Jake Fraley’s two-run, two-out double in the ninth inning brought the Cincinnati Reds from behind for their fifth straight win, 3-2, over the Oakland Athletics before 7,052 at Oakland Alameda County Coliseum.
| Final | R | H | E |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cincinnati Reds (12-15) | 3 | 9 | 1 |
| Oakland Athletics (5-23) |
2 | 7 | 0 |
| W: Legumina (1-0) L: Familia (0-1) SV: A. Diaz (4) |
|||
| Statcast | Box Score | Game Thread | |||
With the Reds down to their final out of the game and the bases loaded, Fraley hit a broken-bat grounder toward first base which struck the bag and took a bad hop over the glove of Oakland first baseman Ryan Noda. It rolled down the right field line, scoring two runs to pull victory from the jaws of defeat.
“It’s a culture thing.”@jfral_23 spoke with @JimDayTV following the @Reds 3-2 win over the Athletics and talked about the team’s ability to overcome adversity and find ways to win. pic.twitter.com/VMOTEvtqGB
— Bally Sports Cincinnati (@BallySportsCIN) April 29, 2023
The Offense
With the Reds down 2-0 in the top of the third, Luke Maile led off with a 408-foot bomb to left field to make it 2-1. But for the third inning in a row, Oakland’s defense recorded an out at third base: catcher Carlos Perez catching Spencer Steer stealing in the first, Tyler Stephenson out on a throw from right fielder Ramon Laureano in the second, and third baseman Jace Peterson snagged a laser off the bat of Stuart Fairchild and then tapped the bag to double off Jonathan India. Before Fraley’s heroics, it appeared those outs that foiled scoring opportunities might be the downfall of Cincinnati on this day.
Henry Ramos walked with one out in the ninth to put the tying run on base against A’s closer Jeurys Familia. That was followed by an infield hit behind second base by Kevin Newman, advancing Ramos to second. Nick Senzel then walked to load the bases with one out. Unfortunately, Barrero then struck out on a pitch out of the strike zone for the second out. But Fraley became the latest hero for the Reds when he hit that bad-hop grounder (depending on your perspective, of course) toward first base, scoring Ramos and Newman to give the visitors a one-run lead.
Steer’s two hits were the most for a Reds batter today.
The Pitching
Hunter Greene had a very interesting day. He pitched five innings, struck out 10, allowed five hits, walked three, and gave up two runs, both unearned. In the second inning, Oakland was helped by three misplays by Reds defenders. A throwing error by third baseman Nick Senzel opened the inning, followed by right fielder Henry Ramos misjudging a ball that fell for a double, and then India going to a knee for a ball up the middle that might have been more efficiently handled by him staying on his feet. That led to two unearned runs, and Greene lowered his ERA to 2.89.
.@Reds starter Hunter Greene did not have the outing he would have liked, but ultimately, the team got a win. He emphasized that as being the most important thing. pic.twitter.com/mXlszjn5L2
— Bally Sports Cincinnati (@BallySportsCIN) April 29, 2023
Last 3 start from Hunter Greene: 14.0 IP, 1 ER, 5 BB, 17 K
He is 22 years old. Jacob DeGrom was in rookie ball in his age 22 season.#Reds
— Nick Kirby (@Nicholaspkirby) April 29, 2023
Alex Young pitched a scoreless sixth. Despite allowing a leadoff hit to Jace Peterson, Young retired the next three batters with ease, including two strikeouts. He stayed in to get the first out of the seventh, followed by Ian Gibaut, who got out of a two-on, two-out jam of his own origin. Casey Legumina pitched a scoreless eighth to keep his team close and ultimately record his first major-league victory.
Alexis Diaz, presented with a save opportunity by Fraley’s heroics, recorded his fourth save with a three-up, three-down bottom of the ninth for Oakland.
Let the Celebration Begin!
The @Reds keep the good times rolling and win their fifth straight game, a 3-2 decision over the Athletics in Oakland, thanks to a two-out, two-run double from Jake Fraley in the ninth inning.#ATOBTTR pic.twitter.com/e83MwPwjNh
— Bally Sports Cincinnati (@BallySportsCIN) April 29, 2023
The Reds will try to extend the winning streak to six games tomorrow as they try to sweep a road series.
