| Final | R | H | E |
|---|---|---|---|
| San Diego Padres (50-64) | 3 | 8 | 0 |
| Cincinnati Reds (48-67) | 10 | 8 | 0 |
| W: Storen (3-2) L: Yates (2-3) | |||
| FanGraphs Win Probability | Box Score | |||
The Good
–The Redlegs trailed 3-2 as they came to bat in the bottom of the 7th. With one out, Jesse Winker — who was today’s leadoff hitter — worked a walk. After Zack Cozart was hit by a pitch, San Diego All-Star Brad Hand entered to pitch to Joey Votto. Votto promptly did what Votto does: he walked to load the bases, bringing cleanup hitter Adam Duvall to the plate.
Duvall struck out for the second out of the inning. Scooter Gennett, however, did not strike out: he drilled a grand slam to right-center, giving the Reds a 6-3 lead that they would not relinquish. Eugenio Suarez followed immediately with his 20th homer of the season. Five run inning, game over.
–Scooter was 2-4 with 4 RBI. That’s 19 home runs and 64 RBI for Gennett, who is still hitting .294/.342/.545 despite a recent slump.
–Joey Votto came to bat in the 8th inning with his 14-game hitting streak on the line. Of course, Votto had still had a productive day at the plate — three walks in four at-bats — despite no hits. Well, it’s a 15-game streak now, as Votto connected for his 31st home run of the season.
That’s a nice way to extend a hitting streak.
–Cozart was 2-4 with his 14th home run, two runs scored and two RBI. I’m still amazed that we’re almost halfway through August and Cozart has a slash line of .315/.401/.573.
–For the second straight day, the Reds bullpen did quality work. Wandy Peralta, Drew Storen, Austin Brice, and Raisel Iglesias combined to pitch three shutout innings.
–It wasn’t Luis Castillo’s best start, but it was technically a quality start for the rookie. Six innings, three runs allowed on six hits. Castillo did walk three, while striking out four.
–Tucker Barnhart hit a two-run double in the second to give the Reds a lead that they would soon squander (temporarily).
The Bad
–Nothing bad about a gorgeous afternoon game like this one.
Not-So-Random Thoughts
–Nice way to end the homestand, with a come-from-behind win that gave the Redlegs a series win — 3 out of 4 — against the Padres. That’s 7 wins in their last 11 games for the good guys.
Cincinnati is just two games under .500 at home in 2018; they’re 17 games under .500 on the road. Which is the real Reds team?
–The Reds hit back-to-back home runs twice today, in back-to-back innings. Gennett and Suarez did the trick in the 7th; Cozart and Votto in the 8th.
–Love seeing Winker at the top of the lineup. Would love seeing him in that spot for the next few years. He only reached base once, but he saw more pitches than any other Red besides Votto, and he just has an outstanding command of the strike zone. Winker doesn’t look like a rookie at the plate. He knows what he’s doing.
–Sure, there has been a power surge around baseball, but it’s still startling to see Reds hitting longballs like this. Suarez’ home run today made him the fourth Reds player to top 20 on the season (after Votto, Duvall, and Scott Schebler). If and when Scooter hits another, he’ll join that club. Me like.
–I have seen absolutely nothing from Luis Castillo this season that makes me anything less than extremely optimistic about his future. Great stuff, a live fastball, maturity on the mound. If this kid can stay healthy, the ceiling is the roof.
–As mentioned yesterday, the Reds hit the road now. After the last two games, I’m prepared to say that Cincinnati is the hottest team in the majors. I expect a successful road trip.
(go reds)