McCoy: Reds Pull Off Another Pocket Full of Miracles

By Hal McCoy
Contributing Writer

Babe Ruth wasn’t talking about the 2023 Cincinnati Reds when he said, “It’s hard to beat a team that never gives up.”

But it fits these Reds like an infielder’s mitt.

The Reds staged another one for the ages Friday afternoon in Great American Ball Park, another walk-off for the ages.

This time it was Spencer Steer with a two-out, two-run walk-off home run in the 11th innng that gave the Rambunctious Reds a 7-5 victory over the San Diego Padres.

Just moments before, with the score 5-5, 
Elly De La Cruz was thrown out at home trying to score the winning run on a Nick Senzel ground ball to shortstop
Xander Bogaerts.

That left it tied with two outs and a runner on first. Then Spencer Steer happened on a day during which Reds’ rookies put the exclamation points on the Reds 15th win in 18 games.

And it didn’ for the Cincinnati Nine in the ninth inning when Alexis Diaz blew a save after 27 consecutive saves, 22 this season.

Sent to protect a 2-1 lead, he gave up a run and the game spun into the 10th

And it didn’t look good forl the Cincinnati Nine in the 10th inning. The Padres, who were 0-6 in extra-inning games, scored two runs off Ian Gibaut to take a 4-2 lead.

And it didn’t look good for the Cincinnati Nine in the bottom of the 10th with two outs and a two-run deficit. But rookie Matt McLain, 0 for 4, straight-arrowed a line drive over the center field wall to tie it, 4-4.

And it didnt look good for the Cincinnati Nine when the Padres scored a run in the 11th to take a 5-4 lead.

But rookie De La Cruz opened the 11th with a double, scoring ghost runner Jonathan India to tie it, 5-5. Kevin Newman bunted De La Cruz to third, from where De La Cruz was thrown out at home.

And it didn’t look. . .well, that ended with the home run by Steer for the Reds 30th come-from-behind victory out of their 44 wins.

“I was just trying to hit something hard in the gap,” said Steer during an on-the-field interview with Bally Sports Ohio. “ He (pitcher Drew Carolton) threw me a slider there at the end. That was the best, man. I couldn’t be happier to give that to this team. I got picked off (first base) earier in the game and I thought I cost us the game. I don’t think I’ve ever had a bigger hit in my life. That was pretty awesome.”

During the Reds extra-jnnings escapes, broadcaster Jeff Brantley said, “A Reds ticket should come with a defibrillator.”

Said Steer, agreeing with Babe Ruth, “We just don’t give up, we just don’t give up. We keep fighting. We just make stuff happen, we just seem to make stuff happen.

Trying to make stuff happen is the Reds Way, but it nearly cost them on this day. Steer and Will Benson both were picked off first base in the seventh inning.

De La Cruz singled with one out in the fourth, sending India to third. But De La Cruz tried to take second on his hit Fernando Tatis Jr. threw him out. Instead of third and first with no outs, there were two outs and a runner on third. Jake Fraley struck out.

And then there was De La Cruz’s dash home in the 11th that ended in an out.

 

 

 

There were many positive things for the Reds to talk about after handing the higly-paid Padres their 11th loss in 13 games, but at the forefront had to be, “Welcome back, Graham Ashcraft.”

Ashcraft had been AWOL from pitching effectiveness si nce tbe last time he faced the Padres, but on Friday he was as good as it gets.

In 6 2/3 innings, he held the Padres to one run, three hits, walked two and struck out seven. The last time he faced the Padres in San Diego, he pitched six two-hit innings and he was 2-0 with a 2.00 earned run average for his first six starts.

Then he disappeared. Since that game, he was 1-6 with an earned run average near 12.00.

He was a different man Friday as the Reds handed the failing Pardes their sixth straight defeat. Before coming to Cincinnati, the team with a $256 million payroll lost two games in Washington and three in Pittsburgh.

Ashcraft didn’t get the win. He left with the game tied, 1-1, after his one mistake to number nine hitter Trent Grisham landed in the left field seats in the sixth, breaking a 0-0 tie.

Undaunted by Grisham’s home run and facing a tough, tough Seth Lugo. the Reds pulled up their black City Connect uniforms and went to work.

They tied it with an unearned run in the sixth against Lugo, who owned a 1.16 earned run average for his 23 1/3 innings against the Reds.

After McLain and India struck out, 
De La Cruz lifted one to left center. Center fielder Grisham and left fielder Juan Soto collided and the ball fell.

It was first ruled as an error, then changed to a double. Either way, De La Cruz was on second with two outs and scored on Jake Fraley’s double and it was 1-1.

Lugo was replaced by Brent Honeywell in the seventh and baseball’s version of a death-defying battled ensued between Honeywell and Tyler Stephenson.

Stephenson fouled off four straight 3-and-2 pitches, then on the at bat’s 10 pitch he crash-landed a home run 12 rows up in the left field seats to give the Reds a 2-1 lead.

Then something rarely seen hapened in the San Diego ninth. Reds closer Diaz blew a save, setting up all the histrionics in the 10th and 11th..

