Graham Ashcraft gave up three solo home runs, but he also struck out a career high 10 batters. The offense did just enough, with a little help from the Angels defense, as the Cincinnati Reds defeated Los Angeles 4-3 on Tuesday night in the series opener.
| Final | R | H | E |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cincinnati Reds (65-61) |
4 | 7 | 0 |
| Los Angeles Angels (61-65) |
3 | 6 | 1 |
| W: Ashcraft (7-8) L: Giolito (7-10) SV: Diaz (34) | |||
| Statcast | Box Score | Game Thread | |||
Matt McLain didn’t waste much time giving the Reds a lead, socking a 413-foot solo home run in the top of the 1st inning. The Reds lead didn’t last all that long as former Reds Brandon Drury and Mike Moustakas went back-to-back off of Graham Ashcraft in the bottom of the 2nd inning to put the Angels up 2-1.
Two innings later it was Logan O’Hoppe with another solo home run off of Ashcraft that extended the Los Angeles lead to 3-1. Cincinnati got to work in the next inning, though. Will Benson walked to lead off the 5th and moved to third on a double by TJ Friedl. Elly De La Cruz then hit a chopper to first base and saw Nolan Schanuel have it bounce off of his glove and go towards second base and it allowed both runners to score and De La Cruz to reach first. Spencer Steer followed up with a double that brought in De La Cruz to cap off a 3-run inning and give the Reds a 4-3 lead.
Graham Ashcraft settled in from there and tossed three more innings of shutout baseball, setting a career high with 10 strikeouts in the process. Sam Moll took over for Cincinnati in the bottom of the 8th and he got to face pinch hitter Eduardo Escobar to lead off the inning. He would strike him out, but Mike Trout would pick up an infield single on a ball off of the glove of a diving Noelvi Marte at third base. That brought Shohei Ohtani to the plate for a lefty-lefty match up, and Moll would come out ahead in it as Ohtani flew out to left field. The Reds then called on Ian Gibaut to enter the game to face Brandon Drury with two outs and Gibaut got the job done by inducing a ground out to end the inning.
Alexis Diaz entered the game in the bottom of the 9th and he struck out former teammate Mike Moustakas to start the frame. After getting ahead of Logan O’Hoppe 0-2, Diaz hit him with a 97 MPH fastball to put the tying run on 1st. O’Hoppe was pinch run for by Mickey Moniak. The Angels tried to push their luck and steal second base and the call on the field was out, but Los Angeles challenged the play. The call stood and Moniak was out. Randal Grichuk followed up two pitches later with a ground out to end the game as Cincinnati held on for a 4-3 win.
Key Moment of the Game
Spencer Steer’s double in the 5th inning that scored Elly De La Cruz from first base that broke a 3-3 tie.
Notes Worth Noting
Elly De La Cruz stole his 20th base of the season. He reached 10 home runs and 20 steals quicker than any player in the history of Major League Baseball.
Elly De La Cruz has 10 homers and 20 steals through 64 games, the quickest ever to reach that mark! pic.twitter.com/ZbOtvdPRMK
— MLB (@MLB) August 23, 2023
Graham Ashcraft’s previous career high in strikeouts was eight. He had done that four times – three in 2022 and once earlier this season.
TJ Friedl was the only Red with multiple hits on the night. He went 2-5 with a double.
Up Next for the Cincinnati Reds
Cincinnati Reds vs Los Angeles Angels
Wednesday August 23rd, 4:07pm ET & 9:38pm ET
Andrew Abbott (8-3, 2.99 ERA) vs Shohei Ohtani (10-5, 3.17 ERA)
TBA vs Reid Detmers (3-9, 4.93 ERA)
Ashcraft pitched 7 good innings tonight, and the bullpen was lightly used. Probably more important to the team than getting 10 strikeouts, although that was nice.
So they are actually in pretty good shape for this freaky double header tomorrow.
Bell actually handled the pitching perfect for a change. Marte isn’t very smooth at 3rd, hoping it’s just MLB call-up jitters. He makes me nervous already defensively, hoping it improves ASAP. Tonight was a gift thanks to the brutal E on their 1st baseman, maybe that will kick start the Reds.
