Gerrit Cole dominated the Reds for seven innings, striking out 11 batters without giving up a run. Cincinnati went into the 9th against the best closer in baseball and they kept things moving along and before it was over they had scored four runs and taken the lead. Alexis Diaz picked up the save as the Reds extended their winning streak to five games.
| Final | R | H | E |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cincinnati Reds (33-54) |
4 | 7 | 0 |
| New York Yankees (61-26) |
3 | 9 | 0 |
| W: Sanmartin (2-4) L: Holmes (4-1) SV: Diaz (3) |
|||
| Statcast | Box Score | Game Thread | |||
The Offense
The Reds didn’t get a hit until Mike Moustakas led off the 3rd inning with a double. With two outs Brandon Drury singled into left but the combination of Moustakas’ speed and Joey Gallo’s arm led to him being held up at third base. He would be stranded there after Tommy Pham struck out to end the inning. Cincinnati’s next hit wouldn’t come until Jonathan India doubled to lead off the 6th. He would later steal 3rd base to put himself just 90 feet from the plate, but he couldn’t make up those 90 feet on his own and he would be stranded there as the Yankees held onto a 3-0 lead.
In the 9th inning the Yankees called on Clay Holmes and his 0.46 ERA on the season to try and shut things down. He walked Tommy Pham to start the inning and then Joey Votto singled up the middle to move Pham over to second base. Holmes then hit Tyler Stephenson with a pitch to load the bases. David Bell then sent pinch runner Stuart Fairchild to first base to put speed on the bases. Tyler Naquin then singled just out of the reach of a diving shortstop to drive in the Reds first run and everyone moved up one base. Kyle Farmer was then hit by a pitch to bring in another run. That would end the night for Holmes, who saw his earned run total on the season double on the night.
That’s when former Cincinnati reliever Wandy Peralta entered the game. The lefty’s first assignment was to face off against pinch hitter Donovan Solano. Peralta got a grounder back to himself and he came up throwing to the plate and got the force out at the plate, but that was all. Nick Senzel stepped up to the plate and he took the first pitch he saw and grounded it to third baseman Josh Donaldson who threw to the plate and got another force out. Jonathan India represented the last hope for the Reds, coming up with the bases loaded and two outs. He took strike one before fouling off three straight pitches. Then on the 5th pitch he looped a single into center to drive in Farmer and Solano to give Cincinnati a 4-3 lead.
The Pitching
The New York Yankees are the best team in baseball and they took little time to grab a lead. A single, double, and a 2-run single put the home team up before Graham Ashcraft recorded an out. But the next three hitters did record outs and it remained 2-0.
In the 3rd inning the Yankees began the inning with back-to-back walks off of Ashcraft. Gleyber Torres, who walked to start the inning moved over to third on a fly out. Josh Donaldson then hit a ball into center that looked plenty deep enough to turn into a sacrifice fly, but Nick Senzel slipped and fell over and the ball fell in for an RBI single. Ashcraft then got back-to-back strikeouts to end the inning, but the Yankees extended their lead to 3-0. The right-hander didn’t give up any more runs over the next two innings, finishing his outing with 5-innings of 3-run baseball.
Jeff Hoffman came out and threw a shutout 6th inning before giving way to Ian Gibaut. Gleyber Torrses crushed a ball into center for a double, but he got greedy and tried stretching it into a triple and Nick Senzel’s thrown got to Jonathan India who fired a bullet to Brandon Drury who tagged him out. Gibaut struck out the next two batters to end the 7th. Reiver Sanmartin had to work around a walk in the 8th, but he got through the inning cleanly, sending the game to the 9th to give the Reds offense one last chance to get something going. And did they ever get something going as they scored four runs to take a lead.
Alexis Diaz came out to try and close the game out. Aaron Judge came out of the dugout as a pinch hitter to lead off the bottom of the 9th for the Yankees and Diaz needed six pitches, but he sent Judge back to his chambers to deliberate. Diaz walked DJ LeMahiue to follow, though, putting the tying run on first base. Gleyber Torres grounded one up the middle and Jonathan India fielded it, flipped to Kyle Farmer at second for a force out and he then fired to Joey Votto at first, but the umpire ruled safe. Cincinnati challenged the play and it was quickly overturned as the Reds kept their winning streak going with a comeback win.