 

McCoy: Rallyin’ Reds Do It Again, Score Four in 10th to Win, 11-7

By Hal McCoy
Contributing Wriiter

No matter the dire situation, no matter the situation, the Cincinnati Reds always play with their thumbs up and nobody’s chin is ever down on the second button of his jersey.

On Wednesday night in Camden Yards, the Reds scored four runs in the 10th inning to rescue another implausible storybook victory, 11-7 over the Baltimore Orioles.

The Reds led, 7-4, in the eighth inning, but Buck Farmer gave up three runs, including a two-run home run to number nine hitter Adam Frazier to tie it, 7-7.

Thumbs down? Heads down? Not the 2023 Reds.

In the ninth inning, Ely De La Cruz beat an infield hit to third base and stole second. With two strtikes, Nick Senzel bunted over the pitcher’s head for a single.

That put runners on third and first with no outs against Baltimore’s flame-throwing closer Felix Bautista. He struck out Joey Votto on a 101 miles an hour fastball, struck out Spencer Steer on a 103 miles an hour fastball. Tyler Stephenson grounded out. No runs.

Thumbs down? Heads down? Not the 2023 Reds.

They put the game away with emphasis in the 10th.

With free pass runner Kevin Newman on second, Will Benson missed a bunt attempt then lined a triple over the right fielder’s head, scoring Newman.

TJ Friedl, the team’s best bunter, turned around twice as if to bunt. Then he drilled a two-run home run into the right field seats.

Tyler Maile doubled off the center field wall and took third on center fielder Cedric Mullins’ error. He scored on a wild pitch and the Reds took the field for the bottom of the 10th with an 11-7 lead.

With the win, the Reds won two of three from the Orioles and won their sixth series of their last seven. And they maintained their pencil-thin half-game lead over Milwaukee in the National League Central.

There was no rain delay Wednesday in Camden Yards, but it rained runs and hits for 1 1/2 innings.

The Reds (43-38) and the Orioles (48-31) combined for 10 runs and 12 hits in the first inning-and-a-half but matters settled down after that and it became a bullpen battle.

 

The Reds two teams endured rain delays of 1:44 and 1:43 in the first two games of the series, but played straight through on Wednesday in a highly competitive back-and-forth affair.

The Reds scored three runs in the first inning against Gibby, who was nothing close to Bob Gibson. This was Kyle Gibson.

So Luke Weaver took the mound with a 3-0 lead and promptly gave up four runs, not unnatural for him. So far this season he has given up 22 runs in the first inning.

Thumbs down? Head down. Not the 2023 Reds.

They barged right back in the top of the second for three runs and a 6-4 lead.

Amazingly, both starters turned nearly unhittable after their early problems.

At one point, Weaver retired 10 in a row before leaving after 4 1/3 innings, the score still 6-4. He left after 4 2/3 innings and Reds manager David Bell wore out a path from the bullpen to the mound.

He used seven relief pitchers to tie a ribbon around this one. Alex Young, Daniel Duarte, Lucas Sims and Ian Gibaut kept the O’s off the board through seven innings. And the Reds added a run in the when Benson singled and stole second, Cincinnati’s fourth theft. He moved to third on a fielder’s choice and scored on Matt McLain’s ground ball,

Farmer gave up the three runs in the eighth to tie it, then Alexis Diaz pitched a 1-2-3 ninth and Fernando Cruz put two men on in the 10th, but recorded three strikeouts.

Amazingly, even though his earned run average is close to 10.00 over Weaver’s last six starts, the Reds are 6-0 in those starts.

He gave up five runs last Friday in the first inning, but the Reds came back to beat Atlanta, 11-10. And he gave up four in the first Wednesday night.

And it was the Reds 29th come-from-behind victory, passing Baltimore, owner of the second most with 28.

The Reds were 7 for 19 with runners in scoring position and stranded11 while the O’s were 4 for 13 and stranded eight.

Friedl had three hits, scored three and drove in three. De La Cruz ended a 0 for 14 slide with a pair of hits but also struck out three times.

Jake Fraley had two hits his first two times up against Gibson. Fraley knows Gibson’s permanent address with five hits in his first six at bats against the Orioles starter.

Benson had three hits and scored three runs. It was a rough evening for Joey Votto, who went 0 for 6.

 

 

McCoy: McLain, Abbott, Friedl help Reds End Three-Game Skid

By Hal McCoy
Contributing Writer

While Ellymania is on temporary pause, two not-so-publicized rookies keep on keeping for the Cincinnati Reds.

Infielder Matt McLain and pitcher Andrew Abbott have no pause buttons and were the major components, along with TJ Friedl, of the Reds 3-1 victory Tuesday night over the Baltimore Orioles.

McLain doubled to drive in the first run and homered to drive in the second run as the Reds ended a three-game losing streak and reclaimed first place in the National League Central.

Milwaukee was blasted, 7-4. by the New York Mets and fell a half-game behind the Reds.

Abbott, making his fifth major-league start, survived a wobbly start. but quickly righted himself to hold the Orioles to one run, two hits, three walks while striking out eight over six innings.

