Reds brawl with Pirates again in embarassing 11-4 loss, trade Yasiel Puig mid-game

The Joe Nuxhall Memorial Honorary Star of the Game

Joey Votto homered, Jose Iglesias did, too, and neither even glanced being the most interesting, embarrassing, intriguing storyline for the Cincinnati Reds on the night.

They traded Yasiel Puig. They traded top prospect Taylor Trammell. They acquired, of all people, Cleveland pitcher Trevor Bauer.

And, they brawled - and brawled hard.

Everything about this night in Cincinnati Reds history is gross at the moment.

Key Plays

• In what might well be his final start with the Reds, Tanner Roark sputtered a bit out of the gate tonight. Bryan Reynolds poked a 1-out double into RF in the Top of the 1st, and Starling Marte later followed with a jam-shot infield single. Both then scored when Josh Bell roped a 2-run double into right-center, and the Reds were down early, 2-0.
• The Pirates plated another cadre of runs in the Top of the 3rd, as Corey Dickerson scooted a 2-out single past a diving Eugenio Suarez at 3B with the bases loaded, scoring Reynolds - who had singled - and Marte - who had walked - once again. Kevin Newman then singled into CF to score Josh Bell - who had walked - and it’s almost as if walks haunt, or something. Reds trailed, 5-0.
• Votto got the Reds on the board with a moonhot dinger down the RF line, as he turned around an inside breaking ball from Pirates starter Joe Musgrove for a solo blast in the Bottom of the 3rd. Reds trailed, 5-1.
• Iglesias followed suit in the Bottom of the 4th, belting a face-high fastball from Musgrove into the upper deck in LF for a no-doubter, one that was also a solo shot. Reds trailed, 5-2.
• Corey Dickerson got those runs back for the Pirates in the Top of the 5th, this time off Lucas Sims. Sims walked Colin Moran, and that haunted immediately as Dickerson smacked a 2-run dinger into the seats in CF. Reds trailed, 7-2.
• Dickerson, again - this time off Robert Stephenson in the Top of the 7th. Reds trailed, 8-2.
• Amir Garrett allowed a dinger in the Top of the 9th, and all hell broke out after that. Garrett charged the Pirates bench after hearing something that he absolutely despised, and eventually the benches cleared - including David Bell, who had already been thrown out of the game. Bell and Pirates resident jerk Clint Hurdle got into it, while Garrett threw punches and Yasiel Puig held court as well. This, of course, came as the Reds had reportedly traded for Trevor Bauer in a three-team deal with Cleveland and San Diego, inexplicably sending out Puig (to Cleveland) and top prospect Taylor Trammell (to the Padres) in the process. I have no words for how July 30th, 2019, has forever altered my impression of the Cincinnati Reds, and don’t care to elaborate further on that fact, honestly. Reds lost tonight, 11-4.

Tony Graphanino

Other Notes

• Roark’s evening was not a good one, especially if it’s how he exits the Reds. His final line: 3.1 IP, 6 H, 5 ER, 4 BB, 2 K on 85 pitches. That raised his 3.95 ERA all the way up to 4.26, which is decidedly not what the scouts from the Yankees, Braves, and A’s, among others, wanted to see while interested in potentially acquiring the veteran righty.
• It’ll be Luis Castillo on the mound for the Reds in tomorrow’s series finale against the Pirates. It’s a day game - a 12:35 PM ET start - which means you’ll have plenty of baseball to watch live while we barrel towards tomorrow’s 4 PM ET trade deadline. Pittsburgh will counter with rookie righty Dario Agrazal.
• Tunes.