NERTS are Never Enough; Reds lose 4-3

The Joe Nuxhall Memorial Honorary Star of the Game

Brayan Pena went 2-4 with two solo Bronx Bombs. That short leftfield porch is a goldmine for a guy like Pena who just sells out for dingers from the leftside, and he made it worthwhile and kept the Reds in the game.

Zack Cozart and Chris Heisey also both went 2-4. Good for them.

Key Plays

• Brett Gardner led off the bottom of the first on base, and stole second after Leake took a long stroll towards throwing the ball home. A couple dudes later, Brian McCann doubled him home. Yanks up 1-0.
• Brayan Pena pulled one down the rightfield line for a solo homer to lead off the 3rd. 1-1!
• In the bottom of the third, Jeter got onboard on a seeing-eye-as-heck single, and Ellsbury followed that up with another single. Leake was able to buckle down and strike out Texiera and get McCann to lineout, but a Beltran single brought home Jeter (a better throw by Hamilton might've gotten him). The Yanks then double stole, but Suzuki grounded out to end the threat with NY up 2-1.
• The fourth was pretty similar, starting with a single by Cozart and a botched play by Brian Roberts, who is still alive, to allow Frazier aboard. Bruce grounded to the right side to move over the runners, and Mesoraco reached on a fielding error by Jeter. That tied the score, but with runners on first and second Ludwick struck out and Pena flied out. Reds tied it at 2.
• After a(nother) Jeter seeing-eye single in the 5th, Ellsbury brought him home with a homer. That's why it's called a homer. Maybe. Anyways, 4-2 Yankees.
• Brayan Pena pulled another homerun in the 7th, because he loves this park. Heisey then singled, but nothing else happened as the Reds got Betences'd. 4-3.
• In the eighth inning, the Reds also got Betances'd. It was my first time watching him pitch, and I don't think I'll sleep at night.
• Heisey got onboard in the ninth, but sometimes when it's down to Ramon Santiago, it's down to Ramon Santiago.

Fangraph

Source: FanGraphs

Other Notes

• With two outs and a runner on first in the ninth inning, down by one, there were grumblings from some of the Reporters for Price to pinch-hit Lutz. It's a pretty tempting argument, since the best shot the Reds really have there is to turn a Robertson mistake over the short rightfield wall. And Santiago, bless his heart, is not the type to be smacking mistake pitches 330 feet in the air.
• It was a real flat, dead-like environment for whatever reason tonight. Not on RR, y'all were great, but the game itself was pretty whatevs.
• This conversation, that my friend posted on Facebook, is pretty hilarious imho.
• Tomorrow's game is at 1:10 p.m. ET, as Alfredo Simon faces Brandon McCarthy. I like McCarthy in general, but not tomorrow.
• The best Cat Power song. Spooky and good for a subtle July night.
• On the complete opposite side of the spectrum, I've had this jam stuck in my head all evening.