| Final | R | H | E |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cincinnati Reds (13-17) | 1 | 4 | 0 |
| New York Mets (15-15) | 0 | 5 | 1 |
| W: Zach Duke (2-1) L: Edwin Diaz (0-2) SV: Michael Lorenzen (2) | |||
| FanGraphs Win Probability | Box Score | Game Thread | Statcast | |||
For a glove-first shortstop, Jose Iglesias sure has a penchant for late-game heroics, huh? The slick-fielding Iglesias played the unlikely hero for the second time this season on Wednesday night. Stepping to the plate with two outs in the top of the ninth in a scoreless game, he blasted a go-ahead solo homer to give the Reds a 1-0 win over the Mets. Oh, and it was only against Edwin Diaz, one of the game’s most dominant relievers.
The victory rewarded the Cincinnati pitching staff for another masterful performance, something that hasn’t happened nearly as many times as deserved this season. Anthony DeSclafani matched reigning NL Cy Young winner Jacob deGrom pitch for pitch. The shorthanded bullpen backed that up with 3 1/3 shutout innings.
That’s the Reds’ first 1-0 win since April 2, 2018 and the first such win on the road since July 29, 2015. A satisfying victory, indeed.
The Hitters
It was largely a quiet night for the Reds on offense — again. This time, they at least get a pass for going against one of the best pitchers in baseball.
They managed only three hits, all singles, before Iglesias’ homer in the ninth. Iglesias (single, homer) and Jesse Winker (single, two walks) were the only batters to reach base multiple times. Ironically, DeSclafani had the first hit of the game when he broke up the no-hitter in the fifth inning.
The best chance against deGrom came in the fourth. Following a two-base error, a walk, and a hit batter, the Reds loaded the bases with two outs. After 35 pitches, however, deGrom got through the inning and the Reds came up empty. The Reds threatened again in the seventh against deGrom when the first two batters reached, but a Scott Schebler double play killed the momentum.
Yasiel Puig looked to have a chance to give the Reds the lead in the eighth after a two-out walk to Winker. Puig hit a rocket at 109 mph to left field. Despite a 74% hit probability, he was robbed on an impressive over-the-shoulder catch by Jeff McNeil.
The luck finally turned around in the ninth. Iglesias took advantage of a hanging slider from Diaz, depositing it into Citi Field bleachers to provide the only run necessary.
The Hurlers
Anthony DeSclafani was on top of his game tonight. Mets hitters had few answers against him, managing only three hits and a walk in 5 2/3 innings. Disco fanned eight batters, raising his strikeout rate on the season to 27.9%. Only two batters even reached second base.
In a year where his velocity is up already, he was pumping gas between 94 and 96 all night. What separated him on this evening was his command. While peppering the top of the strike zone with his four-seamer, Disco was placing his two-seamer wherever he wanted. He had two impressive strikeouts on two-seam fastballs that started off the plate and tailed back over for called strikes. Notably, DeSclafani’s slider was also as sharp as it’s been all season. He got five whiffs on the pitch for a 20.0% swinging-strike rate on the night, a season high with the breaking ball.
After DeSclafani gave up a two-out double to Robinson Cano in the sixth, Wandy Peralta came on to face the left-handed hitting Michael Conforto. Peralta escaped by initiating a groundout, but David Bell curiously allowed him to face two right-handed batters in the seventh. Both hit singles.
Jared Hughes cleaned up the mess and looked like his 2018 self in the process by getting a strikeout and groundout back to himself. He got the first two outs of the eighth as well — both again on grounders right back at him. It’s not very often you see three consecutive groundouts to the pitcher. Bell chose to make another pitching change with two outs, bringing in Zach Duke to face the lefty Cano. Duke came perilously close to issuing a walk but got out of the inning with a groundout.
Gifted with a 1-0 lead after Iglesias’ homer at the top of the inning, Michael Lorenzen slammed the door with a perfect ninth inning. He got some help from Winker, who made a sliding catch on the left-field warning track in foul territory to end the game. Winker continued his trolling of Queens fans in the process, waving goodbye as he joined his teammates to celebrate.
Just smile and wave boys, smile and wave… ?#BornToBaseball pic.twitter.com/OfGVSXwXWM
— Cincinnati Reds (@Reds) May 2, 2019
Notes & Thoughts
- Of note: Winker saw 21 pitches against deGrom, accounting for 21% of the right-hander’s pitch total on the night.
- DeSclafani had a small injury scare in the bottom of the fifth inning. After singling the inning before, he threw a pair of wild warm-up pitches that prompted a visit from the training staff. He seemed to be flexing his hand, possibly due taking a stinger on a cold night after his base hit. Fortunately, he stayed in the game.
- Despite the cold weather in Queens, Disco also threw hit hardest pitch of the season (96.4 mph) on a first-inning strikeout of Michael Conforto.
- T-minus one more game until Nick Senzel time.
Stat of the Game
Among 207 hitters who have seen at least 50 breaking balls this season, only three are chasing them out of the strike zone more than Yasiel Puig.
- Hunter Renfroe (53.7%)
- Eddie Rosario (52.3%)
- Javier Baez (52.3%)
- Yasiel Puig (51.7%)
On the bright side, only six batters have chased breaking balls less than Jesse Winker (13.0%).
- Wellington Castillo (11.8%)
- Brian Dozier (11.4%)
- Alex Bregman (11.2%)
- Logan Forsythe (10.5%)
- Mike Trout (9.2%)
- Andrew McCutchen (8.7%)
Up Next
Reds @ Mets
Thursday, May 2, 12:10 p.m. ET
Tyler Mahle (4.50 ERA, 3.47 xFIP) vs. Noah Syndergaard (6.35 ERA, 3.55 xFIP)