The Reds lost, again.

The Joe Nuxhall Memorial Honorary Star of the Game

Jay Bruce entered play tonight on one of his typical cold streaks. As we’ve learned over time, though, those cold streaks usually precede a towering mountain of eventual production, and a homestand at GABP seems to have been just what Jay needed.

After having hit just 4 for 22 with no dingers since the calendar last turned, May Bruce burst out on Monday, as he clubbed a 2-run dinger, walked twice, and looked like the exact kind of guy who’s about to clobber the snot out of the ball for the next three weeks that we get a chance to see every now and then. It truly brought a smile to my face, as I’m sure it did to yours, too.

Ahhhhhh, dammit...Jay’s on the New York Mets these days. Dammit.

Honorable Mentions are due to: Eugenio Suarez, who dingered and doubled; Jared Hughes, who fired a pair of scoreless innings (with 4 Ks); Billy Hamilton, who dingered; Tucker Barnhart, who singled, doubled, and drove in a run; and Scooter Gennett, who went 2 for 4 with a double, 2 runs scored, and a pair of ribbies.

Key Plays

• Just seconds after you got the chance to finish watching the pregame interview of Todd Frazier in his return to Cincinnati, the Reds were already losing. Michael Conforto led off the Top of the 1st with a slicing, opposite-field dinger that curled just inside the LF pole. Reds trailed, 1-0.
• The Mets tacked on another run in the Top of the 2nd. Adrian Gonzalez - who has mauled Homer Bailey throughout his career - singled, and he scooted to 3B on Jose Lobaton’s double. That put a runner in sac-fly range, and Gonzalez then trotted home on Amed Rosario’s deep fly out to CF. Reds trailed, 2-0.
• Jay Bruce clubbed a hanging breaking ball from Bailey in the Top of the 3rd, and it landed about half-way up the seats beyond the RF wall. It was of the 2-run variety, so the Reds trailed 4-0. The Top of the 3rd wasn’t yet done, though, and Gonzalez made sure we noticed when he clubbed a solo donk, too. Reds trailed, 5-0.
• Hamilton finally got the Reds on the board against rookie P.J. Conlon, as he swatted a solo homer into the LF seats in the Bottom of the 3rd. Reds trailed, 5-1.
• Conlon - the pitcher - singled off Bailey in the Top of the 4th, and he eventually came around to score on a Yoenis Cespedes sac-fly. Reds trailed, 6-1.
• Back to back doubles by Suarez and Scooter got the Reds another run in the Bottom of the 4th, and Scooter later scored on a broken-bat double by Tucker Barnhart. Reds trailed, 6-3.
• Gonzalez homered again in the Top of the 5th, this time off Jackson Stephens (with nobody on base, fortunately). Reds trailed, 7-3.
• Suarez cracked a dinger into the LF seats to open the Bottom of the 5th, and after back to back singles from Adam Duvall and Barnhart left runners on the corners, Scott Schebler chipped in with a sac-fly (that was much more of a sac-liner) to LF to bring in Duvall. Reds trailed, 7-5.
• Scooter clubbed a solo dinger in the Bottom of the 8th to cut the score to 7-6, but that was the last the Reds offense could muster. Reds lost, 7-6.

Tony Graphanino

Other Notes

• 8-27. What in the actual hell is happening?
• Luis Castillo will try to string together a second consecutive solid start after his hiccup-esque beginning to 2018 when he toes the rubber Tuesday against the Mets. Veteran lefty Jason Vargas will start for New York, so expect to see Adam Duvall in the lineup and in LF instead of Jesse Winker (or Scott Schebler, but likely Winker since he got the nod tonight). First pitch is set for 7:10 PM ET.
• Tunes.