The Spencer Steer show was on for everyone to enjoy on Friday night. Making his big league debut he got on base four times, homered, and he scored the winning run in the bottom of the 9th inning as the Cincinnati Reds topped the Colorado Rockies 3-2 at Great American Ball Park.
| Final | R | H | E |
|---|---|---|---|
| Colorado Rockies (56-77) |
2 | 6 | 0 |
| Cincinnati Reds (52-78) | 3 | 11 | 0 |
| W: Diaz (5-2) L: Colome (2-7) |
|||
| Statcast | Box Score | Game Thread | |||
The Offense
Jonathan India wasted no time extending his hitting streak to 15 games with a single to lead off the bottom of the 1st, but he was erased on a fielders choice when Nick Senzel grounded the ball to third. Kyle Farmer followed with a single of his own. After a fly out moved Senzel to third he was caught up when Farmer tried to steal second and would have been thrown out by 15 feet, so he broke for home and was caught up in a run down that eventually resulted in him being tagged out at third base.
In the second inning the Reds threatened with two outs after Spencer Steer drew a walk in his first big league plate appearance and Jose Barrero singled into left field, but they would be stranded there after a ground out ended the inning. No one reached base again until the top of the 5th when Steer came up to lead off the inning and he hit a 407 foot home run in what was officially his first at-bat. The homer cut the Rockies lead to 2-1. Barrero would add another single and Jonathan India would single later in the inning, too, but Nick Senzel lined out to center to end the inning.
Two innings later it was another leadoff home run for the Reds, this time when Jake Fraley came off of the bench to pinch hit for Chuckie Robinson and crushed a 422 foot homer into the right field stands to tie the game up at 2-2.
After going in order in the 8th inning the Reds came to the plate in the 9th with the game all tied up and Spencer Steer looking to keep his day at the plate perfect after drawing two walks and homering earlier in the game. Steer did just that as he doubled down the right field line to put the winning run in scoring position. That brought Jose Barrero to the plate who attempted to bunt the ball twice and failed before eventually striking out. Jake Fraley followed and on a 2-1 pitch Alex Colome threw one in the dirt to the backstop and Steer moved up to third base. That led the Rockies to intentionally walk Fraley to bring Jonathan India to the plate and bring in a 5th infielder. On the 7th pitch of the at-bat, India reached out and hit a high chopper that led to Garret Hampson having to leap to keep it on the infield, which he did, but by the time he landed there was nothing he could do as Steer had crossed the plate and India had reached first base for the walk-off win.
The Pitching
Luis Cessa was perfect through the first two innings of the game, but with one out in the third Elias Diaz singled into right field and a pitch later the shutout was gone as Sean Bouchard homered into the left field seats to put the Rockies up 2-0. Cessa had to work around a walk in both the 4th and 5th innings, but he did just that and kept Colorado’s lead at 2-0.
After Spencer Steer homered in the bottom of the 5th it was another rookie making his debut who took the time to shine. Fernando Cruz took the mound for his Major League debut to begin the 6th after spending 16 seasons in minor league, independent league, and winter league baseball. He came out and made it look easy, throwing a perfect inning with two strikeouts on just 12 pitches.
Joel Kuhnel threw a scoreless 7th inning with two strikeouts and then Buck Farmer tossed a hitless 8th inning. With the game tied up heading into the 9th inning manager David Bell called on Alexis Diaz to enter the game. C.J. Cron had a 1-out single and moved up to second base on a wild pitch with two outs to put the go-ahead run in scoring position for the Rockies. It didn’t matter as Randal Grichuk flew out to center to end the top of the inning and put the Reds in position to win the game in walk-off fashion. They did just that, capping a huge day for big leaguers making their debut for Cincinnati.
Notes Worth Noting
Spencer Steer was the first Reds player to debut and reach base at least four times since Jay Bruce did it in 2008.
Speaking of rookies and debuts….. you can’t possibly make this up and it’s incredible.
Newest Reds reliever Fernando Cruz is the son-in-law of former Red Luis Quinones.
— C. Trent Rosecrans (@ctrent) September 2, 2022
Up Next for the Cincinnati Reds
Colorado Rockies vs Cincinnati Reds
Saturday September 3rd, 6:40pm ET
German Marquez (7-10, 4.97 ERA) vs Nick Lodolo (3-5, 4.30 ERA)
Why over think Spencer Steer. Hes your 3b starter every day right?
