Stuart Turner hits first career homer, Reds beat Padres 8-3

The Joe Nuxhall Memorial Honorary Star of the Game

Stuart Turner has languished on the bench for the Cincinnati Reds this year, his only real respite coming when he spent a stint on the DL. As a Rule 5 draftee, that’s unfortunately a logistical issue, since the Reds like him enough to want to keep him in the system, but have been forced to keep him on the active roster this year to ensure that’s a viability for future years.

Well, Turner got just his eighth start of the season on Wednesday, and he responded by clubbing his 1st career big league homer. With Devin Mesoraco currently on the paternity list, Turner got a shot at a start, and chipped in with a 2nd deck dinger that helped show why the Reds were so interested in him at all.

Congrats, Stu, and here’s to a few more PAs down the stretch.

Honorable Mentions are due to: Jose Peraza, who singled twice, drove in 3 runs, and walked (!!); Joey Votto, who singled, doubled, scored twice, and drove in a run; Adam Duvall, who singled, doubled, scored twice, and walked; Eugenio Suarez, who walked, honked a 2-run dinger, and scored twice; Asher Wojciechowski (more on him later); and Michael Lorenzen, who fired 1.1 innings of scoreless relief.

Key Plays

• The Reds staged a 2-out rally in the Bottom of the 1st. Who bats 3rd with none on and 2-out? Joey Votto, that’s who, and this time he cranked a double into CF to get things going. Walks to both Duvall and Suarez by Padres starter Travis Wood then loaded the bases, and Peraza then worked a 3-2 count before singling in a pair of runs. Reds led early, 2-0.
• Another 2-out rally netted another pair of runs in the Bottom of the 3rd for Cincinnati. Duvall dumped a double down the LF line, and Suarez followed with a moonball of a homer, a 2-run blast that put the Reds ahead, 4-0.
• Suarez was deemed safe on a throw to 1B that had been initially ruled an out in the Bottom of the 5th, so thanks for that, replay. That put a runner on base with 1-out for Turner, who clubbed his 1st career big league dinger, a 2-run blast into the upper deck in LF. Reds led, 6-0.
• Wojo made it into the Top of the 6th with nary a run allowed, but Manuel Margot changed that with a dinger into left-center, a solo shot that got the Padres on the board. Then, after a Yangervis Solarte double and a visit to the mound by pitching coach Mack Jenkins, Wil Myers crushed a ball out over the plate for a 2-run homer over the RF wall that left the Reds up just 6-3.
• The Reds got some runs back immediately, though, as Billy Hamilton’s speed again wreaked havoc. He singled to begin the Bottom of the 6th off Carter Capps, and promptly stole 2B without a throw. A Patrick Kivlehan single put runners on the corners, and a productive Votto groundout (that got Kivles at 2B) scored Billy. Singles by Duvall and Peraza later followed, the latter of which scored Votto from 2B to put Cincinnati ahead, 8-3. And that, fortunately, is how things ended.

Tony Graphanino

Other Notes

• Asher Wojciechowski had allowed just 3 hits and no runs through 5 IP, though was eventually touched up for 3 ER in the Top of the 6th. Still, he looked mighty fine for the bulk of his outing, with his final line of 5.2 IP, 7 H, 3 ER, 0 BB, and 6 K on 93 pitches looking rather effective, all told.
• Former Red Jay Bruce was apparently traded to the Cleveland Indians tonight, according to FOX’s Ken Rosenvideo.
• This series will wrap on Thursday, with a matinee start time of 12:35 PM ET set for tomorrow. Dinelson Lamet will start for San Diego, with Luis Castillo again on the bump for Cincinnati.
• Tunes.