KSReds: Cincinnati Reds Treading Water, Need to Make a Run

Life as a Cincinnati Reds fan has been very frustrating this season. On one hand, the amount of young talent is incredibly fun and gives reason for optimism. Elly De La Cruz is the most electric player in baseball. Getting to watch him perform every night is a treat that we all need to cherish. Hunter Greene, who just turned 25, is starting to look like one of the best pitchers in baseball as well. However, injuries have been an issue this season. The Reds still haven’t gotten a single at-bat from Matt McLain. The 25-year old middle infielder hit .290 with 16 home runs and 50 RBI in just over half of a season last year. His presence would certainly help an offense that ranks 26th in the MLB with a .231 batting average.

The lack of consistency with this Cincinnati ball club has kept them from making any sort of a real playoff push. Following an early June seven-game winning streak, the Reds were 32-33. However, they responded by losing their next two games and five of the next seven. That trend has since continued for nearly two months now. Every time the Reds get within two or three games of .500, they will lose a few in a row. After taking three out of four from the Miami Marlins, they find themselves in that exact situation once again. At 56-59, it is now or never time for the Cincinnati Reds.

Despite the bullpen inconsistency, struggles at the plate, and continue to hit the injury bug, Cincinnati is still only five games out of a playoff spot on August 9th. That is the good news. However, the bad news is that there are six teams to pass in order to claw their way into that final wild card spot. These next nine games, played over the course of 10 days, will likely determine the legitimacy of a final playoff push. The Reds will play the Milwaukee Brewers, St. Louis Cardinals, and Kansas City Royals who currently are 65-49, 59-57, and 64-52 respectively. You have to be able to beat good teams to make the playoffs. Cincinnati will get a chance to do that between now and the end of next weekend.

Carson Spiers is slated to start game one in Milwaukee on Friday night at 8:10 p.m. Eastern Time. Nick Martinez and Nick Lodolo are also scheduled to pitch against the Brewers. Then, Andrew Abbott, Hunter Greene, and Spiers will pitch when the Reds return to Great American Ball Park to face the Cardinals. Finally, in a three-game weekend set against the Royals, it’ll be Martinez, Lodolo, and Greene. Winning each series, going 6-3 overall, and making it to .500 on the season has to be the goal.

Elly De La Cruz Powers Reds to Victory

Game one in Miami was the Elly De La Cruz show. The 22-year old superstar shortstop collected four extra-base hits as the Cincinnati Reds cruised to a 10-3 win over the Marlins. His two-run home run in the first inning set the tone as the Reds never looked back from there. Noelvi Marte and Ty France added long balls of their own in the fourth and fifth innings respectively.

After the Marlins showed a little life in sixth and seventh, it was time for De La Cruz to end it in the eighth. His solo home run, which came after a pair of doubles, made it 8-3 and ended Miami’s bit of momentum. In the top of the ninth, Jake Fraley drove in two with an opposite field double setting the eventual final score of 10-3.

On the mound, Nick Martinez had his best performance as a starter. Arguably Cincinnati’s best reliever, especially in extended innings, Martinez has struggled when asked to start games. However, he turned in five shutout innings on Monday allowing four hits and striking out five. Jakob Junis struggled, but Buck Farmer and Justin Wilson sealed the deal for the Reds. The victory was Martinez’ sixth on the season.

Second Straight Four-Hit Game for De La Cruz

If Monday night was the Elly De La Cruz show, Tuesday offered one heck of a sequel. Two more doubles, two RBI, two runs, and a stolen base highlight a second consecutive four-hit game for the most electric player in baseball. This time though it was Tyler Stephenson who struck first in Miami. He connected on a solo home run in the top of the second inning to get the Cincinnati Reds on the board. Then, TJ Friedl drove in a run with a double in the third inning.

With a 2-0 advantage, De La Cruz came to the plate in the fourth ready to break things open. He roped a double to left field that scored two runs doubling the Reds lead to 4-0. Friedl and Stephenson added a RBI each in the inning blowing the lead open to 6-0. Ty France went deep for the second straight game in the fifth inning for his 10th of the season. The continued power at the plate led Cincinnati to an 8-3 victory over the Marlins.

It was Nick Lodolo earning the win on Tuesday night as he pitched six innings allowing two runs on just two hits while striking out seven batters. He is now 9-4 on the season with a 3.93 earned run average. Fernando Cruz, Yosver Zulueta, and Sam Moll were all clean in relief.

Marlins Flip the Script With Early Grand Slam

To begin the series it was the Cincinnati Reds striking first. However, on Wednesday night, the Miami Marlins gave the home crowd something to cheer about. First, Jake Burger hit a solo home run as the second batter of the game to make it 1-0. Then, Derek Hill launched a grand slam to centerfield before Andrew Abbott could even record the second out of contest. This felt like it was over as soon as it got started.

Burger added a second solo shot in the fifth inning which extended the Marlins advantage to 6-0. However, to the Reds credit, they did not roll over. TJ Friedl hit a grand slam of his own in the top of the seventh making it a game once again at 6-4. Then, in the ninth, the Reds had the tying run in scoring position with just one out. The comeback attempt would fall short though as Friedl and Jeimer Candelario failed to convert at the plate.

Reds Scored Seven in 10th Inning to Secure Series Victory

The Cincinnati Reds got back to having a quick start on Thursday evening. Tyler Stephenson produced a RBI groundout in the first followed immediately by a solo home run off the bat of TJ Friedl. Friedl added another RBI in the third inning making it a 3-0 ball game. However, in the bottom half of the fourth, the Miami Marlins tied it up. A fielder’s choice followed by a pair of run scoring singles knotted it up at 3-3. From there, the game turned into a pitcher’s duel.

Miami and Cincinnati scattered seven hits in the fifth through ninth innings, but could never push one across the plate. The game would head to extra innings stilled tied at 3-3. However, the game quickly took a turn in the top of the 10th.

With a runner placed at second base, a walk and single by Elly De La Cruz loaded the bases for the Cincinnati Reds with nobody out. Emmanuel Ramirez’s control remained an issue as Tyler Stephenson drew a walk and TJ Friedl was hit by a pitch to score a pair of runners. Then, Spencer Steer and Jeimer Candelario delivered back-to-back singles plating a total of three runs to blow the game open at 8-3. Two more runs would eventually score making it a seven run top of the seventh inning for the Reds. The Marlins answered with one in the bottom half of the frame, but Cincinnati would come away with a 10-4 victory to take three out of four games in the series.