KSReds: Cincinnati Reds Split Series With Giants

Let’s agree to leave the six-game losing streak in the rearview mirror. For as fun as the Cincinnati Reds’ 12-game winning streak was, somehow the six-game losing streak seemed even longer. However, they answered with two important victories on Wednesday and Thursday to split the series against the San Fransisco Giants. The Reds are now 52-46 and 2.5 games behind the Milwaukee Brewers in the NL Central.

Cincinnati’s start to the second half is absolutely no joke. They will remain at Great American Ball Park for three games against the 54-43 Arizona Diamondbacks. Then, they will travel to Milwaukee and Los Angeles for six more tough games on the road. In total, the Reds will play 13 straight games against teams at least 10 games above .500 to begin the second half of the season.

Ben Lively is set to make the start on Friday night at 7:10 p.m. EST against the Diamondbacks. Brandon Williamson and Luke Weaver are slated to pitch on Saturday and Sunday, respectively. For those watching the standings, the Brewers face the Braves. Their upcoming schedule features six games against the Braves and three against the Reds. The next 10 days could go a long way to deciding the division. However, for the Reds, it is just about winning one game at a time.

Rain Delayed Game Ends in Extra Innings Loss

Once again, a lack of offense doomed the Cincinnati Reds. After scoring just three runs in four straight losses to the Brewers, including three consecutive shutouts, the Reds managed just two runs on Monday night to open their series with the San Francisco Giants. However, they did at least strike early as Matt McLain put them on top 1-0 with a first-inning home run. The offense would end up collecting only four total hits on the evening.

After McClain’s first-inning blast, the Giants answered with two solo home runs of their own. Austin Slater went deep in the third inning to tie the game. Then, Wilmer Flores hit one in the sixth putting San Francisco ahead 2-1. In the bottom of the seventh, Jonathan India tied it up once again with yet another solo shot. That 2-2 score would end up holding until Tuesday as the rain unleashed in the top of the eighth.

For a moment, it felt like the rain delay may have worked in the Reds’ favor. Runners were at second and third with nobody out after Alex Young allowed a leadoff walk followed by a double. Before the rain delay, Young did record one out with a ground ball to first that kept the run from scoring. Lucas Sims entered the next day in a tough situation recording two strikeouts to get out of the jam. However, a base-running blunder in the bottom of the ninth potentially cost Cincinnati another walk-off win.

Elly De La Cruz had a great at-bat to draw a leadoff walk. He then stole second base after it was overturned via replay. The excitement of the winning run on second with nobody out was short-lived though as the Reds rookie was inexplicably picked off on an inside move by the Giants pitcher. San Francisco would go on to score two in the top of the 10th and win 4-2. The loss extended Cincinnati’s losing streak to five games.

Reds Lose Slugfest 11-10

Admittedly, after this loss, it started to feel like the sky was falling around the Cincinnati Reds season a little bit. Not only was it technically the second loss of the day, but it also was a loss despite the Reds’ offense finally breaking out and scoring 10 runs. They couldn’t win low-scoring games and now couldn’t win a high-scoring game. That doesn’t leave much hope for getting back on the winning track.

Tuesday evening’s loss was made even more frustrating due to building an early 4-1 lead. Jake Fraley hit a two-run home run in the bottom of the first and Will Benson matched him with his own two-run shot in the second inning. However, Wilmer Flores quickly erased that advantage with his second home run of the day already in the third inning. His second one was a three-run homer that tied the game at 4-4.

Cincinnati would recapture the lead twice, in the third on a throwing error and in the fifth via Christian Encarnacio-Strand’s first career Major League home run. It was a three-run, 426-foot blast that put the Reds back on top 8-7. That would be their final lead of the game though. Even Joey Votto’s two-run home run in the seventh wasn’t enough to pull back ahead as the Reds would fall again 11-10. The loss marked their sixth consecutive defeat.

Cincinnati Snaps Losing Streak at Six Games

It was still far from pretty, but the Cincinnati Reds snapped their six-game losing streak on Wednesday night with a 3-2 win. Despite registering just four total hits, a timely three-run home run in the third by Will Benson was enough for the Reds to hold on and get the victory. Thankfully, the pitching staff stepped up and pieced together an excellent performance.

Graham Ashcraft turned in his fourth consecutive quality start to earn the win. He pitched six innings allowing two runs on five hits. Ashcraft came out for the seventh but allowed a home run to Blake Sabol before being lifted from the game. Ian Gibaut came in and was brilliant in the seventh. Then, Lucas Sims bridged the gap in the eighth inning to get to All-Star Alexis Diaz in the ninth. The Reds closer was as sharp as he has been in weeks recording two strikeouts and the save in just 11 pitches.

Andrew Abbott Dazzles Once Again

Andrew Abbott finally faced a bit of adversity in his last two starts. Back on July 7, he had his first bad outing allowing six runs on nine hits in just four and one-third innings. Then, he suffered a second consecutive loss as the Cincinnati Reds were shut out by Milwaukee on July 15. However, Abbott was back to his dominant self on Thursday afternoon to help the Reds split their series against the Giants.

The rookie left-hander turned in his best performance yet, allowing just one hit in eight shutout innings. It was the longest start of the year for a Reds pitcher. He is now 5-2 on the season with a 2.10 earned run average. Derek Law allowed a solo home run to Wilmer Flores in the ninth, his fourth of the series, to blow the shutout but the Reds still won 5-1.

At the plate, Luke Maile got the scoring started in the bottom of the third inning with a two-run home run. Then, Christian Encarnacion-Strand and Will Benson drove in runs in the fourth to make it a 4-0 game. Jonathan India would add another RBI single in the fifth as the Reds would tie the series with a 5-1 win.