The Milwaukee Brewers finally got to Andrew Abbott on Friday night, handing the rookie left-handed starter his first big league loss. They hit two home runs and six extra-base hits off of him in what turned out to be a 7-3 victory over the Cincinnati Reds.
| Final | R | H | E |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cincinnati Reds (49-40) |
3 | 4 | 0 |
| Milwaukee Brewers (48-41) |
7 | 14 | 0 |
| W: Burnes (7-5) L: Abbott (4-1) SV: Williams (19) | |||
| Statcast | Box Score | Game Thread | |||
After being shutout by Andrew Abbott for six innings in his debut, the Brewers were a bit more prepared this time around. In the bottom of the 1st inning they put together three consecutive doubles to take a 2-0 lead. They would add two more runs in the next inning after a walk and a 2-run home run from Joey Wiemer that made it 4-0 for the home team.
Cincinnati didn’t get their first hit until Elly De La Cruz led off the 5th inning with a single into left field. He stole second base, but it wouldn’t matter much as he could have walked in from first after Joey Votto hit a 417-foot home run later in the inning to halve the Milwaukee lead and make it 4-2.
That score didn’t stay that way for very long. William Contreras led off the bottom of the 5th with a single and then Willy Adames hit a 2-run homer off of Andrew Abbott to put the Brewers ahead 6-2. A single from Owen Miller was followed up by a strikeout of Blake Perkins, but that would be the final hitter for Abbott as the Reds turned to Derek Law to try and record the final two outs of the inning. Law would give up a single to start his outing, but he rebounded by getting Brian Anderson to ground into an inning-ending double play.
Things didn’t go as smoothly for Derek Law when he returned for the bottom of the 6th inning. After striking out Victor Caratini to begin the inning he gave up back-to-back singles and that led to the Reds calling on Fernando Cruz to enter the game. Cruz walked the first hitter he faced to load the bases, but he got a pop out to Luke Maile and then a fly ball to Jake Fraley to end the threat and keep the game 6-2.
Fernando Cruz returned to begin the bottom of the 7th inning and he walked the first two batters he faced before picking up a strikeout. Cincinnati called on lefty Alex Young to come in and face Victor Caratini. He took the first pitch he saw and lined it into center for an RBI single that made it 7-2. Young picked up a strikeout of Joey Wiemer, but then walked Christian Yelich to load the bases. He buckled down and got a ground out to shortstop to end the inning.
After the Reds went down in order in the top of the 8th, Tony Santillan entered the game to face the Brewers in the bottom half of the inning. After getting a lineout to start the frame, he walked Owen Miller and gave up a double to Blake Perkins. That led to an intentional walk to load the bases. That move paid off as Brian Anderson followed up with a ground ball that turned into an inning-ending double play and sent the game to the 9th.
The Reds trailed by five runs and needed a big rally, but they had the middle of their order due up. Jonathan India walked to lead off the inning and he’d move up to second base on a ground out by Elly De La Cruz. Jake Fraley walked to put two men on for Joey Votto. He came through with a double down the right field line to bring India around and make it a 7-3 game. After playing a stalling game, the Brewers went to the mound to make a pitching change and brought in Devin Williams. Spencer Steer would strike out, but Tyler Stephenson walked to load the bases. Nick Senzel then came off of the bench to pinch hit for Luke Maile, but he would strike out to end the game. The Brewers win pulls them within one game of the first place Reds.
Key Moment of the Game
The 2-run homer in the 5th inning by Willy Adames. The Reds had gotten back to within two runs in the top of the inning, but Adames quickly made it a 4-run game again and the Brewers never looked back.
Notes Worth Noting
Andrew Abbott finally had a tough start in the big leagues. You knew it was going to happen at some point. He allowed more runs in 4.1 innings in this game than he had allowed in his first 37.1 innings of his big league career (6 to 5).
Elly De La Cruz drew a walk for the first time since June 24th. It was only his second walk since June 14th. He picked up his 13th stolen base of the season in his 15th attempt.
Half of Joey Votto’s 12 hits this season are home runs. He’s slugging .620 and has a .976 OPS through 59 plate appearances since returning from the injured list.
Derek Law’s inning of work wasn’t pretty, but he kept the Brewers from scoring and lowered his ERA to 2.63 on the year in the process.