Why he is moving all over the infield? Reds dont have an every day future 3b? They are rebuilding and in transition..Just do it.
I’d like that too for the rest of the year at least but I doubt it will happen.
It should happen. Play the young guys. A great game especially for Spencer Steer, Jonathon India and Fernando Cruz.
No it shouldn’t happen. Would I like it to? Yes, but that’s not how it works. Just because the team stinks, doesn’t mean it can ruin or hamper a veteran’s career by benching him. Farmer is nothing special, but he has proven himself, and has been arguably the most consistent player on this team. You don’t bench him in a case like this. It’s also not looked at very highly by agents around the league, and if we want to sign free agents at some point, this isn’t how to do it.
Don’t bench him. Just move him around.
Reds site said Bell will use him in a super utility role so an established player won’t have to set.I am sure they meant Farmer cause they said he was the DH.
It gives Bell more match-ups and allows more players a day’s rest. I think as long as Steer gets his ABs I say OK
The consistent winning teams usually go light on player sentiment. It’s a big business and the #1 goal should be to win. Super wealthy owners have other options which does not include the Reds. If young players are ready, they should be given a chance with older players taking a utility role. This will likely revitalize the fanbase.
Congratulations to Speer for a memorable debut. An exceptional game for him and I agree with giving him plenty of playing time the rest of the year.
Just be cautioned that the Reds had another rookie a few years ago who set major league record for home run efficiency and proficiency in his first month. He is now on the list of many commenters here as one of the first who needs to lose his 40 man spot. One game does not make a career, but it sure is heck of a good start and brings a bit of life to fandom.
It is important to keep expectations reasonable. As you mentioned Aquino had an insane month. I also remember Bruce’s debut and the hate he received when he struggled. The one thing that gives me hope that he will be ok once pitchers figure him out is the two walks. If Steer turns out to be Jay Bruce the Reds will be ok
I was at the game and the thing that stood out to me the most about Steer was his plate discipline. He worked the count all 4 plate appearances, laid off bad pitches and waited for a pitch to hit. So while obviously there is no way but down from this amazing debut, the similarities between him a Aquino are few. That isn’t even a comparison. Aquino never did that.
Had other commitments tonight and did follow tonight’s game at all. Glad to Steer’s debut went well. Reading the RLN game thread, I see Bell pulled a double switch that actually worked out. Not pleased to see Bell turning another young guy into a super utility player. Play Steer at third. He can be the “regular”. Let Bell’s “regular” players, I suspect meaning Farmer, sit until they can out play someone. Or platoon him and Fraley at DH, Solano at first.
The “super sub” stuff lets Bell remain the “good cop” by not benching anyone such as Farmer or Senzel outright. That’s “bad cop” Krall’s job to take care of in the off season.
Given what the two I just named figure to make next season via the arbitration driven process, at least one of them is likely not to be with the Reds unless they sign a multi year deal at a very team favorable price.
Too easy LDS.Bell is just a little league manager in disguise.I don’t see the Reds paying Farmer and Solano north of 5 mil next year with Moose and Joey still around.I mean we are looking at 4 DH’S at this point in their career but somebody will have to play first so thats 2 spots for 4 guys.Moran doesn’t even factor in.So my point is why is Bell concerned about playing time for everybody.Jim Walker may have hit on something in his comment below
I think farmer becomes the super utility player would make the most sense
I like Steer and the way carries/handles himself. My gut feeling is that he will be good for a long time. Congratulations to Cruz too. Great story.
Great night for Steer in his debut.Two hits but the 10 pitch walk was even more impressive.Young guys at 3rd,SS and 2nd got it done tonight at the plate and in the field.Good to see at least on this night.
Good game. I missed Steer’s HR while I was on my walk, but caught it on a replay.
Joey in the booth has been fun. Hope he’s healing well.
Doug thanks for mentioning Luis Quinones, I was thinking of him just the other day. I was at game 6 of the 1990 NLCS. If I recall correctly, Quinones got a key RBI in that game to help the Reds beat the Pirates.
Just looked it up, Quinones was credited with the go ahead RBI in the bottom of the 7th inning leading to the 2-1 Reds victory.
How do I remember stuff like this from 30 years ago, but I can’t remember what I did with the remote 10 minutes ago?
Because you can’t look up where the remote is!!
