The Cincinnati Reds (45-53) defeated the Milwaukee Brewers (53-49) by a score of 6-5 at Miller Park, Monday night.
Okay…I’ll be honest, I really had no clue had to frame that, so I kept it simple. This was one of the single most stressful wins I can remember. I mean, sure, there probably have been more stressful wins to endure, as a fan, but I cannot remember one. Let me explain.
Sonny Gray (ND, 3.29 ERA) pitched an absolutely phenomenal six innings of one-run ball with seven strikeouts. His curveball was ridiculous:
Thanks for patiently waiting. pic.twitter.com/wE4ifvKs8G
— Cincinnati Reds (@Reds) July 23, 2019
He kept the Brewers at bay, for two thirds of the game, and put the Reds in a position to win.
Not to be forgotten after such an exciting finish to the game, Sonny Gray delivered another great starting performance. #BornToBaseball | @Reds pic.twitter.com/KtOz1t6AN7
— FOX Sports Ohio (@FOXSportsOH) July 23, 2019
The lineup was also effective, which is not something we have said a bunch, but it really was a decent night at the plate for the Reds. They had 12 hits in 36 at-bats, including 5-for-10 with runners in scoring position, and left just one more runner on base than did score (seven).
With the game tied at one, Jose Iglesias hit a single that deflected off of the pitcher into centerfield and scored Yasiel Puig, from second. Then, with Joey Votto on base, Eugenio Suarez delivered a few insurance runs:
Geno will take “Dingers” for $2,000. pic.twitter.com/4NwWgfBqFi
— Cincinnati Reds (@Reds) July 23, 2019
That would prove important, as we move forward. After Amir Garrett got the Reds out of a bases loaded jam in the seventh, he allows a single to Mike Moustakas to start the eighth. David Bell decided to bring in Raisel Iglesias, then. If you didn’t watch the game, you missed some frustrating pitching. Iglesias proceeds to allow a single to Jesus Aguilar and a walk to Keston Hiura to load the bases with no one out.
A very generous appeal call, by the first base umpire, bails Iglesias out of walking in a run, as Orlando Arcia fails to check a swing on ball four. It was an ill-gotten gain, as it turned out, because the very next batter, Tyler Saladino (and his .173 slugging percentage) launched a 419-foot grand slam to dead-centerfield. The Reds three-run lead turned into a one-run deficit.
Here we go again, right? Wrong.
With the @Reds down to their final out, Eugenio Suarez stepped up and saved the day!#BornToBaseball pic.twitter.com/EcFvup3T8H
— FOX Sports Ohio (@FOXSportsOH) July 23, 2019
The Brewers had not lost a game, when leading after eight innings this season, but they did on Monday. Wandy Peralta and Jared Hughes combined to close out the win as the Reds defeated the Brewers.
I’m going to go recover from this one, now. Here’s Geno to make you smile:
? You know what’s next! ?
Eugenio Suarez gets a well-deserved shower during his postgame chat with @JimDayTV. #BornToBaseball | @Reds pic.twitter.com/NKapbsPsbQ
— FOX Sports Ohio (@FOXSportsOH) July 23, 2019
Tomorrow, the Reds go for a road series win as Tanner Roark (5-6, 3.97) takes the mound. Opposite him will be Milwaukee’s Zach Davies (8-2, 2.79).
Box scores!
| Batting | AB | R | H | RBI | BB | SO | LOB | AVG |
| Senzel CF | 4 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0.276 |
| Votto 1B | 5 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0.260 |
| Suarez, E 3B | 5 | 2 | 2 | 4 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0.253 |
| Puig RF | 3 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0.261 |
| -Garrett P | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.000 |
| -VanMeter PH, 2B | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.236 |
| Peraza 2B, LF | 4 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0.241 |
| Ervin LF, RF | 3 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 0.347 |
| – Iglesias, R P | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.000 |
| – Peralta P | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.000 |
| – Hughes P | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.000 |
| Iglesias, J SS | 4 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.281 |
| Graterol C | 4 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.200 |
| Gray, S P |
1 |
0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.172 |
| – Winker PH |
1 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0.255 |
| – Lorenzen P, LF |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0.273 |
| – Dietrich PH |
1 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
1 |
0 |
0.215 |
| Totals |
34 |
5 |
12 |
6 |
3 |
6 |
4 |
|
|
HR – Suarez 2 (26) |
||||||||
| 2B – Puig (14) | ||||||||
| Team RISP – 5-for-10 | ||||||||
| SB – Ervin (2) | ||||||||
| Pitching | IP | H | R | ER | BB | SO | HR | ERA |
| Gray, S | 6.0 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 7 | 0 | 3.29 |
| Lorenzen | 0.2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 3.51 |
| Garrett | 0.1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1.88 |
| Iglesias, R | 0.2 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 4.60 |
| Peralta, W (1-1) | 1.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4.94 |
| Hughes, S (1) | 0.1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 2.93 |
| Totals | 6.2 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 4 | 8 | 0 |
This has been really a down year for Raisel Iglesias, wonder what could be the issue. As far as known, there’re no injury issues, nor speed concerns.
Last season, IF (Votto, Gennett, Suarez, Peraza) had an overall .830 OPS. This season (Votto, 2B, Iglesias, Suarez) is down to .750, including Dietrich’s .883.