Up Next for the Cincinnati Reds
Cincinnati Reds at Oakland Athletics
Sunday, April 30, 4:07 p.m. ET
Nick Lodolo (2-1, 6.31 ERA) vs. Ken Waldichuk (0-2, 7.82 ERA)
Five in a row. Hope it keeps going somehow.
Too bad Greene didn’t get the win.
Fraley seems to be stepping into the pinch hitting role.
I’m turning into a Fraley fan.
I was muy meh at the time of the trade.
But I dig his whole offseason zen thing and how he’s approaching the season.
Digging himself out of a short dry spell doesn’t hurt either.
I hope he thrives.
If only David Bell would, ya know, START his best players.
Even in a slump, Fraley has clearly demonstrated his ability to be one of the Red’s best at-bats. You want him at the plate.
Fraley has a .336 OPS against LH pitching this season. He hasn’t shown in years past that he is effective against LH pitching, so I don’t blame Bell for not starting Fraley against LH pitching.
Gritty comeback win;Barrero’s days as a Red are numbered….
I don’t know. Something has to give somewhere eventually that’s for sure.
Trying to turn him into a CF is a fool’s errand.
For some reason Krall/Bell are willing to put Barerro’s development on the line so they can play “Hello” Newman.
Yep. Play him at SS every day or trade him. The Dodgers need one I hear. I’d rather trade Newman but whatever.
He is getting regular playing time. Playing him in CF on occasion is not the reason he isn’t hitting consistently.
Why would you assume that switching a player between a position he has played in for 99% of his career into a complete other position, with different hitters’ charts, different routes, a complete different approach to fielding wouldn’t affect a player’s concentration on hitting?
We’re just seeing some of the pluses of getting Senzel out of the outfield and reestablished where he is more comfortable in the infield.
The guy had two doubles last night…
It seems every day if Barrero does poorly everyone wants him gone. If he has a good day, then someone thinks he should be playing every day. He did struggle today for sure. but give him a break. He has been overall much improved over years past so far this year.
++ comment!
Lots of armchair whiners who never made a dime playing or coaching out there. but have all the answers now. I’m sure the office rolls their eyes and ignores it all. Once in a while, we’ll see some knowledgeable comments. It’s easy to scroll through the bashers.
To put it in Jeff Brantley terms, Barrero’s problem is between the ears. Just watch the games and you see that. He’s that guy you drafted on Playstation with some good attributes that you at first find enticing–then you realize his “Awareness” stat is like a 47. He may get slightly better here and there, but for the most part, he is what he is.
We are now comparing the real world to the fake digital world?
Oakland is terrible, but thats exactly the point. You gotta win. Greene didn’t have a great outing but found a way to get thru 5. Bullpen was great. Didn’t see that coming. Fraley has been up and down but hes had some game winning hits and nick Senzel has had game changing at bats in all 5 games of this winning streak. Found a way to win.
Just getting to a point where Kevin Newman shouldn’t start anymore at SS .IF you say Barrero isnt the guy…then McLain is. Newman is 3rd on the major league depth chart right now at SS.
You don’t want to make David Bell cry do you? 😮
MaClain is playing SS again today with EDLC at 3B again as well. I don’t know what the Reds are thinking to be honest. Does that mean Steer/Senzel are off of 3B? Does that mean Barrero is off of SS? You know these guys will be up eventually. It’s just a matter of time. Does that mean they intend to keep India at 2B? You can’t have a team full of infielders obviously.
I think McLain is a middle infielder at GABP sooner rather than later and EDLC may not see GABP in 2023 unless he gets better. Steer will see more 1b and DH.
So McLain takes SS?
Man. De La Cruz hit what looked like a pop up that when over 400 feet over the CF wall just now.
Kevin Newman isnt the reds SS.. thats all I got in late april..lol
Some are worried about the power of this team. They won’t have to worry about it for long when these guys come up.
