KSReds Recap: A Pair of All-Star Starters and a Walk-Off Win

On3 imageby:Brandon Ramsey07/02/21

BRamseyKSR

via Twitter (@Reds)

If the Reds could just strike the San Diego Padres from their schedule the season would look a little bit different right now. Going into Thursday night’s contest Cincinnati was 0-6 against the Friars and they were two outs away from falling to 0-7.

The Reds were down 4-3 with one out in the bottom of the ninth when Kyle Farmer came through with a game-tying home run to center field. Tucker Barnhart would then draw a walk and Jonathan India doubled to put runners at second and third. Jesse Winker grounded to the second baseman with the infield drawn in which cut down the potential winning run at the plate. So, with two outs and runners on the corners the Padres decided to intentionally walk Nick Castellanos to load the bases and bring rookie Tyler Stephenson to the plate.

As he has done all season long, Stephenson was ready for the moment as he jumped on a second pitch cutter and sent it the opposite way for a walk-off victory.

The late inning heroics brought Cincinnati back to .500 at 40-40 on the season and an even 4-4 on the home stand. The Reds now welcome the Chicago Cubs to Great American Ball Park for a three-game weekend series. Sonny Gray will make his return from the Injured List tonight at 7:10 p.m. Eastern Time.

Additionally, a VERY special congratulations goes out to both Nick Castellanos and Jesse Winker who learned Thursday evening that they would be starters in the outfield for the National League All-Stars.

Comeback Attempt Falls Short

via Twitter (@Reds)

The Reds had absolutely no business having a chance to win Tuesday night’s matchup against the Padres.

San Diego pushed across all five of their runs in the first four innings but proceeded to leave 16 runners on base which allowed Cincinnati to slowly crawl back into contention. Reds relievers routinely pitched their way out of trouble holding the visitors to 2-12 at the plate with runners in scoring position.

Tyler Stephenson got the Redlegs on the board in the bottom of the first inning with a RBI single to drive in fellow rookie Jonathan India.

Things would really get interesting in fourth inning when Jesse Winker followed up a Shogo Akiyama RBI single with a two-run home run to make it a 5-4 ball game.

Unfortunately, that is all the scoring that would occur as the Padres relief pitching would allow just one hit the rest of the way.

Major League Baseball’s saves leader Mark Melancon came in to slam the door shut with a perfect frame in the ninth to earn his 25th save of the season.

Early Lead Disappears

via Twitter (@Reds)

The M-V-P chants that have been resonating throughout Great American Ball Park recently are absolutely earned.

Nick Castellanos smacked a three-run home run the opposite way over the right field fence to put the Reds on top before they even recorded an out. Unfortunately, it was a rough night on the mound for Vladimir Gutierrez and Cincy would quickly relinquish their lead.

A parade of home runs spanned the second and third innings for the Padres as Trent Grisham, Wil Myers, and Fernando Tatis Jr. all went deep to cut their deficit to one.

Joey Votto got one back for the Reds in the bottom of the third with a 401-foot solo home run to register his 1000th career RBI. The future Hall of Famer received a curtain call for the historic long ball.

After Gutierez loaded the bases in the top of the fifth inning, Josh Osich entered the game and promptly allowed a grand slam home run to Trent Grishman which allowed San Diego to leapfrog the Reds to take a 7-5 lead.

Soon after the grand slam took the lead away from the Reds, as fate would have it, the rain started to come down in buckets from the Cincinnati sky. Before long the teams were in the clubhouse and the tarp was on the field as everyone attempted to wait out Mother Nature.

With an expected start time not before 1:00 a.m. Reds Manager David Bell went ahead and recommended that the game be called to get some rest and try again tomorrow. The Padres took yet another game over the Reds, 7-5.

Walk-Off Victory Salvages Series

via Twitter (@Reds)

For the third straight night, rain impacted Thursday night’s Reds vs. Padres game. Tuesday night the first pitch was delayed about an hour, on Wednesday the game was pushed back a little over half an hour and the game was called just shortly after becoming “official”, and then on Thursday the game was delayed in the top of the fifth while Luis Castillo was tossing a no-hitter.

The Redlegs got on board in the second inning when Castillo helped his own cause with a RBI fielder’s choice followed by a bloop single by Jonathan India to make it a 2-0 game.

Luis Castillo was absolutely dealing on the mound, capping off a 14 consecutive scoreless innings streak with a no-no heading in to the rain delay.

Luckily the rain decided to subside and game play resumed around 9:25 with Castillo still on the mound.

The Padres got one back off of Castillo in the fifth but he limited the damage with a pair of strikeouts to end the inning.

In the bottom of the fifth, the Reds got the run right back by manufacturing the heck out of nothing. Alejo Lopez reached via an infield single on a bang-bang plate at first base. He then advanced on a pickoff attempt error and a wild pitch to put himself on third base with two outs and Aristides Aquino at the plate. The Punisher then sent a rocket to the right field wall for a double to make the score 3-1.

Castillo would end up allowing two runs in the top of the seventh inning to exit the game having allowed three runs on five hits through 6 1/3 innings pitched. Despite not being able to earn the win, it was yet another positive start for the Reds potential ace.

A poorly timed error by rookie third baseman Alejo Lopez, who was a perfect 4-4 at the plate, in the top of the eighth allowed a run to score and spotted the Padres a one-run lead. At the time, it seemed like Cincinnati was going to come up short once again and fall to 0-7 against the Padres. The Redlegs had other ideas this time though.

Facing Mark Melancon in the bottom of the ninth, Kyle Farmer tied the game up with one out by sending a 406-foot home run to dead center field. A Tucker Barnhart walk and Jonathan India double put the winning run just 90 feet away with still just one out. Jesse Winker would then hit a weak ground ball to second base and Mike Freeman, pinch running for Barnhart, was cut down at home plate for the second out of the inning.

San Diego decided to intentionally walk MVP candidate Nick Castellanos for the second time in the game to load the bases for rookie Tyler Stephenson. That decision, while it makes sense in theory, did not work out so well. Stephenson lined one down the right field line to win the game 5-4 in walk-off fashion.


@BRamseyKSR

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2024-03-27