Reds Lineup Powers Past Brewers 7-5

The Joe Nuxhall Memorial Honorary Star of the Game

I don’t know. I guess I’m gonna go with Scott Schebler. Schebler was 2 for 4 with a dinger and a walk, but this really could have went to a couple other guys in the lineup. I wanna give him some props because he’s had some bad luck to start the year.

Honorable Mention: Joey Votto who was 1 for 3 with double, two walks, and a run scored. Scooter Gennett who was 2 for 4 with a double, run scored, and 2 RBI. Zach Cozart who was 2 for 3 with a walk, triple, and 2 runs scored. Robert Stephenson for picking up Finnegan and giving up only 1 run and striking out 5. Drew Storen for pitching 1.1 scoreless, and Mikey Lorenzen for locking down his first save of the year.

Key Plays

• Scooter Gennett is playing in LF instead of Jesse Winker. They both hit left handed, and Scooter Gennett wasn’t good enough to be the Brewers’ second baseman or sit on their bench for $2,000,000.
• The one thing we all fear about Brandon Finnegan reared its ugly head in the first inning. Finnegan was all over the place and walked the first two batters that he faced. Ryan Braun helped out Finnegan with a sucky at bat and popping out. Then, Finnegan picked Villar off second base (with the help of a great block by Peraza). There was another walk, and then Hernan Perez turned a flat changeup on the outside corner of the plate into a flyball over Billy Hamilton’s head who was playing super shallow. He’d finally finish the inning with a strikeout. But, here is the thing. Walks are bad. Stop walking batters. Brewers lead, 2-0.
• So, Robert Stephenson came into the game in the 2nd for Brandon Finnegan. We’ll see what this is all about. He looked healthy. It might be Price saying if you don’t throw strikes that you don’t pitch. Stephenson did walk a guy but didn’t give up any runs.
• Scott Schebler made loud noises in his first at bat. He fouled one off deep to right field, and then worked the count to 3-2 and worked an 11th pitch at bat. The 11th pitch snuck over the wall to cut the lead in half. Suarez then Heeny’d a pitch into the right field corner for a double. Cozart came to the plate and crushed a ball against the wall in center field to score Suarez. Barnfart hit a slow roller to 1st, which was misplayed by the first baseman, but whomever plays 2B for the Brewers (which isn’t Scooter Gennett who is playing LF for the Reds instead of Jesse Winker) caught Barnfart at first because Barnfart is slow. But, Cozart scored and the Reds retook the lead at 3-2.
• Eric Thames is fucking strong, and he hit solo dinger in the third off of Stephenson. He was super off balance and incredibly early and still it was a no doubter. There was a smash hit single at Suarez and a blooper over Cozart’s head putting runners at first and third. Stephenson figured it out and limited the damage to just Thames’s homer. Game tied, 3-3.
• Stephenson would pitch three innings and gave up the only one run. Raisel Iglesias came in for the 5th and was awesome as usual.
• There was some brief talk of why not using a double switch because Iglesias was leading off the next inning. Apparently, Bryan Price gives zero fucks and neither does Iglesias who lead off the inning by lacing a double into the left centerfield gap. The ball was scalded. Billy Hamilton sacrificed Iglesias to third, someone got on first base, but the threat was squandered and nothing happened. Game tied, 3-3.
• Iglesias gave up a deep fly ball to Perez, which wasn’t hit hard at all, but the wind caught it and it made it over the fence. They reviewed it for fifteen minutes. It was dumb, and the most GABP home run you’ll ever see. Raisel set down the rest and the Brewers lead, 4-3.
• We found out that Finnegan was actually hurt and has a strained lat. That sounds uncomfortable for a pitcher.
• Suarez decided to pick up his little buddy, Raisel, by hitting a lead off triple into the right field corner. Suarez is kind of good at this baseball thing. Scooter Gennett did what Jesse Winker could have done by bringing in Suarez with line drive single right up the middle. Cozart walked, and there was a Barnfart bunt to move the runners to 2nd and 3rd. Jesse Winker came in as a pinch hitter, because the Reds started a left handed second baseman in LF, and delivered with a 2 RBI bloop double that got past Ryan Braun. JESSE WINKER IS BETTER THAN SCOOTER GENNETT IN EVERY WAY! The Reds lead, 6-4.
• Eric Thames is really fucking strong. He hit a solo tater to center off of Cingrani. The game was 6-5. Cingrani then gave up a double to Braun, and Price brought in Drew Storen who then walked a batter and coerced a liner that Votto made a nice play on. Reds lead, 6-5.
• Joey Votto led off the 7th inning by doubling off the left field wall. It was almost his fourth dinger of the year. Schebler hit a single up the middle of the infield and Votto held at third. Suarez lined out and then Scooter Gennett hit a double past the first baseman. He has 10 RBIs on the year. I’m sure that Winker would have had more. Gennett is making me look stupid. I realize this. Barnfart was intentionally walked, and Drew Storen batted for himself? What? Storen, predictably, stranded the runners with the bases loaded. Reds lead, 7-5.
• Storen shut ‘em down in the 8th.
• Michael Lorenzen came in the 9th inning looking for some retribution and to lock down the save. He walked a batter, committed a balk, but escaped the jam by getting Braun to line out to Schebler. REDS WIN, 7-5!

Tony Graphanino:

Source: FanGraphs

Other Notes:

• This game was kind of weird and felt like it took forever.
• I don’t really hate Scooter Gennett. I just love Jesse Winker.
• Finnegan has a strained lat so we’ll have to see if that means some time on the 10 day DL. Could mean that Sal Romano stays up longer than expected. Bronson Arroyo will also continue to be a thing in 2017.
• Joey Votto looked more like Joey Votto.
• Eugenio Suarez is awesome.
• Eric Thames is a scary man.
• Jesse Winker picked up his first ever MLB hit, and Sal Romano takes the mound in his MLB debut tomorrow. So, you should probably turn on the ‘ol boobtube and watch. No one likes Easter anyway.
• TUNES