The Miami Marlins turned to arguably the best starter in baseball on Wednesday night in Sandy Alcantara to try and avoid being swept by the Cincinnati Reds and that’s just what happened. Alcantara fired a complete game shutout as the Marlins topped the Reds 3-0 in just over two hours.
| Final | R | H | E |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cincinnati Reds (42-62) | 0 | 6 | 0 |
| Miami Marlins (48-57) | 3 | 7 | 0 |
| W: Alcantara (10-4) L: Minor (1-8) |
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| Statcast | Box Score | Game Thread | |||
The Offense
Jonathan India led off the game with a single and moved up to second on a wild pitch. Mike Moustakas would pick up a 1-out walk and Joey Votto had an infield single to load the bases, but a ground ball led to a force out at the plate and a ground out ended the inning.
Cincinnati wouldn’t threaten again until the 7th inning when Donovan Solano and Aristides Aquino put together back-to-back singles with one out. A visit to the mound was followed up by a ground ball double play that ended the inning. The Reds went quietly in both the 8th and 9th as Sandy Alcantara completed the shutout.
The Pitching
Mike Minor was cruising through the first three inning, striking out five batters in the process. But Jesus Aguilar squashed that with a 1-out homer in the 4th to put the Marlins on top 1-0. The next inning would see two more runs come across as Garrett Cooper lined a 2-out, 2-run double into the left-center gap to make it a 3-0 game. That would be all that the Marlins would get the rest of the way as Minor, Joel Kuhnel, Luis Cessa, and Hunter Strickland kept them off of the board over the next three innings, but with Sandy Alcantara tossing a complete game shutout, it was more than enough for the Marlins to avoid being swept.
Notes Worth Noting
The game was completed in 2 hours and 9 minutes in front of a sparse crowd of 8,656 fans.
Up Next for the Cincinnati Reds
Cincinnati Reds vs. Milwaukee Brewers
Friday August 5th, 8:10pm ET
TBA vs TBA
Very fast game and one I expected us to lose anyway minor looked semi serviceable but it was a chance for us to see some kids play nothing stood out but nothing stood out badly either
This will go down as a Sandy Alcantara well-pitched game, but Mike Minor was bad again.
Minor’s inability to control the running game for a left-handed pitcher is about as bad as it gets and that double he gave up to Garrett Cooper on an 0-2 pitch was predictable. Watching the game, I knew he was going to give up those 2 runs after the double steal.
Frankly, I’m surprised the Minnows didn’t move Alcantara. I suspect he might get shipped out post-season. He’ll bring a haul.
Probably to the Yankees since they missed out on LC.
He was given a 5 year contract extension. He is not going anywhere.
I just hope the Reds put a competitive team on the field in 2023. Votto deserves it. If you are not going to do it then eat up half his salary, fall on your sword and trade him to a contender.
Agreed. Consult with him and do what the man wants. Even if it means eating half his salary. He’s an icon. Treat him like one .
He has a no-trade clause. Only if he would permit it.
The Reds have no intention of fielding a competitive team in 2023. Trading away the entire pitching staff, Suarez, and Winker should have made that clear.
If Votto wanted out I am sure they would be happy to trade him, but from what I can tell he has no desire to leave. However it probably requires paying more than half his salary, no one is paying $12 million the current version of Votto. It also requires Votto agreeing to be a bench piece. I don’t see that happening. He wants to play everyday and the only place that is happening is Cincinnati.
Never gonna happen. Votto just recently stated again that he will not accept a trade under any circumstances…not even to his hometown team, the Blue Jays.
This may be come a common theme for the rest of the season not a lot of offense. Minor may start every 5th day regardless, I feel confident they are not too worried about his innings or losses.
Right, zero runs. We are already seeing what not having Drury is going to be like. But, he will really enjoy the Padres. Reds should have offered him a three-year deal at a little better than average salary. Bringing up young people from the minors barely batting .200 is not the best formula for offense.
Noelvi Marte homers twice and drives in four runs. Patience people help is on the way.
Nice. Where?
Dayton. His second game as a Reds farmhand.
wait, I heard just last night that he likely wouldn’t hit for power……..
Wow! Drury in his first AB with the Padres, Grand Slam! What a way to introduce yourself to your new team
Impressive!
Drury is awesome! We knew it.
I said pay the man his $, but most of RLN and the Reds brass disagreed. He’s no Scooter
not me IRM – I said pay him and extend him. The guy plays passable defense on like 5 positions. Hopefully we will look him up in free agency this winter and he will take our call. Not easy to hit home runs in San Diego. I’m still surprised there wasn’t more of a bidding war for him given his production year to date. Maybe that means he will be affordable on a short extension. That is, unless he becomes a World Series legend.
