| Final | R | H | E |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cincinnati Reds (7-7) | 16 | 13 | 1 |
| Milwaukee Brewers (2-12) | 10 | 12 | 2 |
| W: Marquis (1-1) L: Fiers (0-3) | |||
| FanGraphs Win Probability | Box Score | |||
The Good
–“It’s home run or nothing here on Home Run Derby.” The Reds had two grand slams (Jay Bruce and Todd Frazier) and three other homers (two from Zack Cozart and one by Joey Votto).
–Five Reds had multi-hit nights, led by Cozart, who was 3-5 with three runs scored and 3 RBI. Votto, Frazier, Brandon Phillips, and Brayan Pena also had two hits each.
–Kevin Gregg and Aroldis Chapman each pitched a scoreless inning, because of course they did.
–The Redlegs homered in five consecutive innings. That’s not bad.
–Cozart now has four homers this season. That’s exactly how many homers he hit all of last season.
The Bad
–Marlon Byrd. While everyone else was pounding the baseball, Byrd was going 0-3. On the season, he’s now hitting .122/.137/.143. No one could have imagined Byrd would be this bad.
–Jason Marquis struck out eight and walked none in five innings of work. That sounds good, right? Well, he also gave up five runs on nine hits. His ERA is 7.20. This is the Marquis we expected.
–Even worse: JJ Hoover. Hoover pitched the sixth inning…well, part of the sixth inning. He recorded one out, while surrendering four runs on one hit and three walks.
–Burke Badenhop recorded two outs in that same sixth inning, but gave up a grand slam. Ugh.
Not-So-Random Thoughts
–The Milwaukee Brewers: Good For What Ails Ya’.
–Joey Votto is now hitting 377/.492/.792. Is that good? That seems good.
–Devin Mesoraco, about whom we have all been worried, made an appearance as a pinch-hitter. (He walked and scored a run.) Let’s hope he’s back in the everyday lineup soon.
–Cozart, eh? Cozart’s defense has always been elite, but last year, his overall offensive numbers suffered a steep decline, mostly because his power disappeared. This year’s early returns give reason for optimism. He’s hitting the ball hard this.
–That was the most runs Cincinnati has scored in a game since June 2007. Nice.
–Seven straight losses for Milwaukee. Starting to look like they are the worst team in the National League. The Reds will go for the series sweep tomorrow night. Oops. Four game series. Just ignore me.