KSReds: Cincinnati Reds Win Series, Blow Chance at Sweep

The Cincinnati Reds were one more big hit away from getting the brooms out for a second straight series. However, the Oakland A’s avoided the sweep on Sunday with a 5-4 walk-off victory. It was a frustrating defeat to snap a five-game winning streak. Still, the Reds won their second straight series and are now 12-16 on the year.

Cincinnati will remain out west for a three-game series against the San Diego Padres. Luke Weaver will start on Monday night with a 9:40 p.m. EST scheduled first pitch. Graham Ashcraft and Luis Cessa will also pitch in San Diego. The Padres are 15-14 on the season.

At the end of April last year, the Reds were 3-18, so the 12-16 record is at least a step in the right direction. A young core pitching rotation is still rounding into shape and a bunch of unproven bats have led to a less-than-stellar offense. However, this team does show impressive fight and competitiveness which hasn’t always been apparent in recent seasons. If nothing else, this team is at least much more fun to watch and root for in 2023.

Breakout Offensive Performance Leads to Fourth Straight Win

For just the second time this season, the Cincinnati Reds put double figures on the scoreboard. The bats got hot early and continued to add runs through the ninth inning on the way to an 11-7 victory on Friday. In total, the Reds scattered 16 hits on the night in Oakland.

It was Jake Fraley that broke the game open in the top of the third with a 419-foot two-run home run to center field that made it 5-1. The A’s would eventually make it 5-3 in the seventh, but Cincinnati immediately answered. Nick Senzel drove in two runs with a double and Stuart Fairchild brought Senzel home to make it 8-3. Additional insurance runs in the eighth and ninth innings made Brent Rooker’s bottom-of-the-ninth home run meaningless as the Reds came away with a four-run win.

The offensive performance helped to cover up a less-than-ideal effort from the pitching staff. Starter Luis Cessa recorded the win but was knocked around for eight hits and three runs in five innings of work. Derek Law then gave up the two-run home run in the sixth inning. Buck Farmer and Lucas Sims bridged the gap to the ninth inning, but then Fernando Cruz gave up the two-run bomb. Luckily, he was pitching with enough of a lead that it didn’t matter. It was a return to the mean for a Reds bullpen that was stellar in their series sweep against the Texas Rangers.

Ninth Inning Comeback Keeps Reds in the Win Column

The Cincinnati Reds had two comebacks and two walk-off wins in their sweep of the Rangers earlier in the week. On Saturday night, they dialed up a little more late-inning magic to take game two from the Oakland A’s.

After a leadoff strikeout by Tyler Stephenson, Henry Ramos reached base via a walk. Kevin Newman then got on with an infield single and Nick Senzel walked to load the bases with one away. Jose Barrero struck out, but Jake Fraley came through with a two-out, two-run double to take a 3-2 advantage. Alexis Diaz then struck out the side to record the save and secure the Reds’ fifth straight win.

On the mound, Hunter Greene was electric but struggled with pitch efficiency once again. The flame-throwing 23-year-old struck out 10 batters in five innings of work while allowing two unearned runs. However, he also walked three guys and needed 112 pitches to get through his five innings of work. Cincinnati’s bullpen was up to the task in this one though allowing just two hits in four shutout innings and striking out seven more A’s for a total of 17 strikeouts on the evening.

Reds Blow Opportunity For Second Straight Sweep

It looked like the Cincinnati Reds were going to pull out yet another come-from-behind win for a second consecutive series sweep. However, a lack of timely hitting and a tough outing from the bullpen allowed the Oakland A’s to win in walk-off fashion in the final game of the series on Sunday. Still, the Reds secured their second straight series victory and remain out of the National League Central cellar.

Nick Lodolo struggled once again to keep the ball inside the park. Cleanup hitter Jesus Aguilar hit a two-run home run in the first inning and Brent Rooker went deep in the fourth. Lodolo allowed three runs on five hits in five innings while striking out seven.

Nick Senzel hit a solo home run in the second to get on the board, but it was three runs with two outs in the sixth that put the Reds on top. After stranding runners on second and third in the fifth, Cincy got the job done in the sixth with a TJ Friedl infield single followed by a two-RBI single by Kevin Newman to make it 4-3. The A’s would answer in the seventh to tie the game and then won it off a walk-off single with the bases loaded in the bottom of the ninth.

The Reds left runners stranded on second and third with nobody out once again in the eighth inning. Both Jonathan India and Tyler Stephenson struck out and Henry Ramos couldn’t come through with two outs. The poor display of timely, situational hitting proved costly. Alexis Diaz was a bit erratic in the ninth, and an error and wild pitch helped get runners in scoring position with nobody away for the A’s. Esteury Ruiz came through with a single into left field to walk it off for Oakland. The A’s are now 6-23 on the season while the Reds dropped to 12-16.