KSReds: Comeback Cincinnati Reds Sweep the Texas Rangers

Call them the cardiac kids.

The Cincinnati Reds overcame two large deficits and won via two walk-offs in a series sweep of the Texas Rangers. Despite entering with respective 7-15 and 14-7 records, it was the home Reds that got the brooms out in this series. Great American Ball Park wasn’t very full for the early week, three-game set, but those fans who did attend were treated to the most exciting baseball of the young season.

On Monday night, the Reds overcame a 5-1 deficit and won in walk-off fashion to snap a seven-game losing streak. Then, on Tuesday, they were down 6-0 in the seventh only to come back and win 7-6 for the second straight night. Finally, on Wednesday afternoon, Nick Senzel delivered a walk-off home run in the bottom of the ninth to complete the sweep. Cincinnati is now 10-15 on the season after three straight exciting victories.

After a brutal schedule to start the 2023 season, the Reds will finally catch a break. After their first day off in 20 days, the ball club will head west to face the 5-19 Oakland A’s. Luis Cessa takes the ball on Friday night at 9:40 p.m. EST to begin the series. Hunter Greene and Nick Lodolo will then pitch on Saturday and Sunday, respectively. The west coast trip will continue into next week with a three-game series at the San Diego Padres.

Come From Behind, Walk-Off Win Snaps Losing Streak

After a four-game series sweep at the hands of the Pirates, the Cincinnati Reds had lost seven straight games. They snapped out of that skid in exciting fashion on Monday night. Despite getting on the board in the bottom of the first, the Reds fell behind 5-1 by the middle of the third inning. From that point on they kept chipping away and showed real fight in the final innings.

The comeback started in the bottom of the third with a two-run triple from Spencer Steer. Then, Steer scored on a RBI groundout by Tyler Stephenson that quickly made the game 5-4. The Rangers added one in the top of the fourth, but the game would hold at 6-4 until the eighth inning. That is when the bullpen started to fall apart of the Rangers.

After T.J. Friedl lined out to begin the bottom of the eighth, Steer singled and Stephenson walked to put two runners on base. However, Jake Fraley popped out to record the second out. Wil Myers walked to load the bases with two outs followed by a pitching change. Then, two walks later, the Reds had tied the game at 6-6 without even having to put the ball in play again. Four total walks in the inning led to a tie game going into the final inning.

Once again, Cincinnati got on base via a walk drawn by Jonathan India. A passed ball in the dirt allowed India to move up to second base before being driven in by Friedl to end the game. The walk-off single into the right-centerfield gap capped off a ferocious comeback to snap the Reds’ seven-game losing streak with a 7-6 victory.

More Late-Inning Heroics From the Reds

The Rangers methodically built a 6-0 lead on Tuesday night. Nathaniel Lowe hit a home run in the top of the first inning to get on the scoreboard. They added one more in the fourth inning before really opening the game up in the fifth. Marcus Semien hit a solo home run and Josh Jung drove in two more with a double to deep centerfield that built a 5-0 advantage. Josh Smith capped off the scoring with another home run in the sixth. In total, the Rangers tagged Luke Weaver for six runs on eight hits in five and two-thirds innings.

To begin the bottom of the seventh, the Reds started to turn their luck around once again. Three straight singles culminated in Nick Senzel driving in Henry Ramos to get the Reds on the board. However, a pair of strikeouts followed by a line out to center ended the threat. The Rangers wouldn’t get so lucky again in the bottom of the eighth inning.

This time, Ramos drove in Stuart Fairchild on an infield single that hit off of the pitcher. Then, the Reds drove in five runs with two outs in the inning. Senzel singled to make it 6-3. Jake Fraley pinch-hit and blooped a ball over the third baseman’s head in shallow left field to score two more. Finally, Jonathan India singled up the middle scoring the tying and go-ahead runs to set the eventual final score of 7-6.

6 RUNS LATER… INDY FOR THE LEAD pic.twitter.com/iwPSEJjwXV

— Cincinnati Reds (@Reds) April 26, 2023

Cincinnati closer Alexis Diaz shut down the Rangers in the ninth inning to earn his third save of the season and secure the Red’s second straight miraculous, come-from-behind victory.

Another Walk-Off Finishes Reds Series Sweep

It doesn’t get much more exciting than what Reds fans saw at Great American Ball Park on Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday. While Wednesday didn’t require a true comeback, the Reds still ended the game in walk-off fashion.

Cincinnati got on the board first with a Henry Ramos RBI triple in the second inning followed by a RBI ground out by Kevin Newman to make it 2-0. However, the Rangers answered with two runs in the fifth to even the score. The Reds immediately answered though in the bottom half of the inning to regain the advantage at 3-2.

That 3-2 lead would hold all the way into the ninth inning before a leadoff double, followed by a single, put runners on the corners with nobody out. Luckily, Ian Gibaut pitched his way out of the jam only allowing a sacrifice fly to tie the game.

In the bottom of the ninth, Newman reached on an infield single and advanced to second base on an errant through. That is when Nick Senzel came to the plate and called game. The Reds centerfielder snuck one over the left field wall for a walk-off home run to win the game 5-3.