Reds hit three dingers, back Tyler Mahle to beat Tigers 5-3

The Joe Nuxhall Memorial Honorary Star of the Game

Tyler Mahle has sure been on some run of good form lately. He entered Wednesday’s game against the Detroit Tigers having allowed just 2 ER in 16.1 IP in the month of June, and the Cincinnati Reds righty proceeded to back that up with another 6 IP, 2 ER outing on the day.

He fanned 8 while allowing just 5 hits, and has generally established himself a one of the very few starting pitchers we’ve seen wear the jersey over the last few seasons that should actually inspire some confidence each and every time their name pops up in the rotation.

Mahle did issue 4 BB on the day - a pair of which came with 2-out in the Top of the 6th, one of which was intentional - and allowed another duo of dingers, which were the only real blemishes in his 101 pitch outing. Continually working to keep the ball over the plate, still in the yard, and on being more pitch efficient are just about all Mahle truly needs to refine before he can honestly be looked at as a legitimate cog in the team’s rotation for years to come.

Honorable Mentions are due to: Scooter Gennett, who bonked a 2-run dinger; Eugenio Suarez, who blasted a dinger of his own against his former club; Jesse Winker, who singled and walked twice; Scott Schebler, who singled, doubled, and scored; Adam Duvall, who entered the game late and belted a homer; Billy Hamilton, who singled, doubled, and scored; and Tucker Barnhart, who singled twice and bonked in a run.

Key Plays

• Jeimer Candelario reached out and swatted a Tyler Mahle meatball in the Top of the 1st, turning the first pitch he saw into a solo dinger of the opposite field variety when it dropped a row beyond the wall in LF. Reds trailed, 1-0.
• Niko Goodrum did that thing where a Reds opponent hits a dinger off Reds pitching, too, his coming in the Top of the 4th as yet another solo shot off Mahle. Reds trailed, 2-0.
• The Cincinnati bats finally, finally got to Michael Fulmer in the Bottom of the 6th, as he had completely shut them down beforehand. Scott Schebler donked a double to the wall to begin things, and he later scored on a 2-out blast by Gennett. Suarez then followed with what was originally ruled a double off the top of the LF wall, but review showed it actually cleared the wall before bouncing back into play, and a solo dinger it was. Reds led, 3-2.
• Three consecutive singles from Billy Hamilton, Schebler, and Barnhart plated another run in the Bottom of the 7th, but the Reds left the bases loaded in what could’ve otherwise been a boot-stompin’ inning. Still, they led, 4-2.
• Jared Hughes allowed a rare run in the Top of the 8th, as Jacoby Jones scored from 2B on an infield single by Jose Iglesias after Jones had reached on an infield single of his own (and stolen 2B). Reds led, 4-3.
• Duvall got that run back in the Bottom of the 8th, however, as he poked an opposite-field dinger into the RF seats after fouling off several pitches from reliever Johnny Barbato. Reds led, 5-3, and thanks to Raisel Iglesias that’s exactly how things finished.

Tony Graphanino

Other Notes

• Alex Blandino has started exactly 1 (one) game in the entire month of June. It’s now June 19th. Option the kid to AAA if you’re just going to let him get pine splinters in his 25 year old patooskie, Reds. That’s just silly.
• The Reds are now 6-1 in interleague play, which is also just silly. They’re also 7-4 in their last 11 games and 25-27 since their godawful, hideous, nastyblasty 3-18 start to the year, which is dang near the kind of .500 ball we thought they were capable of playing before the season started.
• Jose Peraza went 0 for 3 with a walk. Joey Votto went 0 for 3 with a walk, too. They’re basically the same player now.
• The Chicago Cubs and their lovely legion of fans will descend upon GABP on Thursday for the first of a four game weekend series. Game one will feature Matt Harvey trying to keep his ERA with the Reds under 6.00, while the Cubbos will send Kyle Hendricks to the mound. First pitch is set for 7:10 PM ET.
• Tunes.