The Cincinnati Reds battled back from a 4-2 deficit for a come from behind win on Friday night. With the game tied up at 4-4 in the 9th inning it was Jake Fraley playing the part of hero, hitting a go-ahead 3-run home run – his second homer of the night – to cap the scoring in a 7-4 victory to open up the series against the Miami Marlins.
| Final | R | H | E |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cincinnati Reds (17-21) |
7 | 11 | 1 |
| Miami Marlins (19-20) |
4 | 7 | 0 |
| W: Gibaut (2-0) L: Floro (2-2) SV: Diaz (8) | |||
| Statcast | Box Score | Game Thread | |||
The first three innings of the game were quiet on both sides as Graham Ashcraft and Eury Perez both took care of business on the mound. But in the top of the 4th inning Tyler Stephenson led off the inning with a solo home run to put the Reds up 1-0. Nick Senzel could follow up with a double and he would steal third base, but he’d be stranded there.
In the bottom of the inning the Reds defense would lead to the tying run coming across the plate after Luis Arraez reached on an error by Spencer Steer to start the inning and then he’d score on a double by Bryan De La Cruz. Cincinnati got the run back in the top of the 5th on Jake Fraley’s third home run of the season, making it 2-1. That homer led to a pitching change and Spencer Steer welcomed Bryan Hoeing with a ground rule double, but he would be left there after a strikeout ended the inning.
Miami would tie things back up in the bottom of the 5th after Joey Wendle tripled to lead off the inning and then scored – after a challenge by the Marlins – on a wild pitch. Jazz Chisholm Jr. then gave them the lead with a solo home run three pitches later. Peyton Burdick would hit a solo homer in the bottom of the 6th inning to make it 4-2. After a single from Jacob Stallings followed the Reds went to the bullpen to bring in Alex Young, who would strike out Joey Wendle to end the inning.
Cincinnati started out the top of the 7th with a single by Stuart Fairchild and a walk from Jose Barrero. Jake Fraley’s 1-out grounder led to a force out of Barrero and led to runners on the corners with two outs for Spencer Steer. Miami brought in reliever Huascar Brazoban to face the Reds rookie and it was Steer who won the match up as he lined a 2-run double into the left field corner to tie the game up.
Alex Young would return for the bottom of the 7th. Jazz Chisholm Jr. bunted to lead off the inning, but the ball hit him in fair territory leading to the first out of the inning. Jorge Soler singled before Luis Arraez popped out for the second out of the frame. Cincinnati then made a pitching change, bringing in Ian Gibaut who retired Yuli Gurriel to keep the game tied up.
Neither team would score in the 8th inning, setting things up for the 9th. Cincinnati got back-to-back singles from Stuart Fairchild and Jose Barrero to put runners on the corners. Jonathan India struck out, but Jake Fraley had his back and he clubbed a go-ahead 3-run home run to make it 7-4. It was Fraley’s first multi-homer game in the big leagues.
Alexis Diaz came out of the bullpen for the bottom of the 9th to try and seal the game. He would strike out Jesus Sanchez to start the inning before getting Joey Wendle to fly out to right field. Jazz Chisholm Jr. represented the Marlins final chance to extend the game. He battled with Diaz, getting to a full count after falling behind 0-2, but Diaz came back with a 95 MPH fastball on the 6th pitch of the at-bat that left him looking at strike three to end the game.
Key Moment of the Game
Jake Fraley’s second homer of the night, a 3-run shot in the top of the 9th inning that broke a 4-4 tie.
Notes Worth Noting
Jake Fraley’s been hitting very well since April 25th. He entered that day with a .200/.312/.277 line. He didn’t start on the 25th, but came off of the bench and had a 2-run double. That kick-started his current run where he’s played in 13 games and hit .371/.450/.714 in 40 plate appearances.
Alexis Diaz struck out two batters in his save. He now has 26 strikeouts and just four walks on the season. His ERA dropped to 2.03 on the year.
