| Final | R | H | E |
|---|---|---|---|
| St. Louis Cardinals (1-1) |
6 | 7 | 1 |
| Cincinnati Reds (1-1) |
9 | 11 | 1 |
| W: Mahle (1-0) L: Wainwright (0-1) |
|||
| Statcast | Box Score | Game Thread | |||
A six-run third-inning outburst put the Cincinnati Reds ahead to stay in their first win of the 2021 season. But what they’ll be talking about for the coming days and perhaps longer is the flaring of tempers in the bottom of the fourth inning. It started with two out and nobody on when this happened:
Nick Castellanos didn't take too kindly to getting plunked. ? pic.twitter.com/jwqf7OXF7E
— Bally Sports Cincinnati (@BallySportsCIN) April 3, 2021
Eventually, Castellanos scored when a pitch got away from Yadier Molina, and he made it very clear to the Cardinals pitcher that he was pleased to have done so.
The Reds' and Cardinals' dugouts have emptied after Nick Castellanos scores on a wild pitch. pic.twitter.com/M8sSctUjbo
— Bally Sports Cincinnati (@BallySportsCIN) April 3, 2021
After their initial encounter, tempers flare further between the Reds and Cardinals in the outfield. pic.twitter.com/Bbvw8fT26K
— Bally Sports Cincinnati (@BallySportsCIN) April 3, 2021
No punches were thrown, but a lot of tempers flared and nasty words were spoken. It’s the sort of incident that may have some carryover effects later in the season, similar to what we have seen in recent years with the Pittsburgh Pirates.
The Offense
Trailing 1-0 in the bottom of the third, Tyler Naquin drew a leadoff walk. Tucker Barnhart then put the Reds ahead for good.
Barnhart Bombs are back! ? pic.twitter.com/V3zkAkyKSK
— Cincinnati Reds (@Reds) April 3, 2021
But wait, there’s more!
.@TyNaquin caps a SIX-RUN third inning for the @Reds!
?: https://t.co/KI72BEGbOj pic.twitter.com/VABftITMdL
— Bally Sports Cincinnati (@BallySportsCIN) April 3, 2021
The Reds hit six singles in the inning, which was their most one-base hits in an inning for quite awhile. The TV announcing crew said the last time the Reds had hit five singles in an inning was sometime in 2019. We don’t know when the last time was that Cincinnati had six singles in an inning.
Confirmed: 6-run innings are fun. pic.twitter.com/9cJU6pMX03
— Cincinnati Reds (@Reds) April 3, 2021
And the Punisher got in on the act …
You love to see this emoji. ? pic.twitter.com/peOz1S9P6a
— Cincinnati Reds (@Reds) April 3, 2021
The Pitching
Starter and winner Tyler Mahle threw 84 pitches in five-plus innings. His fastball reached a peak of 98 mph, with an average of 95.1. In case you ever wonder why major-league pitchers are difficult to hit, Mahle’s average vertical break on his slider was 26 inches, and 25 inches on his splitter.
What sparked Tyler Mahle's significant improvement last season?@Reds pitching coach Derek Johnson shares his insights. pic.twitter.com/nj3gViQ7nr
— Bally Sports Cincinnati (@BallySportsCIN) April 3, 2021
Later in the game, lefthander Cionel Perez hit 98.7 mph on his best fastball. His slider had an AVERAGE vertical break of 49 inches, according to baseballsavant.com. Sean Doolittle threw 13 pitches — ALL four-seam fastballs. The fastest was 94.4 mph. Sal Romano, who finished up, reached 94.4 max on his sinking fastball.
Notes Worth Noting
Jonathan India had his second consecutive impressive game, batting 2-for-3, raising his early average to .571 with a 1.339 OPS. He also had an amazing stop on the shortstop side of second and throw to first for the out, showing some early signs of defensive prowess.
Up Next for the Cincinnati Reds
St. Louis Cardinals vs Cincinnati Reds
Sunday, April 4, 1:10 pm ET
Carlos Martinez (0.00 ERA, 0-0) vs Jeff Hoffman (0.00 ERA, 0-0)
A lot to like today. The attitude, the plate approach. And finally, I’m a Chris Welsh fan, but I really enjoyed listening to Barry Larkin on the air today. I thought he was terrific and gave great perspective from the offensive side of things.
Really fun game to watch.
Barry Larkin behind the mike: very impressive. And it’s nice to see opposite field hitting and runners across the plate from scoring position.
Nice touch with all of the video clips in the recap.
Like!
+1000
Molina was classic “hold me back” guy in the fracas.
If he wanted to get to Castellanos, he had ample opportunity before everyone arrived.
Molina wanted no part of him.
Nice, saucy win. Makes me feel better after that debacle Thursday. India, Castellanos, and possibly Stephenson when he gets his chances can energize these guys. Sure would be refreshing. On the negative side, Sal looks shaky so far. Looking forward to when Gray, Lorenzen, and Antoine get back. What seemed like a dismal season has potential.
Castellanos stood over a guy not on his feet and taunted him inches away.
Led to benches emptying.
Kind of expected, IMO, Castellanos was tossed … in an attempt in that moment to diffuse things going forward.
Castellanos comes up to bat again … he is likely being thrown at.
Molina is going to have to commit a felony before ever being ejected, but it has felt that way for years.
Big Nick just made a big statement and if everybody else joins in this could be a fun year.Said it last year that its not even who is right or wrong you just have to make some noise sometimes.Let the other team know they can’t just expect the Reds to go quietly all the time.Use to be you hit one of my guys then you get it also but not without letting them know how you feel about it.This is what happened but I guess Molina didn’t want to hear Nick so he rushes in to explain it away.Old days if the catcher takes off his mask he gets decked because its just dumb to do that anyway.I love it.
Molina seems to have an ongoing thing with the Reds, that in my opinion, goes back to his conflict with Brandon Phillips.
I still carry the same opinion of the Cardinals (especially Molina) that Phillips said the day before their brawl. The Cards are ……. Always have been.
The sad part is Molina probably called for the hitting of Castellanos, then Molina was the one who got chippy when Castellanos said what ever he had to say.
Molina gets into it with every team. He just throws temper tantrums.
Molina loves the role of the intimidator. Until the Reds stand up to him, he will always attempt to psyche them out and screw up their focus.
Great game. Although I am not happy that Romano is part of the major league roster. He is not one of the best 13 pitchers on the 40 man roster – or for that matter of the pitchers that were in spring training this year.
Right, the Reds need to pour it on tomorrow, can’t let the Cards go with the series.
So, Neck Tat (Molina) does not get tossed? He called for the pitch that hit Nick dangerously high on his arm. Nick walked away after his “confrontation” with the Dirty Birds pitcher! Molina is a thug! If the Reds want to retaliate in tomorrow’s game I suggest they plunk Molina!
Taylor Trammel first ML hit, a rocket to RC for a double. Congrat’s!
That was a fun game! Dish doesn’t have the Reds so I went to the casino. Took the Reds Over 3.5 (buying a run) and still felt good about beating up Wainwright after nothing thru 2 innings and bought another ticket Over 3. Soon as I collect the ticket they put up a 6 spot! Mission accomplished!
Its amazing what can happen when you hit the ball where its pitched. Just take what they give you in every sport. Seems like it would be easy to do, but it isn’t.
Today’s game is a must win. I wouldn’t expect much from Hoffman, so it’ll likely be a bullpen game.
Really great recap Tom! I loved the way you did the videos from Twitter to tell the story. I might steal that strategy on Monday!
Great, fun game! But the offense will likely need to keep putting up 9 runs a game to have any chance with Hoffman and De Leon starting the next two games. Yikes.