Anthony DeSclafani fires 6 scoreless IP, Reds hold off Cubs 8-6 to win series

The Joe Nuxhall Memorial Honorary Star of the Game

Anthony DeSclafani was in the market for a good outing. He’d not topped 5.2 IP in any of his previous 8 starts dating back to May 11th, and in his most recent start he was tagged for 6 ER in just 4.1 IP against the Milwaukee Brewers.

So, with the series with the Chicago Cubs on the line today, it was quite a refresher to see him fire one of his best starts of the season. He kept the Cubs scoreless in his 6 IP, scattering 5 hits and a lone walk against 7 K, his 6 IP matching his longest outing of the season to date. He even hit 97 mph in his final inning of work, continuing what has been a trend of him throwing his fastball at a higher velocity this year than in any other year of his career.

Well done, Disco.

Honorable Mentions are due to: Eugenio Suarez, who bashed a mighty dinger, singled (that was really a double and a poor slid), and drove in 3; Nick Senzel, who singled twice, walked, scored, drove in a pair, and had a would-be dinger robbed by Jason Heyward; Yasiel Puig, who singled, walked, swiped a pair of bags, and scored twice; and Phillip Ervin, who singled twice - both times driving in a run - and scored a run of his own.

Key Plays

• Nick Senzel took a leadoff walk in the Bottom of the 1st, and the Reds did well to make that haunt. Votto later reached on doink of an error by Kyle Schwarber in LF before Suarez unleashed a 457 foot laser onto the boat above the batter’s eye in CF, a 3-run blast that put the Reds ahead early, 3-0.
• Jon Lester was well over 100 pitches in the Bottom of the 6th as he tried to get through the inning, and Puig worked a well-earned walk to add to the pressure. The Cincinnati RF then swiped 2B to get into scoring position with 2-out, which proved huge when he later scooted around to score on the bloop single into RF from Phil Ervin. That chased Lester, and the Reds held a 4-0 lead.
• David Bell pulled Disco after just 73 pitches, largely due to his spot in the order coming to bat in the Bottom of the 6th with 2 runners on and a chance to break things open with pinch hitter Jesse Winker. That didn’t pan out, unfortunately, and that also meant that the bullpen was on the mound in the Top of the 7th. Michael Lorenzen got the nod and immediately allowed a double to Addison Russell, who later scored on a single from Albert Almora. Lorenzen then lobbed a meatball that Schwarber pelted into the LF stands for a solo homer, and the Reds lead had shrunk to just 4-3.
• It was a similar story in the Bottom of the 8th, this time with Dillon Maples on the mound. Puig poked a single into LF, stole 2B, and scored on Ervin’s bloop into shallow RF. Ervin later scored after Jose Peraza was plunked and Kyle Farmer chipped in with a pinch-hit RBI single, leaving the Reds ahead 6-3. Their work wasn’t yet done, however, as a later walk of Curt Casali loaded the bags for Senzel, who smoked a 2-run single into LF that sent the bevy of Cubs fans in GABP streaming through the exits. Reds led, 8-3.
• Heyward belted a 3-run dinger off Raisel Iglesias in the Top of the 9th in Iggy’s second inning of work, one that will certainly be questioned after the fact. Still, the outburst from the Cincinnati offense meant those runs didn’t matter in today’s context, and the Reds held on to win, 8-6.

Tony Graphanino

Other Notes

• During the broadcast of this one, tHom Brennaman made comments about Cubs shortstop Addison Russell that made most everyone who heard them do a cringey double-take. They were at best tone-deaf and inaccurate, at worst an outright dismissal of the domestic violence issues Russell was suspended for earlier this season. And that doesn’t even touch on the factual inaccuracies mentioned later in the clip.
• Monday will see the Milwaukee Brewers back in town, this time for a pivotal 4-game series if the Reds are ever going to get their butts back into the NL Central race before the trade deadline looms ever larger. Adrian Houser will toe the rubber for the Beers, while Tyler Mahle will get the nod for the Reds in the series opener, with first pitch set for 7:10 PM ET.
• Tunes.