Up Next for the Cincinnati Reds
Cincinnati Reds vs Miami Marlins
Saturday May 13th, 1:10pm ET
Nick Lodolo (2-1, 6.29 ERA) vs Sandy Alcantara (1-3, 4.53 ERA)
Rollercoaster of a game. Ashcraft way better than his line and had to burn 25-30 more pitches earlier than he should have (not to mention the 2 runs that should have been unearned).
Kudos to the guys for sticking around and making it happen.
Fastest recap in baseball. Great work as always Doug! A good team win tonight (okay, except for some sloppy defense) overcoming a little adversity and, apparently, a tough sky. Pretty good bounce back from Ashcraft, and a great night for Jake Fraley. He has bounced back nicely as well. Would love to see Lodolo rediscover his early season magic to beat Alcantara and take the series tomorrow. Go Reds!
‘Pen’s been nails.
Was At game, was Hella time. Go Reds!
Pen has been nails. Law, Young, gibault and of course Diaz have really changed the bullpen. Those guys are professionals. Hopefully Krall and the scouting department can find a couple more this year. . I’m going to have to take back what I said about DJ not knowing how to construct a bullpen if they are still pitching like this in July.
Fraley is an up and coming hitter. He could be a middle of the order bat for a long time if we are just patient with him.
This team grinds so much more than the previous decades teams. Still have some brain lapses but they hustle and play better defense. So nice to finally have some tram speed.
Patience is a key with Fraley. He should not have an automatic tag that he can’t hit lefthanders which has previously been put on him. Patience is needed for a needed lefthanded hitter in GABP. This version of the Reds is a team without high paid stars, in contrast to San Diego, but it seems they’re slowly coming together with .500 in sight.
They’re not the Nasty Boys, but kinda…
Can not get over how many posters here dogged on the bullpen and how bad it was earlier in the season. I kept saying they were better than many thought.
Like I said back then they are not going to be perfect every night, but they consistently have been pretty good. There will occasionally be bad days but love celebrating the good days, lately there have been a lot of those with this pen. Keep it up boys.
I can’t believe David Bell allowed his team to win this game, epic fail smdh
See what happens when Bell stops his stupid tinkering?
Maybe he’s finally learning something.
“Every loss is David Bell’s fault. Every win is in despite of David Bell.”
I knew I wouldn’t be let down lol
Not every Tampa, but you must admit, the Reds play better when he doesn’t over manage. I really thought with the DH this year, we’d see fewer double switches and we probably have. But it still happens too often. We have the PR substitute. We have the L/R clear the bench substitutions, etc. So again, not every, but too many
Not every one.
But Bell has definitely cost the Reds some wins, and sometimes the Reds have won despite his bone-headed moves.
Again, not every win or loss. But a few of each.
@Tampa Red. Hey, guess what Bell has been getting some credit for making decisions that make sense once in a while. Still not a good manager overall. He would have to change his ways for a year before I would consider him a decent manager. Some fans do like to point out Bell’s mistakes at a much greater rate than his smart moves. But it’s a pretty lop-sided discussion.
Here I will make your night. Bell managed the game today well. There I gave him some positive credit.
Maturity can happen apparently even to baseball managers.
Tampa, fewvgive him credit for keeping control of the team during an epically challenging year last year. And the questioning of the batting order borders on the ridiculous. He has a young and unproven team, and should be trying different guys in different spots. Not to mention the psychological boost of batting a guy up in the order. And the platooning keeps the entire roster’s heads in the game over a very long season. There’s a reason these guys like to play for him.
That was a great game! They made mistakes, but kept grinding. My boy Stewie was inches from away from a 3 hit game.
Only drawback is our young 3 hurlers are all hanging sliders too many sliders. 2 hangers by Ashcraft tonight. Have to stay on top of the slider. They’re growing!
Typing like Rainman tonight. Kmart Cincinnati definitely Cincinnati
+1,000
Kmart sucks, Ray
+1000 to you both for the Kmart Rainman references.
And how about that 1st to 3rd when Fairchild had to skip over the Barrero grounder as he made his break and a steal after his other hit?