I thought he was a little lackadaisical after he booted that grounder, as well. Cincinnati fans will forgive just about anything except not hustling.
Moustakas and Drury – of course – exReds. Ashcraft and relievers great – 3 runs total. Offense? 3 unearned runs gets the win, with 7 hits, and 12 K’s. Good enough tonight, but…
Yikes, 12 Ks
Again…
Yes…this is concerning.
Moose had three of his worst seasons in Cincinnati. His BA is 62 points higher than his last season in Red. That just doesn’t make sense in a hitter’s park.
Last year I made a comment a few times (which some people scoffed at for reasons I never understood), that Moose might show up to camp in better shape this year because he might be interested in signing another major league contract. I think that’s what happened.
I don’t know what might be going on in his life, so maybe I shouldn’t judge, but I really have no respect for him at all. I feel like he basically stole about $40 million from this organization, which really means he stole $40 million from the fans.
He was in the middle of a guaranteed contract then. Now he’s playing on the last year of that one, so he’s motivated for his next one. Just saying…..some players roll like that, unfortunately.
He sure didn’t look like he tried hard when he was here, or cared for that matter.
Moose was fat and out of shape in Cincinnati.
Ashcraft turned a potential disaster into a great game. Awesome job.
The turnaround of Ashcraft, in my book, is a true sign of grit which used to be a Cardinal thing, but not this season, as the Reds make their move toward the Playoffs.
Friedl is really playing well and looks great at lead off. Play him every day at lead off regardless of RH or LH pitching.
A good idea, Tim, but can handiness be sidelined?
Some people on here think he is a fourth outfielder. SMH
He will be once the Reds trade for Trout, Betts, and Acuna
With Steer moving to the OF, Friedl is probably the 4th OF, at least when it comes to offense. Benson .855 OPS, Fraley .813 OPS, Steer .812 OPS, Friedl .777 OPS.
Friedl has the edge on the defensive side of things though. Overall he’s a good player.
I also agree that the top of the lineup shouldn’t be juggled because of matchups.
Im a firm believer you need 4 every day outfielders each year. With handedness, injuries, a 162 game schedule, the defensive importance of a quality center fielder, plus the DH, 4 good outfielders are a must, preferably (2) lefties and (2) righties.
Doug is the guru on minors and others know far more than I, but it looks like the Reds move of Rece Hinds several years ago to the OF may be paying off. I dont know if he is a good defensive RF or not, but he is having a strong second half and a power hitting RF would be a strong add to this team by next summer.
I love the energy and the small things that Friedl brings to the team, but his OPS over the past 2 weeks is .616, and over the past month is .692. EDLC (!) has more than double his walks over the past month (9 to 4.) His second half performance has tempered my expectations.
I do think he would be an ideal 9 hitter (and 4th OF) on title aspiring team. The Reds have no one better at the moment, but I’m not sure TJ Freidl should block them from trying to find a better leadoff option in 2024.
Freidl hustles, and playing CF can be fatiguing, to say the least.
Freidl might just be a little worn down from playing a lot of games, innings. That might explain his hitting slump….but the Reds as a whole have not been hitting that well since the All- Star break.
Every player goes through hot and cold streaks, but the really good players have shorter cold streaks and longer hot streaks. Freidl has not been a regular that long.
I agree with your assessment of Friedl. From his 1st game appearance in June to the present his BA/OBP/SLG/OPS line is .245/.316/.402/.718. His OPS would fall into the 90th percentile range.
Somewhere in Bell’s allegiance to platoon baseball, it gets lost that 486 man games are needed to cover the OF during an MLB season. A traditional “4th OF” even on a contending team is going to get 100 starts and appear in even more games. These guys are NOT bench players.
oops I got my numbers and percentiles turned around. Friedl’s OPS+ since June is around 90 which means the OPS is around the *40th* percentile, i.e. about 10% below the MLB average.
Bell used the wrong batting order and forgot to pinch run in an obvious pinch run situation, but I think he actually did a nice job handling the pitching today. He probably took Ashcraft out at the right time. Not too soon, not too late. The most impressive thing he did was to have Sims warm up and NOT use him. That must have been an epic internal struggle. Ohtani was due up third, so he wanted Moll in the game for that, but Sims is supposed to be the 8th inning guy. What to do?! Ultimately, handedness won the day, and in this case it was probably the better choice. Hooray for Bell! Give him another three years!