Abbott is 4-0 with a minuscule 1.21 earned run and the Reds have won all five of his starts.

Elly De La Cruz’s bat is on hiatus — 0 for his last 14 with seven strikeouts, but McLain, nine inches shorter than the 6-foot-5 De La Cruz, is carrying a hefty bat.

He has been on base at least once in each of the last 19 games.

The Reds were facing the same difficult task the Orioles encountered in facing Abbott. They were facing 6-foot-8 six-game winner Tyler Wells.

He held the Reds to two runs, four hits, walked two and struck out seven in six innings.

The Orioles scored first when Abbott walked Aaron Hicks to open the second. He took third on a single by Jordan Westburg, playing his second major league game. Hicks scored on Ryan McKenna’s sacrifice fly.

The Reds drew even, 1-1, in the fourth, an inning that began with TJ Friedl boldly dropping a two-strike bunt that was so pefect it didn’t draw a throw. It was Friedl’s eight bunt hit.

He scored when McLain dented the center field wall with a double.

The Achilles heel for Well this season is the home run ball and McLain took advantage of it leading off the sixth, the 19th home run this years Wells has dished up.

In addition to pitching, defense played a cameo role in the Reds 13th win in 16 games.

In the bottom of the sixth, Anthony Santander led the inning with a bloop to right, a ball that seemed headed for the Bermuda Triangle between center fielder Friedl, right fielder Jake Fraley and second baseman Jonathan India.

With his back to the infield, like a wide receiver running a go route, India made an over-the-shoulder grab while falling to the grass.

Lucas Sims replaced Abbott in the seventh, after Abbott threw 106 pitches, and there was immediate trouible. Sims gave up two walks and hit a batter, but escaped unscathed.

He walked pinch-hitter Cedric Mullinss on a full count to open the inning. Knowing Mullins’ propensity for thievery, the Reds guessed right when Mullins would make his bolt for second. Mullins got a huge break, but the Reds called a pitchout and catcher Luke Maile unleashed a perfect peg to nail Mullins.

Sims then wallked Westburg. He retired pinch-hitter Ryan O’Hearn on a ground ball, but hit pinch-hitter Adam Frazier with a pitch.

That put runners on second and first with two outs, but Sims doused the mess he he put himself in by catching Austin Haya looking at strike three.

Then the rain re-appeared after rain delayed Monday’s game for an hour and 44 minutes. This time the delay wqas an hour and 43 minutes.

When play resumed, two batters into the eighth inning Friedl provided an insurance run with a home run into the right field seats to make it 3-1.

Buck Farmer gave up a two-out double to Gunnar Henderson, who had struck out his first three times, but Aaron Hicks flied to center.

That left it up to Alexis “Mr. Automatic” Diaz to clean it all up in the ninth. And dirtied things up a bit before cleaning up.

He hit Cedric Mullins with a pitch with two outs and walked Adam Frazier on a full count, bringing the winning run to the plate in the personage of Austin Hayes, the American League’s leading hitter. He flied to center to end it.

So Diaz had his 22nd consecutive save this season and the Reds drew even with the Orioles for the major-league lead in comebacks wins with 28.

 

 

McCoy: Poor pitching leads to 10-3 loss to Orioles, Reds third straight defeat

By Hal McCoy
Contributing Writer

On baseball’s ugly game meter, the needle went off the scale on the Cincinnati Reds Monday night in Camden Yards.

And lay it firmly at the feet of the pitchers, this 10-3 loss to the Baltimore Orioles.

While losing their third straight, the Reds toppled out of first place in the National League Central, a half-game behind the Milwaukee Brewers.

The depleted Reds pitching staff gave up 10 runs, 12 hits, walked nine and went to full counts 12 times. Four of the walks came around to score.

Starter Brandon Williamson was bothered by a faulty Pitch-Com and a torrential downpour during his two brief innings on a soggy, muddy mound.

The Reds had given him a 1-0 lead in the first on leadoff hitter Kevin Newman’s long double and Spencer Steer’s single.

Williamson had two outs and nobody on in the second during a rain so heavy his jersey was soaked.

He went to 3-and-2 on three straight hitters and walked all three. Austin Hays singled up the middle for a 2-0 Orioles lead.

Anthony Santander singled to open the third and play was stopped as Moby Dick was spotted swimming in center field.

The delay was one-hour and 44 minutes.

When play resumed, David Bell went to a pair of relief pitchers called up from Class AAA Louisville Monday morning after Fernando Cruz pitched two inings and gave up a run, a hit and walk.

Eduardo Salazar was first and he gave up three runs, three hits and a walk in the fifth inning.

Then Jacob Wong made his major league debut and it is evident the Reds are running out of uniform numbers. He wore No. 85 while pitching the final three innings.

He had one bad inning, the eighth, giving up three runs and four hits.

When the game began, the Reds and Orioles were tied for most comeback wins in the majors with 27. Because the Orioles gave up a run in the first then took command, they are credited with their 28th.

The Reds had a chance in the first to put more pressure on the Orioles (48-29), second place in the American League East. After Steer’s run-scoring single in the first, the Reds had two on with two outs.