Up Next for the Cincinnati Reds
Cincinnati Reds vs New York Yankees
Wednesday July 13th, 7:05pm ET
Mike Minor (1-6, 6.63 ERA) vs Luis Severino (5-3, 3.11 ERA)
Love the never quit attitude of this team. They overcame some terrible behind the plate umpiring tonight and the first base umpire tried to give the Yankees one more chance on a missed call at first to end the game.
Minor? Well, that streak was fun while it lasted.
This is just madness. India basically did a Derek Jeter …but TO the Yankees. Apparently, good teams have bullpen meltdowns too.
if you are a reds fan you have to be at least a little happy about the last 5 games. i think the rest of this year will have some fun moments for us. as an old reds fan with not many more years left i hope they go “all in” in 2023. not sure i will be around for another 4 year rebuild which may or may not have success
I bet you will be around. Please stay positive my friend. I’m betting the house on it.
I’ve never seen a pitcher’s ERA nearly triple in a single outing this late in the season. Amazing. Good work by the Reds pitching staff, including Ashcraft after a very rocky start. And good work by the Reds lineup in truly improbable fashion. And now the Yankees are 49-1 after taking a lead to the ninth. That was fun!
I haven’t been a big supporter of Bell but, tonight he did a great job as a manager. Even though it didn’t work Solano for Moose was a good move. I also like how he got 5 innings out of Ashcraft and went to Diaz in the 9th, good job Mr. Bell, now keep it up.
+100 to all of the above.
We think alike Mark. I feel exactly the same. I just wish he’d move Votto out of Cleanup. It’s not working. Diaz in the 9th was long overdue. The right move.
I am not being a downer. This winning streak has been refreshing.
I thought about this question – why does a small market team have to have small market owners?????
Go Reds
Because the profit potential for small market teams is not as great as a mid/large market team. Those who have the wealth to purchase and own an MLB franchise are going to prioritize profit potential over all else.
Anyone else recalling the 6/17/21 game in San Diego? Miley gave up 2 in 7ip, a good Warren holds in the 8th and the Reds score 4 in the 9th with India hitting the go ahead 2 run HR. Then, bullpen disaster in the bottom as the Padres score 4 off Hendrix and Garrett with a walkoff 2 run HR.
Doubtful they get close enough to fade in the stretch, but this has a much better feel – Ashcraft hanging on and finding a way, a scratchy professional ab by India, excellent bullpen over 4, and perhaps Diaz making a role.
The chance they have now is to play 10-12 games over .500 from here out, continue innings to the young staff and pen, and trade the older talent.
I can almost see a better team forming.
“Judge back to his chambers.”
Nice!
🙂 to deliberate on that nasty slide 😉
*slider
That was crazy! Only downer I noted while watching the highlights was Senzel’s throw to India on the attempted triple. He seems to have no arm left? Thats why teams are running on him. He played 3B so he had to have an arm at some point, but maybe shoulder injuries, etc?
Crazy win though. India should get alot of confidence from that! Hope to see Fairchild in there too.
Senzel reminds me a lot of (the late) Ryan Freel in the outfield. He is full of energy and fearless at chasing after flyballs. However, he isn’t a polished finished outfielder.
He still throws like an infielder, primarily with arm power versus getting his lower body into the act which is required to put zip into the longer outfield throws.
Senzel also completely misread the wall carom (again) on that same play last night and had the ball elude him but was bailed out by India’s perfectly zipped relay to nail Yankee runner at 3B.
Then there was the run that scored in the 3rd inning when Senzel fell down while moving in for what looked like a routine catch of a flyball. Credit Ashcraft with cranking up to get the Reds out of that mess with just the 1 run scoring.
It is great to see Senzel finally coming along offensively. However, he has a lot of growing to do defensively if he is going to stick as a CF on a contending team. Maybe his power develops, and he moves to a corner OF spot or back to 3B?
Senzel had a few very poor innings. First the clumsy footwork on the fly ball that dropped in front of him, then he improperly assumed the ball off the wall would be a standup double thus he jogged to get the ball/lobbed it in. Last, he gave away his at-bat with a half-hearted swing on the very first pitch–in that instance you need to be taking a full swing…..better to swing and miss than give away an out.