Up Next for the Cincinnati Reds
Cincinnati Reds vs Milwaukee Brewers
Saturday July 8th, 4:10pm ET
Luke Weaver (2-2, 6.72 ERA) vs Colin Rea (5-4, 4.40 ERA)
We knew these games would be tough. The Brewers are a good team and I give them some credit for quieting this offense.
“Half of Joey Votto’s 12 hits this season are home runs. He’s slugging .620 and has a .976 OPS through 59 plate appearances since returning from the injured list.”
Good sign. His BA has jumped over 80 points in a few days as well. .240/.356/.620
Six HR and 15 RBI in 15 games.
Fitting in? 🙂
Definitely ruining team chemistry and needs to retire. Maybe fake an injury and go to the IL.
Father time?
Has always fit in, has not always hit to justify the role. Super glad he has one more run in him.
Which role has he not justified? His lifetime OPS is over .900. He is in the Reds top 5 all time in almost every offensive category, most of them in the top 3. He had a couple of down years for injury, maybe one below average season in 19. What more does he have to do to earn a role?
What are you talking about? You mean most likey HOFer role? Some people are just hard to please.
well wasted money in terrrible contract.
Do you know ANYTHING about baseball?
The main difference between these two teams this year and last has been the Brewers superior pitching. Four hits and 12 K’s for our guys. Hopefully, we rebound tomorrow.
The Reds got 4 hits, and only Joey Votto was not cowed (a homer and a dbl in the 9th). Getting the tying run to the Plate in the 9th … I didn’t give up till the last out.
Eh forget about this game. Even the BRM lost games. Gotta find a way to beat the Beers head to head. Starts tomorrow. Weaver is pitching so we should score A LOT of runs. 🙂
Here’s a warning that my comment might be fueled by the flames of over-reaction, but I gotta let off some steam.
If the Reds had lost by a walk-off run, I wouldn’t be worried. If the Reds had lost by a bullpen implosion, I wouldn’t be worried. If the Reds had lost by a 12-11 slug-fest, I wouldn’t be worried. Instead, they lost because the Brewers are in their heads — and I fear they are there to stay. On paper, the advantage must go to the Reds; they’re on a five-game win streak, they’re quite successful on the road, they’re opposing a pitcher who’s in the middle of a regression, and they’re throwing out a red-hot lefty against a very fluffy line-up. So what happens right at the start of the game? They lay a big fat egg.
I don’t think tonight is a sign that the Reds can’t play with the big boys (as they’ve recently had some competitive clashes against some very strong teams), but I do think their performance is a sign that they can’t get past the Brewers. If you don’t beat Milwaukee on a night that Yelich is relatively ineffective, then Milwaukee has your number (and you’ll need a different route to the playoffs). If I were a betting man, I would lay down some money that the Brewers will sweep the series this weekend and — just like a couple seasons ago — kill the division-climbing momentum that has given the fans so much joy.
Please tell me I’m wrong, because I need it. Ugh.
Only time will tell if you’re right or wrong, Rex, but they did go up against Burnes, who brought his A-game. Milner, too. Abbott proved himself to be human. I don’t think it’s in our guys’ heads, we just have to find a way to beat the Brewers pitching. Question is, can it be done?
They got killed in Baltimore in the first game too. Lost the first in St Louis. No need to panic. They’ll get more sleep and get them tomorrow. Milw isn’t that good
1000% agree
I was in Baltimore for that game and you couldn’t feel the energy they’d had before. Got it back the next couple games and took em. I see a rebound today.
Seems like several guys in slumps at the same time. RLN has been complaining about India batting third for quite a while. How long does Bell let it go? Supposed to be an analytics guy. Jon is in a deep slump minus a few long balls.
India is probably tired and almost certainly dinged up. He rarely takes a game off. Fortunately, the AS break is coming soon. Slump or no, he is among the team’s leading run producers and the Reds have been winning. I don’t know how important place in the batting order is to a hitter, but if it matters to India, maybe giving him an extended chance to get comfortable batting third makes sense.
All it means is Andrew Abbott had a bad game. That’s it. I am sure plenty of folks here would take that bet regarding the sweep.
I tend to agree. the Brewers have been the standard in the NL Central since 2016 after the cubs won. they have been the most consistent team since then and they really have our number. I think Counsell is the main reason for the brewers being so solid. He seems to really know how to attack our weaknesses.
