| Final | R | H | E |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cincinnati Reds (23-27) | 6 | 11 | 0 |
| Chicago Cubs (29-20) |
5 | 8 | 1 |
| W: Hernandez (1-2) L: Cishek (1-2) SV: Iglesias (11) | |||
| FanGraphs Win Probability | Statcast | Box Score | Game Thread | |||
The game didn’t look great early on for the Reds, but they battled back time and again to beat the baby bears in Chicago on Friday afternoon.
The Offense
The Reds bats were quiet for the first three innings, but got going in the 4th. Singles by Joey Votto and Jesse Winker set up the first run of the game for Cincinnati when Yasiel Puig singled in Votto. It was Puig again in the 6th that put the Reds on the board, this time hitting a 431-foot homer that drove in Jesse Winker to make it a 4-3 game. The next inning saw Winker double in Joey Votto to tie the game up. The Cubs decided to take the lead in the bottom of the 8th, setting up a 9th inning of fun. Votto, who was in the middle of the offense all day long, walked to lead off the inning. David Bell pinch ran for him with Michael Lorenzen, but it wouldn’t have mattered if he used a sloth because Eugenio Suarez took the next pitch of the game 445 feet to dead center field to put the Reds up 6-5. That blast would be enough thanks to……
The Pitching
A leadoff home run by Kyle Schwarber got the Cubs out to a good start against Anthony DeSclafani, but he shut the bats down rather easily the rest of the next two innings. But then Chicago put on a brief episode of Home Run Derby as Kris Bryant and Anthony Rizzo went back-to-back in the 3rd to put them up 4-0. DeSclafani wouldn’t make it out of the 4th inning, leaving the bases loaded with 2 outs for Wandy Peralta. The lefty came on to end the threat, and he’d toss a scoreless 5th inning, too. Matt Bowman, making his 2019 Major League debut, threw 1.1 perfect innings of relief with a strikeout. He gave way to Amir Garrett. The lefty got out of the 7th inning and returned for the 8th. He left 2 runners on and gave way to David Hernandez who gave up a single that brought in a run, which was charged to Garrett and gave the Cubs a 5-4 lead. That was all the Cubs got, but it put them in front. For about 3 entire minutes. With a 6-5 lead thanks to the Suarez homer, Raisel Iglesias came on for the bottom of the inning to try and close the game out. And he did just that by striking out the first batter of the inning, then getting a fly out by Schwarber and a pop up by Kris Bryant to complete the comeback from a 4-0 deficit.
Notes Worth Noting
Anthony DeSclafani has given up 37 home runs since the start of the 2018 season. He’s thrown 163.2 innings in that span. While he’s been outstanding in limiting the walks and in racking up strikeouts, he’s giving up home runs at a rate that would make Eric Milton blush and it’s killing his ERA.
Eugenio Suarez homered in the 9th inning to put the Reds ahead. It went 445 feet, which is the longest home run of the year for the Reds. It was also his 14th of the season. Last year when he hit 34 homers he only had 8 on May 24th, which also included a home run.
Amir Garrett is a gem. Not just for what he does on the mound, which is really, REALLY good.
Great play, even better reaction. ?#BornToBaseball pic.twitter.com/VJFstuXQA5
— Cincinnati Reds (@Reds) May 24, 2019
Joey Votto, Eugenio Suarez, Jesse Winker, and Yasiel Puig went 8-16 with a walk, a hit by pitch, 2 doubles, and 2 homers. More of that, please. Thanks.
Up Next for the Cincinnati Reds
Cincinnati Reds at Chicago Cubs
Saturday May 25th, 2:20pm
Tyler Mahle (1-5, 3.51 ERA) vs Yu Darvish (2-3, 5.06 ERA)
Big win!! They’ve dropped so many of these that they had to turn it around! Now win the series! They beat the Cards senseless in the first game in St. Louis and lost that series. Time to get hot! Puig and Votto can either make this offense dangerous or pathetic!
I think they’ve won every single game I haven’t been able to watch this year. I think someone in the front office should figure out that it’s far more cost effective to pay me a couple hundred dollars a game than it would be to sign any new player.
Joey has passed the mantle of “go to guy” to Geno. That was electric
Awesome win. I was so frustrated after the Cubs went up 5-4, that I turned the game off and started to mow the lawn. Of course I gave in a few minutes later and turned it back on just in time to see the Suarez homer. It’s about time the Reds WIN a game they probably should have lost.
The only real negative for me is that Disco continues to struggle. Two starts in a row he has been hit really hard and there isn’t really a better option at the moment.