Nick Senzel blistered one headed for the left field corner, but Baltimore third baseman Ramon Urias made a diving backhanded stab, a larcenous third out that would have made Baltimore’s legendary third baseman, Brooks Robinson, proud.

The Reds made no other solid noise untill the sixth inning when Steer crushed a two-run homer, his 12th, cutting Baltimore’s lead to 7-3.

But when the Orioles came right back in the bottom of the sixth and scored three to make it 10-3 the battle was over.

Steer had three hits and a walk as the sum total of the Reds offense and drove in all three runs.

Elly De La Cruz struck out his first two trips, five strikeouts in his previous five at bats. He went 0 for 4 and is 0 for his last 10.

After going 4 for 5 with three extra base hits Sunday against Atlanta, Matt McLain was 0 for 4 Monday, but stretched his on-base streak to 18 games when he was hit by a pitch in the ninth inning.

Austin Hays did most of the damage for the Orioles with a double, single and three RBI as Baltimore won for the 11th time in 16 games.

 

ASK HAL: Who comes up next for the Reds?

By Hal McCoy
Contributing Writer

Q: Should Reds fans take a cautious approach to the Reds surprising success? — DAVE, Miamisburg/Centerville/Beavercreek.
A: As is often said, enjoy the moment. Nobody expected this outside the Reds clubhouse. Always be cautious, especially crossing a freeway. But no matter what happens, this team is flamboyantly exciting, ultra-aggressive, self-confident and extremely entertaining. Nobody expected this team to ever be in first place this season, so caution doesn’t enter the equation.

Q: Now that the young call-ups of Matt McLain, Elly De La Cruz and Andrew Abbott have been successful and the tem is winning, will we see other minor leaguers making the move up soon? — GREG, Beavercreek.
ly will be infielder Christian Encarnacion-Strand, who isl laying the wood to the ball at Class AAA Louisville. The problem is where he would play with the Cincinnati infield already crowded with Jonathan India, Matt McLain, Elly De La Cruz, Kevin Newman and Nick Senzel. What the Reds really need is pitching help, both starters and bullpenners, but the cupboard at Class AAA Louisville is close to empty. They could dip down to Class AA Chattanooga for help. Ryan Meisinger is the Lookouts’ closer and is 3-0 with a 0.56 earned run average and 21 strikeouts in 16 innings. He is 29 and has never pitched in the majors and has played for five different Triple-A teams. As a starter, Connor Phillips is a sensation with 109 strikeouts in 64 innings. He was the player to be named later from Seattle in the Eugenio Suarez-Jesse Winker trade.

Q: Will the Reds’ heirarchy just be satisfied with what the team is doing or really be involved in making it better? — TOM, Deer Par.
A: There are some scenarios involved here. If the Reds remain at the top or near the top, come trade deadline, we shall see if they are serious about winning this year. Will they trade? Will they trade for more prospects? Will they trade for some veteran pitching? Will they stand pat. It is all in the hands of the front office. Of course, if the team hits the skids (it won’t) the rebuild will continue. To me, though, it sees the future is now.

Q: Do you think the Reds should lock up Jonathan India to a long-term deal right now? — GREG, Albuquerque, NM.
A: That is the muilti-million question. India is the tip of a spark plug, clearly a team leader by example and by his positive vibes and his always dirty uniform because he plays down in the dirt. He is the kind of player every team wants. But the Reds have a pleasant problem and it’s too many good infielders on the current roster and a slew of them climbing the minor-league ladder. What to do, what to do with India. The Reds still have contractural control of India for four years. Will they trade him or will they keep him? Whichever, a long-term deal is not necessary right now.

Q: The uniqueness of a first baseman’s mitt intrigues me and I wonder why it is so different from the other fielder’s glove? — JIM, Kettering.
A: As a former first baseman, I cherished my Boog Powell model first baseman’s mitt. A first baseman’s glove is the biggest mitt on the field and it is that big so low throws can be scooped from the dirt, something I loved to do, with a modicum of success. A first baseman’s glove can only be used at first base and a catcher’s mitt can only be used behind the plate. The size of a first baseman’s mitt would be a huge advantage for an outfielder, but a catcher’s mitt is good only for catcher’s. Catching a ground ball with one of those things would be not only adventurous, but hilarious.

Q: How many gloves does a catcher use during a season and do they rotate gloves? — MIKE, Irvington, IN.
A: It depends on the catcher and they all have different ideas. Most like to break in one glove and use if the entire season and the next season if if survives. And they all break in two or three back-ups. If there is a knuckleball pitcher (a dying breed) the catcher breaks out a huge oversized glove. Former catcher Bob Uecker used to catch knuckleballer Phil Niekro and asked how he handled it he said, “Oh, easy. I waited until it stopped rolling and picked it up.”

