KSReds: Cincinnati Reds Win Series Against New York Mets

Winning series is the name of the game in Major League Baseball. With that as the goal, the Cincinnati Reds were successful this week on the road. They took two out of three in Detroit and then won two out of three against the Mets. However, both series presented an opportunity to sweep and the Reds lost both of those final games. In a playoff race as tight as the National League Wild Card is right now, gaining a little cushion with a sweep would have gone a long way. Still, we shouldn’t complain about winning the series and if Cincinnati keeps doing that over the next two weeks they will almost certainly find themselves in the playoffs.

Speaking of the playoffs, the NL Wild Card standings have only become less clear of late. The Chicago Cubs have started falling back towards the pack creating a race now between five teams for two spots. Cincinnati is currently 78-73 on the season and will go to sleep outside of the playoff picture thanks to the Miami Marlins’ 16-2 win over the Atlanta Braves. The Chicago Cubs versus Arizona Diamondbacks game on Sunday Night Baseball will have major implications on the standings as well. However, worst-case scenario, the Cincinnati Reds will still be within one game of a playoff spot as the second-to-final week of the regular season begins.

On Monday evening, the Reds return to Great American Ball Park to host the Minnesota Twins. The first two starting pitchers of the series have yet to be announced, but Hunter Greene is set to go on Wednesday afternoon. Monday night’s first pitch is scheduled for 6:40 p.m. EST. Cincinnati will then have Thursday off before welcoming the Pittsburgh Pirates to town for a three-game weekend series.

Reds Take Series Opener in New York

It stands to reason that winning baseball games is easier when you operate at or near full strength. On Friday night, the Cincinnati Reds had key performances from two players who recently returned from the injured list. One turned in a strong performance on the mound while the other hit what would become the game-winning home run. The Reds have used a lot of different, young pieces this season. However, down the stretch, going back to the well with some “veterans” has helped bolster the roster.

While he ended up with nothing to show for it, Hunter Greene was very good against the Mets. The 24-year-old pitched five and two-thirds innings allowing just four hits and striking out six. Unfortunately, he allowed a three-run home run to Pete Alonso that tied the game at 3-3 in the sixth inning. Prior to facing the Mets power hitter, Greene was visited by Cincinnati manager David Bell at the mound. However, Bell allowed Greene to stay in the game and it proved to be one batter too many. That one pitch erased his shutout and kept him from earning the win. Most importantly though, the Reds would still go on to win the game.

The Reds had built their 3-0 lead by Noelvi Marte scoring on a wild pitch in the fifth and a two-run home run by Spencer Steer in the sixth. Then, after Alonso’s game-tying home run, the long ball came through once again for Cincinnati. In the top of the seventh, Jonathan India connected on a two-run shot to retake the lead at 5-3. That lead would go on to hold for the eventual final score. Ian Gibaut was money in the setup role and Alexis Diaz turned in a five-out save to slam the door shut.

Cincinnati Bullpen Dominates Once Again

The Cincinnati Reds bullpen finally got hit around a bit on Thursday in Detroit after 21 consecutive scoreless innings. However, they got right back on the horse in New York. They are already back up to eight and two-thirds scoreless innings after Friday and Saturday night alone. Andrew Abbott allowed just two runs in his start but labored to 91 pitches and exited after just three and two-thirds innings. That left a lot of ground for the Reds bullpen to cover. It proved to be no issue though as they were lights out in the Big Apple.

The New York Mets did get on the board first on Saturday night with a Ronny Mauricio RBI single in the bottom of the first. However, the Reds quickly answered as TJ Friedl scored on a throwing error to tie the game in the second. Christian Encarnacion-Strand then hit a go-ahead two-run home run in the fourth inning to make it 3-1. That would end up being all the run support the bullpen would need in this one. Daniel Duarte earned the win as he got Cincinnati out of the fourth inning and pitched a clean fifth. Then, Sam Moll was perfect in the sixth frame. Next up was Fernando Cruz who pitched two perfect innings to bridge the gap to the ninth.

In the ninth, David Bell brought in Derek Law to close the game out. Unlike the previous few innings though this one did not go quite as smoothly. The New York Mets got a pair of hits and had Pete Alonso at the plate with a chance to win the game. However, Law retired the power-hitter with 45 home runs on the season to seal the deal. The 3-2 win also clinched the series for the Reds.

Second Straight Sweep Opportunity Ends in Loss

Baseball is all about winning series. The Cincinnati Reds won back-to-back series on the road over the Tigers and Mets this week. However, in the thick of a playoff race, sometimes you need a little bit more. Neither the Tigers nor Mets are very good so taking advantage and picking up a sweep could have given the Reds a little bit of cushion. Instead, they will have little to no margin for error in these final 11 games of the regular season. You still should never apologize for winning a series though and Cincinnati will make the playoffs if they keep doing just that.

The Reds got on the board with a Noelvi Marte RBI single in the first inning, but that would prove to be their only lead of the game. New York answered with a three-spot In the bottom of the third and never looked back. In the seventh, Daniel Vogelbach’s bases-clearing double ballooned the Mets lead to 7-2 as they would go on and cruise to an 8-4 victory.

Offensively for Cincinnati, Nick Senzel went deep in the fifth and Christian Encarnacion-Strand hit a two-run shot in the eighth, but it wasn’t enough to keep pace with the Mets. The rest of Sunday evening in Reds country will be spent scoreboard-watching the Diamondbacks and Giants (the Marlins already blew out the Braves 16-2).