KSReds: Cincinnati Reds Win First Series of Second Half

After a 34-57 record heading into the All-Star break, the Cincinnati Reds won two out of three to take the series from the St. Louis Cardinals. Longtime Reds killer Paul Goldschmidt hit four home runs on the weekend, but he got no help in Sunday’s rubber match. The only two hits Tyler Mahle allowed in six innings were long balls by Goldschmidt. Joey Votto had a three-run bomb of his own to lead Cincinnati to a 6-3 victory that secured the series win to begin the second half of the season.

Great American Ball Park will remain home base for a while. Next up is a four-game series with the Miami Marlins. First pitch on Monday night is scheduled for 6:40 p.m. EST with Nick Lodolo taking the ball. Hunter Greene, Luis Castillo, and Graham Ashcraft are also set to make starts against the Marlins. The Baltimore Orioles then come to town for a three-game weekend series. Having the first 10 games following the All-Star break at home should hopefully give the Reds a chance for a strong start. They are off to a good start after winning the first series against the rival Cardinals.

Second Half Starts With a Win

The ball was flying out of Great American Ball Park on Friday night in Cincinnati. Fresh off of the All-Star break, the Reds put up nine runs in their return to the field albeit on just seven hits. The St. Louis Cardinals got on the board first with a pair of runs in the top of the second inning. However, Tyler Naquin quickly erased that deficit by placing a single into left field that drove in two runs. Then, designated hitter Donovan Solano hit one 400 feet into the left field bleachers to make it 4-2 Reds.

Joey Votto and Jonathan India also went deep on Friday evening, in the third and eighth innings respectively, as the Cincinnati Reds would go on to win 9-5. Paul Goldschmidt hit a home run in the fifth inning that made it 5-4, but the Cardinals could never get over the hump. Soon after that Goldschmidt home run, David Bell came and got rookie pitcher Graham Ashcraft. His day finished after four and two-third innings allowing four runs on seven hits. It certainly wasn’t Ashcraft’s sharpest outing, but the offense was there to pick him up on Friday night.

Left-handed reliever Reiver Sanmartin earned the win after striking out the only batter he faced to finish the fifth inning. Aside from an eighth inning run off of Ian Gibaut, it was a great night for the Reds bullpen on the way to victory.

Tyler O’Neil, Paul Goldschmidt Lead Cardinals over Reds

Back-to-back home runs in the top of the fourth inning took this one from a 2-2 tie to a 5-2 lead for the St. Louis Cardinals. Tyler O’Neil started the fun with a two-run blast to center field followed by veteran Paul Goldschmidt who turned on one putting it in the left field seats. That deficit would prove to be too much for the Cincinnati Reds to overcome in this one. The Cardinals went on to win 6-3 to set up Sunday afternoon’s rubber match.

Mark Kolozsvary will remember Saturday night because in the seventh the catcher hit his first home run as a big leaguer. Otherwise, the Reds managed just six hits and struck out 13 times against Cardinals pitching. Veteran left-hander Mike Minor saw his season record fall to an ugly 1-7 for the Reds. He finished with four innings allowing five runs on eight hits and walked four batters.

Joey Votto and Paul Goldschmidt Battle, Reds Take Series

The Cincinnati Reds are going to be very, very happy whenever Paul Goldschmidt eventually retires. Luckily, on Sunday afternoon, the Reds own veteran superstar struck first. After a Tommy Pham sacrifice fly made it 1-0 Reds, Joey Votto came to the plate and sent one 397-feet the opposite way into the left centerfield bleachers to build a comfortable 4-0 advantage. Goldschmidt would homer twice himself, his third and fourth long balls of the series, but that was the only offense the Cardinals could muster.

St. Louis collected only three hits, two of which were the Goldschmidt home runs, as Tyler Mahle, Reiver Sanmartin, Alexis Diaz, and Hunter Strickland combined for a dominant performance. Mahle earned the win going six innings allowing three runs on just two hits. Strickland shut things down needing just nine pitches to earn the save and secure the series for the Reds with a 6-3 victory.