“Hooray for Bell! Give him another three years!”
Yikes!!!
It’s possible I’ll change my mind about that as soon as I see Votto hitting 5th and Benson hitting 8th again.
So 6 years more then?
I say make Sums the 12th inning guy
Sims
+500
He did use Gibault for 1 out after Moll got 3 of 4 guys out.
Marte dove and tipped the ball Trout hit when Elly was directly behind him waiting for it. Infield hit.
Didn’t need Gibault IMO, but it worked out.
Ugly win, and more that the Angels gave it away, but a win nonetheless.
Even with giving up 3 solo homeruns Ashcraft was dominate, and made the difference in this one. Bell’s call to bring in Moll in the 8th to eventually face Ohanti was right on. The Reds are hustling and playing hard, and a little luck always helps. Too early to say if the Reds have got IT back. We need this series. (Loved the bunt base hit by Friedl.)
We miss Gallen in Arizona. We’ve been very lucky this year with missing aces. Split today and get 4 in Arizona-SF. They’d atleast still be in the race and could come home & get ready for the Cubs. I guess they’re rolling with Kennedy now and maybe Richardson here and there
It’s the “Non-Aces” that become Cy Young reincarnated that have give the Reds the most trouble this season!
“given” NOT “give”
Dennis, I am convinced the purpose of auto editors and spelling correctors is to make us all “sound” like 6th graders 😉
Nice! Some clutch hitting. Ashcraft held it together – home runs with no one on base can usually be overcome. And the bullpen was lights out.
It’s gonna be painful watching marte develop against major league players. He’s got a long way to go. I’m not sure we wouldn’t be better off with matt Reynolds being called up. But that would require a 40 man spot.
That’s a pretty good lineup the angels have – but they haven’t been together much.
As excited as I am for Marte making it to the Reds, I think you might be right. I’m not sure he makes the Reds better today. I saw him maybe as a September call up, but in a reserve role to get his feet wet.
much needed win but still concerned about the offense 2 of the 4 runs were a gift and there were very few hard hit balls, Votto had a cheap hit but really looked awful. Good luck today vs Ohtani, hoping for a split.
Cubbies are scary. What a comeback year for them
They have a nice club with a good blend of vets and youngsters. But what I really liked was their GM turning his nose up at a prospect haul for Bellinger and Stroman when they were sitting at 500 and 5 games out on August 1. And then trading prospects to the Nats for a 3B addition. Put that in the context of some other rebuilding team who was in first place and did nothing. They put a beat down on us in Chicago and I can’t wait for the revenge at GABP over Labor Day weekend.
In the short term this may work out. They will make the playoffs, but will most likely be ran out of town by the Dodgers and Braves. They have a nice young core that they could have really added to with trading Stroman and Bellinger.
With that said, I am not saying either way is right. Just saying, is making the playoffs and being ran out of town (2020 Reds) the right gamble for potentially closing your window of competition earlier and starting another rebuild, which is what small market teams have to do now with massive payroll discrepancies in today’s game.
these past 3 games reflect the future of the reds. we score 3 runs at home, 4 runs on the road. the pitching and defense and base running has to be near perfect for us to win at home. maybe a little more leeway on the road but still has to be good.
If everything goes right, we hover above .500 and sneak in to a wild card spot. if things don’t go right we compete with the pirates for 100 losses.
get your antacids and tums ready. got a feeling this brand of baseball will cause us fans some big time ulcers.
On way home from Dayton Dragons game last night, I listened to the beginning of the Reds game on the car radio. None of the Reds broadcaster seem willing to criticize Votto in any way. But Brantley commented that Joe appeared to be selling out to the fast ball that he can drive for power but that he has been unable to adjust for the off-speed stuff making for soft contact. Thinking about it that is exactly what we see on a nightly basis.