That’s going out on a limb. 🙂
This is a funny win but it is a suffered one. The Reds struggled to hit and score against a very poor pitching staff being the worse of MLB…Tomorrow I expect that Lodolo could return to pitch solid, at least, and the offense gets hot scoring many runs to look for the sweep before moving to the always difficult San Diego
Newman has a .888 OPS against LHP. That said, you’ll get your wish soon enough if McLain continues to rake.
So you think McLain will take SS then? I really don’t know.
I think if Barrero is not your SS then you trade him to a team that needs one.
Newman’s OPS vs. LH pitching has been steadily declining. He did have an infield hit today and a walk. Total numbers stand at .214/.250/.339
Few players with an OPS of around 900 are on the upswing. That said, you will get no argument from me that Newman shouldn’t play against RHP. Also, I did not say that I expect McLain to take Barrero’s spot at SS. Barrero has played a lot, but I haven’t heard an explanation for why he doesn’t play a little more. Perhaps they are trying to limit his exposure to tougher matchups or they may be giving him a few more days off because he played winter ball. From my view, he’s progressing nicely and should continue to improve and get a prolonged opportunity at SS.
Personally, I see India winding up at 3B, McLain at 2B, and Barrero at SS until ELDC is ready. I think McLain and CES are ready or very close to ready for the majors. I expect ELDC to take longer (his K-rate remains concerning). Lots of sorting will occur before then.
I think the Reds FO must be pleasantly surprised by the development of McLain and CES. It’s a good problem to have, but it may end up slowing down a few promotions.
“India winding up at 3B, McLain at 2B, and Barrero at SS”
Sounds wise to me. I still would like for EDLC to work out in CF but don’t know that will happen. If all this comes about there’s still the matter of Steer and Senzel too if he keeps hitting. Then of course there’s CES when Votto comes back. Some have got to play outfield sooner or later if they stay with the Reds.
To be fair, Newman got on base twice and had a very fine defensive game at SS. He had a good game too.
Bite the bullet and eat Newmans contract. Bring up mcclain.
As long as McLain plays every day somewhere I’m fine with that.
They are not going to eat Newman’s contract. This is the Reds we are talking about, and it’s only been one month so far into the season.
Liked Greene’s comments. No excuses and matter of fact in his speaking.
Great win and let’s all hope Lodolo can find his MOJO.
Greene 0-1 with a 2.89 Era
Cessa has a win with a 8+Era. Wow.
Greene is about as mature and well-spoken as you’ll ever see in a 23 year old athlete. His parents did a great job.
Exactly. You could not ask for a better face of the organization. Once in a generation. And he just signed an extension.
+5,000
A good team win.
Steer, Fraley, and Senzel seem to be coming out of their slumps while Barrero is still in one.
Hopefully, Barrero will be shown the same kind of patience that Steer, Fraley, and Senzel were shown.
And how about Ramos? Just keeps on hitting. If only he were about 5 years younger.
Barrero did have two doubles last night to be fair.
That was yesterday. Who cares. When we need a clutch at bat, Barrero goes back to his old swing and pitch recognition habits. Just put the bat on the ball.
Barerro drove in two runs with those doubles.
Those seemed like clutch at bats to me.
Well he might end up being this years Scooter Gennet or Brandon Drury of 2023. Just because your over 30 doesn’t mean you can’t be good at baseball anymore. I don’t want to hear about sample size blah blah. I know it is small so far.
Iowa Cubs killing the Bats 18-2. Of course they won 18-16 the other day too. The Chicago Cubs must have an awesome farm team coming up.
Williamson got an out today in his start!!!
One lol
.1 innings
5H – 8ER – 2BB – 2HR
Williamson is PROBABLY going to be pitching quite a long time in the minors I would expect.
Lopez throwing for the Bats in the 8th. lol
Williamson’s lack of progression is one of the bigger disappointments this season.
“Williamson’s lack of progression is one of the bigger disappointments this season.”
Yeah
Abbott appears to be quickly stepping into that void.
I hope Williamson can turn it around before he becomes an RLN whipping boy.
Eww.. that stat line is really disappointing. I was really hoping he was going to be something good for us. Maybe AA he needs to go back to find himself again.
Reds need to schedule a game in Mexico.
This place is a miniature (dimension-wise) Coors Field with THINNER air.
