back at bats, came in the sixth, a leadoff explosion that carried over the center field wall.

After Cruz escaped the Nationals bases-loaded with no outs mess in the sixth, the Reds tacked on a run in the eighth. McLain walked, stole second, moved to third on a ground ball and scored on what was scored a sacrifice fly, but was a line drive to center on whlch Hilll made a diving catch, robbing De La Cruz of a fifth hit.

And, of course, there was late-inning drama. Daniel Duarte started the ninth with an 8-4 lead and walked the first two Nationals, forcing manager David Bell to pull him and bring in Lucas Sims.

Sims struck out Thomas, Luis Garcia flied to left and ended Jeimer Candelario’s 10-game hitting streak by striking him out, preserving Cincinnati’s third straight victory.

By Hal McCoy
Contributing Writer

Luke Weaver discovered Monday night what it takes to put a ‘W’ next to his name during the Cincinnati Reds 3-2 victory over the Washington Nationals.

Weaver’s win, aided and abetted by a two-run home run by Joey Votto, was Cincinnati’s 17th win in its last 21 games. And they are 16-3 in their last 19 road games — The Big Road Machine.

The Reds remained in a tie for first place in the National League Central after Milwaukee came from 6-0 down to beat the Chicago Cubs, 8-6.

Weaver, the Reds starting pitcher discovered that not giving up first-inning runs pays benefits.

In his previous two starts, he gave up three runs in the first inning to the Baltimore Orioles and five to the Atlanta Braves.

The Reds came back to win both games, but Weaver did not earn the victory, a pattern he broke Monday in Nationals Park.

In his previous six starts, the Reds won all six, but Weaver didn’t get the win because the Reds battled back to win after he was removed from the game.

This time it started precariously again when he gave up a leadoff double to Lane Thomas in the first, but he retired the next three.

The Reds gave Weaver a 1-0 lead in the third on Jake Fraley’s one-out single, a single by Spencer Steer and a two-out run-scoring single by Tyler Stephenson.

Two guys enmeshed in deep slumps provided Weaver with the two runs he needed to level his record at 2-2.

Elly De La Cruz, 5 for 36 with 13 strikeouts, poked an opposite-field single leading off the fourth. With one out, Votto lugged a 0 for 21 problem to the plate with 10 strikeouts.

If there was any frustration, Votto took it out on Nationals pitcher Jake Irvin. He drove one 394 feet into the Reds’ bullpen in left center field and the Reds have homered in 17 straight games.

And it gave Weaver a 3-0 lead and was the eventual game-winner.

Slump? What slump, said Votto.

“It’s weird for me to say this, but I was doing fine, I was swinging well,” said Votto during a Bally Sports Ohio post-game interview. “I was getting better every day. I felt great at the plate. I don’t like striking out, but the way I was swinging was leading to productive at bats.

“I came up from Louisville (on rehab) and performed well immediately, but I didn’t think it was long-lasting,” he added. “Now I feel I’m trending in the right direction. It is hard to explain. This game is so tricky.

“My experience tells me to lean into that as opposed to the immediate results,” he said, wearing his hat on backwards as a move to join the team’s young generation. “I know that’s not an answer people really want to hear, but it’s the truth, and I’ve played this way and have been productive this way my entire career. It has served me well.”

As a point of emphasis, at his lowest common denominator, Votto said, “It’s catching up to major-league speed after a crummy, crummy injury (major shoulder surgery). I feel I’m going to play well. I’m confident. I’m glad I was able to help tonight. It’s not fun not performing and not being a part of wins. It was great to be part of one tonight.”

Votto’s two-run homer gave Weaver a 3-0 lead that was chopped to 3-1 when Jeimer Candelario launched a leadoff homer over the center field wall, narrowly missing TJ Friedl’s glove, for a home run.

When Weaver issued a leadoff walk to Candelario in the sixth and a single to Dominic Smith, Reds manager David Bell replaced him with Ian Gibaut.

Gibaut gave up a one-out single to Keibert Ruiz that cut the
Reds lead to 3-2. Gibaut finished the inning by striking out Corey Dickerson, after he fouled off seven pitches, and coaxing a fly ball from CJ Abrams.

