KSReds: Cincinnati Reds Blow Thursday Lead, Split Series
When you have a season like the Cincinnati Reds are having expectations should be low. However, with a 17-15 record since the awful 3-22 start you start to convince yourself there is some hope. On Thursday afternoon it felt like that hope was squashed with a brutal loss to the Arizona Diamondbacks. The Reds had eight games at Great American Ball Park against teams under .500. During that span they went just 3-5 to fall to 20-37 on the season. This needed to a 6-2 run, not a 3-5 set back.
As is always the case in Major League Baseball, the season rolls on. Cincinnati heads to St. Louis for a three-game weekend series with the Cardinals. Luis Castillo will take the ball on Friday night for an 8:15 p.m. Eastern Time start. Rookies Hunter Greene and Graham Ashcraft are also slated to make starts against the National League Central division rivals.
Hunter Greene Dominates as Reds Win in Shutout
After a disappointing series loss to the Washington Nationals it was time for a bounce back. The Cincinnati Reds did just that on Monday evening with a spectacular pitching performance by Hunter Greene. The 22-year old flame throwing rookie retired 20 consecutive batters on the way to a 7-0 victory. After a leadoff bunt single, the Arizona Diamondbacks didn’t manage another hit in the rain-shortened seven inning game. Greene went all seven innings while facing the minimum and struck out eight batters. He continues to be one of the most exciting young players in all of Major League Baseball.
While Hunter Greene was dominating on the mound the Reds got consistent run support at the plate as well. Brandon Drury hit a solo home run in the bottom of the first and Nick Senzel added a RBI single in the second inning. More runs weren’t necessary, but both Kyle Farmer and Tyler Stephenson had two-run doubles while Albert Almora Jr. added a run scoring single in the bottom of the seventh to set the final score of 7-0.
More Greatness From Graham Ashcraft
You really can’t say enough about the start to Graham Ashcraft’s career. Through four big league starts with the Cincinnati Reds, Ashcraft is now 3-0 with a dazzling 1.14 earned run average. On Tuesday night, Ashcraft went six shutout innings while allowing just three hits to get the win. He has been absolutely fantastic in each of his four starts.
For the second straight night there was a significant rain delay in Cincinnati, but this time it just about cost the Reds. Despite holding a 9-0 advantage when the tarps went on, the Arizona Diamondbacks ended up scoring eight runs in the final two innings.
A pair of home runs, including a grand slam, off of Jared Solomon made it a 9-5 game in the eighth. However, the Reds were able to answer with five of their own in the bottom half of the frame to maintain their advantage. Arizona added three back off of Joel Kuhnel in the ninth, but that is as close as they would get. Cincinnati came away with 14-8 win.
Reds Shutout on Wednesday Night
After back-to-back nights of great starting pitching and solid run support, the Cincinnati Reds came back down to Earth on Wednesday. The offense simply never showed up as they were shutout on just five total hits.
Mike Minor struggled for his second straight start since coming off of the injured list. The veteran left-hander was better than in his Reds debut, but still lasted just four and one-third innings allowing three runs on three hits, including two home runs, while also walking three batters. That fifth rotation spot is still very much open for competition in Cincinnati.
The Diamondbacks would go on to win this one 7-0.
Bullpen Blows Lead in Heartbreaking Fashion
Sometimes you get the bear, and sometimes the bear gets you. For eight innings on Tuesday afternoon it looked like the Cincinnati Reds were going to take the series against the Arizona Diamonds. However, things went downhill in the top of the ninth leading to a heartbreaking loss. The Diamondbacks were given two walks and got two hits off of Tony Santillan on their way to a four run top of the ninth inning. A 3-1 Reds lead turned into a 5-3 deficit in a hurry.
Tyler Mahle was excellent on the mound for his third straight outing. He went six innings allowing just one run on four hits while striking out 10 batters. The strong start unfortunately went to waste as Cincinnati dropped to 20-37 on the season. Matt Reynolds tried to get something brewing in the bottom of the ninth with a solo home run to cut it to a one run game, but that was all the bats could manage. The Reds fell 5-4 and were forced to settle for a series split.
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