Rookie Davis roughed up in return from DL, Reds fall to Brewers 9-4

The Joe Nuxhall Memorial Honorary Star of the Game

Scott Schebler's batting average still sits perilously close to the Mendoza line at .203, but his recent swings have sure packed a pile of punch. The Cincinnati Reds RF entered Wednesday's game against the Milwaukee Brewers having homered twice in his last three games, and promptly swatted a pair of homers in this game alone. That ties him for the team lead, and with four in his last four games there's a chance he's heating up the way he did over the latter two months of the 2016 season.

If that's the case, that's another potent bat in the middle of the Reds lineup, one they'll look to lean on to help break out of their current 7 loss in 8 games slump. It's just too bad he can't pitch.

Honorable Mentions are due to: Drew Storen, who fired a perfect 1.2 innings of relief; Joey Votto, who homered; Adam Duvall, who homered, too, and added a walk; and Zack Cozart, who walked twice to bump his team-leading total to 13 on the season.

Key Plays

• Votto got the scoring started in the Top of the 1st, turning around the first offering he saw - an 84 mph changeup - for a 400+ solo homer into the RF stands. Reds led, 1-0.
• Unfortunately, the Bottom of the 1st had to happen, since that’s how baseball works. The Brewers offense proceeded to pummel Rookie Davis early and often, eventually pounding out 7 hits and sending 10 batters to the plate, scoring 5 runs and forcing Davis to throw 34 pitches. Eric Thames merely singled, and shockingly neither Hernan Perez nor Manny Pina conjured up a hit in the rally, as Perez merely drove in a run on a sac fly and Pina wasn’t actually in the lineup. Reds trailed, 5-1.
• A leadoff walk to Thames started the Bottom of the 2nd, and it haunted, of course. A Ryan Braun single moved Thames up a bag, and when the Reds tried to turn a double play on a grounder to Zack Cozart at SS, they got an out at 2B before Jose Peraza’s relay throw went wide of 1B and Thames motored around to score. Red trailed, 6-1.
• Jett Bandy started the Bottom of the 3rd with a single into LF, and that burned when Orlando Arcia smacked an opposite field homer later that inning to drive him in. Reds trailed, 8-1.
• Solo homers from both Duvall and Schebler cut into the Brewers lead in the Top of the 4th, leaving the Reds behind, 8-3.
• Cody Reed took the mound in the Bottom of the 4th, and he was greeted by a single from Hernan Perez (of course). Perez then rolled all the way around the bases to score when Bandy dumped a double into the LF corner. Reds trailed, 9-3.
• Schebler’s second dinger of the day was another opposite field shot, again off Wandy Peralta in the Top of the 6th. That marked the last offense of the day, however, and the Reds lost, 9-4.

Tony Graphanino

Source: FanGraphs

Other Notes

• According to Statcast, Votto’s 1st inning homer was the hardest hit ball by any Reds player in the Statcast era. And he didn’t even need a 100 mph fastball to make that happen.
• Before Cozart’s 8th inning flyout, he owned the best batting average (.400) in all of baseball and was tied for 12th in walks (13). Not a bad way to start a contract year.
• Davis was activated from the 10-day DL in order to make the start today. The Reds freed up a spot on the 25-man roster by optioning Phil Ervin back to AAA Louisville.
• That start obviously didn’t go as planned. Davis’ final line: 2.2 IP, 11 H, 8 R (7 ER), 1 BB, 2 K, on 64 pitches.
• The Reds will have an off-day on Thursday before starting up a weekend series against the Cardinals in St. Louis on Friday night. Tim Adleman is set to start opposite Lance Lynn, with first pitch scheduled for 8:15 PM ET.
• Devin Mesoraco will be activated in time for Friday’s game, and the Reds will carry three catchers and just 7 bullpen arms for the time being, according to The Enquirer’s C. Trent Rosecrans. Given how gassed some of the bullpen arms after the spate of short outings from starters, that’ll be interesting to watch sort itself out, as will the roster moves made in the process.
• Tunes.