KSReds: Cincinnati Reds Swept by Seattle Mariners

Tides turn quickly in Major League Baseball. The Cincinnati Reds headed out west after a three-game sweep of the Chicago White Sox. That series wasn’t just a sweep, it was a total domination. Cincinnati outscored the White Sox 27-5 over the three games. However, after the offensive break through, the bats went cold as the Reds would turn around and get swept in Seattle falling to 9-9 on the season.

The final two games of the series were especially ugly as the Reds combined for just two runs on five total hits. On Wednesday, the Mariners threw a one-hitter and struck out 12 batters to complete the sweep. Inconsistency at the plate has certainly been the story of these first few weeks of the season for David Bell’s team. Missing key contributors such as Matt McLain, Noelvi Marte, and TJ Friedl doesn’t help the cause either.

Hopefully, Thursday’s off day and return to Great American Ball Park will be the reset the Cincinnati Reds need. Nick Lodolo, who was electric in his season debut, will take the mound on Friday night at 6:40 p.m. Eastern Time against the Los Angeles Angels. Graham Ashcraft and Frankie Montas are also scheduled to start for the Reds.

Timely Home Runs Doom Reds in Series Opener

You wouldn’t normally think of a starting pitcher getting chased from a game after allowing three hits in two innings. However, when two of those three hits account for five runs it becomes a problem. That is exactly what happened to Frankie Montas on Monday night in Seattle. The Cincinnati Reds starter allowed the first two batters of the game to reach base, and then the third, Jorge Polanco, parked one into the right centerfield seats. Then, in the bottom of the third, Mitch Haniger connected on a two-run shot. That long ball marked the end of Montas’ day before recording an out in the third inning as the Mariners jumped out to a 5-1 lead.

The Reds showed a little bit of life at the plate, but could never get over the hump. Jeimer Candelario hit a home run in the top of the second inning. Jake Fraley drove in runs in the fourth and seventh, including a solo home run, but the it never got closer than a three run game.

Seattle would pour it on a bit in the seventh adding three runs off of Buck Farmer to set the final score of 9-3. Despite the loss, Nick Martinez did have an encouraging outing after switching from the starting rotation to long relief. He ate up four innings allowing just one run on three hits. That will be a valuable role in the Reds bullpen going forward.

Walks Haunt Reds Pitching as Seattle Takes the Series

Eight total free passes played a direct result in the Cincinnati Reds losing on Tuesday night. Hunter Greene was his typical inefficient self on the mound making it through only four innings while throwing 98 pitches. He struck out eight, but also walked three batters. Allowing one run on four hits is good, but you simply have to be able to go longer than four innings with that sort of stat line. In the fourth inning, Greene hit Mitch Garver with a pitch Jonatan Class came around with two-out RBI double to put the Mariners on the board 1-0.

In the top of the fifth, Jake Fraley tied the game up with a RBI ground out. However, Seattle would climb back on top in the bottom half of the frame. After a pair of singles, Emilio Pagan walked back-to-back batters allowing a run to come around to score making it 2-1. Allowing free base runners via walks and hit by pitch, coupled with a lack of offensive support, it is not a recipe for success.

Seattle would go on to add one more in sixth inning that was also helped by a base on balls. Fernando Cruz walked a batter which moved J.P. Crawford into scoring position before Mitch Haniger plated him with a single up the middle. That 3-1 advantage would hold for the final score. In the end, all three of the Mariners runs on Tuesday night could be directly or indirectly attributed to one of the eight free passes handed out by the Reds’ pitching staff.

Mariners Combine to Throw One-Hitter to Complete Sweep

Things went from bad to worse on Wednesday evening as the Seattle Mariners finished off a three-game sweep of the Cincinnati Reds. After struggling to get much going offensively on Monday or Tuesday, the Reds got just one single hit in the series finale.

Bryce Miller was the first Mariners pitcher to flummox the Reds allowing just the one solo home run in six innings of work while striking out seven. That Elly De La Cruz home run actually gave Cincinnati a 1-0 lead, but it obviously would not hold. Cal Raleigh, Josh Rojas, and Mitch Garver all hit solo shots of their own to build a 3-1 advantage for Seattle. Two more runs would score in the bottom of the seventh, including Lucas Sims walking in a run, to make it 5-1. It was the second game of the series in which the Reds walked in a run.

After the outstanding start from Miller, the Mariners bullpen was arguably even sharper. Trent Thornton, Gabe Speier, and Austin Both combined for three perfect innings while striking out five more batters. Cincinnati fell to 9-9 on the season with the 5-1 loss. After an off day Thursday, the Reds will need to win on Friday to avoid falling below .500 for the first time this season.