I hope FO will be able to maintain the roster’s core of Castillo, Gray, Disco, Garrett, Lorenzen, Suarez, Senzel, Ervin & Winker after the trade line. I’d try to workout contract extensions with Puig, Iglesias and Wood (if finally healthy). C, 1B & 2B are also covered for the time being with Tucker, Casali, Votto, Peraza and VanMeter, so the real needs for next season would be concentrated around the bullpen, another starter and perhaps a top hitting catcher. Not returning (traded or released at the end of the season): Roark, Hughes, Hernandez, Gennett, Dietrich.
Guys like Ervin and Van Meter may wind up as solid contributors, but they are not part of a core to build around at this point – they are the ones who build around the core of players like Senzel, Suarez, etc. I would love to see him break out and become more than what he has projected over the last several years – and he has been improving, for sure, but the most likely good outcome for the Reds at this point is Ervin as the 4th outfielder.
Price said the same about Winker.Funny or maybe not so funny that the Reds never give some guys legit chances but never move on from them while others get soooooooooo many chances and years and never move on from them either.Reds love all their players and it has little or nothing to do with performance its like a Mother’s love in some respects.
I’m not so sure Ervin isn’t a better overall player thank Winker. At minimum, since Bell doesn’t like Winker against LHP, Ervin should be in there then. Winker is overall the better hitter and his offensive upside seems way higher than Ervin but something clicked with Ervin last year. He’s getting it. He’s a 1st-round talent that in my opinion is being undervalued.
Jeff Carr, I was one of those suggesting a boxscore in the Game Recap.
I did not mean an actual boxscore but rather a quick link to it.
Based on various formats you have provided, an actual boxscore may be hard to do.
Can’t speak for what others wanted but I wanted to clarify my suggestion.
Thanks for your work at RLN.
Thanks, Mike! Yeah, I just can’t get it to look right. Tweaking some things for my next recap. Thanks for hitting me back up! And thanks for reading!
Iglesias is currently not able to through any off speed pitch for a strike. Hitters know this and are sitting fast ball. Also, for some reason he has shied away from his change-up which is typically pretty good. Hitters are no longer “off balance” on his stuff. Just my opinion and what I can tell (see) from watching.
The NFL has treated PUP list. Iggy should go to the MUP list: mentally unable/unwilling to perform.
A win to lessen some of the shock of the recent first two losses to St. Louis.
I thought Ervin had a clear shot to draw an interference from the fielder in front of him, if he had kept running. I need to see another replay on it, though.
The buck stops with Ervin on the tootblan, though.
Ervin has a OPS against RH of .688. Winker’s is .838. If they trade Puig, both will get more ABs.
Maybe it’s just me, but in seeing the way this team is competitive night in/out (for most part) I’m just getting 2009 reds vibes. I really feel this team can finish alright and improve upon a solid foundation next year. I know people are quick to write this team off, but that’s what happens when you use advanced metrics to scrutinize every part of a players game. I’m all for advanced analytics, but just like anything in life you can over analyze something. This is also coming from someone who suffered through all of Friday’s game in person. No rose colored glasses here(well maybe the frames)
Can someone tell Bell that the shift never works with lefties when Garrett is on the bump. They are always late on the swing thus hitting a weak grounder or liner to left field and then Bell takes Garrett out and then inherited runs are scored against Garrett. Not hard to figure out!!
It is hard to figure out, apparently, because the data shows that you are in fact very incorrect.
Lefties go the opposite way against Amir Garrett 13.3% of the time in the “traditional shift”…..
You can find this information on Fangraphs in the splits tool section.
Jeff,
I like the article and write-up. Went to bed after Suarez 1st home run in 7th as I had a 4:30 AM EST wake up this morning. I figured the reds would hold down the brewers down with Garrett and Lorenzen available. Both glad and sad I missed the 8th and 9th innings.
Glad some of the right handed batters had some success vs a right handed pitchers, goods use of looking at opposing pitchers metrics to create lineup. Have to give Bell and his staff credit for using the numbers and creating that starting lineup. Gray looked great again after getting out of the 1st.
Hopefully the team can string a few wins together and gain confidence in themselves. Would be nice to beat the Brewers in this series and then have a great series @ home vs the pirates this weekend to move out of 5th place in the division.
Don, you made the smart decision, man. Was pretty much useless for the better part of this morning. I’m really hoping they can beat up on them ol Pirates. This last place crap is tiresome
RI kicked something in the dugout after he was taken out. My first thought was that he probably broke his foot. I was less upset with him than in previous outings. He just came back from paternity leave and Lorenzen & Garrett didn’t do their jobs in front on him. You have to wonder about the home run pitch, this guy was being pitched in all night and was obviously looking for just that pitch. I put that brain cramp that on the catcher or bench. I think Barnhardt would have made a difference in this situation.
Relievers are relievers and you just never know.Reds signed him for 3 years and very reasonable but you just never ever sign guys that long to pitch out of the pen.He may bounce back over the next couple of months and may pick up next year and be lights out or fall off a cliff.Its just another example of selling when a player’s value is at his highest or holding on to the player too long.Building up his trade value is just pie in the sky.Teams may still take a chance on him if for no other reason to add length to their pen but nobody sees him as a lights out closer.In fact is there such a thing any more?It would be the last thing on my list if I were building a team.