In the one AB I saw, he was painful to watch (again). Sadly, a 1-for-4 night actually raises his average and stats … 😮
No doubt he is cheating on the fastball because he has to now at his age.The only value he brings is if he bangs with doubles and homers.Its just the way it is and it will not change.Reds will not set him down, reduce his playing time,and he will not do either on his own.I don’t like it but I get it and all of us have seen it many times as players wind down their careers.Wille Mays comes to mind as he finished his career I believe with the Mets.It was sad to watch him just as it is sad to watch Joey.Hope the Reds are thinking about that cause he deserves a night at home to celebrate what he has done.Just hope it happens this year.
The problem is relying on the player to realize it’s over. Joey, like the most has a lot of pride and I don’t blame him, he should, but he will be the last one to know when it’s over. I can’t see him leaving the game unless they push him out. Hope I’m wrong.
Joey, just like David Bell is a sacred cow. He will not be shown the door until he decides it’s time to exit. Just the way it is. Please do not be surprised if they pick up his full option either. The Reds are not as cheap as many think. They have the poorest owners in major-league baseball but I believe they would be ashamed not to pay him his full wages for 2024 season. Again I hope I’m wrong.
@Pete>>> If Joe Morgan were still with us, he’d be the guy to put in a room alone with JoeyV to talk about when it is time to hang up the spikes. Sadly that isn’t possible. Bench did a pretty good job of figuring out when he wasn’t able to play like Johnny Bench anymore. Maybe he or Larkin could be the ones.
@jim I think this idea has merit. It’s got to be one of the toughest jobs and all the sports. Votto has been nothing but a classy guy, good citizen, and teammate. It’s gonna be very hard to see him go no question about it. Right now I know many of us are frustrated, understandably so, but it’s going to hurt.
It would probably be wise for the Castellini’s to let Nick Krall handle the decision making and how it is executed. I believe he would handle it in a proper and classy manner. Just maybe he will be taking you up on your suggestion. Again, is a great suggestion. As an aside, it’s a shame Ted Williams isn’t around to help. That guy knew how to make an exit.
Just curious. What player on the bench on a nightly basis should start over Votto? Yes, Votto is nothing like Votto of old, but tell us who is better off of that bench in his place? Newman, one of our catchers, one of the new outfielders from AAA? Who?
Johnny Bench should have retired after the 1980 season. He was pretty miserable from 1981 until he finally retired in 1983. So, I wouldn’t say he retired gracefully.
Actually, Bench’s last decent season was all the way back in 1977. He played 6 more seasons after that. He had an oK season in 1981 , but that was the strike Shortened Season. Bench’s true value was as a catcher. When they approached him to move to 3B he should have retired.
I only watched through the one 4M hit “over the line”. I had planned on checking out and heading for bed anyway. I’ll admit, I was pleasantly surprised when I saw the score this morning. I’ll go watch some highlights shortly.
7 from Ashcraft was a huge thing. Getting Ohtani out of his comfort zone of hitting HR’s was also pretty good to see.
Winning provides a cure for multiple ills. That’s a principle that doesn’t change.
Oh, and the points about 4M looking in far better shape than the version we saw last season are spot on. Funny what wanting to “play for next season” can do for you, even if you are making a truckload of money regardless this season.
I was at the game last night with Reds garb on. I booed Moose loudly the first time he came up. Semi-drunk Angels fan asked why. I said, “Because we’re paying him 16 million to hit for you.” He wanted to know why we cut him. “Because he’s an out-of-shape, non-productive player. We call him Lardass.” Moose promptly hits a home run and the guy stands and screams, “WAY TO GO, LARDASS!!” 🙂
That is FREAKING HILLARIOUS!!!
+1,000 to that guy and another +1,000 to you!
Unless you are Sumo Wrestler or an Offensive Lineman there is no excuse for being fat and out of shape while making millions. It’s a slap in the face to the team and fans IMO
My favorite park of the Moneyball movie when Beane tells David Justice how much the Yankees are paying for him not to play for them.
I do like the Angel fan’s comeback though.
This is what a MLB quality SP looks like. Gets behind early but guts it out and gets the win. Cueto did this so many times for the Reds in the past. Hunter Greene has great stuff but I am feeling like we extended the wrong guy. And yes I remember how much Ashcraft struggles earlier this season but so did Luis Castillo. For almost half a year Castillo was the worst pitcher in baseball before turning it around. Let’s se how Hunter bouncing back but God he looked awful last game..