News Flash – Corbin Burnes is good at pitching a baseball….., very good. In fact, many Brewers pitchers are very good. A prelude to playoff baseball where you have to win with less offense.
Abbott showed that he is human. Craig Counsel is a top 5 manager in baseball, and the Brewers pro scouting department is 1 probably the best in baseball – they figure out MLB players weaknesses and train their players on how to take advantage of them (Coaching).
Oh, and they don’t put up with poor pitching performance (see Matt Bush release). Which is a luxury we don’t have this year.
The Brewers are our main competition and we will have to figure out how to beat them consistently if we are to win the division.
Patience and a long baseball season go together. Plus, a letdown is not unusual after a four game sweep and travel to a new city. The young Reds will likely take this series, but a split of the next two would still leave them in first place. The upcoming break is needed.
I think at this point the Brewers is an average team they aren’t superior than Reds but it seems they overperform when face the Reds at the same time the Reds underperform. I already have seen this story before, Brewers starter is Burnes and they crush early our starter to give an open lead so Burnes cruisses thru 6 or 7 innings and if some Reds reaction is arising Devin Williams is brought in an game over
Few players on the Reds now were playing for the Reds in 2016. Votto , notably, and if the Brewers are in his head, it’s as victims. Maybe there is institutional fear and loathing that has infected the young guys, but just maybe our pitcher had a bad game and theirs had a good one. Even if the Reds get swept, the season is far from over, and this may prove to be a good learning experience for a bunch of very talented young players.
…I think Counsell is the main reason for the brewers being so solid…
+1,000,000
You are correct, it’s an overreaction. The Reds have outplayed the Brewers for close to three months now. The Reds became winners when McClain and Elly joined the team. That’s not likely in the second half. The Brewers can’t change that.
Thanks to all who offered your thoughts. I do realize that one game does not need to be analyzed to death — it’s a long season, and these games are decided by some very random elements.
“Milw isn’t that good”
“The Reds have outplayed the Brewers for close to three months”
“the Brewers (are) an average team / they aren’t superior than Reds”
That’s where I strongly agree, and that’s what bothers me. We have very little reason to lose the season series against the Brewers, and yet the Reds have allowed them to be their Kryptonite. I do hope I’m wrong about the sweep, and that our guys show the resilience they’ve shown week after week. Go Reds.
You’re wrong.
Rex – I don’t think it is mental. This version of the Reds is too young to have any history with the Brewers. Friedl, McLain, India, Steer, Elly, Benson – these guys have no memory of the old rivalry. The fact that they continued to battle into the 9th was a good sign. I think they’ll bounce back, just maybe not today with Weaver, or tomorrow with Lively.
I think the Reds made a great effort to come back as well. I would have liked to have seen how it ended, without Spencer Steer getting in an 0 and 2 count on two straight fastballs well off of the plate. All the sudden the umpire started calling balls strikes; also wouldn’t give our pitchers the low strikes, but the Brewers got those all night. Horrible night for the Home Plate Ump.
This is the type of pitching teams will throw at you in playoffs. Offense needs to step up and I believe they will. Brewers have our number so far but still plenty of time to turn the tide
12 strikeouts is NOT stepping up!
Was at the game— healthy contingent of Reds fans at the game. Burnes is a cut above anything the Reds have seen lately. However, second time through the order, they started to get to him…. they certainly weren’t overmatched.
— to my eye Joey’s bat speed is still there. That said I’m not sure it’s in the team’s best interest play him against left-handed pitching-the recognition just isn’t there imo. Same goes for Yelich.
— silver lining: the ability of the offense to put runners on base forced the Brewers to use their closer on a night they shouldn’t have needed him.
Man. If either Steer or Senzel could have come up with a base knock there in the ninth, and the lineup would have turned over, I think the Reds would have made the comeback. They were close. (Full disclosure, I didn’t watch the Stephenson or Senzel at bats there at the end of the game b/c I was so frustrated by the BS strike calls Steer had to endure).
The loss doesn’t bother me, I just don’t understand why the Reds can’t seem to beat the Brewers. I realize Burns was on last night, but their team as a whole does not impress me. Frustrating. Kinda feels like how the Bengals struggle with the Browns.
