The Reds scored some runs. The Yankees scored a lot more.

The Joe Nuxhall Memorial Honorary Star of the Game

Joey Votto singled twice, walked twice, and scored a run, and while he was charged with a throwing error on defense that eventually led to a run, that wasn’t really even his fault. Considering how he’s struggled since coming out of the All Star break, here’s to hoping today’s outing is the first step towards him having yet another mammoth second half of a season.

Honorable Mentions are due to: Adam Duvall, who snuck a 3-run homer inside the RF foul pole; and Rob Manfred, who scheduled this as a day game so we didn’t have to spend an evening throwing remotes at the TV for it.

Key Plays

• New York scratched the scoreboard in the Bottom of the 3rd off Bailey, and did so by stringing together a series of 2-out singles. Former Cincinnati farmhad Ronald Torreyes began things with a single into CF, and he moved up to 2B on an infield single by Brett Gardner. Rookie Clint Frazier then dumped a single into RF, and Torreyes motored home to put the Reds behind, 1-0.
• The Bottom of the 5th will give you some deja vu, so be warned. With 2-outs, Torreyes dumped a single into RF, and he moved up to 2B on a single by Gardner. Rookie Clint Frazier then singled into LF, and Torreyes motored home to put the Reds behind, 2-0.
• The Yankees tacked on another run in the Bottom of the 6th thanks to some booger defense from Jose Peraza at SS. He side-armed a throw on a Gregorius grounder into the dugout to put a runner on 2B, and Didi scored a batter later on Chase Headley’s RBI single into CF. The bases were later loaded when an attempt to get an out at 2B went awry when Peraza came off the bag early, and that took an out off the board that allowed Headley to score on a 6-3 groundout later in the inning. Reds trailed, 4-0.
• Scott Schebler reached on an error to begin the Top of the 7th, as Gregorius booted what appeared to be a routine grounder. That set the stage for Cincinnati’s initial run, as he motored around to score on Suarez’s double down the LF line. Suarez later took 3B on a Severino wild pitch, which proved large as he was then able to score on a productive groundout to 1B by Tucker Barnhart. Reds trailed, 4-2.
• Bailey pitched into the Bottom of the 7th, though it didn’t exactly go well for him. He walked Clint Frazier to begin the inning, and Frazier came all the way around to score on a double into the LF corner by Gary Sanchez. Sanchez took 3B on the throw home, and he then scored on a single by Matt Holliday that ended Homer’s day. Tony Cingrani then took over and promptly allowed a 2-run blast to Gregorius on the first pitch he threw. Reds trailed, 8-2.
• Damnit, I knew I shouldn’t have closed that Key Play that early. Cingrani served up a solo homer to Todd Frazier in the Bottom of the 7th, too, because of course. Red trailed, 9-2.
• Duvall’s 3-run shot off Luis Cessa in the Top of the 8th came after Scooter Gennett took 1B after his strikeout pitch trickled away and after Votto took his second walk of the game, and it inched the Reds a bit closer as they trailed 9-5.
• The back of New York’s bullpen is absurdly good. Reds lost, 9-5.

Tony Graphanino

Other Notes

• Homer Bailey was good in this one right up until he completely wasn’t. He’d allowed just 2 ER through his 6 IP, pitching around some poor defense behind him that had led directly to a pair of unearned runs. He was pitch efficient, too, which was reflected in the fact that he neither walked nor struck out a batter through those 6 IP. Unfortunately, he couldn’t replicate that in the 7th inning, and allowed another 2 ER before exiting - and the runner he left on 1B would score on a dinger surrendered by Tony Cingrani. His final line: 6+ IP, 10 H, 7 R (5 ER), BB, 0 K on 96 pitches. Not the best outing in the world, but considering his fastball routinely sat at 95-96 mph, I’d say it’s another step in the right direction for him in his comeback.
• We’d heard previously that Dilson Herrera’s balky shoulder would likely sideline him for the rest of the 2017 season, but that became official today when the Reds announced he’d undergo arthroscopic surgery to fix what’s ailing him. Dang.
• Speaking of crap injury news, Zack Cozart was again out of the lineup today after apparently aggravating his balky quad issue in last night’s pinch-hit appearance. That sucks on a number of levels, specifically with the trade deadline just days away, as ARF detailed for you earlier today. Double dang.
• The Reds will fly from New York to Miami to probably lose to the Marlins over the weekend. Robert Stephenson will start in the first game of the series on Friday night, where he’ll be opposed by lefty Chris O’Grady. O’Grady, you’ll recall, was actually on the Reds early last year after being plucked in the Rule 5 Draft from the Angels organization, but he was returned to LA after not sticking in Cincinnati. So, look for him to throw his first career perfect game tomorrow. Game time is set for 7:10 PM ET.
• Tunes.