The Reds had an opportunity to push across an insurance run or two in the top of the ninth by putting two on. But Matt McLain lined to right and his 0 for 5 ended his streak of getting on base at 23 straight games.

Buck Farmer, roughed up in his previous two appearances, pitched a 1-2-3 seventh and Derek Law returned from the injured list to pitch a 1-2-3 eighth.

All-Star close Alexis Diaz trudged to the mound for the 39th time this season, asked to protect the precarious 3-2 lead.

Ruiz popped up. Dickerson singled to deep shortstop, putting the potential tying run on first. Stone Garrett ran for Dickerson and tried to steal second. Luke Maile, who had just entered the game, gunned him down.

All that was left was for Diaz to retire Abrams and he did it with a weak ground ball and Diaz had his 24th save in 25 opportunities.

It is Breakfast & Baseball Tuesday morning when the two teams play the second game of the four-game series at 11 a.m.

By Hal McCoy
Contributing Writer

The Cincinnati Reds encountered some lethal RISPy business Saturday afternoon against pitching nemesis Michael Wacha.

It enabled the San Diego Padres to hang in there until they could score 11 runs in the sixth, seventh and eigth innings and plant a 12-5 beatdown in front of 30,895 in Great American Ball Park.

The Reds put their leadoff batter on base in four straight early innings, but scored only once. During Wacha’s five innings the Reds were 1 for 9 with runners in scoring position and stranded five runners.

Nevertheless, with Cincinnati starter Brandon Williamson putting together some quality pitching — one run (while he wa on the mound — three hits, a walk and five strikeouts.

Meanwhile, San Diego put their leadoff batter on base five times and scored all five times, and then some.

Thus ended Cincinnati’s three-game winning streak, but it has won 15 of 19. The Padres ended a six-game losing streak and have lost 11 of 14.

Wacha (8-2) claimed the win and is 13-3 with a 2.33 earned run average for his 22 starts against the Reds, most of them when he pitched for the St. Louis Cardinals.

He was pitching after a two-week hiatus due to shoulder fatigue. But he put the Padres on his shoulders in this one.

Williamson’s only walk was to Trent Grisham opening the third. He stole second and scored on Fernando Tatis Jr.’s two-out double.

The Reds tied it, 1-1, in their thlird when Tyler Stephenson walked, took second and third on ground balls and scored on Matt McLain’s two-out double.

But the Reds put their leadoff batters on base in the second, third, fourth and fifth and only scored in the third.

Jake Fraley opened the second with a double and did what is considered a dirty deed in baseball. He tried to steal third with two outs and was thrown out.

Fraley started the fourth with a single and stole second base while Joey Votto (0 for 18 with 10 strikeouts) struck out. Spencer Steer and Stephenson both grounded out.

Will Benson led the fifth with a single and didn’t budge from first as the next three Reds went down.

The Reds had one hit off Wacha in each of the first five innings but stranded five.

Williamson started the sixth, but when No. 9 hitter Austin Kerr, hitting .136, singled to left, manager David Bell went to his bullpen.

It was disastrous.

Buck Farmer was the firstr of three victims. Shortstop Elly De La Cruz booted Ha-Seong Kim’s ground ball and Tatis crushed his 15th homer, a 405-foot launch deep into the right field sun deck. Manny Machado followed with a home run and it was 5-1 for the Padres.

Alec Mills made his Reds debut in the seventh, the 31st different pitcher to take the mound in a Reds uniform this season.

And it was inauspicious at the lowest level. He gave up five runs that inclulded a hit batsman, a run-scoring triple to Grisham and another home run to Machado.

That made it 10-1 and for the Reds, it was take a message, Garcia. They don’t quit.

Luis Garcia came on to pitch the seventh. He walked two and gave up a single to Will Benson, who had three hits. That loaded the bases and Jonathan India unloaded a grand slam home run. He was playing minus his scraggly beard, which he shaved off before the game.

That made it 10-5 and was there another miraculous rescue of a win?

Not this time. It got away for good in the eighth when Eduardo Salazar hit the first two Padres and both scored on a couple of sacrifice flies to push San Diego in front, 12-5.