KSReds: Cincinnati Reds Begin Road Trip With Sweep
It has been an up-and-down second half of the season for the Cincinnati Reds. Five straight losses following the All-Star break knocked them out of the playoffs. However, an immediate six-game winning streak got them right back in the race. Then, August began with a six-game losing streak to once again send the Reds down the standings.
In terms of the larger playoff picture, it felt like Cincinnati kept kicking the can down the road. They weren’t necessarily losing any ground, but they weren’t solidifying their position either. As September nears though simply maintaining position isn’t good enough anymore. The Reds needed to make a move.
The Reds embarked on a 10-day, 10-game road trip that turned into a 9-day, 10-game road trip after Monday’s postponement. However, you couldn’t have asked for a better start to the west coast trip. Cincinnati got the brooms out and swept the Los Angeles Angels with a trio of come-from-behind victories. The sweep included taking two in Wednesday’s doubleheader. Now, the Reds are in a tie with the Chicago Cubs for the second Wild Card spot. In the National League Central, the club is 3.5 games back of the Milwaukee Brewers.
After the stop in Los Angeles, the west coast journey continues on to Arizona for a four-game series with the Diamondbacks. All games and series are massive at this point, but this will mean a little extra as the D-Backs sit just half a game behind the Reds in the Wild Card standings. Brandon Williamson will take the ball on Thursday night for a 9:40 p.m. EST first pitch. Brett Kennedy, Hunter Greene, and Graham Ashcraft are also scheduled to start in Arizona.
Reds Make Angels Pay for Defensive Blunder
Mike Trout made his return to the Los Angeles Angels lineup, but it didn’t help them on Tuesday night. In fact, it was a pair of former Cincinnati Reds players who did the heavy lifting offensively for the Angels. Brandon Drury and Mike Moustakas connected on back-to-back home runs in the second inning to lift the Angels on top 2-1. That came after Matt McLain hit a solo home run in the top of of the first for the Reds.
In the fourth inning, Los Angeles extended their lead to 3-1 with yet another long ball. This time it was Logan O’Hoppe who sent one over the wall in left centerfield. That advantage would not last long though as the Reds came roaring back in the top of the fifth. Will Benson walked to begin the inning. Then, after a Tyler Stephenson strikeout, TJ Friedl doubled to put runners on second and third. However, another strikeout put the Reds backs against the wall with two outs as a golden opportunity appeared to be slipping through their grasp.
That is until the Angels first baseman misplayed a routine chopper from Elly De La Cruz that bounced off of his glove and allowed both Benson and Friedl to score and tie the game. Spencer Steer then came through with a double down the left field line that scored De La Cruz from first and put the Reds on top 4-3. Those unearned runs would prove to be the difference.
After claiming the lead Cincinnati never looked back. On the mound, Graham Ashcraft settled in following the three home runs he allowed. Ashcraft went on to pitch seven innings allowing three runs on five hits while striking out a career-high 10 batters. Over his last 10 starts, Ashcraft has posted a sparkling 2.35 earned run average. Furthermore, Tuesday marked his fourth consecutive start pitching at least seven innings. His performance notched his seventh win of the season as the Reds defeated the Angels 4-3.
Ohtani Leaves Game Early, Reds Offense Comes Alive
Shohei Ohtani is fun to watch but decidedly not fun to play against. A two-way talent unlike we’ve ever seen in baseball, Ohtani is one of the best pitchers AND one of the best hitters in the game. In the first game of Wednesday’s doubleheader, the Cincinnati Reds got an opportunity to go against the MVP candidate. However, the outing did not last long. Ohtani did launch a two-run home run in the bottom of the first inning but then left the game in the second inning with elbow soreness. Unfortunately, some later tests would reveal a torn UCL in his right elbow, ending his season on the mound. You never want to see anyone get injured, but in the midst of a playoff race, his early exit provided the Reds an opportunity.
After their star’s exit, Los Angeles extended their lead to 3-0 in the third with a RBI double from Luis Rengifo. However, similar to Tuesday night, a defensive miscue would lead to big offense for the Reds. Joey Votto got Cincinnati on the board in the fourth, but the damage really came in the fifth. With two outs and a runner on, Matt McLain reached on a throwing error from the Angels shortstop. Elly De La Cruz promptly crushed a 408-foot, three-run home run into the rocks beyond the left centerfield fence in Los Angeles. The rookie’s blast lifted the Reds on top 4-3 and they would never look back.
In the seventh, De La Cruz drove in three more runs with a bases-clearing triple to blow the game wide open at 7-3. Spencer Steer brought De La Cruz around with a single and added another RBI single in the ninth to set the final score of 9-4.
SWEEEEEEEEEEEP!!!
Get the brooms out, folks. The Cincinnati Reds took both games of Wednesday’s doubleheader to complete a three-game sweep of the Los Angeles Angels to begin their west coast road trip. In a similar fashion to the previous two games, the Angels built an early lead only to relinquish it to the Reds. Los Angeles got on the board in the second inning, but Spencer Steer immediately tied it up with a RBI single in the top of the third. Then, Tyler Stephenson went deep for a two-run shot in the fourth making it 3-1. Matt McClain also drove in a run in the frame to increase the lead to 4-1.
Following a Luis Rengifo two-run single the Angels got it within one run at 4-3, but that was as close as they would get. Cincinnati added back three runs in the eighth inning, including a two-run blast by Matt McClain, to set the eventual final score of 7-3.
On the mound, it was yet another dazzling performance by the Cincinnati Reds bullpen. Sam Moll allowed two hits and a walk in a shutout inning of work. Then, Lucas Sims, Fernando Cruz, and Alexis Diaz combined to pitch three and two-thirds no-hit innings. On the series, the bullpen threw 11 and two-thirds innings allowing just one earned run and striking out 13 batters. You can’t ask for much more than that.
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