Just watched our half of the 5th and then their half of the 9th. Definitely took advantage of what they gave us and then held it together for the win. That’s the kind of ball I want to see consistently.
Back at it soon, though I’ve got meetings and then the 2nd game is past my bedtime.
Line up out, Votto batting 5th against Ohtani that will be interesting. Martini in the line up, man Senzel and Barrero must really be in the dog house. They will both be traded, for sure. Bell starting 4 lefties against a left handed pitcher, that must be killing him.
Ohtani is righthanded when pitching and bats left. Here is the lineup.
Friedl – cf
McLain – 2b
De La Cruz – 3b
Steer – 3b
Votto – dh
CES – 1b
Martini – lf
Benson – rf
Maile – c
My mistake i forgot, still don’t like him batting 5th.
I may take some flak for this, but trotting him out there over and over and over like this is maddening … and then it’s just plain sad.
So who on this team that doesn’t normally start should play instead of Votto?
At the moment he should just be moved down in the order while he’s hitting this bad. Benson is being wasted for the most part sandwiched in between some of our worst hitters in the lineup.
Senzel and Barrero are done even though most would rather see them up here then Siani and Martini.Krall has never been afraid to let is know where he stands on players.He is sorting things out for next year.Works for me.
I nominate NIck Martini to be this generation’s Hal King. For the Reds to really close strong we will probably need a couple of unexpected heroes. Let’s start the trend today.
+1,000
I just sent this text to someone: “Watching Votto’s at-bats last night was like watching a wounded animal trying to figure out what to do with a baseball bat. Sad and hard to watch. Maybe today he’ll hit some home runs but I don’t think so.”
Bell is absolutely not ready to be a major league manager. Whether it’s stubbornness or stupidity or fear or a desire to be liked, he simply isn’t prepared to make the kinds of tough decisions managers need to make. It’s especially problematic given the fact that the Reds will never be able to go rent a bunch of superstars, so the manager’s decisions are quite likely to make a pretty significant difference.
HDTBell is officially down to #60 (out of 30) on my list of MLB Field Managers
Just saw where Bellinger singled in 2 with 2 outs to put the Cubs up 3-0 early against the Tigers.Old man here but still struggle with pitching to a guy like him when he can do damage.Surely they go over with the pitchers players on the other team that you just can’t let beat you yet they pitch to them and they do.Reds never get the memo on that at times as well.I seem to remember the Reds allowing Thomas and that other kid on the Nats to do it in the last home stand.May have happened more then once in that series.Suzuki followed Bellinger today so why on earth pitch to Bellinger.Just something to think about.
Yes, that’s what most teams do; they get burned by the best hitter on the other team. That’s why the best hitter on the other team has the best numbers.
Gordon wittenmyer enquirer reporter is becoming the mouthpiece for Scott Boras clients
Hes the one who did the Senzel
Story that blew up. Hes the one that did the India story criticizing reds medical staff and now hes reporting again India great and a return is in play before labor day weekend. He even quotes Scott Boras. Why do we need Scott Boras quoted talking about Reds in -season baseball in a playoff race?
Its beginning to seem like reds ownership and FO are fighting a proxy war with Boras and wittenmyer is Boras’ first lieutenant and Senzel and India and Reds team chemistry are the collateral
Sounds like this Wittenmyer fella is doing his job as a reporter; tough to find guys like that this day and age. Do you want Wittenmyer to break stories, or would you just rather him feed us the same drivel that the organization actually props up on a daily basis?
He’s got every right to do his job as he sees fit but the reds have every right to treat him in any manner that they see fit, fair is fair. I guess one man’s cancer is another man’s entertainment. But I am not amused by this in the least.
Chris +1,000,000+
Be a journalist and ask the tough questions for sure. Being Scott Boras first lieutenant is quite another. Scott Boras has zero interest in Reds winning baseball in August. Hes using his power to advance his clients interests always, which can be, and in this case, is, a detriment to the Reds clubhouse.
Totally agree and it’s come to ahead. The new writer needs to be barred from interacting with Reds players. He and Boras are obviously undermining team chemistry.