Lucas Sims? Perhaps Santillan if needed. Vlad Gutierrez is an option but is having an awful start.
Keuchel’s still available. 🙂
I think the most likely fallback would be Lucas Sims getting a chance until Alex Wood is ready. Signing Keuchel for the rest of season would be a dream, but I’m sure that’s not happening.
If the Reds are still hanging around in another month when Alex Wood is close to returning, he could be a major addition. Adding an above average, left handed starter for the stretch run would be huge.
Lorenzen, Stephenson, or Sims. Or even Reed if you run up against a lefty loaded lineup. 13 man staff gives Bell alot of options.
Great win! One more of those and I’ll be ready to call it even.
Well done. It’s taken almost two months to get a big comeback win and avoid another one run loss. More needed to get to .500 plus.
Just got back around 8 pm and it looks like I should just go away more often.Great job.
Bottom looked good after 1st time up. Senzel watching to many pitches. Suarez saved Bell over managing. Left Garrett in one to many batters. Had 25 plus pitches and has not asked him to do that much at all this year.
Glad they won, need to get to Darvish on Saturday. Get Mahle a fee runs early and he will keep it close for 6 innings.
Votto looked good after 1st time up
The biggest comeback win of the year so far, and it couldn’t have come against a nicer team. Doug, Votto’s hit in the 4th that led to the first run was actually a double. He hustled all night and was uncharacteristically effective on the base paths. I still hope he’ll find his groove at the plate, but I’m pretty sure he’ll be a slow runner for the rest of his career… Great win for the Redlegs!
Big win, but we’re not even to June yet and they’ve already had a game with a 8 run lead and had their ace on the mound in 2 other games with a 4 run lead and 5 run lead and lost all three! Get to .500 and then we’ll talk. Just get to late July and be somewhat relevant. 4 games back of the 2nd wildcard would do. This team has more talent! Good bench players and deeper pitching. I don’t see where the Twins have alot more talent then the Reds? If Votto & Puig can get going then this team can put a run together!
The difference is they hired Baldelli instead.
Strongly disagree. A manager doesn’t make that much of a difference.
Desclafani at an awful 2.4 HR/9 IP. Good to see Votto and Puig coming back.
Puig was the last out of the 7th, so by putting the pitcher in his spot it allowed Garrett to pitch the 7th & 8th. Puig’s spot would have only come up again in the event that: (a) the game went to extras or (b) the Reds had at least 9 batters in the 8th and 9th. The latter of course occurred, but they had already scored two runs. Definitely a downgrade defensively and so probably over-managing. But at the time it seemed to make sense to me since Garrett did come back to pitch part of the 8th.
Perazas OPS over his last 15 games is 811, not really the time to send him down.
Peraza is like your in-laws. There is never a bad time to send them out of town and yesterday is the best option! He’s hitting .220 in May with 0 steals! Iggy & DD are the regular starters vs RHP with Scooter on the horizon. Farmer is an interesting guy with some pop. Bell seems to like him at 2B vs lefties. JVM has more potential then Peraza imo as well although he’s a lefty. Ervin is a decent bat vs LHP but they sent him down. Not to mention its a little early…actually its alot early to just label Winker and sit him vs LHP? When Winker is right then he’s everything Peraza is not. He sees pitches & draws walks. He’s got power. Peraza is only 4 of 7 on steals? He doesn’t bunt for hits like he did when he came up? He’s had chances…plenty of them!
Peraza will continue to get playing time.His year at the plate in 2018 and his age demand it.He was handed jobs by default in that there was nobody else.I agree you don’t throw him away but right now he should get some at bats in the minors.Send him down and play him every day.Its up to him really just like its up to Scott Schebler.Personally I felt both would be really good this year.Peraza after last year and Schebler has hit 30 homers I believe but of course it hasn’t happened for either.
Heard comment (Cincy or Cubbies commentators?) talk of Disco’s fast ball to Rizzo tailing but flat. That and the pitch to Bryant before it were right down mainstreet. Sounds like Disco needs more movement on his fast ball.
I guess you don’t get it! You ever see Garrett play? Now he gets it.Everytime he comes out he is ready to go. What about Hughes , Hernandez and DD? Those guys get it too!! Watch the game and you will see some good players make some good plays. Bell needs to slow down on burning out the pen.
Remember that moment and we didn’t know then and don’t know now.If we hit we are good enough on the mound to win most of them.
IMHO, good hitting teams (players) hit lots of doubles.