Can you imagine the things many people would be saying about Senzel’s overall level of play if he had signed for that $6.2M bonus he got as an international FA versus his background as a #2 overall domestic draft pick?
Personally, I think the domestic guys need to be held to at least the same and maybe even slightly higher standard given their opportunities and coaching as they came up.
Agreed. Horrible throw.
I think this was the most unprobable result in ages. India getting his game back is definitely a plus, along with Stephenson and Senzel it’s what was envisioned for this season. Reds are now in position to take this series too.
Great game!! Yankee fans were stunned. Huge at bat by India and great ninth by Diaz.
Well how about that. A 5 game win streak. Reds now 30-32 since their start. Not bad when you think about it.
Bell has kept this team afloat and competitive. Literally a make shift bullpen and injuries all over. Makes one wonder if they rebuild their bullpen what they could do.
@Kevin I wonder what our record is when leading or tied after 7 innings?
Terrible? LOL That is a good question. I believe we gotta give bullpen credit. During this win streak they have done a much better job of holding the other team down.
I realize this season is over, however as I stated what is wrong with rebuilding the bullpen during this trade deadline. We saw it last year and this year.
Is it just me or did anyone else think the home plate umpire was terrible last night? Seems the yankee catcher stole a bunch of strikes.
Great job my coaching staff last night. 2-for 2 on challenges.
@Jim, I don’t know where to look that stat up. I do wonder though how many games Reds have lost from 7th inning on when tied, or winning. I know a few have been lost but not sure how many.
@kevin no problem I’ll dig around and see what I can find.
Concerning those challenges. The one person who definitely knows if he’s safe/out is the 1st baseman. I’m very surprised that Votto didn’t throw up a hand to the dugout, and emphasize to take a good look at it. Maybe he knows the dugout will be looking anyway??? But that would be instant confirmation that the ump missed it.
I played first base growing up and in highschool and some beyond…the first baseman does always know, they can feel the bag touched and they certainly know when the ball is in the back of their glove. Votto initiated both challenges. He looks at the dugout both times and gives a very ever so slight nod, but he did not hesitate in either case….
Someone else pointed out that COLE was the beneficiary of some generous strike calls and he was for sure, but that is often the case with the games elite pitchers. Also worth mentioning was the home plate umpire tends to favor pitchers and Cole took advantage of that.
Great game overall. These REDS are fun to watch and root for…hoping they hold steady and win at least half their games or more the rest of the year.
Yes, the HP Ump frustrated me with his calls. That said, I was watching the NYY telecast and on the pregame I believe they said this umpire tended to call an expanded strike zone down low. And that’s why Judge wasn’t playing (I presume due to his height).
A real nice surprise for this lifetime Red’s fan. Shades of the 1976 World Series.
That’s when former Cincinnati reliever Wandy Peralta entered the game…’nuf said.
Thank you David Bell for going with Diaz in the 9th and not Strickland. I want to like Bell but the burr in my saddle is that he’s always tardy making obvious changes.
Hasn’t Diaz been injured? Also he had a habit of walking the lead off man as well. Finding a closer has been a on going issue. Hardly as obvious as you seem to think.
Oh, they have a closer, he’s just still recovering from tommy john!
Seems like the Yankees need a closer. Might they be interested in Strickland? (Sarcasm)
This is why you watch the Reds after 3-22- for signs of life from the next core of Reds. In the last week-ish, Reds have beaten the Braves with Charlie Morton SP, the Mets with Max Scherzer SP and now the Yankees in Yankees stadium with Gerrit Cole throwing BB’s and best bullpen in baseball melts down against the Reds. Sandwiched in their was a home sweep against the Rays.
I like the Senzel, India, Stephenson,Diaz,Greene, Lodolo,Ashcraft emerging young core. Time to start adding to that core 2nd half of 2022 for a transitional 2023 with some big trades at the deadline, continued prospect development in the minors and a good draft.
Don’t forget specifically winning against Shane McClanahan and the Rays. He’s a bona fide Cy Young favorite in the AL. The Reds have hung tough with some really good teams and pitchers lately. Encouraging.
I’m forever an optimist, but this team isn’t that far off being a playoff contender – if healthy of course. There have been at least four or five games since their dismal start that the bullpen frittered away. Fix that (easier said than done I know) and 30-32 becomes 34-28 or 35-27. That’s a .548 or .564 winning percentage. Which would be good for either first place in the NL Central, or a wild card spot. No, you can’t throw out 3-22. But I choose to see reason for hope. Now about that bullpen. And the outfield… Go Reds!