Good point. I think the Yankees got Gleyber Torres for Chapman and then resigned Chapman.
I said pay him as well but well you know.Just shows you how important he was to our offense.Naquin was in and out hot or cold but Drury along with Ty Steve pretty much carried this offense.Hopefully the young guys get to play and as they improve so will the offense.
yes, pretty blah offense without Drury and Stephenson. India and Senzel are going to have to hit more during the next 50 games. 1 for 4 nightly isn’t going to cut it. Time to become leaders.
I still don’t comprehend the Drury trade, particularly for yet another light hitting shortstop and an 18 year old one to boot.
The “18th ranked international signing of the year” or whatever.
The Reds have one of those already. Jose Barrero.
I guess clearing a spot for Bell favorite Farmer to play 3rd base.
My guess is that we’ll see Bull Krall spend more $$ in the off season trying to get some hitting than he would have spent extending Drury.
Hopefully Marte will get up here in a hurry.
Agree completely. Drury more than proved himself in the first half and an extension wasn’t even on the table. He would have been a solid player to have around for 3 years while waiting for prospects to hopefully develop. I like the young players obtained for LC but you need some proven players too. Drury would not have broken the bank. But this wasn’t even considered apparently.
Drury is going to be a free agent so the Reds could easily re-sign him in the offseason if they want. Getting a decent prospect for someone that won’t help you into the playoffs this year is a good result.
I wanted to keep Drury, too, but obviously the plan all along was to get everyone who could block Farmer’s playing time out of the way by trading them for rookies who will never get a chance to play. Palace intrigue. Game of Thrones. Complex conspiracies. That’s what makes the game so interesting.
The alternative was getting nothing for Drury in return. If the Reds want to sign him there is nothing preventing that after the season
Yes, we lost Drury, but don’t forget we got what’s his name, who is 18 years old and should make it to the big leagues in 7 years or so. Assuming he is any good of course.
They were going to lose him anyway.
Or, if you say they could have extended him…guess what?? He is a free agent in 2 months.
I will never understand the logic of “should have extended him” in a year with 0% chance of making the playoffs. I find it really hard to believe that if a player really wanted to be in Cincinnati, that his agent didn’t already have that conversation with the Reds. The more likely scenario is that this is Drury’s last chance for a big contract and he would rather see how much he can get from other clubs, than just settle for what the Reds offer. If he gets to the off season and the Reds are his best option nothing prevents him from signing back with them.
I would rather have a prospect who has a chance at becoming good, than just letting a player leave via free agency. Don’t forget at one time Castillo was just a prospect no one had heard of in AA
And, of course, the Reds might want good players 7 years from now.
Quick game which made it a little less painful of a loss.
Drury hit a grand slam and Reds won. Oops he is playing for Padres now 🙁
WENT to the Dragons game. Marte Looked good. aggressive at the plate. made solid contact each time. no swings and misses. above average speed. another “shortstop” that, by the time he is 25 and filled out all the way and in Cincy, will project be a corner outfielder IMO.
Dayton is officially my favorite place to watch baseball. Alot of hits, base stealing, bunts etc. no stupid shifts. Just seems like as you go from Dayton to Chattanooga to Louisville to Cincinnati, there is less exciting plays and more strike outs, walks and ground outs into shifts.
Pitchers are better in MLBs… unhittable in some cases / situations
not trying to resign Drury and Naquin bothered me as well. This reds ownership always seem to devalue hitting. started back in 2006 with the Austin Kearns and Felipe Lopez trade for those 2 relief pitchers from Washington and Royce Clayton of all people. Then Josh Hamilton, then Jose Iglesias, then Puig.
their thinking is “pitching pitching pitching” and that position players can always be replaced but I just don’t see it that way now. Plenty of good Pitchers out there. But hitters that can actually field their positions are a rare commodity these days.
Maybe you missed the part where they traded or released the entire 2021 rotation and anyone in the Bullpen making above minimum wage. They traded anyone not controllable beyond 2023, both pitching and hitting.
I don’t disagree in past but our pitching prior to 2020 was horrible. Remember #getthepitching in 2019 winter meetings? They had to prioritize it.
These trade deadline deals seemed to favor hitting over pitching – of 11 prospects only 3 or 4 pitchers? Hitting is more exciting but if you have decent oitching – which we didn’t for 2 decades – you are always in games capable of being won. Of course if you prioritize pitching over hitting you need a good bullpen because you’re going to be in tight games. And our bullpen is a significant failure under the current front office and coaching regime.
