KSReds: Cincinnati Reds Win Weekend Series With Rockies

Sunday afternoon was very kind to the Cincinnati Reds. Aristides Aquino blasted a grand slam and 10 runs were hung on the board to split Sunday’s doubleheader and take the weekend series. The Colorado Rockies took game one on Sunday, but the rubber match went in favor of the Redlegs. Cincinnati is now 53-79 on the season after winning the series.

The Reds will now take Monday off before traveling to Chicago for three games against the Cubs. They will stay on the road to visit the National League Central rival Milwaukee Brewers later in the week. Justin Dunn will take the ball at 7:40 p.m. Eastern Time on Tuesday against former Red Wade Miley. Mike Minor and Luis Cessa are also scheduled to make starts at Wrigley Field.

Reds Win Series Opening Pitcher’s Duel

Manager David Bell turned to the bullpen to take Friday night’s game and it worked out for the Cincinnati Reds. Luis Cessa turned in an excellent five-inning performance allowing just two runs on four hits while striking out four. Fernando Cruz, Joel Kuhnel, Buck Farmer, and Alexis Diaz combined to pitch four shutout innings to close the game for the Reds.

At the plate, the long ball was kind to the Reds. Rookie Spencer Steer went deep in his Major League debut in the fifth inning followed by a Jake Fraley pinch-hit home run in the seventh. Jonathan India then delivered a walk-off RBI in the bottom of the ninth scoring Steer to win the series opener 3-2. Steer finished his MLB debut going 2-2 at the plate with a pair of walks, two runs scored, and a RBI on his solo home run.

Doubleheader Split Leads to Series Win

A Saturday rainout led to a Sunday doubleheader to decide the series at Great American Ball Park. The Cincinnati Reds struck first, but some suspect bullpen work allowed the Colorado Rockies to come from behind for the victory. T.J. Friedl went deep in both the fourth and sixth innings to spot the Reds a 2-0 lead. However, the bullpen would go on to allow eight runs which gave Colorado game one of the doubleheader.

The Rockies got four runs off of Joel Kuhnel, one via a home run off Fernando Cruz, then three more in the ninth off Art Warren. Nick Lodolo turned in an excellent starting performance pitching six innings of two-hit, shoutout baseball. He also tied his career-high striking out nine batters. Unfortunately, the less than stellar bullpen was enough to allow the Rockies to take an 8-4 victory and set up the game two rubber match.

The bats got hot and the pitching was near perfect for the Cincinnati Reds in the nightcap of Sunday’s doubleheader. It was another bullpen game that saw four Reds pitchers combine for a four-hit shutout on the night. Chase Anderson, Derek Law, Ian Gibaut, Dauri Moreta, and Hunter Strickland combined for an excellent performance.

At the plate, Aristides Aquino led the way the with a grand slam home run in the bottom of the sixth inning to set the eventual final score of 10-0. It was an all-around great offensive performance by the Reds that resulted into the 10-0 win over the Rockies to secure the series victory.