It would help their HR totals….
The pitchers might bot like the idea though.
Bet the over gentlemen.
@Tom, nice recap as always; thank you!
Hats off to Luke Maile for hitting his first home run and getting us off to a good start today!
Bats finally lose mercifully 18-2. Obviously the pitching wasn’t very good. lol Still though it’s fun to watch the potential/probable stars play one step away from the majors.
McLain finally had a rough game. 0-5 but still hitting .315/1.063 OPS
EDLC 1-4, BB, HR
CES 1-4
Hopkins – 2-4, Double, RBI
Robinson 1-2
Persistence again from our intrepid Reds. Can’t ask much more than that when we start out in a hole we dug ourselves, right?
Wins are always more funner. One more game in that cavern. Hope Lodolo is lights-out and we can run up a Crooked Number parade.
Curious that everyone is so intent on giving up on Barrero. Over the last two weeks, he has outhit Steer, for example as well as Myers, Fraley, & Fairchild. And he’s tied for 2nd in RBIs, behind Fraley, despite batting 8th or 9th all season. His OPS and OBP are higher than Myers at a 10th the cost. Sure we’d all like to believe that calling up McLain, CES, EDLC and whatever other prospects are hot at the moment, will magically make things better. But, odds are, if they are called up, their hitting is going to diminish, possibly precipitously. And there’s still the Bell factor. Who knows where or if they’d play. This is what playing inexperienced prospects often looks like. Look at Kelenic, his first two years were abysmal. He would have been a good take in the Castillo trade but Seattle didn’t throw in the towel. Mike Schmidt’s first full year, he hit .196. Patience. Barrero may never be the all star SS. But play him there every day and find out. Knock off the CF BS. Forget Newman, let him DH or let him play OF. As for the Reds prospects? It’s certainly better to have a lot of highly regarded prospects than not, but it’s not necessarily a predictor of future success. The list of Top 100 prospects who never amounted to much is rather long. The Reds are having a good little streak. Let’s enjoy it while we can. Until they hire a decent manager and spend some money plugging the monstrous roster holes, this is as good as it’s going to be. And no, it won’t be better when Votto returns. Folks are likely expecting far too much.
If you want a vote for Barrero playing SS every day you’ve got mine. I have no idea what they’re going to do in the future.
So your rationale for not bringing up three (okay two) AAA hitters that are tearing the cover off the ball is that some AAA hitters don’t hit well in MLB?
I had to read that a few times for it to sink in.
What kind of “predictor of future success” are you looking for?
Bell’s Lineup Juggle-A-Thon might be just the right thing to give a McLain or CES enough ABs to get established.
But that would mean putting the kabosh to the Newman-Reynolds pacifier.
The chances of that happening are about as slim as Bell being axed.
A five game winning streak likely solidifies his contract renewal with this organization.
Sadly on a Bell extension, I agree. But, we’re only 1/6 of the way into the season. I’m not ready to give up on the young guys. And well past giving up on the 30+ never was and never will be’s. As for the AAA prospects, CES is the most intriguing to me at the moment since he was hitting like this in ST and for a big chunk of last year. McLain is on a good run, but I’d like to see it go a bit longer before jumping on board.
Loved the Bell “Lineup-Juggle-A-Thon” Describes Bell’s managerial approach perfectly!
Agree 100% LDS. I can’t believe how quickly many people on here want to give up on Barrero. The step up from hitting AAA pitching to MLB pitching is a huge step. Often it takes young players time to recognize and make adjustments. There are so many examples of young guys that struggled their first year or more before having very successful careers. Barrero could end up being a stud or a dud, but he has to be given enough of a chance for us to know. There are also many examples of players who lit up the league when they first got up, but couldn’t sustain success because they couldn’t adjust. Barrero has made some adjustments and has improved from last year, by my estimation (though I understand there was nowhere to go but up). The most at bats he has had in a season was 165 last year, when the Reds inexplicably and irresponsibly (in my opinion) called him up while he was struggling to hit AAA pitching following recovery from injury. Have some patience with the kid!
I haven’t given up on Barrero at all. This makes twice this week I’ve been able to agree with you.