Reds are 4 games under .500. Last year at this point they were 16 games under .500. I really think this years Reds are an improvement over last year and the greatest difference appears to be the bullpen. THis years Bullpen, despite some meltdowns, has been surprisingly good and so far a pleasant surprise.
Fraley is a beast. Now tied for 23rd in the league in RBIs despite only having 100 ABs (most ahead of him have 40-60 more)
Just always a great at bat despite the spotty playing time. Pinch hitting isn’t easy and he’s 3 for 11 there with 7 of his RBIs
He’s winning me over. A few clutch hits in game-changing moments might be good luck, but doing it over and over and over is a convincing sign of a player who does not fear big moments.
Fraley may have his split issues, but he’s a serious MLB talent. Perhaps not quite the equal bat of peak Winker, but much more useful in the field. Barring a serious fall off, or injury, he should be a part of the next good team.
Two and a half games behind a playoff berth in May. It’s fun! 🙂
With more help on the way!
Tell me more. 😉
Given that Steer is such a defensive liability in the infield, why not move him to LF to be Fraley’s platoon partner? Steer could still start most nights as a DH, and could make some spot starts around the infield to give Senzel, India, and whoever the 1B is a rest.
But when a lefty is pitching, let Steer play LF.
Has he ever played left? The last thing this team needs is more sticking guys in positions they have no business playing.
The idea is that left field is always the position you stick your worst defender in, as it’s supposedly the easiest position to play.
Obviously Steer does not have a long-term future at either 1B or 3B, nor should he, due to his defensive shortcomings. Even when he was scouted as a prospect, he was described as “All hit, no glove.” He really should just be the full-time DH once CES or whoever takes over at 1B.
That said, Fralyer does need a platoon partner. For the times when the Reds face a LH starter, I’d like to see Steer take over in LF. He can’t be any worse there than he is in the infield.
I think I recall Steer in LF on a very limited basis last year after he came to the Reds but I am not sure. BBRef doesn’t show him with any MLB OF appearances, so, if I saw him there it was with the Bats in AAA.
Once again I’m going to ask the question “How do we know CES is better defensively at first than Steer”? He looked terrible there in Spring Training botching a few balls. Everybody just assumes he is and have no facts to back it up.
He apparently played one game in RF in AAA in 2022.
I remember about 40 years ago, the Mets’ Lee Mazzilli, who had pretty much always been a CF, got moved to LF so that the Mets could play Mookie Wilson (he of grounder-to-Buckner fame). Mazzilli was insulted, and proclaimed that “Left field is for idiots,” thereby raising a stink among other regular LFs in MLB. (And thereby getting himself traded.)
Mazzilli did have the point that CI3J raises, which is that LF is a place to park the glove-challenged player. I think all these guys go out and shag fly balls in BP, and for the most part they all (other than Yonder Alonso) have the skills to convert to LF. Steer would a lot rather play LF than not play.
Most of us assume that CES (or Votto) will be the 1B/DH, if Steer is moved to LF. Moving Steer to the OF would effectively replace Myers, because Fraley and Friedl will play everyday, with Fairbanks getting some ABs against LH pitching. Myers to me is DFA fodder now, along with Newman.
I actually believe that LF defense is a bit undervalued. Barry Bonds when he was younger was excellent in LF and was a bit of a weapon out there. Carl Yastrzemski was great, too, and Fenway pretty much rewards good LF defense. I also think that putting a strong arm in LF is a good move, because there are as many or more plays at the plate via LF than RF.
It’s just a bad idea to put non-outfielders in the outfield for defense. That’s how singles are turned into extra base hits and base runners score when the arm is not trained for throwing that distance.
Steer is a defensive liability at 1B because he is NOT a 1B. His prep for playing 1B in the majors was two games at AAA after the Reds acquired him in 2022. He didn’t even log an inning at 1B in Spring Training. He’s now played 1B 25 times, including 22 starts at the highest level. He did not play 1B as a collegiate athlete either. Neither the Reds nor the Twins prepared Steer to play 1B. Given the lack of preparation, no one should be surprised that his defense is subpar. However, he’s a terrific athlete–I’ll bet we see improvement as he learns the position.
