Reds lose Adleman after just an inning, get pounded by Giants 8-3 in series finale

The Joe Nuxhall Memorial Honorary Star of the Game

Ol’ Nuxy would’ve likely just tipped his cap to the San Francisco Giants, bid the Bay adieu, and motored on over to catch his flight back east after this one. It was a drubbing, and while a few Reds had OK days, nary a one truly distinguished themselves.

After 18 bullpen innings between Friday’s game and today’s, nobody would blame him - heck, all parts of the Cincinnati squad looked like they needed Monday’s off-day today.

Honorable Mentions are due to: Joey Votto, who doubled and singled on his 2 for 4 day; Tucker Barnhart, who doubled, scored, and drove in a run; Jose Peraza, who singled, tripled and scored; Raisel Iglesias, who K’d a pair in a perfect inning of relief; and Scooter Gennett, who drove in two.

Key Plays

• Cincinnati started this awful afternoon with Scott Schebler calling off Billy Hamilton on a Denard Span fly ball into right-center only to have it clunk in for an error. Dang. That burned immediately when Joe Panik doubled Span in, and Buster Posey later drove in Panik with an RBI single of his own. Tim Adleman then walked Brandon Crawford and Christian Arroyo back to back, just before Eduardo Nunez bonked a 2-run single to leave the Reds behind, 4-0.
• Adleman left the game after just 1 IP, reportedly with tightness in his neck.
• Barrett Astin took over for Adleman and got knocked around almost as hard. Span greeted him with a triple off the wall 800 feet away in San Francisco’s CF, and he scored a batter later on a sac fly. A walk to Brandon Belt and Posey being doinked by a pitch then set the table for Brandon Crawford’s 2-ribbie double, and the Reds trailed, 7-0.
• The Reds finally put a crooked number on the board in the Top of the 5th, plating a pair on Gennett’s single after Devin Mesoraco had singled and moved to 3B on Barnhart’s double. Reds trailed, 7-2.
• Brandon Belt dingered in the Bottom of the 6th to put the Giants back on top 8-2, but Peraza’s triple in the Top of the 7th got that run back for the Reds when Barnhart brought him in with a sac fly. After that, however, the scoring shut down, and the Reds left town with an 8-3 loss.

Tony Graphanino

Other Notes

• If Adleman’s tight neck proves to be anything other than a day to day issue, the Cincinnati pitching staff just might have to give Bryan Price a start or four.
• Votto’s double was the 319th of his Reds career, which moved him past Frank Robinson into 7th place on Cincinnati’s all-time list.
• ICYMI, Joey Votto is amazing at baseball.
• The Reds will have an off-day on Monday after travelling back east from the left coast.
• On Tuesday, they’ll tangle with the Chicago Cubs for the first of three games at Wrigley Field, with Bronson Arroyo set to start opposite John Lackey in a matchup of two of the oldest damn players in all MLB. First pitch is scheduled for 8:05 PM ET.
• Tunes.