You guys are going to be inseparable buddies before long. 😀
Actually @BK, over the last couple of weeks, it might be more. I’m concerned.
@LDS I haven’t given up on Barrera. Like you I think he should continue to get playing time and we shouldn’t rush our prospects who are performing very well at AAA at this time.
Where we disagree is why he isn’t performing better. He has gotten plenty of playing time and quite a few at bats. Pitch recognition is his issue not Bell. Until he can stop chasing breaking balls out of the strike zone he will not fulfill his potential. His fielding could also use a bit of consistency he seems to make the difficult play at times but will error on the routine play. He has been given a lot of playing time between this year and last. Time to show some progress. The pressure he is feeling has not come from Bell. The Reds have a glut of good prospects vying for the SS position. I think he is feeling the pressure of competition. Time for him to step up. He struck out 3 times yesterday and not one of the pitches he struck out on was a strike. He also hit into a DP in his other at bat. He has been given an opportunity to claim the spot. Time for him to get it done.
Bell has a responsibility to every player on that team. Young and old. The ones who are performing should play.
+1000
I think some people are afraid to bring up McLain because he may take Barrero’s spot . Let’s see McLain is tearing up AAA just like Barrero was when he was given the chance to be the anointed shortstop. Barrero still has crappy pitch recognition . But either way It doesn’t matter because if McLain doesn’t take the spot we have several candidates that will.
I certainly don’t blame anyone for doubting but as for me, I can’t wait to see Votto back and his naysayers to eat their words.
Hello, daily Andy Fisher news guy here.
Another 1.2 IP, 0 H, 1 BB, 1 K outing.
Please send him to the Bats, they need help.
Just for the record, I appreciate your service LGR!
man Greene reminds me a lot of Mario Soto. effectively wild some times which keeps the batters off balance. Mario would walk 8 and strike out 12 some games.
in today’s game of pitch counts and pitch clocks I just wonder how effective Greene can really be? Soto had over 70 complete games in his career. hard to imagine with Greene’s style he will ever reach double digits in his entire career. could just be a 5 or 6 inning pitcher unless the team really allows him to extend his pitch counts.
More than anything Greene is intelligent and is willing to learn and adapt. I would be shocked if he doesn’t start pitching more efficiently and getting to the 7th inning and later, later this year or next.
+1000. With more effective defense behind him, Greene would have been on the cusp of going 7 innings (or at least into the 7th) today. The defense directly cost him 20 pitches just in the 2 (unearned) run Oakland inning. And consider the additional indirect cost because he had to crank up on leverage and pitch for K’s.
Jim’s comment is 100% spot on. When you’ve been as bad as the Refs have, it’s easy to overlook how costly bad defense is as far as adding outs and pitches for the opponent. Excellent SS and CF play is worth 10-20 pitches a game. Extrapolate that and you avoid having one or two bad relievers.
as far as Barrero is concerned, I think he is just another long list of players in this organization that I classify as ” 3 AND D” players. has all the right intangibles but in the end just gives you 3 Homers, 3 stolen bases and good defense. you get a lot of strike outs and low batting average. Like Aquino, we see the potential in Triple A but just not quite the hit tool to thrive in the majors.
+1000000000
Anyone notice how poorly Senzel was moving yesterday? He was noticeably limping. He could not get to the pop in foul territory and was late to two throws at third. Hope his toe is not acting up, but given his injury history it would not surprise me.
Yes, agree. I commented in the game thread that I thought he looked “late” to get moving several times. Forgot about his toe though.
Going off last few season and keep in mind Barrero was rushed to the majors and wasn’t ready. I myself have said he can’t hit major league pitching and his fielding has been average this season. In saying that I have, this season been impressed with his making contact and not striking out as much and he is hitting. Albeit 217, however as LDS mention’s no reason to give up on him. I do believe he has improved this season and will only get better.
Do we really think a player changing position’s affects their batting? Kinda blows my mind, however as we have seen with Senzel and Steer one is hot and one right now isn’t.
Reynolds will play today and I am assuming our third catcher will catch Lodolo and Stephenson at 1st..
I don’t buy it one bit about changing positions. If you can play baseball, you don’t let that noise affect your play.
