KSReds: Cincinnati Reds Win Series Over Seattle Mariners

Welcome to meaningful September baseball. The Cincinnati Reds are in the thick of a hotly contested National League wild card race. Despite moving inside of the playoff picture after Tuesday night’s walk-off win, the Reds currently sit half a game behind the Miami Marlins for the third and final spot. The Arizona Diamondbacks are also half a game back tied with Cincinnati. Meanwhile, the San Francisco Giants sit a full two games behind the Reds and DBacks. With just 20 games remaining every single one of them is going to count a little extra down the stretch.

The Reds will remain at Great American Ball Park to finish off their 10-game home stand with a weekend series against the St. Louis Cardinals. Thursday will be a day off before Andrew Abbott takes the ball at 6:40 p.m. Eastern Time Friday evening. Saturday and Sunday’s starters have yet to be announced. Currently, the Reds are 4-3 on the home stand and 73-69 overall on the season.

For those that are into scoreboard watching, the Miami Marlins have one more game against the Los Angeles Dodgers on Thursday evening. The Marlins are currently on a six-game winning streak. Over the weekend they will be at the Philadelphia Phillies. As for the Arizona Diamondbacks, they begin a four-game series on Thursday night at Wrigley Field against the Chicago Cubs. So, Reds fans should be cheering on the Dodgers, Phillies, and Cubs over the next few days. However, most importantly, the Reds must keep winning themselves.

Early Offense Powers Bullpen Day for the Reds

It took the Cincinnati Reds no time to light up the scoreboard on Monday night. Elly De La Cruz singled to right field scoring TJ Friedl to get on the board. Then, recent pickup Hunter Renfroe drove in De La Cruz to build an early 2-0 advantage. In the second inning, Spencer Steer blasted a three-run home run to open the game up at 5-0. The early offense took a lot of pressure off of the Cincinnati pitching staff.

Tejay Antone made his return after a long recovery to act as an “opener” for the Reds. It was his first start since 2020 and his first appearance of any kind since 2021 after receiving two Tommy John surgeries. Pitching with the lead, Antone turned in two perfect innings while striking out three batters. However, the Mariners would get on the board in the middle innings with a pair of home runs. Power-hitting Julio Rodriguez launched one 411 feet into right centerfield to make it 5-1. Then, Mike Ford went deep in the fifth inning to bring the game within three runs.

The Reds and Mariners traded runs later to set the eventual final score of 6-3. Lucas Sims earned the victory on the mound by striking out a single batter in the top of the seventh. Ian Gibaut also recorded just one out, but it was the final one to get the save. The 6-3 win for the Reds over first place Seattle moved them into striking distance of the final National League wild card spot.

Cardiac Reds Return With Wild Walk-Off Win

When they were playing their best baseball, the Cincinnati Reds were winning walk-off, one run games a lot. Just as they moved back into the playoffs they also reverted to their old exciting tactics to take down the Seattle Mariners on Tuesday night. Rookie start Connor Phillips was beat up a bit on the mound, but the Reds offense came through in the late innings to get back in the game, tie it in the eighth, and eventually win it in walk-off fashion in the bottom of the ninth.

Seattle began the game with Teoscar Hernandez hitting a two-run home run in the top of the first inning. Jake Fraley got the Reds on the board in the third with a RBI double, but Julio Rodriguez launched a three-run shot in the fifth inning making it a 5-1 game. The power hitter sent another one over the wall in the top of the seventh. It was Rodriguez’s third home run in two nights against Cincinnati and his 27th on the season. However, aside from those long balls, the rest of the offense came from the Reds.

In the sixth inning, Christian Encarnacion-Strand and Noelvi Marte each hit solo home runs to help get the Reds back in the game. Then, Nick Martini blasted a three-run home run in the bottom of the eighth that tied the game at 6-6. Closer Alexis Diaz pitched a clean top of the ninth to set up an opportunity to win it in the bottom half of the frame.

Elly De La Cruz led things off with a chopper to shortstop that he beat out for an infield single. “The fastest man alive” then promptly stole second base. That brought CES back to the plate and with two strikes he slapped one through the right side to score De La Cruz and secure a 7-6 walk-off victory. Cincinnati’s win temporarily moved them into the third and final National League wild card spot.

Mariners Offense Denies Opportunity for Sweep

In the midst of a heated playoff race every game carries a little extra weight. The Cincinnati Reds had a tough month of August, but were able to kick the can down the road and essentially hold serve in the wild card picture. However, now that September is here, fans are really starting to experience the highs and lows of meaningful baseball. Walk-off wins like we saw at Great American Ball Park on Tuesday night bring a new level of euphoria. On the other end of the spectrum though are losses like Wednesday evening. The Seattle Mariners quickly erased the Reds 1-0 lead with seven runs unanswered including a five-spot in the fourth inning.

The Mariners hit parade began in the second inning with a two-run home run from designated hitter Mike Ford. Then, the flood gates really opened up in the top of the fourth. Ty France doubled down the left field line scoring former Cincinnati Reds third baseman Eugenio Suarez. Leadoff hitter J.P. Crawford would come around to launch a three-run home run and Cal Raleigh capped off the scoring with a solo shot. Just like that the Reds 1-0 lead had turned into an insurmountable 7-1 deficit.

Cincinnati would at least flirt with a comeback though. TJ Friedl delivered a sacrifice fly in the fifth. Then, Christian Encarnacion-Strand drove in a run in the sixth inning. However, the Reds left the bases loaded with one out and the Mariners lead remained 7-3. Seattle would go on to avoid the series sweep with an 8-4 victory.