Q: Did Reds broadcaster Waite Hoyt have a walk-off line or a sign-off line like Joe Nuxhall’s “Roun”And this one belongs to the Reds” and who was your favorite baseball broadcaster? — JACK, Miamisburg.
A: Brennaman only said, “This one belongs to the Reds” after wins and they didn’t win ‘em all. Waite Hoyt was a few years ahead of me and I didn’t get to work in a ball park with him. Nobody recalls any special sign-off by Hoyt, but he did call home runs into the Crosley Field moon/sun deck, “A home run into Burgerville.” As a kid growing up in Akron, I listened to Cleveland radio guys Jimmy Dudley and Jack Graney and I can still hear Dudley calling a home run ball with, “Going, going, going, gone.” The longer the home run, they more “goings” in his description.

Q: What are your thoughts on puttiing Elly De La Cruz batting leadoff? — BEN, Red Bay, AL.
A: De La Cruz could bat anywhere in the order and be dynamic. Yes, with his fleet afoot and his ability to beat out infield hits, he could bat leadoff. But he also possesses Ruthian power and needs to bat third or fourth to drive in runs. Manager David Bell has him pegged perfectly as the cleanup hitter. And I really like TJ Friedl in the leadoff spot.

Q: Batters always looked at the third base coach for a signal, whether to take a pitch or swing away, but I notice the batters are not looking at the coach or dugout for a signal, so is that another part of the game that has gone by the wayside? — PAUL, Dayton.
A: No, it is still a big part of the game. You must have been watching when there were no runners on base. If it’s 3-and-0, the batter gets a hit or take sign. He gets a sign to sacrifice bunt or to execute the hit-and-run. He also gets a sign when the man on first is going to steal. Yes, all the signs are still there. The third base coach still a human semaphore.

McCoy: Another One-Run Loss to Atlanta in Series Finale

By Hal McCoy
Contributing Writer

Another Cincinnati Reds streak was buried under the Great American Ball Park’s finely manicured grass.

After ending the Reds 12-game winning streak on Saturday, the Atlanta Braves ended Cincinnati’s streak of winning five straight series.

The fully-loaded Braves scored a 7-6 breath-holding win Sunday afternoon in front of 40,140 fans.

And the Reds didn’t go down without putting fear in the heart of the Braves. Down 7-6 in the ninth, the Reds put runers on third and first with one out. With most of the patrons on their feet, Kevin Newman hit into a game-ending double play.

The season series is over and all six games were decided by one run, five wins by the Braves and one by the Reds.

The Reds had no mircale medicine to cure their Matt Olson malady. Olson’s fourth home run of the series was the difference as the Braves took two of three.

Olson curved an opposite field drive inside the left field pole, five rows deep into the seats in the sixth inning, a three-run jolt that broke a 3-3 tie. It gave the Braves a 6-3 lead, a lead the Reds couldn’t overcome. The Braves, a homer-happy bunch, have hit at least one home run in 20 straight games.

Olson’s home run was preceded by a two-out walk by Ian Gibaut. Walks more than home runs plagued the Reds in this one. Reds pitchers walked 10 and
four came around to score.

And walks nearly did in the Braves. too. With his team ahead, 7-4, in the eighth, relief pitcher AJ. Minter walked pinch-hitter Kevin Newman and TJ Friedl, both on 3-and-2 counts.

Atlanta manager Brian Snitker brought in Joe Jimenez to face Matt McLain. Bad mistake. McLain drilled a two-run double and both the walks scored.

That was McLain’s fourth hit that included three doubles and a home run that produced five RBI. And it cut Atlanta’s advantage to 7-6.

McLain’s home run was a leadoff rip in the seventh inning, the 10th straight game in which the Reds have homered at least once.

The two teams hit 19 home runs in the three-game series, 10 by the Braves, nine by the Reds, tying the GABP home run record for a three-game series.

Former Reds pitcher Raisel Iglesias came into the battle in the ninth and struck out Elly De La Cruz to start the inning. De La Cruz was 0 for 5, stranded five runners and struck out his last three times.

Jake Fraley singled to put the potential tying run on base. Was there more magic for the Reds during this magical ride?

Jonathan India, 1 for 16 and an unprecedented pinch-hitter for Joey Votto in the seventh, blooped a single to right, sending Fraley to third.

Kevin Newman forced eight pitches from Iglesias, then it came to a crushing end for the Reds when Newman hit into a 5-4-3 around the horn double play.

With a depleted pitching corps, the Reds had to dig deeply into their gym bag, where mostly dirty socks reside.

To start the game they brought up Levi Stoudt from Triple-A Louisville for his second start. In two previous appearances early this season, one start and one relief appearance, he was 0-and-1 with a 10.29 earned run average. He gave up three runs, four hits and three walks for his three innings.

He was followed by Louisville call-up Randy Wynne, who was pitching independent ball last year. Wearing uniform number 82, Wynne was decent, one run, three hits and a walk in 2 1/3 innings.

Stroudt gave up a triple to open the third when right fielder Fraley missed a diving catch. He scored Ozzie Albies sacrifice fly,

It was 1-0 but Stroudt had two outs and nobody on. But he walked Austin Rlley and Olson, both on full counts. Centerville native and Wright State University product Sean Murphy singled home Riley and Marcell Ozuna singled home Olson and it was 3-0.

Atlanta’s starter was 39-year-old 16-year veteran Charlie Morton. And the Reds had him covering up on the ropes all afternoon.