Mookie Betts…gold glove outfielder…..moved to SS a few weeks ago, for the first time ever….
People with position changing conspiracies are laughable.
I didn’t see the game but curious about something to those that did – why did Hunter need 112 pitches to get thru 5 innings. His stats suggest he had a very good outing but that’s way too many pitches for 5 innings.
Barerro needs to play 150 games this year. He will develop if we do that. All young shortstops struggle. They play the most important position in baseball.
Young, gibault and Diaz are on pace to pitch > 60 games this year. That can’t last. Sign young to an extension now!
glad for another Reds win. Only 2 games behind the stinking cubs!
Second inning there was a error and a misplayed flyball as well. That added at least 25 extra pitches. Plus umpire was squeezing him abit therefore a few more extra pitches.
Also seemed to me the As hitters successfully fouled off many pitches. Ashcraft, has gotten better getting players to make contact and outs earlier in at-bats. Something Greene still needs to master. He will get there.
Hate to nag on the walks but they do figure into the total pitch count and often lead to runs while extending the inning! Greene did issue 3 walks yesterday which added a minimum of 12 pitches to his pitch count! Walks do and will happen, especially if the HP umpire is “squeezing” the strike zone which seems to happen to young pitchers!
Enough with the negatives! Greene pitched well enough to give the chance for the Reds to win which they did late in the game! Go Reds! Get out the brooms and let’s sweep the A’s!
Greene was a victim of pretty shabby defense.
CES and McClain may soon push Barrero and Steer to the bench.
They will definitely be pushing 2 guys out of the way, I’m not sure if it will be those 2, but I’m excited to see how it all develops.
A question to ponder. Reds have 3 infield prospects playing triple A. To me Hopkins deserved a shot as well in outfield.
Robinson too I believe as he must of changed his swing as he raking.
Question though is where will the infielders play? Outfielder Hopkins play?
McLain played cf in college, can he translate that to mlb without playing the position in minors? CES plays first and third. Well we know Steer is playing there now and Senzel at 3rd. Can Cruz take over for Barrero? If so where does Barrrro fit? Is Ramos legit?
These prospects are doing great, however right now no room.
Good thing is these guys can play all over and there is the DH as well. Honestly I think there is plenty of room to play these guys
Hey JB. I myself am not sure there is room for all without a trade. I personally drool for the day when we have a team that is good enough to basically have set lineup where players (starters) know their positions and that they will most likely be playing that day. I know we are in rebuild mode and the brighter future is 1/2, 1-2 years away with guys mostly in AAA. So tired of seeing players being played all over the place and in and out of the lineup depending on which hand the pitcher pitches.
As Mr. Howsam always said back in the 1970’s “Sometimes you need to take and make a trade. (or 2 or 3 in the current case)”
George Foster, Joe Morgan and Cesar Geronimo of Big Red Machine regular 8 fame were all trade acquisitions ahead of the 1972 NL Championship team.
What the current Reds need is quality pitching to fill the gap to the high ceiling guys at A/ A+ and lower. What they have is a glut of infielders and perhaps OF. It is ironic that the Reds dumped 3 quality starting pitchers to acquire much of this talent but now need quality middle and backend starters plus rotation depth to make best use of the emerging “big 3” starters.
his second year up, dave concepcion hit .205… third year, he hit 209. fourth year… .287. fifth season .281. kept the SS job for nineteen years.
This reminds me of Glavine Smoltz and Maddox on the Braves the first year or two they struggled some too. But then became a dominate force of pitching. Not every great player is going to play great their first year or two.
I was at the game yesterday. Sat directly behind the Reds dugout. Young was dealin’. He’s good right now. Hunter struggled but got out of it and put his team in position to win. I think he only hit the 100 mph gun once? Lots of 98 to 99. Slider was around 87 mph.
A few of us Reds fans questioned why Bell bats Newman ahead of Senzel? I guess it worked out but that doesn’t make sense.
Bell was lucky just to get the game to Fraley in the 9th and then got a double dose on the crazy hop double.
I have been so impressed with Young. The guy just seems to be getting better and better. He for sure is my MVP of the pitching staff so far.