Reds Recap: Winker’s walk-off single gives Cincinnati win, series sweep

It’s the Jesse Winker show and we’re all just sitting here and enjoying it. It was a big day for Winker, who led the Reds to a win with a walk-off single to give the Reds the game and series sweep.

The Offense

Yasiel Puig got the Reds on the board in the 2nd inning with a 428-foot solo home run off of Gerrit Cole. In a pitchers duel, that would be all of the damage that the Reds offense would do for quite a while. In fact, they entered the 9th inning, trailing 2-1.

But facing off against the Houston Astros closer they got things going with a Jose Peraza ground-rule double to lead off the bottom of the 9th. Back-to-back pinch hitters came up, but Tucker Barnhart and Joey Votto both struck out. The lineup turned over and that brought Nick Senzel to the plate. The rookie took the first pitch he saw and hit a laser at 105.3 MPH for a line drive single into left field to tie the game up. He moved up to second base on the throw by Michael Brantley. With the winning run standing at second base and plenty of speed to get home, Jesse Winker stepped up, already having two hits on the day. Like Senzel, he took the first pitch he saw and he put it into the outfield, just by a diving second baseman as Nick Senzel raced around third and scored – beating the throw home by a decent margin.

Yasiel Puig had two hits in the game, including his home run. Jose Peraza also had two hits in the game. Nick Senzel walked, as well as his game-tying hit. The team had 11 hits in total on the day.

The Pitching

After his last start, Tyler Mahle was upset that he was pulled early. Today that wasn’t the case. The right-hander threw one more pitch today than he did the last time out, but instead of being pulled in the 5th, he finished the 7th inning. He allowed two runs, both in the 6th inning on a Michael Brantley homer, while walking just one batter and striking out seven. Matt Bowman came out for the 8th inning and kept the Astros off of the board. But it wasn’t without controversy. Jesse Winker threw out Tony Kemp at the plate and the Astros challenged the play. They lost their challenge and the inning was over. Bowman returned for the top of the 9th and he worked around a single to keep the score at 2-1 and give the Reds a chance.

Notes Worth Noting

Matt Bowman has allowed one earned run in 11.2 innings this season for the Reds since his call up. That’s a 0.77 ERA for those keeping track at home.

Jesse Winker is heating up. He’s hitting .308/.386/.513 in June.

Welcome back Jose Iglesias, who continues to be a magician.

Just an everyday play for José Iglesias… #BornToBaseball pic.twitter.com/A78uhj42ji

— Cincinnati Reds (@Reds) June 19, 2019

Up Next for the Cincinnati Reds

Cincinnati Reds vs Milwaukee Brewers

Thursday June 20th, 8:10pm

Tanner Roark (4-6, 3.63 ERA) vs Jimmy Nelson (0-1, 10.29 ERA)