Regardless of how this year ends up for the Reds and Brewers in the division the Reds are on a seriously upward trajectory with a ton of Team control for 5+ years over quite a few really good young players, where the Brewers are on the opposite side of that spectrum. They’re going to have to pay big money to try and keep some of their better players who are coming up to the end of contracts. They have been overall the best team in the division consistently for the last few years but their team this year is definitely starting to ahow they are slipping in talent. Reds arrow pointing straight up for the next 5+ years, Brewers are the opposite. You could tell the team was tight… it’s just natural when you have a bunch of young rookie players in a bigger series vs the team in their division who’s been there, done that for a few years and it showed. Votto’s experienced showed and he is the one who looked really comfortable and played well. We’ll see how the next 5 games vs the Brewers, but it will be a good learning experience for all the rookies and they’ll grow from it. Worse case they go 1-5 in the 2 series (2-4 or 3-3 still more likely) , which only puts them 2 back and the Brewers have 6 with the Braves in July. Baby steps…just part of the process.
How long until EDLC moves up to the 3 hole? India has one multi hit game since 6/14
India has hit into many, many double play inning killers. Hardly ever gets the runs acriss the plate in rbi situations…just not even close to being a decent #3 hitter.
India is third on the team in rbi, first in runs scored, first in doubles. He’s not as bad as all that, Ted.
That happens when you hit granny’s in 10-1 games. We were up 5-1 the other day and he hit 2 solos. When they need him is a different story. He’s mostly struggled
India isn’t as bad as people here make him out to be. McLain is slumping at the moment batting in 2 hole and got picked off lastnight and not a peep.
I’d move EDLC to the leadoff, but if not, the 3 hole would be nice. The more AB’s the Reds can get for EDLC, the better off the team will be.
Friedl, McLain, Elly, Steer …
The Immortal Votto, father time has no claim on him.
If he continues to hit anywhere close to how he is hitting now, this team truly has a shot at advancing in the playoffs.
They lost a game. It’s going to happen especially against Burnes on the road. This was the one game I was worried about. The worst thing that could happen is they get swept and are one out. Win one game and they are in first at the break. Can’t beat that. I’ll be excited the first game after the break because a lot of these guys need a break to heal up(India) or just a mental day.
The Reds will be fine against the Brewers. AA had an off night. Brewers had an experienced quality SP that shut the Reds down early. Brewers ran into a few long balls. It happens. It’s baseball. Our team didn’t quit, we had a chance in the end. I think we will bounce back nicely. Tonight is a big one. I would tell the young players to relax and be patient. Make them throw strikes and trust what got you there. Go Reds.
By the way, I went to a game in Milwaukee a couple of years ago. Nice people and a good tailgating scene, but I absolutely hate their stadium. It’s very sterile. We are blessed to have the Great American Small Park. No comparison in game viewing experience.
Woke to see the expected result. Just glad the Bernies didn’t keep playing add-on.
Still ahead of them in the standings as others have noted. Win today and that’s a guarantee headed into the break. No need to even talk about the Sunday game yet.
Love that Joey banged one and then added on a double. His interviews are a treat to watch.
Burnes will be Burnes. And the Bizzarro Zone (TM John Sadak) didn’t help us multiple times once again.
Mark…wouldn’t know about Bizarro Zone. Can’t stomach Sadak or Brantley, and with them teamed together the mute button on my TV was put to good use.
Happened to catch a brief clip where he used that phrase. I normally call it the Flex-o-Zone. It’s a rare thing when I’ve got his voice coming through the feed.
I agree about Sadak being hard to listen to, but I always enjoy Brantley’s comments on the game.
Wondering if it is his physical tone as much or more than what he says. I always keep the volume muted with the captioning on so if something happens that I don’t understand from watching the video/ graphics I can check the captions and hopefully get an explanation. When I am checking the captions, I don’t notice a lot of the stuff that gets called out here as irritating.
For me it is his endless stories about his minor league days that have no bearing on what is happening, his constant use use of analytical stats and (and this is a pet peeve of mine) his mispronouncing and/or misidentifying of names. When the Reds played San Diego he kept calling Blake Snell, Ian Snell. He did this for four innings until Chris Welsh pointed out that his name is Blake.
The problem is they did a 180 from Tomm. I guess they didn’t want another incident, so they got a teddy bear to call the games. It is his over exaggerated caring tones. I will say when there’s action he calls it well.
