KSReds: Cincinnati Reds Hanging on by a Thread

Admittedly, just a few days ago, we more or less performed the eulogy for the Cincinnati Reds 2023 season. Three late-inning blown leads, including a historic 9-0 meltdown, left little room for postseason hope. However, here we are still “just” 1.5 games back with three games left to play. Cue up the Dumb & Dumber “so you are saying there’s a chance?” meme. The Rally Reds came from behind to beat the Cleveland Guardians on Tuesday night and fell just short of another comeback on Wednesday. It definitely isn’t likely, but the Reds have found a way to hang around going into game number 159 of the season.

With the final off day of the regular season on Thursday, attention will turn to the scoreboard. Cincinnati will need the Marlins and Cubs to lose in order to gain half a game and sit just one back going into the weekend. So, we are all New York Mets and Atlanta Braves fans for the time being.

The Reds will finish off the regular season with a three-game series in St. Louis against the Cardinals. Brandon Williamson will take the ball at 8:15 p.m. EST on Friday night. Then, Connor Phillips makes the start on Saturday before Hunter Greene closes out the season on Sunday afternoon. Cincinnati will likely need a sweep to put themselves in position to potentially make the postseason. Meaningful baseball is still technically being played in late September.

Rally Reds Find More Magic in the Tank

The Cincinnati Reds have been the comeback kids throughout the 2023 season. Therefore, it was only fitting that they guaranteed a .500 season with yet another come-from-behind victory. Cleveland built a 3-0 lead in the bottom of the second inning on Tuesday with a three-run home run from Bo Naylor. However, Cincinnati immediately answered in the top half of the third, putting a four-spot on the board. Luke Maile got the party started with a solo home run. Then, Spencer Steer had a RBI triple making it 3-2. Finally, Christian Encarnacion-Strand put the Reds on top with a two-run home run. That would prove to be just the beginning of a high-scoring affair.

In the bottom half of the frame, the Guardians kept the long ball flying to regain their lead. Kole Calhoun and Andres Gimenez went back-to-back, with Calhoun’s home run being a two-run shot, which made it a 6-4 game in favor of Cleveland. After trading runs in the fourth, including a solo home run from Elly De La Cruz, the Guardians maintained a 7-5 advantage going into the fifth. That would be where the Reds took over and never looked back.

De La Cruz singled up the middle scoring CES to get the Reds within one run. Then, Maile came through with a go-ahead, two-run single making it 8-7. In the top of the sixth, TJ Friedl added a solo home run to tack on another run. Finally, in the ninth, De La Cruz added more insurance with a 467-foot two-run home run that had an exit velocity of over 119 miles per hour. The rookie’s second blast of the day set the eventual final score of 11-7.

Comeback Attempt Falls Short as Guardians Secure Ohio Cup Split

For the second straight night, the Cincinnati Reds did not get much out of their starting pitcher. On Tuesday night, Hunter Greene made it through just three innings. Wednesday night’s start was even shorter as Andrew Abbott was chased from the game after only two and one-third innings. At one point, Abbott allowed five straight hits in the second inning but the Guardians ran into two outs on the base paths to help the Reds get out of the inning. The rookie left-hander allowed three runs on eight hits in his brief stint on the mound. Daniel Duarte gave up one more in the fourth, but for the second straight night, Cincinnati’s bullpen was mostly excellent.

After Cleveland made it a 4-0 game in the fourth, the Reds bullpen allowed just one hit through the rest of the game. Alex Young, Buck Farmer, Ben Lively, and Ian Gibaut combined for the final four shutout innings as the Reds tried to mount yet another comeback.

Cincinnati’s comeback attempt began in the sixth inning as TJ Friedl got the Reds on the board with a single up the middle scoring Jonathan India. India then made it 4-2 with a double down the left-field line in the eighth inning. Spencer Steer drove India in to make it a one-run game, but that would be as close as it would get. In the ninth, Noelvi Marte put one down the right field line but was thrown out at second base. Upon review, he actually was safe but the call was not overturned. It was an unfortunate call in a very big position for the Reds. Cleveland would hold on to win 4-3 and split the Ohio Cup series.