Doc’s right, but the 30 years have something to do with it, too. I speak from experience.
I currently have 73 years of experience from which I speak. That’s why my remotes have one location and woe to the person who puts them somewhere else.
Again, not a resident of Cincinnati but – Diaz for Mayor!
Anyone is better than the empty suit clown
Is that a ray of hope coming through the darkened Cincinnati sky? Looking forward to my upcoming Cincinnati trip to catch a couple of future star games against the Bean Eaters!
Great night for Steer and Cruz. An amazing start to Steer’s career, but Cruz is an even more amazing story. And if he might be a nice bullpen piece going forward? Fantastic.
I thoroughly enjoyed the Votto commentary the last two games. His play by play needs a little work – pro tip, you don’t have to describe every pitch Joey – but his insights and conversations with Larkin were must hear TV. Plus, love the dry sense of humor. “Barry want a cracker?” Fun night to be a Reds fan.
Votto on what he would say to Steer after the game in the clubhouse: “It’s all downhill from here”. Love his dry humor.
Congratulations young Redlegs! And to Cessa also who pitched 5 good innings. Good job by all in the bullpen too. Bullpen has been much better lately. Welcome aboard Steer and Cruz!
Was at the game tonight. I kept my eyes on Steer most of game. He seemed to have that “I belong” confidence. His at bats, especially ahead of Barrero, seemed so much more professional.
Attitude and presence at third base have always seemed to me a key element of a winning team.
+500 Glad to hear this about Steer. That is how I perceived him from the limited takes we got on TV. The walk was a classic in itself but turned out to be just a prelude to the rest of his night.
Doug,
Do you have an article you can link that you have written about Fernando Cruz? Sounds like he has a good story.
Thanks!
Nice debut for Steer.
He showed the tools that helped him rocket up the Twins’ system: a very advanced approach at the plate, and some new-found power. But the key is, he always seems to have good at-bats.
I want to see him playing every day and see what he can do against MLB pitching. Apparently he was on the cusp of being called up by the Twins at any time, so they thought he was ready. Hopefully Bell will stay out of his way and let the kid play.
Excellent start for Steer, hopefully it’s a sign of better times to come. Looking forward 2023 Barrero should figure it out by ST or he’ll be out of the IF picture sooner or later.
If not, there’s a lot of competition for the shortstop position waiting in the wings.
I have no idea what the future holds for Spencer Steer, but tonight was fun. I had a really great time watching Reds baseball. We take what we can get.
Great debut for Steer! Happy for the kid, his hard work is paying off. Glad he’s getting his shot.
Great first impression from Steer, and Cruz. I am more excited for Reds to get that debut from Steer, but the Cruz story was even more impressive.
Whatever that offspeed Cruz was throwing was (change? split?) was absolute filth.
Gotta question that I don’t think there is an answer to, but here it goes anyway. WHY are people sports fans? The owners and players don’t really give any concern for the fans. Fans are merely the means to THEIR ends. Any pleasure derived from sports is short-lived, at best. Disappointed lingers on much longer when their team does poorly. One can get more please eating their favorite food without having to deal with disappointment. So WHY does anyone really care about sports teams? Any conjured up answer will only be artificial, at best. For owners and players it’s an INVESTMENT. For fans it becomes a form of slavery to deception. It’s a habit that disrupts human relationships. It tends to deny people true joy in life and replace it with pseudo satisfaction. Is cheering for a national championship any better than a sexual experience that often lasts seconds? Really??? Come on, now. If we were really serious with ourselves we’d admit a sports fan is nothing more than an ADDICTION that leaves us with an unfulfilled life. We look past the need to Love others or help those worse off than us. We see the poor and try to forget them. We wake up in the morning anxious to catch the evening ballgame so focused we can’t see the many ways we can make a real difference in our life and the life of others. Today the Buckeyes start up. Next week the Bengals kick off a new season. Does it really matter if they win or lose? Will a win mean more to us than falling in love or renewing a neglected love? Will a HR or TD ensure we stay healthy as we grow old? I just can’t see any true lasting benefits of being a sports fan when life events around me offer many more benefits that can enhance my life. Already Reds fans are talking about a poor 2023 and looking beyond that year for any hope. Ask yourself this: do the players really care what year they have a championship team? Most are free agents by then to really care about the future of the Reds. No doubt many on this site will reply with what they call a REASON they are a fan, but would it be a valid reason that couldn’t be satisfied another way. In closing ask yourself this: WHO is important in your life? Are they a sports professional? If so, WHAT are they giving you in return that is of any real quality that improves your life? I can take a simple walk around my neighborhood and within 5 minutes find someone that I can care about that would give joy to them and myself. What has Votto given me? Pete Rose? Last time I checked they don’t even know I exist and this after supporting them for a decade or two. Somehow it seems taking my morning constitutional gives me more pleasure than having been a sports fan nearly 60 years. I wonder if I need to see a mental health professional or just kick the habit cold turkey. Somehow I think the answer as to why people are sports fans is because they are addicted. Yeah, addicted while players laugh their way to the bank with our hard earned income. Maybe I should have asked WHY owners and players are in sports. The answer to that question is MORE OBVIOUS. The pleasures we seek often exist in many forms. Only a FEW can provide us with lasting benefits that enhance our life and the life of others. Think these things over and see what happens. Remember, Joey Votto will never love you back. Nor will any other professional player.
