Dan Straily was very strong in his first start with the Reds. Straily allowed a run in the second inning on an RBI groundout, but shut down the Rockies for five innings after that. He struck out the side in the fourth inning.
The Reds offense was dominated all night by Jordan Lyles. They were however able to break through in the 6th inning. Cozart singled with two outs, and then Jordan Pacheco doubled. Cozart was originally held up at third base, but a throwing error allowed Cozart to score and tie the game at one. Lyles didn’t allow an earned run in seven innings, and only had to throw 76 pitches.
Trevor Story hit his MLB leading 8th home run of the season in the eighth inning off Ross Ohlendorf. That gave the Rockies a 2-1 lead. Jumbo Diaz gave up a three run bomb later in the inning to Ben Paulsen. That would be more than enough for the Rockies. The Reds fall below .500 for the first time in 2016 at 6-7.
| Final | R | H | E |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cincinnati Reds (6-7) | 5 | 7 | 1 |
| Colorado Rockies (8-5) | 1 | 4 | 0 |
| W: Lyles (1-1) L: Ohlendorf (2-2) | |||
| FanGraphs Win Probability | Box Score | Game Thread | |||
Biggest Play of the Game
According to Fangraphs WPA statistic (winning percentage added), the most important play of the game was Ross Ohlendorf allowing a solo home run in the 8th inning to Trevor Story, giving the Rockies a 2-1 lead. That play decreased the Reds chances of winning by 29.2% (from 58.1% to 28.9%)
Other important plays (+/- indicates how much each play increased or decreased the Reds chances of winning):
- +21.9% – 6th inning: Pacheco double scores Cozart on an fielding error. Runner on 2nd,  (1-1)
- +6.0% – 5th inning: Barnhart throws out Adames stealing second. Bases empty, 1 out (1-0 Rockies)
- -21.8% – 8th inning: Diaz allows a 3-run home run to Paulsen. (5-1 Rockies)
- -6.4% – 6th inning: Phillips ground into a fielders choice to end the inning (1-0 Rockies)
- -5.8% – 2nd inning: Straily walks Paulsen. Runners on 1st & 2nd, 0 outs (0-0)
Player of the Game
Jordan Lyles: 7.0 IP, 4 H, 0 ER, 1 BB, 4 K, 0.28 WPA
Positives
Dan Straily was very good in his first start with the Reds: 5.0 IP, 2 H, 1 R, 2 BB, 4 K. I wrote in the game preview today that Straily gives the Reds some upside, and he showed some of it tonight. It was only one start, but you have to like Straily a lot more than Tim Melville.
Caleb Cotham pitched a scoreless 6th inning. Cotham has yet to allow a run through 7.0 innings this season.
Tucker Barnhart continues to make the best of his starts. He had a hit tonight, and threw out a runner. Barnhart is a really solid backup catcher for the Reds. He is hitting .316/.409/.316 on the season.
J.J. Hoover pitched a perfect 9th inning with two strikeouts. Hoover lowered his ERA from 16.88 to 13.50.
Zack Cozart had a hit, and is now hitting .455/.444/.606 on the season.
Negatives
The Reds hitters only saw 6 pitches in the first inning. Rockies starter Jordan Lyles didn’t throw many more the rest of the way. Lyles only needed 76 pitched to get through 7 innings. The Reds offense was absolutely dominated by a pitcher who entered the day with a 11.25 ERA. The only run Lyles allowed was unearned, and the only walk Lyles issued was an intentional walk to Votto.
The Reds missed a golden chance in the fifth inning. Jay Bruce hit a rocket off the wall to leadoff the inning. Bruce tried to stretch a double into a triple, but Nolan Arenado made an incredible tag to get Bruce out. Bruce also had a bad slide into third base, as he went into the base with his front foot up. It was a big play in a 1-0 game.
Jumbo Diaz allowed his second home run of the year. Both of the home runs he has allowed have been to the first batter he faced, and they’ve both been of the backbreaker variety.
Ross Ohledorf now has a 9.45 ERA on the season. The sad thing is that it doesn’t feel all that bad on this bullpen.
Not so random thoughts……
Jay Bruce's baby is due April 23. Will not be inducing. Does plan to take the 3-day paternity leave allowed him by MLB rules when baby comes
— Zach Buchanan (@ZachENQ) April 18, 2016
Brandon Phillips has swung at 69% of the pitches he's seen in 2016, highest rate in MLB (average is 46%).
— Joel Luckhaupt (@jluckhaupt) April 18, 2016
Desclafani threw 40 pitches live BP. All good. If no issues next few days rehab start not far away. pic.twitter.com/mSyXpT8qH7
— Brian Giesenschlag (@BGiesenschlag) April 18, 2016
Around the NL Central
The Cubs lead the Cardinals 4-0 in the 7th inning. Mike Leake was pitching very well for the Cardinals, but ran into some trouble in the 7th inning. The Brewers trail the Twins 5-4 in the 5th inning. The Pirates have the day off. They begin a 9-game west coast trip tomorrow in San Diego.
| Chicago Cubs | 9-3 | – |
| St. Louis Cardinals | 7-5 | 2.0 GB |
| Pittsburgh Pirates | 7-6 | 2.5 GB |
| Cincinnati Reds | 6-7 | 3.5 GB |
| Milwaukee Brewers | 5-7 | 4.0 GB |
The Cubs and Cardinals began their first series of 2016 this evening. That rivalry is heating up with Heyward and Lackey both choosing the Cubs over the Cardinals this past offseason. They are even fighting over warmup music! And Anthony Rizzo’s wife is throwing shade!
Cards were playing classical music during Cubs BP. Now no music.
— Jesse Rogers (@ESPNChiCubs) April 18, 2016
So now the Cubs bring out their own speaker/music. This rivalry is intense!
— Jesse Rogers (@ESPNChiCubs) April 18, 2016
#GameFace @Cubs rule #Cardinals drool 😜 pic.twitter.com/ZmOrS2WVjs
— Sarah Rizzo (@S_Rizzo18) April 18, 2016
Up Next:
Rockies at Reds
Tuesday, 7:10 PM
TV: FOX Sports Ohio
Alfredo Simon (12.15 ERA) vs Jorge De La Rosa (8.80 ERA)
All statistics used courtesy of Fangraphs, ESPN Stats and Info, and Baseball-Reference (including Baseball-Reference Play Index). All photos are used courtesy of Sam Greene and the Cincinnati Enquirer, and are used by permission.