Hey look, the Reds lost another one run game

The Joe Nuxhall Memorial Honorary Star of the Game

Yasiel Puig hasn’t been the player we thought he’d be this season. He’s been really bad, actually.

He is still capable of running into a pitch from time to time, and he’s still capable of hitting it a long way. That happened tonight in the bottom of the 4th inning, as Yasiel chucked his 12th dong of the season with Eugenio Suarez on base. After a three hit night last night (with a double), maybe, just maybe, Puig is about to go on one of his patented two or three week tears. (he typed, for the fifth or sixth time this season).

The Reds only mustered three runs, so that swing was pretty important!

Honorable mention to Tanner Roark, who settled in quite nicely and logged seven full innings pitched, giving up eight hits, four runs (only two earned), with five strikeouts and nary a walk. It was his longest outing of the year, which is a pretty solid effort. Amir Garrett and Michael Lorenzen combined for two innings of scoreless, hitless baseball, with only a walk (Garrett) and two strikeouts a piece. Curt Casali also dingered, a solo shot in the 7th that brought the Reds within one.

Key Plays

• Errors haunted the Reds in the first inning. Shin-Soo Choo was allowed to reach base on a fielding error by his buddy Joey Votto. Choo then moved to third on a single by Danny Santana, and then scored on a groundout from Elvis Andrus. Nomar Mazara struck out for the second out of the inning, but Santana scored on a single to center by Asdrubal Cabrera (Cabrera advanced to second on a throwing error by Senzel). Rougned Odor struck out looking to end the frame. It could’ve gone better for the Reds!
• Odor doubled to begin the 4th inning before scoring on a one-out single by Jeff Mathis (who advanced to 2B on a throwing error by Phil Ervin). The pitcher grounded out before Mathis would come into score on a Choo single. Santana lined out, but the Rangers add two more, lead 4-0.
• In the bottom of the 4th, Eugenio Suarez singled before Yasiel Puig’s 12th homer of the season brought them both in. The Reds half the Rangers lead, 4-2.
• In the bottom of the 7th, Curt Casali dingered to cut the Rangers lead to 1, 4-3.
• That, however, would be that. The Reds go quietly and lose,. 4-3.

Tony Graphanino

Other Notes

• Tonight’s throwback was from the 1935 season. one where the Reds hosted the first night game in Major League history. That’s pretty neat. The uniforms themselves are pretty dull, though, featuring, well, nothing. Just a big red number on the back and some red piping. Yawn.
• Looking through the 150th Anniversary website, it appears the next throwback night is June 30th against the Cubs. I’ll let you look it up, but the 1936 jerseys they’ll be wearing that night may be my favorite yet.
• It appears as though former Red Edwin Encarnacion will be traded from the Mariners to the Yankees. Encarnacion leads the American League in home runs. The Yankees have the third best winning percentage in the American League, but they’re fighting off an extremely game Tampa Bay Rays for first in the East. They’ll need the help.
• RECAP AS A LIVING DOCUMENT (updated after publish): It’s incredibly irresponsible not to mention the fact that Nick Senzel left the game in the bottom of the 5th inning after fouling a ball off his foot, which then subsequently bounced up and hit him in the face. Per David Bell on the postgame show, he’s fine, but did receive a few stitches and has some swelling. Once the swelling goes away, it’ll be business as usual, but there’s a possibility he’ll miss tomorrow’s game because of it.
• Sonny Gray will take the mound for the Reds tomorrow, trying to guard against a Rangers sweep. He’ll be opposed by Ariel Jurado, who is a person that I’ve never heard of in my entire life. He’s a 3.02 ERA on the season, however, and has gone at least six innings in each of his last four starts (3.70 ERA). First pitch is scheduled for 1:10 PM.
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