They had two on and one out in the first and didn’t score. They had two on and two outs in the second and didn’t score.

They broke through in the third on back-to-back doubles to lead the inning by McLain and Spencer Steer, but that’s the only run they scored and it was Atlanta 3, Cincinnati 1.

They tied it, 3-3 in the fourth when Tyler Stephenson and Nick Senzel opened with singles. TJ Friedl bunted the runners to third and second and McLain doubled them home. But the next three Reds left McLain standing at second.

Ronald Acuna Jr. doubled, but Ian Gibaut had two outs. He walked Riley and Olson did his thing, another home run to lift the Braves to a 6-3 lead.

A big, big run came qcross for the Braves in the eighth, accomplised without a hit. Buck Farmer walked the first two.

Alexis Diaz replaced Farmer with no chance for a save and he is not too effective when a save isnt dangling in front of him. With one out, he walked Murphy on a full count to fill the bases, then walked Ozuna for force in Atlant’s saventh run, which proved to be the winning runs when the Reds rallied in the eighth and ninth and came up a run short.

Both teams littered the bases with runner. The Reds were 4 for 16 with runners in scoring position and stranded 10. The Braves were just as futile, 3 for 15 with runners in scoring position and they stranded 13, but won for the 17th time in 20 games.

And when a three-game series is tied, 1-1, the Braves are 6-0 in the rubber game.

The Reds now move to Baltimore, an abbreviated three-game trip to Camden Yards that begins Monday. Then they return home next weekend for three against the San Diego Padres.

McCoy: Reds Go Down Swinging As 12-Game Streak Ends

By Hal McCoy
Contributing Writer

As is often said, all good things must come to an end. Even wonderful and magnificent things.

The Cincinnati Reds’ 12-game winning streak came crashing to Mother Earth Saturday afternoon in Great American Ball Park.

But as always, they did not go down without kicking and screaming before falling to the potent and powerful Atlanta Braves, 7-6.

The Reds made certain the Braves know they don’t go away without throwing some late punches.

Down 7-4 in the ninth against former Reds pitcher Raisel Iglesias, Jake Fraley and pinch-hitter Will Benson hit back-to-back home runs to pull the Reds within one.

With a second straight full house (43,498) in a frenzy, Iglesias hitched his knickers and struck out both Matt McLain and a slumping Jonathan India to put the last chapter on the Reds historic run, their first 12-game winning streak since 1957..

Despite only their third loss in 18 games, the Reds maintained their 1 1/2-games lead over the second-place Milwaukee Brewers, a loser Saturday to the Cleveland Guardians, 4-2.

It is the Chicago Cubs that are putting on the rush. They beat St. Louis Saturday in London, England, 9-1. They’ve won nine of ten and are within three games of the Reds in the weak-and-tumble National League Central.

There was not to be a 28th comeback win for the Reds and their streak of five straight comebacks came to an end.

It wasn’t that the Reds didn’t put up a strong pursuit. They went down scuffling. They trailed 3-0 and cut it to 3-2. They trailed 6-2 and cut it to 6-4. They trailed 7-4 but cut it to 7-6. And they were one swing of the
bat from tying it in the ninth.

After hitting five home runs in an 11-10 loss Friday nlght, Travis d’Arnaud,Ozzie Albies, Matt Olson and Marcell Ozuna accounted for five of Atlanta’s seven runs with four more home runs.

The Reds hit four homers in Friday’s 11-10 win and matched Saturday — one from rookie Spencer Steer and one from rookie Matt McLain, plus the two homers in the ninth by Fraley and Benson.

Graham Ashcraft came off the injured list to start for the Reds and was unable to keep Atlanta’s always noisy bats quiet.

The first two Braves reached in the top of the first, but Ashcraft worked out of it.

But d’Arnoud led the second with a home run, his second of the series. And he was a pain all afternoon to the Reds with four hits.

He was Atlanta’s cacther because Centerville native and Wright University product Sean Murphy is nursing a hamstring injury.

The Bravess made it 3-0 in the third on Albie’s home run and a run-scoring single by Ozuna.

The Reds cut it to 3-2 in the third when TJ Friedl led the inning with a push-bunt single, his seventh bunt single this season. With two outs, McLain broke a 1 for 12 skid with a home run. But he has reached base in 16 straight games.

Atlanta dropped a threer-spot on Ashcraft in the fourth after he had two outs and nobody on. Ozzie Albies singled and stole second. Austin Riley doubled for a run. Olson hit his third home run in the first two games of the series and 24th of the season to push the Braves in front, 6-2.

Done? Not these clawing, grasping Reds. Elly De La Cruz led the fourth with a single, his only hit of the day (1 for 3 with a walk). Then, of course, he easily stole second. And Steer unloaded his 11th home run, a blast the ricocheted off the facade of the upper deck, 413 feet from home plate. And the Reds put to runners on after the home run with two outs but Kevin Newman popped out.

That made it 6-4 and it stayed that way until Ozuna homered off Alex Young in the eighth to make it 7-4, a big, big run when the Reds hit two homers in the ninth.

