McCoy: Spiers Hammered By Five Homers

By Hal McCoy

There appears to be two Cincinnati baseball teams — the Good Reds and the Bad Reds.

The bad guys showed up Tuesday night in Rogers Centre against the last place Toronto Blue Jays.

After the good guys showed up Monday for a crisply-played win, Tuesday was deja vu all over again during a 10-3loss.

It resembled last weekend’s 13-1 runfest perpetrated upon the Reds by the Kansas City Royals. Well, both teams wear white and blue uniforms.

Reds starter Carson Spiers appeared to be a pitcher working the All-Star game Home Run Derby.

In 4 1/3 innings, Spiers jerked his neck to watch five home runs leave the premises. He gave up 13 hits and the Blue Jays scored runs in each of the first five innings. Their first seven runs all scored with two outs.

The Reds frittered some early chances against 12-game winner Jose Berrios.

Jonathan India led the game with a sharp single, but Tyler Stephenson lined into an inning-ending double play.

The Reds scored a run in the second with two outs and nobody on. Ty France and Jake Fraley walked and Noelvi Marte singled for a run, tying the game, 1-1. But Noelvi Marte struck out.

From there Berrios and the Blue Jays big bats took over. India led the third with a single, but Berrios retired the next nine.

The Big Boom against Spiers began in the first. Center fielder TJ Friedl fell against the wall on a deep drive hit by Daulton Varsho that ended up a triple. Rookie Will Wagner, a son of former Houston Astros closer Billy Wagner, pulled a two-out single for a run.

In the second, Joey Loperfido tripled and with two outs Addison Burger singled for a run. George Springer hit home run No. 1 of the night and itwas 4-1.

With two outs in the third, Alejandro Kirk and Spencer Horwitz hit back-to-back homers, home runs No. 2 and No. 3. And it was 6-1.

Spiers hits Varsho with a pitch, took third on Vlad Guerrero Jr.’s single and with two outs Varsho scored on third baseman Marte’s error. That made it 7-1.

Spiers walked Loperfido to open the fifth. Leo Jimenez homered, home run No. 4. When Springer hit his second home run, home run No. 5, Speirs long, long night was over, down 10-1.

Jakob Junis gave the Reds 1 2/3 perfect innings. Then the Reds waved the white flag, suffering the ignominy of using a postion player to pitch.

Just as he did during the 13-1 loss to Kansas City, back-up catcher Luke Maile came on to pitch the seventh and eight and retired six straight, keeping his earned run average at 0.00.

The Reds scored a run in the sixth on a triple by Elly De La Cruz and Tyler Stephenson’s ground ball.

Berrios was given the night off after seven innings with a fine line of seven innings, two runs, six hits, two walks and seven strikeouts.

Zach Pop replaced him in the eighth and the Reds scored a useless run on a Spencer Steer singled.

The five home runs launched covered 1,912 feet and helped drop the Reds to four games under .500 at 61-65.

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