KSReds: Cincinnati Reds Win Another Series

If you keep winning series you eventually find yourself playing in the postseason. The Cincinnati Reds have now won seven of their last eight series as their overall record has improved to 45-39. During that eight-series span, the Reds have won 16 of their last 20 games and are tied with the Milwaukee Brewers at the top of the National League Central standings. This is the best record the ball club has had through 84 games since 2013. America’s Team just keeps winning games and playing an exciting brand of baseball.

Both wins this weekend against the San Diego Padres came in what has become typical exciting fashion for the Reds. Friday and Sunday required some late-inning heroics to come away on top. It doesn’t always have to be pretty though and the Reds have certainly embraced winning by any means necessary during this recent hot streak. The offense is being led by a bunch of rookies and Andrew Abbott is rewriting the record books to begin his big league career on the mound. The Cincinnati Reds have truly become Major League Baseball’s most exciting team.

Cincinnati will spend the next week away from Great American Ball Park leading into the All-Star break. They will begin a four-game series against the Washington Nationals on Monday night at 6:05 p.m. EST. Luke Weaver is set to start along with Graham Ashcraft and Brandon Williamson. Tuesday night’s starter is still to be determined. Following the four-game set in the nation’s capital, the Reds will head to Milwaukee for a massive three-game weekend series against the Brewers.

More Extra-Inning Heroics Leads to Reds Victory

It would be hard to say that the Cincinnati Reds fully deserved to win on Friday night. However, their refusal to quit paid off in the end for a walk-off victory in front of a packed crowd at Great American Ball Park.

This one was a pitcher’s duel through nine innings. The San Diego Padres broke a scoreless tie in the top of the sixth with a Trent Grisham solo home run. Jake Fraley quickly erased that lead with a RBI single in the bottom half of the frame. Then, Tyler Stephenson hit a solo shot of his own to make it 2-1 Reds through seven innings. The Padres then manufactured a run in the top of the ninth to tie it once again and force extra innings. That is where the offense blew up and the game got really, really exciting.

The meat of the Padres lineup came through in the top of the 10th as both Fernando Tatis Jr. and Juan Soto came through with run-scoring hits to build a 4-2 advantage. However, with two outs in the bottom of the 10th, Matt McLain blasted a 421-foot two-run home run to tie the game. After the Padres put one on the board in the 11th the Reds were once again with their backs against the proverbial wall.

It was two other rookies that came through this time. Elly De La Cruz tied the game with a double that made it 5-5. Two batters later, Spencer Steer came to the plate and delivered a 434-foot bomb for a walk-off home run that secured a 7-5 victory.

1ST CAREER WALK-OFF HOMER FOR @spenc__er pic.twitter.com/T4pfKeOF2i

— Cincinnati Reds (@Reds) July 1, 2023

Padres Stars Power the Way to a Win

You won’t find a tougher two-three-four in the batting order than San Diego’s Fernando Tatis Jr., Juan Soto, and Manny Machado. On Saturday afternoon, the trio of stars combined for five hits, three home runs, and 10 total runs batted in. Tatis Jr. got the scoring started with a RBI double in the third inning. In the sixth, Soto and Machado went back-to-back extending the lead to 5-1. Finally, Machado hit another home run in the seventh that made it 10-1 at the time. They would go on to cruise to a 12-5 victory that evened up the series ahead of Sunday’s rubber match.

Nobody that took the mound for the Cincinnati Reds on Saturday could find much success after five solid innings from starter Brandon Williamson. He allowed just two runs on three hits in five innings to give his club a chance to win.

However, the bullpen completely blew up in this one. Buck Farmer gave up three runs on a pair of long balls in the sixth inning. Then, Alec Mills was even worse giving up five runs on four hits in the seventh inning. Finally, Eduardo Salazar gave up two more in his two innings of mop-up work in the eighth and ninth. It was an ugly one for Reds fans aside from Jonathan India’s grand slam in the bottom of the seventh inning.

Another Sensational Start for Reds Rookie Andrew Abbott

Everyone knows the impact that rookies Matt McClain, Spencer Steer, and Elly De La Cruz have had at the plate for the Cincinnati Reds. They have all been truly excellent to begin their young careers. However, none of them are doing what Andrew Abbott is doing on the mound through six career starts. At this point, he truly is rewriting the record books.

For example, the 23-year-old left-hander became the first pitcher since 1900 to record at least 40 strikeouts while allowing five runs or fewer in his first six career games. Lucas Sims poached the win from him on Sunday, but Abbott is still 4-0 with a dazzling 1.21 earned run average. He had his best start yet against the Padres going seven and two-thirds innings allowing just one run on four hits while striking out 12 batters. Abbott was unhittable until Ha-Seong Kim connected for a solo home run in the eighth.

Unfortunately, after that Kim home run, Lucas Sims replaced Abbott and gave up a home run to Fernando Tatis Jr. that tied the game at two runs a piece. It was unfortunate that the Reds rookie pitcher wouldn’t get the win in such an excellent performance, but most importantly the team needed to win the game to take the series. However, there were some more late-inning heroics left in Cincinnati’s back pocket.

Tyler Stephenson came to the plate as a pinch-hitter in the bottom of the eighth after Stuart Fairchild drew a two-out walk. Following a pitching change, Stephenson jumped on the first pitch he saw and squeaked it over the wall in right field to recapture a 4-2 lead. Alexis Diaz came in to pitch the ninth and the Padres didn’t go down without a fight. The Padres would make it 4-3 with the tying run at second base, but Diaz shut the door to earn his 23rd save of the season.