KSReds: Cincinnati Reds Win Second Straight Series

Don’t look now, but the Cincinnati Reds are fun again. The record might still be the worst in Major League Baseball, but the ball club has won back-to-back series and is experiencing an offensive resurgence. After winning two out of three games in a rain-shortened series against the Pittsburgh Pirates, the Reds backed it up by winning two of three against the Milwaukee Brewers. That makes for a 4-2 record on the homestand against divisional opponents. 7-24 overall is still terrible, but progress is happening.

The Reds will continue their stretch against the National League Central by beginning a four-game series in Pittsburgh against the Pirates on Thursday. Connor Overton is set to take the mound at 6:35 EST on Thursday night. Tyler Mahle, Luis Castillo, and Hunter Greene will finish off the series.

Offense Explodes for 10 Runs; Reds Take Game One

Offense has been hard to come by this season for the Cincinnati Reds. However, on Monday night against the Brew Crew, the bats broke out for 10 runs to defeat Milwaukee. It was the largest offensive output of the season, at the time, for the struggling Reds.

Despite the late-inning success, it still wasn’t always easy for the Reds. Colin Moran homered in the second to take a 1-0 advantage, but the Brewers would score three unanswered to climb on top 3-1 going into the bottom of the fifth. That is when things got fun for Cincinnati.

In the bottom half of the fifth, T.J. Friedl doubled to score a run and place runners at second and third. Brandon Drury came to the plate next and blasted one 414 feet to center field for a three-run home run. The Reds would tack on one more when Tommy Pham scored on a passed ball and just like that they had a 6-3 lead.

The Brewers quickly got it back to 6-5 in the sixth inning, but that is as close as they would come. Alexis Diaz, Jeff Hoffman, and Joel Kuhnel combined to allow just one base runner in the final three and one-third innings to slam the door shut. At the plate, insurance runs came via a Pham single in the sixth and a three-run long ball by Kyle Farmer in the seventh to set the final score of 10-5. At least for one night, baseball was fun again at Great American Ball Park.

Eighth Inning Rally Comes Up Short

For the second straight night, the Cincinnati Reds got on the board first with a Tyler Stephenson RBI double in the bottom of the second inning. On the mound, Hunter Greene bounced back with a solid start. The flame-throwing rookie allowed two runs on four hits in five and one-third innings while striking out six batters. Unfortunately, the offense couldn’t get him enough support.

The Milwaukee Brewers scored five unanswered runs between the fourth and eighth innings to go up 5-1. Tony Santillan and Hunter Strickland were the culprits out of the bullpen that allowed the runs. Lucas Sims and Art Warren both pitched well.

In the bottom of the eighth, the Reds made things interesting. Devin Williams walked three batters including a bases-loaded free pass to Colin Moran that scored a run. Tyler Naquin then doubled down the right-field line to score a pair of runs and cut the deficit to one. However, a diving play by shortstop Luis Urias ended the inning on what could have been a go-ahead single by Kyle Farmer. The Brewers would go on to escape with a 5-4 victory to even the series.

Second Straight Series Victory as Reds Post 14 Runs in Rubber Match

The series came down to Wednesday afternoon’s contest and the Cincinnati Reds wasted no time putting it on the Brewers. With two outs in the bottom of the first inning, Tyler Stephenson doubled to left field scoring TJ Friedl to take a 1-0 lead. Then, Tyler Naquin came through with a bases-loaded triple to make it 4-0. Stephenson came through with two outs again in the second with a bases-clearing double which blew the game open to a 7-0 Reds advantage.

Milwaukee chipped away at the lead via a Christian Yelich three-run blast in the third and a solo shot by Hunter Renfroe in the fourth. Kyle Farmer answered with a sacrifice fly in the fifth, but Renfroe went deep again in the eighth to make it an 8-5 game. However, Cincinnati threw up a six-spot in the bottom of the eighth inning to put the game out of reach once and for all.

Tommy Pham and Mike Moustakas had back-to-back singles that scored a total of three runs. Then, Colin Moran stayed hot delivering a three-run, opposite-field home run to make it a 14-5 advantage.

Four dingers over the last four games for Bam Bam! 💪💪💪💪

I'm Right Here Play presented by @StElizabethNKY pic.twitter.com/xcxSSc7i5b

— Cincinnati Reds (@Reds) May 11, 2022

A total collapse on the mound by Dauri Moreta made the final score look closer than it should have been. Moreta failed to record an out while allowing five runs on five hits including two home runs. The Brewers would get all the way within three, but the comeback attempt died on the vine. Cincinnati came away with a 14-11 victory to secure their second straight series victory.