KSReds: Cincinnati Reds Blow Lead, Lose Series

What we saw on Wednesday afternoon was beyond frustrating.

The Cincinnati Reds led 5-0 in the fifth inning and appeared to be on their way to a third straight series win. However, the wheels completely fell off and they would go on to lose 11-6. That sort of embarrassing loss can be something that derails a young team. Luckily, this group shows enough competitiveness that they should survive this sort of setback. It makes it difficult to accomplish your season goals though when you blow 5-0 leads.

You can point to playing at Coors Field, but the bright side is a breakout series for the Reds offense. They accumulated 17 runs on 30 hits in the three-game series. The downside is that improved offensive production only led to one victory.

Thursday will be a day off after traveling back from Colorado to begin a seven-day, seven-game home stand. The Reds will play host to the New York Yankees on Friday night beginning at 6:40 p.m. EST. Ben Lively is scheduled to start as the Reds debut their city connect uniforms. Luke Weaver and Hunter Greene are also set to pitch in the interleague series.

The St. Louis Cardinals come to town afterward for a four-game set at Great American Ball Park.

Rockies Offense Outlasts Reds in Series-Opener

It is no secret that playing in the Mile High City favors those who can hit the ball around the ballpark. On Monday evening there were a combined 17 runs on 24 hits to begin the Cincinnati Reds series in Colorado against the Rockies. The Reds wasted no time getting on the board right away in the top of the first inning. Jonathan India reached via an infield single. Jake Fraley singled as well to put runners on the corners. Then, Spencer Steer drove in India with a single to right, but Fraley was thrown out trying to advance to third base.

In the bottom of the second inning, it was the Rockies’ turn to get the bats going. Former Cincinnati Red Mike Moustakas blasted one 454 feet into the right centerfield seats to make it 1-1. Harold Castro added a RBI single before Charlie Blackmon drove in two with a triple that gave the Rockies a 4-1 advantage. However, in typical Reds fashion, a comeback was about to begin.

Fraley drove in a run in the third inning to make it a 4-2 game. Then, Stuart Fairchild scored one on a sacrifice fly and Jonathan India single to tie the game. Colorado would quickly answer though as Brenton Doyle hit a two-run home run in the top of the fifth to regain a 6-4 lead for the Rockies.

In the bottom half of the fifth, it was Tyler Stephenson’s turn to start a middle-inning rally. He doubled to centerfield scoring Spencer Steer to make it 6-5. Then, he came around to score on a wild pitch that tied the game once again for Cincinnati.

Unfortunately, that was the end of the comeback magic for the Reds. The Rockies retook the lead once again in the seventh and Doyle hit another home run in the eighth inning. A ninth-inning RBI single by Nick Senzel made it interesting, but the final score settled at 9-8 in favor of the home Rockies.

Brandon Williamson Dazzles in Major League Debut

After Matt McLain made his Major League debut for the Cincinnati Reds on Monday night, it was Brandon Williamson’s turn on Tuesday evening.

The long, lanky left-hander is filling the Nick Lodolo spot in the rotation while he recovers from a stress fracture. He certainly looked Lodolo-like in his debut mowing down the Rockies in his five and two-thirds innings of work. Williamson needed just 72 pitches while allowing one run on two hits and striking out six. It was arguably one of the better starting pitching performances the Reds have received this season.

Behind Williamson’s excellent start, the Cincinnati bullpen did their part as well. Derek Law, Alex Young, Ian Gibaut, and Alexis Diaz combined to strike out five batters and allowed just two hits in three and one-third shutout innings. Diaz recorded his 10^th save of the season with a perfect ninth inning.

At the plate, Nick Senzel hit a go-ahead, two-run home run in the top of the seventh inning to go on top 2-1. Rookie shortstop Matt McLain added an insurance run in the eighth with a RBI single up the middle. That insurance run would prove to not even be necessary as the Reds evened the series with a 3-1 victory.

Brutal Blown Lead Prevents Reds Series Win

At 5-0 in the middle of the fifth inning, it looked like the Cincinnati Reds were well on their way to their third straight series victory. However, things fully went off of the rails in the bottom half of that inning. The Colorado Rockies would score five of their own in the bottom of the fifth and top it with six in the sixth to come back for a dominant 11-6 victory.

The Reds got on the board first in the second inning with Jose Barrero and Luke Maile driving in runs. Then, Maile went deep in the top of the fifth to make it 3-0. Stuart Fairchild came through with a two-RBI double that gave Cincinnati a 5-0 advantage before the inning came to a close. However, it didn’t take long for the wheels to fall off in the bottom half of the frame.

Trying to recap the Rockies’ fifth and sixth innings, which saw all 11 of their runs cross the plate, would take far too long to write. So, the highlights include Jurickson Profar’s two-run double followed by Elias Diaz’s two-run single that tied it up for the Rockies at 5-5. Brenton Doyle gave Colorado the lead with a two-run triple in the sixth and they never looked back from there.

The loss dropped the Reds to 19-24 on the season while the Rockies improved to 19-25.