KSReds: Cincinnati Reds Avoid Sweep With Come-From-Behind Win

It was a roller-coaster series out in Philadelphia for the Cincinnati Reds.

Cincinnati’s first road trip of the young season was pushed back due to Thursday’s rainout. Friday’s series-opener got off to a poor start for the Reds, then the Phillies scored three runs in the bottom of the ninth inning on Saturday evening to set up a potential series sweep on Sunday. However, the Reds had other plans. A ninth-inning comeback of its own snapped a three-game losing streak and moved Cincinnati back to .500 on the year at 4-4.

At the plate, Tyler Stephenson is off to a blistering start having hit safely in all eight games. The 26-year-old catcher is playing every day with starts at designated hitter and first base when he isn’t behind the plate. His .367 batting average leads the Reds. Meanwhile, Jason Vosler came through with another big extra-base hit on Sunday afternoon. His RBI double in the eighth inning pulled the Reds within one run. Vosler is still slugging .792 with a team-high nine runs batted in.

Back-to-back rainouts on Wednesday and Thursday put Cincinnati in a position to play 20 straight games in 20 days beginning back on Friday, April 7th. The next stop is a three-game series in Atlanta against the Braves. Graham Ashcraft will take the ball on Monday evening for a 7:20 p.m. EST first pitch. Luis Cessa and Hunter Greene are also slated to start against the Braves. Later in the week, the Reds will return to Great American Ball Park for four more games against the Phillies.

Late Home Run Thwarts Reds Comeback Attempts

Control issues led to another early exit for Hunter Greene in his second start of the season on Friday. The Cincinnati Reds Opening Day starter walked three batters, including walking in a run in the second inning. His erratic command racked up 93 pitches in less than five innings of work. However, a Tyler Stephenson double in the top of the sixth inning drove in TJ Friedl to tie the game at 2-2 against the Phillies. Greene was off of the hook for the loss at that point.

In the bottom of the seventh inning, Philadelphia catcher J.T. Realmuto launched his first home run of the season, a two-run shot that put the Phillies back on top 4-2. They would add an insurance run off of Reiver Sanmartin that set the eventual final score of 5-2. Even fast-forwarding through the end of the series against the Reds, the five runs scored by the Phillies on Friday night is its highest run total in a game this season.

Shaky Cincinnati Bullpen Strikes Again

It doesn’t take the knowledge of a seasoned baseball scout to know the Cincinnati Reds bullpen has been an Achilles heel for a few years now. That is certainly no different this season and the relief pitching has directly led to three of the Reds’ four losses. On Saturday night, we witnessed the most obvious and frustrating example of their inability to close out a game.

The game started off with Spencer Steer blasting a 438-foot home run to dead centerfield as the second batter of the evening. Then, on the mound, Nick Lodolo was absolutely dealing. The talented left-hander turned in seven innings of shutout baseball while allowing just three hits. Lodolo also struck out 12 Phillies batters. It was an absolutely dominant performance.

When the ball was turned over to Alexis Diaz in the eighth inning the plan was to go for the six-out save. It was executed beautifully in the eighth as the Reds closer struck out the side. However, the wheels fell off in the bottom of the ninth. Diaz walked Nick Castellanos to lead off the final frame and then a wild pitch advanced him to second base. Back-to-back singles made it a 2-1 game and had Philadelphia with runners at the corners and nobody out.

Ian Gibaut was called upon to try and get the Cincinnati Reds out of the jam, but to no avail. A sacrifice fly to tie the game was quickly followed by a walk-off single by Bryson Stott to win the game for the Phillies 3-2. Giving up a two-run lead without even recording an out in the bottom of the ninth is a tough way to go down. The loss marked the third straight for Cincinnati after starting the season 3-1.

Sweep Avoided With Ninth Inning Comeback Win

Less than 24 hours after losing a game in the ninth inning, the Cincinnati Reds bounced back and won in similar fashion on Sunday. The Phillies struck first scoring in each of the first two innings to take a 2-0 lead. In the top of the fourth, they knotted it up at two runs apiece after a Tyler Stephenson RBI double and a run-scoring ground out from Jason Vosler. However, Alec Bohm hit a two-run home run in the bottom half of the fourth to immediately jump back on top 4-2.

Not much happened in the middle innings as Philadelphia held on to their 4-2 advantage until Volser doubled into the right centerfield gap, scoring Wil Myers to cut it to a 4-3 game. Then, things got really interesting in the ninth. The Reds loaded the bases with one out and Jake Fraley at the plate. After getting down 0-2, Fraley battled and pulled one down the right field line, clearing the bases to make it 6-4 Reds.

For the second straight night, manager David Bell called on Ian Gibaut in the ninth inning. This time, the big reliever did the job. Gibaut mowed three straight Phillies to slam the door shut. Cincinnati’s 6-4 win prevented a series sweep and lifted the Reds back to .500 on the season.