Ashcraft, shaking rust off his 16 days on the injured list, gave up six runs and 10 hits, three of them homers during his four innings.

The Reds still have the opportunity to take the series when they meet the Braves Sunday afternoon.Ben Lively was the scheduled starter, but he landed on the disabled list and manager David Bell has not yet determined who will make the start.

McCoy: Reds Score 11 to Win Their 12th Straight, 11-10 Over Braves

By Hal McCoy
Contributing Writer

Incredible. Inconceivable. Incomprehensible. It’s all the ‘ins’ one can conjure and add about five exclamation points to each one.

If ever the scorching-hot Cincinnati Reds put their resilience and persistence on display, it was Friday night in front of a full house (43,086) in Great American Ball Park.

The Reds pounded their way to their 12th straight victory with guns blazing during an 11-10 last-gasp win over the Atlanta Braves.

Before they came to bat, they were down 5-0 when the Braves raked Reds starter Luke Weaver for five runs that included a three-run home run by Travis d’Arnaud.

Then something old and something new took over for the Reds.

It was all about 39-year-old Joey Votto, the oldest Red, and 21-year-old Elly De La Cruz, the youngest Red.

Votto cranked two home runs, one to tie the game and one to put the Reds ahead for good.

De La Cruz? De Le Dynamite. He hit for the cycle —double, home run, single, triple. It was the first cycle by a Reds play since Eric Davis accomplished it in 1989. Davis, like De La Cruz, wore uniform number 44, and De La Cruz has been compared to Davis.

Davis, still associated with the Redss as a roving instructor, has been a sounding board for De La Cruz.

“It is an honor and a privilege to wear his number,” said De La Cruz through a translator with Bally Sports Ohio. “He is a legend in this city and I talk to him often. I’m glad he has given me the honor to wear that 44.”

Each time De La Cruz walked to the batter’s box and each time he thundered around the bases, the crowd chanted, “Elly, Elly, Elly.”

“It is an honor and privilege, too, just to be on this team and in this organization,” he added. “Just to hear you guys (fans) scream for us, it is so awesome. The best fans in the world, we’ve got right here.

Of his history-making night, he said, “I’m just so excited with everything that happened tonight. I’m just here to contribute to the team and help them win, nothing more than that.”

Votto drove in three and scored two. De L a Cruz drove in four and scored three. After hitting his trtiple, he tried to put the crowd into a frenzy by attempting to steal home, but he was thrown out.

The game was an out-and-out slugfest as both teams made GABP look like Williamsport.

The Reds hit four home runs, with Jake Fraley joining Votto’s two and De La Cruz’s one. The Braves hit five, two by Matt Olson that included three solo blasts in the eighth inning against Lucas Sims that drew the Braves to within 11-10.

After the Braves, who had an eight-game winning streak stopped, scored five in the first, the Reds began their 27th comeback win, fifth in a row, in the second inning. De La Cruz line one off the top of the right field wall for a double and Fraley homered to make it 5-2.

The Reds pulled to within 5-4 in the third. TJ Friedl walked, stole second, stole third and scored on De La Cruz’s home run.

Votto’s first home run, a 415-foot rapid-fire halfway up the right field moon deck tied it 5-5, in the fourth.

The Braves, though,forced the Reds to show their stick-to-it approach by taking a 7-5 lead in the fifth on Matt Olson’s two-run homer off Daniel Duarte.

The Reds fifth begain in bizarre fashion. Braves pitcher Collin McHugh opened the inning by hitting Matt McLain and Jonathan India with his first two pitches.

De La Cruz singled home McLain, cutting the lead two 7-6. Then to add spice to his night, he stole second, his seventh steal in seven attempts.

Votto then unleashed a 413-foot rapid-fire three-run home run halfway up the right field moon deck to push the Reds in front, 9-7. It was their first lead of the night and they clutched on to it.

The Reds made it 11-7 in the sixth. Friedll walked on a full count, took second on a wild pitch and scored on Jonathan India’s single. India scored on De La Cruz’s triple to right center, a double for a mere mortal that scored India.

Then the Reds had to hang tight. Ronald Acuna Jr., Austin Riley and Olson all homered in the eighth to cut it to, 11-10.

That forced manager David Bell to bring in closer Alexis Diaz, who strolled into the game with strobe lights flashing and trumpet music, The Matador, blaring on the speakers. He walked the potential tying run with one out, then induced a game-ending double play from Orlando Arcia.

That gave Diaz his 21st save this season in 21 opportunities.

OBSERVATIONS: Some Stuff About the Rampaging Reds

By Hal McCoy

UNSOLICITED OBSERVATIONS from The Man Cave, wishing the Cincinnati Reds would put those black City Connect uniforms in a bag with a bunch of mothballs and leave them there.

—REAL ROAD WARRIORS: Anthony Daniel Conaway researched the 12-game winning streak put together by the 1957 Cincinnati Reds and came up with a stunning nugget.

All 12 wins came on the road. After losing the last game of a homestand in Crosley Field, the
Reds won every game of a 12-game trip to Shlibe Park in Philadelphia, to the Polo Grounds in New York, to Forbes Field in Pittsburgh and to Wrigley Field in Chicago. Only Wrigley Field is now not a parking lot.

