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The Joe Nuxhall Memorial Honorary Star of the Game
Eugenio Suarez doubled in a run and launched the first dinger of his 2017 campaign in Saturday's loss to the St. Louis Cardinals, the 422 foot homer coming as the last run for the Cincinnati Reds in an otherwise rough outing for most everyone on the day.
Suarez is fresh of a 20 homer season, is still a pre-arb 25 year old with a plus glove at 3B, can cover shortstop for a time if need be, yet somehow continually gets lost in the discussion about the future of the Cincinnati infield thanks to the likes of Jose Peraza, Dilson Herrera, Nick Senzel, and the like. Suarez seems out to prove he's a job holder - not just a placeholder - and today's outing was just more evidence for the former.
Honorable Mentions are due to: Zack Cozart, who tripled to continue his torrid start to the season; Joey Votto, who doubled and scored; Tucker Barnhart, who singled, walked, and scored a run; and Wandy Peralta, who again put up zeroes in his 1.1 IP.
Key Plays
- Bronson Arroyo returned to the mound in a Cincinnati uniform in this one, and Aledmys Diaz promptly pooped on his outing by launching a solo homer as the second man up in the Bottom of the 1st to put St. Louis ahead early. Matt Adams scored three batters later on a Yadier Molina double, and the Reds were in an early hole, 2-0.
- Suarez's double in the Top of the 4th plated Votto to inch the Reds back within a lone run, but the Bottom of the 4th kicked ol' Saturn Nuts in the...well, y'know. Jedd Gyorko cranked a 1-out double and scored two batters later when pitcher Michael Wacha singled him in, and after Dexter Fowler took a walk Diaz launched his second homer of the day, a 3-run jack the put the Reds effectively down for the day. Reds trailed, 6-1.
- Robert Stephenson opened the Bottom of the 6th thusly: walk, single, walk, walk, and a later 2-run single by Gyorko after back to back K's plated the Cards' second run of the inning to leave Cincinnati in an 9-1 hole.
- After that, an oofy inning from Drew Storen added St. Louis' 10th run of the game in the Bottom of the 8th before Suarez wrapped the scoring in the Top of the 9th, and that was that. Reds lost, 10-4.
Source: FanGraphs
- Arroyo joined the roster earlier in the day after the Reds elected to option Barrett Astin to AAA Louisville.
- Somewhat related: I'm pretty sure they optioned the wrong rookie pitcher to the minors.
- Bronson's final line in his first big league start since 2014: 4 IP, 6 H, 6 ER, 3 BB, 3 K, 75 pitches. Welcome to the Reboot.
- Somewhat related to the last two Other Notes: Robert Stephenson finished his day having thrown 1.2 innings, allowing 2 hits and 3 earned runs, thanks largely to 6 walks against 4 strikeouts. He needed 59 pitches to get 'through' those 1.2 innings. Yikes.
- The Reds opted to rest both Billy Hamilton and Jose Peraza to begin this game, which left Scooter Gennett and Arismendy Alcantara in the lineup hitting 1st and 2nd, for some reason. They combined to go 0 for 8 with 4 Ks in front of Votto.
- St. Louis, on the other hand, rolled out Dexter Fowler and Aledmys Diaz hitting 1-2 in their lineup. Those two combined to go 4 for 9 with 5 runs scored, a pair of dingers, and 4 runs batted in. Hit your best players at the top of the lineup, folks.
- Opening Day Starter (™) Scott Feldman will go again for the Reds on Sunday in the rubber match of the series. He'll be opposed by Carlos Martinez in what can only be described as a minor, minor mismatch, and first pitch will get tossed around 2:15 PM ET.
- Tunes.