Reds have day off tomorrow, took day off on Sunday in 8-1 loss in Atlanta

The Joe Nuxhall Memorial Honorary Star of the Game

Tucker Barnhart singled and walked twice, reaching base 3 times in a game where the Cincinnati Reds got thoroughly walloped. Well played, Tuck, even if some of that came due to hitting in front of the pitcher’s spot. Stats are stats, after all.

Honorable Mentions are due to: Luis Castillo, who wasn’t great, but certainly wasn’t bad in allowing 2 ER on 4 hits and 2 walks in his 4 IP (he struck out 8, but needed 90 pitches to do so); Phil Ervin, who singled in the lone Cincinnati run in his lone PA; and each of Jose Peraza, Eugenio Suarez, and Billy Hamilton, who had similar 1 for 4, BB batting lines.

Key Plays

• It took until a 2-out rally in the Bottom of the 3rd for Atlanta to finally break the 0-0 tie, and it came in the form of a trio of hits from Brandon Phillips, Freddie Freeman, and Nick Markakis - a pair of singles before Markakis clubbed a double to score them both. Reds trailed, 2-0.
• Drew Storen took over for Castillo for the Bottom of the 5th due to Castillo having thrown 90 pitches. Unfortunately, the only thing Storen did successfully was to obliterate any chance of another team wanting to trade for him before the end of the month deadline. He allowed a single and a ground-rule double on his first two pitches, and after the team opted to walk Markakis to load the bases (and set up a potential double play), Storen hurled a meatball to Tyler Flowers that got hit a million miles for a grand slam. Ozzie Albies then dumped a “triple” into LF that Adam Duvall pretty well misplayed, and Albies scored when Dansby Swanson singled into LF. Storen then walked Lane Adams why are you still reading this don’t do that to yourself it’s nice outside go check it out climb a mountain or dive in a lake or something before Brandon Phillips laced a single into RF that scored another run. Reds trailed, 8-0.
• Cincinnati got their run in the Top of the 9th when Ervin singled in his lone PA, as it scored Peraza from 2B after he’d singled and swiped that bag on defensive indifference. That, however, was all she wrote, and the Reds fell, 8-1.

Tony Graphanino

Other Notes

• The grand slam crushed by Tyler Flowers was the 9th allowed by Cincinnati pitching this year, which is a new franchise record.
• After Storen was mercifully removed, Suarez moved over to SS as part of a double switch. It was his first appearance there this year, but he’s obviously spent most of his professional career there. With Zack Cozart set to be a free agent and Nick Senzel racing through the minors, it’s certainly worth getting Suarez some reps there again to help plan for the future.
• The Reds will help augment our case of the Mondays tomorrow, as they’ll have the day off. They’ll pick back up on Tuesday in GABP against the Chicago Cubs, who will be in town for a 3 game series that will start a 10 game homestand for the Reds. John Lackey and Homer Bailey will be on the bump on Tuesday, with first pitch set for the usual 7:10 PM ET.
• Tunes.