So, how is the answer to play him in another position where he has no experience a viable fix? Steer has logged two games at RF–one at AAA and one with the Reds last year. That’s it since 2017. The position changes you and many others suggest will lead to more defensive lapses this year. Run prevention is also essential in baseball.
The Reds must look at their defensive alignment and find an optimal mix. Players that will play new or multiple positions need the winter to work on the positions and then time in Spring Training to get game-speed repetitions.
This team works hard & has fun doing it. Talent deficient but glad to see the fight in them. It just might lead to 77 wins or so. Just saw the Lodolo news, hope he is ok and back soon.
Nick will likely be put on the DL to rest up and heal his ankle/leg. That and physical therapy are about the only way those kinds of injuries get healed.
Levi Stoudt may be up here for a while.
There really isn’t anyone else down there since Chase Anderson is gone…except…..
And maybe it’s time to figure out how to get Andrew Abbott on the 40 man, and get him positioned to join the Red’s rotation. Soon.
I am pleasantly surprised by where we currently stand. I am excited. If we are gonna take the next step we have to stop striking out so much and walking so little. Look at box scores of other MLB teams, we have to be in the bottom five ( or top five however you look at it) in strikeouts as a team. And we walk very little. Tells you that we chase a lot out of the zone and need more plate discipline. We are deciding to swing before the pitch is even thrown.
Your eye test checks out. Reds have the second worst K% in the NL (24.3%) and the third worst BB% in the NL (8.6%) per fangraphs. It’s bad!
Its probably more the fact that 8 of our top 9 offensive players have less than 1100 career MLB at bats. Even our grizzled “veterans” are not veterans at all – India (1058) Senzel (1021 AB’s), Stephenson (656). This is a young/inexperienced team.
MLB pitching is just extremely good and filthy. With the extra roster spot taken up by relief pitchers it seems to have gotten even better in the middle innings. It take time and at bats for players to figure out MLB pitching. You can’t expect a bunch of rookies and inexperienced players to have league average strikeout and walk numbers. Its going to change and get better with some patience.
One of the reasons to get McLain & CES up here now (and EDLC soon) They are going to go thru struggles like every player does and what better time to do it when a losing record is almost guaranteed.
“90% of baseball is in your head. The other half is physical,” Yogi Berra. The Reds are playing competitive baseball, and making the game fun again. Fraley going yard twice tonight, and when it counted most. These things are not predictable, but they are real. It’s going to be a good season.
Do Alexis and Edwin have any younger brothers? If so, go out and get them.
This is all I wanted from the Reds this season. To see improvement and for them to be competitive most nights. Last season had stretches where you kind of knew they were going to lose every game they played. Progress seems to be happening!
Here’s hoping Lodolo’s injury isn’t long term and the big three in the rotation all start to put it together.
I see it that way, too. I wanted them to progress to the point that an opponent had to play a good game to beat them. They still need to improve defensively, but they generally make the opponent earn a win.
There is a massive talent infusion on the way, though. ABs now being taken by Newman, Myers, Ramos and Barrero will be taken by McLain, CES, and (soon enough) EDLC. There is light at the end of the tunnel.
I know I’m gonna get hammered for this but obviously Barrero is not the the future at shortstop. If not McClain then EDLC. Why not send him down to learn centerfield. Newman is capable of filling in . Barrero is wasting his time. It’s not fair and will probably affect his confidence from here on in. It’s hard enough to play big league ball without the added pressure. Also Myers’s has got to go. Brings nothing to the team. Another cheap shot in the dark that failed miserably.
I wouldn’t send Barrero to AAA to learn a new position because his hitting keeps him from being a viable major league player. While the progress is slow, he does seem to show improvement. He also has just one option remaining. Why burn it this year when it may prove more valuable next year when the team is more competitive? Also, unlike others on the roster, Barrero has played CF before. For a player that can play both SS and CF well when he is not pressing, there’s little value in adding additional versatility.