Wow, that’s a long question.
1) Sports are older than modern society. The Greeks had their wrestling, and Olympic games, the Aztecs had their Ullamaliztli, that game where they hit balls into hoops using their hips. Romans had their Gladiatorial games. Sports universal, and do clearly fulfill a need, or want in humanity.
2) People are social creatures, and belonging to a group “Reds fan”, “Bengals fan” are a form of social identity. Not dissimilar to saying I am an American or Cincinnatian.
3) Many sports fans we’re former athletes, and enjoy watching the games they played.
4) The players, owners are transient, the team stays longer than either, so if the player cares or doesn’t it doesn’t matter to me. I don’t care if my waiter is in it just for the money. I care that they bring my order to me, and they check in on me to make sure I have everything I need to enjoy my meal.
I would add that humans incline toward tribalism, and following sports provides a tribe(or tribes) to belong to.
It seems to me you are answering your own question. Be a fan, but don’t take it so seriously. Ever try playing golf? Another lesson in disappointment.
I gave up golf several years ago. It kept spoiling a nice walk … 😀
Seriously, we moved to NC and I never played down here (15+ years) so I finally got rid of the clubs. I had other things that became a higher priority. I can’t even recall if I took my clubs to Myrtle Beach or not after we moved (family visits).
Being a Reds fan is something I do because I want to. It has nothing to do with ownership (other than to curse them periodically) and I’m not local so I don’t go to any games. But I love baseball and the Reds. It doesn’t have to make me a better person. That’s not the point.
Yeah, sometimes something “just being fun” is enough.
Vada, I ask that same question many times over? I think we are about the same age. In my opinion the reds really haven’t a team worth the price of admission since the ‘99 team, they are 0 for the century as far as playoff wins. I don’t really even like baseball much anymore as the game has morphed into a home run hitting contest at this point.
Yet I still go to my customary 20 games a year. I do listen to them on the radio. I can’t watch them on tv anymore. It’s just gotten too brutally boring. But I still follow every game and study every box score at the end of the day.
I do think most of it is addiction at this point to be honest. Let’s faceit,we will likely never see a world championship in Cincinnati in our lifetimes. And certainly it is nearly impossible for a team like the reds to have sustained success. So I think years like this will be the norm from here on out. I have accepted it. And if it is an addiction, I guess there could be worse things to be addicted to than the reds, drugs and alcohol etc. I guess my opinion would be to enjoy the moments like last night as much as possible and if they do lose just remember the great thing about baseball is that there will be another game tomorrow
There are also bigger stories that come out of sports than the game itself. Look at Uvalde high school football last night. There’s highlights on the twitterverse and pretty uplifting.
Would you have felt this general sentiment in October of 1975, ’76 or ’90?
Trust me … I have invested an unfathomable amount of time following Reds baseball. From staying up late for west coast games as a 10-year-old listening to a crackling broadcast on 700 WLW (bad reception in Upstate NY til 10 p.m. or so), to about game 10 of this season. 42 years of passionately supporting the Reds.
Apathy set in, and this 53-y-o diehard who watched nearly every game and NEVER went to bed without knowing if the Reds won or lost, doesn’t care anymore.
It’s such a poorly run organization. The Castellinis are clueless. Dick Williams was a disaster (career banker lands GM job thanks to ownership ties). And the current regime traded away quality arms and got little to no pitching in return.
