Stop me if you’ve heard this one: Reds lose one run game, 4-3

The Joe Nuxhall Memorial Honorary Star of the Game

What the hell, I’m going with Patrick Kivlehan.

Despite making the final out in this one, Kivlehan put in a good showing, hitting his ninth home run of the year and reaching base another time on a single. He was responsible for two of the Reds three total runs today.

Patrick’s line for 2017 isn’t what you would consider “good” in objective baseball terms. But, I’m sure it’s not the easiest thing to sit on the end of the bench throughout the entire summer while only getting a start a couple times a month. Even then, Kivlehan came onto the Reds scene out of nowhere last season, and then played his way onto the team in Spring Training, where he’s stuck the entire season. His 85 wRC+ is hardly back breakingly awful, and he’s athletic enough to have given the Reds some flexibility on defense (he did play football at Rutgers, of course).

If there is a squeeze in the Reds 2018 outfield, and there very likely will be if all the same cast of characters return for next season, Kivlehan is pretty much a lock to be the odd man out. So, let’s take a moment to reflect on a not-good-not-great-but-not-awful season for the kid. Thanks for your service, Patrick.

Honorable mention to Joey Votto because he’s all Joey Votto (double, walk), Jesse Winker for batting in yet another run, Scooter Gennett (see Winker, Jesse), and the bullpen (Farrell, Peralata, Woj, Reed, et al) for keeping the Reds in it late.

Key Plays

• It took until the 4th inning before anyone got on the board, and it would be the Reds first. Billy Hamilton singled, but was picked off trying to steal second base. Patrick Kivlehan smacked his ninth dinger of the season after the out. Reds up 1-0.
• The Brewers would get it back in the bottom of the frame. Domingo Santana was hit by a Sal Romano pitch with one out and moved over to third base on a Stephen Vogt single. Orlando Arcia would drive him in with a sac fly. Tied up at 1-1 after four full.
• The Brewers played add on in the bottom of the 5th. Eric Sogard singled before Neil Walker doubled to score him, while Walker moved up to third base on a throwing error by Hamilton. Ryan Braun then singled in Walker. Travis Shaw ended the inning, grounding into a double play. Brewers, 3-1.
• Patrick Kivlehan reached for the second time in the game to lead off the 6th, and he moved on over to third base on a Joey Votto double. Scooter Gennett then singled to score Kivlehan with Votto moving to third. Brent Suter was replaced by Oliver Drake to face Jesse Winker, but that didn’t matter one bit to Winker, who singled in Votto. The Reds would end up loading the bases with no outs, but Adam Duvall would strike out before Tucker Barnhart ended the inning with a double play of his own. Reds tie the ballgame, 3 all, but oh, what could’ve been.
• With two outs in the bottom of the 6th, Romano walked Arcia. It would haunt, as walks tend to do, when Brett Phillips doubled him in on the next at bat. Brewers up again, 4-3.
• The Reds couldn’t get it back after that, and the Brewers win, 4-3.

Tony Graphanino

Other Notes

• On this date in Reds history: in 2010, Jay Bruce hit easily his most iconic home run as a Red (and probably one of the most iconic in this hisotry of this particular stadium) to clinch the NL Central division crown...
• In 2012, Homer Bailey threw his first no hitter against the Pirates at PNC.
• A Reds victory today would’ve essentially put the Brewers out of their misery. As it stands, they have a long way to go to grab that second Wild Card spot. With the win today, the Brew Crew pulled within 2 games of the Rockies (current owners of the spot). The Rockies are off today, so Milwaukee will head into the final weekend of the regular season two games out of the playoffs with only three left to play. They’re going to need a lot of help.
• The Reds will begin their final series of the year, kicking off a three gamer with the NL Central Champion Cubs in Chicago. 2:20 PM EDT is your start time for that one. Robert Stephenson will look to build of his last great start in his final appearance of 2017. If the Cubs rotation holds, the Reds will face Jose Quintana, Jon Lester, and Jake Arrieta in the final three. Oh joy. The Reds, on the other hand, will roll out Stephenson, Jackson Stephens, and Deck McGuire. Flushed emoji dot jpeg.
• Tunes.