KSReds: Cincinnati Reds Win Two of Three in Detroit

Overall, it was a productive trip to Comerica Park. The Cincinnati Reds won the first two games of the series against the Detroit Tigers and closed the gap in the National League Wild Card race. However, an opportunity to sweep the struggling Tigers slipped away on Thursday afternoon due to poor defense and a lack of timely hitting. The ball club is still in a better position than when the series started though so that is certainly a win this time of year.

The two wins to begin the series had brought the Reds into a tie with Arizona for the final Wild Card spot. Now, they will await the outcome of the Diamondbacks game, along with the Marlins and Giants, to see where they stand. The four-team race for that final playoff spot is absolutely electric right now.

Cincinnati will remain on the road for a three-game series in New York against the Mets. It’ll be the second straight Reds opponent that sits 10 or more games below .500. This will be yet another opportunity to make a move in the playoff standings. Hunter Greene is set to start game one at 7:10 p.m. EST on Friday night. Then, Andrew Abbott and Brandon Williamson will also make starts in the Big Apple.

Rally Reds Win in Extra Inning, Come-From-Behind Fashion

Things did not start off positively in Detroit for the Cincinnati Reds. The second batter of the game, Andy Ibanez, hit a home run to left field to put the Tigers on the board 1-0. Then, Kerry Carpenter and future Hall of Famer Miguel Cabrera hit back-to-back RBI singles extending their advantage to 3-0. Reds starter Brandon Williamson was hit around hard in that first inning and it felt like their backs were against the wall early in the game. However, that would quickly change as Cincinnati got the bats going in the second and third.

A two-out rally not only got the Reds on the board in the top of the second inning but actually tied the game. Tyler Stephenson reached on an error and Elly De La Cruz walked to give Cincy a pair of baserunners with two outs. Then, TJ Friedl singled to score Stephenson before Jonathan India drove in both De La Cruz and Friedl to tie the game with a single of his own. That two-out rally theme would extend to the next frame as well. In the third, Joey Votto drew a walk and De La Cruz singled up the middle with two outs. That brought recent addition Harrison Bader to the plate and he came through with a double that plated both base runners and gave Cincinnati a 5-3 lead.

Unfortunately for the Reds, that 5-3 advantage was not safe. Detroit got it knotted back up in the fifth inning as Ibanez and Carpenter came through once again with run-scoring hits. That 5-5 tie would end up holding through the rest of regulation. Despite some ugly starting pitching on both sides, the Reds and Tigers each turned in very solid bullpen outings. That is, until the top of the 10th inning where the Reds eventually won the game. Tyler Stephenson provided what would become the game-winning single to score Noelvi Marte and make it a 6-5 game. In the bottom of the 10th, Buck Farmer shut the door to give Cincinnati the series-opening victory. Alexis Diaz earned the win for his perfect ninth-inning performance.

Another Excellent Performance by the Cincinnati Bullpen

Timely, two-out hitting boosted the Cincinnati Reds to victory once again on Wednesday night. TJ Friedl came through with a two-run triple in the top of the second inning to build an early 2-0 lead. That advantage didn’t last long though as Spencer Torkelson lifted a two-run home run to tie it up for the Tigers at 2-2. Much like Tuesday’s series opener, the offense was hot early and then completely died down the stretch.

Cincinnati manufactured a pair of runs in the top of the fourth inning and that would prove to be enough. Harrison Bader led off the inning with a walk. Then, Noelvi Marte singled and TJ Friedl reached on a bunt single to load the bases with nobody out. From there, two runs would score but they would come in very unconventional fashion.

Luke Maile drove in a run via a fielder’s choice. Marte advanced to third base on Maile’s groundout. Those extra 90 feet would prove to be important as he essentially stole home during a semi-intentional rundown. Jonathan India struck out swinging and Maile was caught in a rundown trying to steal second base. However, Marte broke for home on the throw and Maile stayed in the rundown long enough to score the run. That 4-2 Reds lead would end up being enough to hold on for the victory.

Detroit got one run back in the bottom half of the fourth, but that 4-3 score went on to become the final. The Reds bullpen was absolutely money to secure the win. Daniel Duarte picked up the victory on the mound and Alexis Diaz got the save. In total, seven Reds relief pitchers combined to pitch five shutout innings allowing just three hits and striking out seven batters. That performance increased the bullpen’s scoreless inning streak to 21.

Tigers Avoid Sweep With Blowout Win

Sometimes you get the bear and sometimes the bear gets you. Thursday afternoon’s game simply got away from the Cincinnati Reds. There certainly were some opportunities to score and make the game more competitive, but they could never come through in the right moments like they did on Tuesday and Wednesday. The lack of timely hitting kept the offense at bay while some late-inning defensive miscues allowed Detroit to blow the game wide open.

That culminated in a 448-foot grand slam home run by Matt Vierling in the bottom of the eighth inning. Vierling’s blast ballooned the Tigers lead to 8-1 and they would cruise to an 8-2 win.

In baseball, you should never complain about winning a series and that is what Cincinnati did on their trip to Detroit. However, at this point in the season, the Reds need to make their playoff push. Kicking the can down the road has resulted in meaningful September baseball, but it might not be enough to make the postseason. They remain right in the thick of the race though alongside the Diamondbacks, Marlins, and Giants. Now sitting at 76-72, the Reds remain in a competitive position with 14 games left to play.