I really hate to do this, and normally never do about any player. But the Reds have given a Nick Senzel every opportunity, he has been a complete flop as a number one draft pick, has been often injured. He has never been helpful to the success of this team and probably should’ve been booted well before now. He should be very grateful for the opportunity they gave him and kept his mouth shut, and tell his agent to do the same.
Why shouldn’t Wittenmyer tell the entire story? That’s his job in the best tradition of the guys who have covered the Reds down through the years.
Does anyone really believe that the players wouldn’t know this stuff if Wittenmyer didn’t write it? Be real, this would be office “water cooler” conversation among the players whether or not it was ever published for the public at large. If the beloved “team chemistry” is being impacted, that would be going on whether or not this was published. Knowing the back story just gives wings to what many of suspected, that something was going on behind the curtains.
Yep. Things are quite as rosy in lala land as we are made to believe. I think that’s the ONLY thing that makes David Bell nervous about his job.
@ Jim, Wittenmyer isnt telling the entire story. Hes telling Scott Boras’ side of the story and it seems Boras wanted Senzel traded and if no one wanted Senzel ,that not Kralls fault or the Reds fault. Boras doesnt get to order front office’s around during a playoff run. Now that Senzel has been banished to Siberia, Boras is fighting a proxy war and coming in from a different flank and now utilizing India to attack the Reds since Senzel has zero leverage and India is fully on board. Not India’s job or Wittenmyers job to be agents of Scott Boras. India is paid to play baseball. Wittenmyer is trying to be provocative and generate clicks.
@o-s unless there’s some type of human rights offenses, the Reds should be able to retaliate against infiltration anywhere as they see fit in my opinion. From what I’ve seen on the Internet it does sound like this particular writer is a representative of Scott Boris and doing his bidding. If that is the case, he should be treated as such. Not saying that his job should be limited, but the Reds have every right to limit his job as far as their interaction goes. I have an allegiance to the Cincinnati Reds, I don’t have an allegiance to any ballplayer or their agents. That’s my bottom line.
@OS, As Bob Trumpy used to say, I’ll bet you a hot fudge sundae that Boras and Senzel left that meeting thinking everyone was on the same page, that page being that Senzel was going to be dealt.
Only Krall, Bell, Senzel, and Boras can say whether someone in that meeting acted in an intentionally misleading way. However, if things were in good faith Krall owed Boras a heads up when a decision was made not to move Senzel. But of course, if the Reds had been in touch with Boras, he would have asked them about specific situations he was aware of where they probably could send Senzel.
In addition to Senzel and India, Boras is also the agent for DeLaCruz and McLain. It seems to me to be very short sighted to pick a fight with the agent of your top two rookies and the 2021 NL Rookie of the year over a failed #2 draft choice who just wants to get out of Dodge. But then this is the Reds organization.
Here is Boras talking to Cincinnati(.)com 3 days ahead of the deadline. About Senzel he says, “I’m sure there are a lot of teams looking at him (Senzel)”. An agent does not go on the record like that unless he believes the team is shopping the player and wants his help in getting a deal done.
https://www.cincinnati.com/story/sports/mlb/reds/2023/07/29/a-qa-with-mlb-agent-scott-boras-on-his-reds-clients/70491076007/
Note that this story was written by Charlie Goldsmith and not Wittenmyer.
@ Pete. We dont know. But it’s obvious Boras is interjecting himself and using his power and his relationship with Wittenmyer – as if he is Senzel’s Dad and India’s Dad- and trying to interrupt the normal order of competition.
Senzel has been passed up and isnt worthy of a roster spot. Boras sees this and is trying everything to find a lifeline for Senzel. I love India but he was injured and had a poor year last year and while his first half this year was great, he is being passed up by McLain as the 2b and it’s not close. India has been irrelevant since June 15th. Boras sees this and sees the train of rookies being promoted and is using every weapon in his arsenal to preserve his clients value- as he sees their stock in free fall. Thats what this is about and should NOT happen in the middle of a playoff race. Boras interjecting himself into the Reds season to save his clients plummeting value is despicable.
In youth baseball….its called Daddy ball and Boras is playing Daddy ball for Senzel and India.