The off season trades brought back pitching, and they have three rookies starting this year. I don’t see any evidence that they are purposely ignoring pitching. You trade for the best available player, even if that is 9 infielders and zero SP.
Levi Stoudt (AA) line from last night: 5 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 6 K, 70-48. Excellent first showing. Jose Barrero’s line 0-3, SO against a very tough pitcher.
Luis Castillo beat the Yankees in the Bronx yesterday.
Another series win for Reds in their battle for third place in the NLC. Next two stops won’t be easy to keep the momentum going.
Turning 75 today. I am seeing a Reds FO doing things that make me wish I could be around in 2025 and beyond. Health is very poor, so the chances are not good. But if I get lucky and hang on, I see a team with a very solid future. Not at all worried about all the SS’s. I am sure they can all be moved to other positions and fare quite well.The BIG3 starting pitchers all look to me like future All-Stars. I can’t understand how so many on this site look at our recent moves and find nothing but negativity. Now whether or not the brass will keep and pay them in the future is a legit concern.
Happy Birthday … just said a prayer for improved health!
Happy Birthday. Kicking the can down the road right behind you here at 73. Best wishes for improved health and quality longevity.
And with that my serious pitch of the day. I dodged a major bullet a little over 2 years ago and thankfully seem none the worse for it so far.
Folks of all ages but especially those over 40 or so, be aware of your gut health. I didn’t have a real clue anything bad was going on, but it was. Thanks to going for my colon screening on schedule, it was found early and headed off at the pass.
Happy birthday. I turn 71 in a few weeks. We are both old enough to remember Reds SS prospects in early 1960s. Cardenas, Ruiz, Helms, and a few more. Cardenas stayed at SS but Helms moved to 2B and Ruiz to 3B.
That last decade of Crosley Field were the days for those of a certain age, weren’t they?
I didn’t trust my memory; so, I dialed up Helms on BBRef. They say he was up for a cup of coffee in both 1964 and ’65, a September call up both years I’d presume.
He took over the regular 3B job in ’66 but then in ’67, he had to make way there for a skinny Cuban kid named Perez. Helms landed on both feet at 2B with Pete Rose starting his journey through all three OF spots that eventually landed him at 3B in 1975.
BTW, 1967 was also the season a 19 year old Johnny Bench arrived in MLB as a September call up. He took the job over the following spring.
“Little Leo” Cardenas was with the Reds as a part time player in ’60 and ’61 and became the primary SS at age 23 in 1962 through 1968.
Chico (Giraldo) Ruiz made the Reds as a bench player in 1964 and stuck through 1969. He’s the guy who stole home versus the Phillies in 1964 to start their unraveling and eventual collapse in the last 2 weeks of a pennant chase they appeared to have well in hand.
I recall one season when injuries were leading to more playing time than usual for Ruiz; and, paraphrasing the “Play me or trade me!” demand sometimes made by players, Ruiz quipped, “Bench me or trade me!” Sadly Ruiz left this life too soon in 1972 in a fatal car accident in San Deigo, CA after for the Angels in 1970-71.
I join the others in wishing you a happy birthday and better health.
Prayers to you also gusnwally. Hang in there. We might not win many games the next 2 years but I do believe it will be a fun team to watch and keep up with as the youngsters develop.
Wishing you a Happy Birthday and the best of health. Praying for you.
Happy birthday and hope your health gets better!
Gusnwally: Happy Birthday, my blog friend. Take a day at a time and stay positive, if possible. In a couple months, God willing, I’ll turn 86. For the age, I’m fortunate to be in good health, but in the last couple years I’ve lost quite a bit of balance and for that reason I use a wheelchair. Loss of balance seems to naturally happen with age. I try to do 15 minutes of exercises from the wheelchair to strengthen the diagram which helps me when I drive and get up to use a walker. The exercises are in a publication titled “Balance Exercises For Seniors” by Baz Thompson, available at Amazon.
I’ll join in good wishes with the rest of the crowd here. I’m only a bit behind and my 1st memories were in the big year Deron Johnson and Sammy Ellis shared – look ’em up kids, stats were impressive considering the HOFs of the era.
I thank all of you for the warm wishes, all very much appreciated. At this point in our lives, having knowledgable folks to shoot the baseball breeze with is certainly a real pleasure.
Hate that we lost Drury. I think the Reds FO will regret not be more aggressive signing him to an extension. I just love his advanced approach.