Then the Reds returned home and lost the first game. They should have worn their road uniforms.

The ’57 Reds (80-74) finished fourth in the eight-team National League, 15 games behind the Milwaukee Braves.

That’s also the year Cincinnati fans stuffed the boxes with paper ballots and voted seven Reds to the All-Star game starting lineup.

But commissioner Ford Frick stepped in and replaced outfielders Gus Bell and Wally Post, along with first baseman Geroge Crowe, with some guys named Willie Mays, Henry Aaron and Stan Musial.

He should have left it along. The American League won, 6-5.

And he took away voting by the fans, which wasn’t returned until 1970.

—MEASURING UP: The Atlanta Braves franchise is where the Cincinnati Reds want to be, it’s where every MLB franchise wants to be.

With their recent success, the Reds have anointed themselves as America’s Team. Good for them, good for their confidence, if isn’t a bit audacious. The Braves, as American as hot dogs and cheeseburgers, are pretty close to being America’s Team.

Whatever the case, the Braves and Reds have at it this weekend and many consider it a measuring stick for the first-place Reds (National League Central). Are they on the same plateau as the first-place Braves (National League East)?

The Reds have won 11 straight. The Braves have won eight straight. The Reds are 14-5 in June. The Braves are 14-3 in June.

No matter the outcome of the three-game series, the Reds are still a few steps below the Braves, but they are working their way up and suddenly they are running up those steps instead of taking them one step at a time.

—CINCINELLY REDS?: MLB-TV asked viewers to come up with a nickname for the suddenly attention-grabbing Reds. They liked somebody’s suggestion that they are the CincinElly Reds.

Clever and funny, but why put pressure on Elly De La Cruz? Yes, he runs the bases like a guy fleeing a five-alarm fire, has the power of Duke Energy and the arm of George Washington throwing a silver dollar across the Delaware.

But he is in the infancy of his career and is in the process of learning and making adjustments. Remember Aristides Aquino, the Second Coming of Babe Ruth? He didn’t even turn out to be Babe Dahlgren.

That isn’t to say De La Cruz could be Aquino. It appears De La Cruz has his head screwed on straight and the talent gushes out of him like an onrushing tsunami. But give the kid a chance to breathe.

—WAITE A MINUTE: In his early days of broadcastiing, Cinciinnati Reds icon Waite Hoyt had an uncontrolled drinking problem. To his credit, he checked into a hospital and eventuallly joined Alcoholics Anonynous and didn’t touch a drop for the rest of his life.

When he checked into the hospital, they protected him during his 10 weeks of absence from the radio booth by saying he had amnesia.

His former teammate with the New York Yankees, Babe Ruth, sent Hoyt a telegram that said, “Read about your case of amnesia. Must a new brand.”

—LONG MEMORIES: Fans have not forgotten nor forgiven players from the 2017 Houston Astros who were involved in the sign-stealing scandal. They still boo them.

And apparently some players have elephantine memories, too. Chicago White Sox pitcher Keynon Middleton struck out Minnesota’s Carlos Correa, who played for the ’17 Astros.

After the game, Middleton said, “I don’t like him, so it was kind of cool. I like that. I enjoyed that a lot. I mean, he’s a cheater.”

—TIN SOLDIERS: What’s all the excitement about the Cincinnati Reds possibly winning the National League Central to have a chance at winning the World Series?

Didn’t baseball commissioner Rob Manfred once call the World Series trophy, “Just a piece of tin?”

OK, just call the Reds a bunch of tin soldiers because that’s one piece of tin they covet.

And remember when they couldn’t find the Reds’ 1990 World Series trophy? Turns out owner Marge Schott had it in her living room, probably propping open a door.

—ZEROS AND MORE ZEROS: Did you watch that baseball game Thursday that was tied, 0-0, after nine innings and went extra innings?

No, I don’t mean the Altlanta Braves and Philadelphia Phillies, which was 0-0 after nine and the Braves won in 10, 5-1.

I’m referring to an even better game. It was the College World Series and No. 1 seed Wake Forest and No. 5 seed LSU played for the right to meet Florida in the finals.

It was 0-0 after nine and went into the 11th inning when LSU’s Tommy White hit a two-run walk-off home run for a 2-0 victory.

It was pitching, pitching, pitching. The two starters were nearly invincible LSU’s Paul Skenes pitched eight shutout innings on two hits and nine strikeouts. Wake Forest’s Rhett Lowder pitched seven shutout innings on three hits and six strikeouts.

Both LSU’s football and basketball programs were hit recently with recruiting and other violations. Let’s hope the baseball program has kept its dugout free of scandal.

—ABOUT NUXY: If you haven’t picked one up yet, do yourself a favor and purchase John Kiesewetter’s excellent tome: Joe Nuxhall: The Old Lefthander And Me.”

Copies are obtainable from Amazon, the Reds Hall of Fame and www.tvkiese.com. It’s an easy and enjoyable ride with Kiesewetter through his days with his friend Nuxy.

So far, close to 5,000 copies have been sold.