Thom was often ill-prepared. He rarely knew anything about the farm team and often lapsed into talking about his dinner plans once August rolled around and the team was out of contention. Thom was much better when he called other games, like NFL games. When he wasn’t familiar with the teams he prepared.
Sadak is the polar opposite of Thom. His preparation can be a bit much at times, but he’s such an improvement I just have a hard time complaining. I think he’s been better this year, but he would be perfect if he could allow for a touch of silence from time to time.
Well said. And Thom almost always reflected back to his glory days of his Dbacks & their championship. And his Cubs tenure.
Sadak has improved, but he does need to take a breath & allow the game to breath. No one cares to hear about Perfect Strangers & Balkie. Lol
OMG Amen! The endless stories and meaningless statistics are just too much
It’s odd to me that so many people dislike Sadak. I love his style. He is great at in-the-moment calls of significant plays, and he makes the effort all game long to ask the analyst specific questions about situations unfolding at that moment. Nobody can please everyone, but I sure thought that with the negativity toward Thom here for years that Sadak would be seen as a consensus upgrade.
I think his (excitable, exaggerated) style is one that suits a winning club much better than a losing one. He tried to made some bad baseball teams fun the last couple of years, and it drove me nuts. This year has been much better, and I think it’s because its authentically fun instead of manufactured.
For me its just one game at a time because all are equally important and good or bad right or wrong the Reds won’t see the Brewers after July.Sure we need to win some of these games against them but Reds are the better team right now and will only get better when Greene and Lodolo return.Already been mentioned but Reds are on the rise and Brewers face some decisions on signing Burnes and Woodard if not at the end of this year its next year.No worries for me going forward.
Agree Roger. Burnes is a good one and a Cy young for a reason. Take your L ,give him credit and move forward. Reds just need to focus on winning today and playing good baseball the 2 next games and thats it.
They’ll be more rested and they have Stephenson in the lineup today. If Weaver will just work both sides of the plate then I like our chances. The Reds are also on FS1 today so I’m going to check out their broadcast. Always interesting to see how others view our team
Agree. Today is the day to get the W they need from this series then no holds barred on Sunday with 4 days off to follow.
Coming over on Twitter that Santillan is optioned Ramos is DFA and pitcher Michael Mariot is added to the 40 man and 26 man active roster.
Hopefully this link is the correct Mariot
https://www.baseball-reference.com/players/m/mariomi01.shtml
A Lively insurance policy? A Lively/Mariot long relief combo game? A trade dangling of Ramos (they might get a minimal return)?
Also just seeing the replays of Abbott giving up hits – not as bad as I thought – the HR was gone, but a bit of luck makes the others loud outs.
Apparently Lively isn’t ready, or else he would have been the one activated. It looks like Mariot will start Sunday or be a long reliever in a bullpen day.
I think Ramos is pretty solid. I don’t understand? Switch-hitter with a good eye and a little power plus a big arm in RF. I guess he has no spot with rosters only expanding to 28 in September
Unless another team claims Ramos, he’ll likely opt to return to Louisville. He knows the Reds will use him if they have to deal with outfield injuries.
Age 31
Career OPS .612
Played in Far East last year. Never succeeded in MLB.
Drafted in 2010, when Elly was 8 years old.
This is a young team moving forward. Dont need position guys on the wrong side of 30 who havent done anything, unless they can pitch.
The Reds should try to win a World Series this year. They are a long shot, but have a better chance if they bring in some pitchers to help. I would not trade any of the top 10 prospects. The Reds will have a five or six year competitive run (hopefully), and it has started this year.
If you don’t trade any of the top 10 prospects, the pitchers you’ll be able to acquire won’t be difference-makers. The system is three deep in shortstop prospects (including Barrero), and with both McLain and De La Cruz ahead of them on the SS depth chart, it makes little sense to hold on to all five shortstops indefinitely.
I would not trade any of the top ten prospects at the trade deadline. I think you can get some good pitching talent with other prospects. Example: Hinds is a good pickup up for a rebuilding team.
I think most of the top 10 prospects will play for the Reds at some point.
I think the one thing everyone is overlooking in this game today is that the team was tired. Tired from a long stretch of road games, and no days off the last 7 or so days, but tired because their last game in DC had a rain delay and then went to extras. What time did they get to Milwaukee last night. Players are human, and that showed with Abbott too. Just going to happen.