Pitching wins baseball games. Let’s hope we can trade some bats for arms.
So we’re in another rebuild. Glad the last one gave us a couple outstanding seasons of .500 or so baseball.
Anyway, I do agree it’s crazy to devote time and attention to an organization that certainly doesn’t deserve it.
Somebody PM me when EDLC makes his debut. Perhaps he would be someone worth following.
The upside is I have enjoyed the summer much more not wasting 3-plus hours each night. So, perhaps I should be thanking Bob C. My wife has been happy for my extra time.
The mental health professional might be a good idea.
Play Steer and I’ll tune in.
The night belonged to Steer and Cruz. Nonetheless, it is still worth noting that since returning from injury, Fraley has an OPS/wRC+ of .994/166 in 103 PAs. And as a Reds player, Fairchild is .925/149 in 41 PAs for the same metrics. At the least, the Reds may be discovering a platoon solution for one of the corner OF spots in 2023 in these 2.
The problem with relying on the platoon solution was clearly illustrated a couple of days ago at St. Louis. Marmol out managed Bell. Too few of the Reds have decent L/R splits, unlike Solano who is .300+ both ways, or even Aquino, though hitting under .200 differs by only .022. Fairchild actually hits RH’ers .120 better than he hits LH’ers, despite the handedness. So, Bell, who only sees handedness and apparently never looks behind the numbers, will continue to be a disaster if the Reds roster is constructed on platoon and utility players.
Bell will do it any way cause he is a little league manager.Reynolds played some right field a position that he had only played a hand full of times in his 6 or 7 year career.He doesn’t need any help to get out managed and yes he is a disaster.
LDS> Your comment hits the nail of why I said “at least”. Fraley has the beginnings of a rap sheet that says he needs a platoon partner. However, maybe Fairchild doesn’t. We haven’t seen enough of him of yet to even start drawing conclusions either way or about his overall ceiling.
Faley, on the other hand, is getting close to having enough PAs to say that in the Reds current situation he is a keeper at least short term. The Winker/ Ervin combo worked very well in 2019 with Ervin often coming on mid game if Winker got spotted versus LH pitcher and then accounting pretty well for himself subsequently.
Jim, I’m counting on Fairchild to develop as you suspect he can, making Fraley expendable
Rain heavy today but looks like a window tonight so I’m going to guess this lineup again with Marquez the righty pitching.
India 2b
Fraley RF
Farmer 3b
Solano DH
Friedl LF
Steer 1b
Senzel CF
Barrero SS
Romine C
Nailed the starting 9 but flip flopped Corner OF and Senzel ahead of Steer but love Friedl leading off.
+10,000 because you picked all 9 right with only some slight adjustments in the order. Nicely done, sir!
@ Jim
I literally played against David Bell in High school.
I was the 2nd best third best baseman that day and it wasn’t close.
You know Bell don’t you Old-School?He just has to move Steer to first base in his second game in the big leagues.He just looked the part at 3rd last night,his best position by all accounts along with being on base 4 times.Votto plays first base all of next year and maybe the following year so it serves no purpose for Steer to go there or even try to learn the position.Guess if you have to upset Farmer or Moran its Moran that draws the short straw at the start of the game.
But he is playing Roger, that is the most important thing at the moment. Reds have all off season to figure out where he plays. I assume it will be 3rd, however for now enjoying him play is more important than his position. In my opinion anyway
{joke font ON}
Maybe OldSchool is a Bell burner identity he uses to keep track of what astute fans are thinking and to bounce new ideas off of them?
{joke font OFF}
😉
Steer in the one game I’ve seen him play showed great plate discipline with a very good swing. That’s why I have high expectations for him. I too wish Bell would just stick with him at 3B and let him get comfortable. The best players usually have one position. Moving Senzel from his orignal position did not help his development. Maybe Steer can switch a few years later like India possibly but for now leave him at 3B and let him truly realize his potential especially since we don’t have a third baseman for the future there right now (Not Farmer). Let Farmer play 1B, DH, or wherever needed. As I’ve said before, if Farmer truly wants to stay a Red his best shot would be learning the backup catcher position again. There is a great need there and all of these other guys don’t have that ability.
I’m not happy.
i still haven’t picked a lineup yet.
Maybe once this year
Steer did well and I hope good things. I will hold off saying anything else until next season.