I’m optimistic for 2024 if they can stay the course and focus on roster construction and the trade deadline, and prospect development and lots of high picks in the draft and fast forward those priorities. I would also add that the Reds will be able to spend some money on FA pieces in 2024 with no contracts and using 2023 to know what they have and dont have. But its critical to get a good core together and let them play and develop the last 2 months for this season and next year is the transition to a winning window. I’m optimistic about that as long as no dumb stuff(Moose trade throw-ins instead of prospect capital return, Mike Minor-esque 2023 signings, an incoherent off-season ).
Well, well, well …
I wouldn’t have made it to the end last night anyway. I checked the score first thing and got my Wednesday morning surprise. A little over an hour later, I’m sitting here watching the top of the 9th and am at the point where Holmes got yanked.
38-0 when leading after the 8th I believe was the stat? And our all-too-often Arson Squad played it tough tonight and shut out the Yankees at home for 4 innings.
I know it won’t last and we’re still not playing in October this season, but you’ve got to love a win like this against those d*** Yankees!!
Yankees were 49-0 leading after 8
Thanks, Joe. I knew it was an obnoxiously high number and was certain of that ZERO part … 🙂
I came back after being out and watched it (without knowing the outcome) until 1:30 am. It was a nice surprise that they were able to pull it out in the ninth.
It crossed my mind that if the outcome for the Yankees and Reds were reversed, it would be really ugly on this site today. Thankfully, none of us had to deal with that.
Five in a row. You can’t stop the roads can only hope to slow them down, lol.
* you can’t stop the roads or the Reds …
Shout out to SanMartin. He’s been a pleasant surprise as a reliever. Let’s keep him in medium leverage situations and see how he settles in.
As for closer, Diaz might just be the guy for the next 5 years. Finally having a foundational bullpen piece (or two) will greatly accelerate the Red’s return to competitiveness.
Against his former club, at that! The Sonny Gray deal was very good, for those scared to trade with the Yankees.
Here comes India. What a great AB for the game-winner, too.
India was channeling his ol’ pal Nick Castellanos in that 9th inning PA. He was at least going to get that game tied or know the reason why.
Speaking of Castellanos, the Reds dodged a bullet with him. They didn’t have to pay him $16 MM for this year and next. So far he has amassed .8 fWAR in the first year of a 5 year $100 million dollar contract. That contract was an albatross the second it was signed. For all the flak Krall gets, at least he wasn’t dumb enough to give Castellanos a big deal.
Should have been -.8.
I really liked the post-game interview w/ India. Right attitude, what you see is what you get and the way he talked about the team channels the right energy in the clubhouse. Also appreciated Cowboy’s comments about Farmer. I don’t know if anyone will come calling for a SS but personally I’d like the Reds to hold on to him. I sincerely believe he’ll be a manager some day and I hope it’s with this club.
Well said.
Yanks walked a guy,hit 2 more and 2 grounders went through and a looper knocks in 2 runs.Yanks gave the Reds a chance and they took it.Great great win in a season of some bad losses.Like that Diaz just comes right after hitters.He will win most of those battles cause his stuff plays and he seems to have the mental side down.Reds are a team in transition trying to find out who is and who ain’t going to be the core of this team going forward.Deadline deals will be crucial to adding to the core as is getting as many at bats for younger players we aren’t sure of.Must continue to sort.India was right about the 3-22 start and we all knew it would be impossible to overcome but we play on looking to 2023 and beyond.Go Reds.
I wouldn’t describe it as “two grounders went through”. Exit velocity for Votto’s single was 108.4 mph. Naquin was also “hard hit” at 96.3. And India’s soft single was the end of a really pesky at bat. The Reds got a ton of help from Holmes, but it wasn’t just luck – they hit the ball hard a couple of times as well.
I don’t mean to diminish your enthusiasm Roger – I agree this was an exciting ending and outcome (and goodness knows the Reds have been on the other side of a bunch of those) but I didn’t want to downplay the Reds contributions in the 9th. Those runs weren’t just a gift – they earned them (with a little help) which makes it even more gratifying!