Reds find it difficult to score again, fall to Pirates 3-1

The Joe Nuxhall Memorial Honorary Star of the Game

The Reds have spent much of 2017 trying to figure out which of their young pitchers would finally take up the reigns and solidify their spot in the rotation. With injuries and poor performances, it has been difficult to see if any of the young pitchers would be able to produce at the major league level. The month of August brought a welcome sight to the rotation, as some of these rookie pitchers have begun to turn it around. One of these pitchers has been Sal Romano. While he was a little wild today, he was able to minimize damage and keep the Reds in the game despite another poor performance by the offense. Overall, he finished with a line of 5.2 innings pitched, 5 hits, 2 runs (1 earned), 4 walks, and 2 strikeouts. He also reached base twice by going 1-1 with a double and a walk. While the Reds didn’t get the result on the scoreboard, it has still been a nice revelation to see these young guys improving.

Honorable mentions go to: Joey Votto, for continuing to be himself and go 2-4 with a double; Scooter Gennett and Billy Hamilton, each for going 1 for 3 with a walk; and Ariel Hernandez, for flashing his talent and showing us how much fun he is by striking out all 3 batters he faced in the 8th.

Key Plays

• Pittsburgh struck first in the bottom of the third when Jordy Mercer took a 2-1 offering from Sal Romano and deposited it over the wall in center field. Pirates led, 1-0.
• Romano was able to keep the Pirates off the board again until the bottom of the 6th, where he ran into some trouble. After Chad Wallach dropped a pop-up in foul territory lined a double into right field. After an Andrew McCutchen groundout, Moroff moved to third on a Josh Bell single. That brought up Jordan Luplow, who singled on a grounder to left to bring in Moroff. A walk to Sean Rodriguez with 2 outs would load the bases and end Romano’s night, but Kevin Shackelford would strike out Jordy Mercer to end the threat. Pirates led, 2-0.
• The Pirates were able to add another in the bottom of the 7th, as Starling Marte smacked a solo dinger off of Tim Adleman to push the lead to 3-0.
• The Reds finally got on the board in the top of the 9th. Scooter Gennett led off with a walk, and after 2 quick strikeouts, moved to 2nd on fielders’ indifference and to 3rd on a balk. That brought up Zack Cozart, who reached on a fielding error by Moroff which allowed Gennett to score. A Phillip Ervin single and a Billy Hamilton walk would load the bases, but the threat would end when Jose Peraza grounded out. Pirates win, 3-1.

Tony Graphanino

Other Notes

• The Reds head back home tonight to prepare for a 3-game set with Milwaukee tomorrow. Homer Bailey will face off against Chase Anderson, with the first pitch at 1:10 PM ET.
• Enjoy your 3-day weekend everyone.
• Tunes.