Padres 11, Reds 6 - Michael Lorenzen bashed for 7 earned in just 1.1 IP

The Joe Nuxhall Memorial Honorary Star of the Game

Joe Nuxhall was one of the most polite, kind folks I've ever had a chance listen to on a regular basis.

Given the preponderance of awfulness from the Cincinnati Reds in this one and the late, late, late finish thanks to the game being in San Diego, I do believe Joe would've given everyone the opportunity to head to bed a few minutes early after this one.

Had there been someone's job on the line, though, I'm sure Joe would've tracked down Todd Frazier and at least asked him what it felt like to seemingly - hopefully - bust out of the godawful slump he's been in for nearly a month.  Todd blasted his 28th dinger of the season, his 31st double of the season, and added a single in his best night in weeks, and even when you factor in his amazingly awkward error, it made for a night that will surely re-instill some confidence in the Reds' hot-corner man.

Maybe that's not a JNMHSotG trophy, though.  Maybe just a Dusty Baker Honorary High Five, since the former Reds manager was in the park for the game and had a chance to catch up with several of his former dugout mates.

Key Plays

• Billy Hamilton hit into a double play in the Top of the 7th.  If enough hadn't happened prior to that point to emphasize that Tuesday's game was "one of those games," that was the one that wrote it backwards on a Post-It note, stuck it to your forehead, and stuck your face in a mirror.
• To backtrack a smidge, Michael Lorenzen's fastball topped out around 93 mph, and when it did, it came in like a freshly cooked meatball more often than not.  That is, at least for the 1.1 innings he lasted on the mound.  In the shortest outing of his season, Lorenzen allowed 7 ER on 7 hits, again walked more guys than he struck out, and left the #LateNightReds in a hole no team wants to be in at that time of the morning.
• Oh, right.  The plays.  The Padres first 6 runs came sans a dinger, as RBI doubles from Yonder Alonso and Justin Upton backed RBI singles from Austin Hedges and Jedd Gyorko.  Upton's double left things at 6-0 in the Bottom of the 2nd, and Lorenzen finally gave way to Dylan Axelrod, who promptly served up Gyorko's 7th dinger of the season in his first batter.  Reds trailed, 8-0.
• The Reds kicked the ball around in the Bottom of the 3rd, especially when two runs scored on a grounder that Frazier booted at 3B and later saw a botched catch by Ivan De Jesus, Jr. when the SS attempted to cut off the throw from LF.  That left the Reds behind, 11-0.
• Votto & Frazier doubled to put the Reds on the board in the Top of the 4th, Hamilton singled to score Barnhart in the Top of the 5th, and a Skip Schumaker sac fly got the Reds a third run when it scored Hamilton in the Top of the 6th.  They then trailed, 11-3.
• Fast forward to the Top of the 9th, and the Reds' bats at least found a bit of life.  Frazier launched a massive solo dinger, and Jason Bourgeois later launched a 2-run dinger of his own.  Unfortunately, when you've already allowed 11 runs to score, that doesn't really matter.  Reds lost, 11-6.