The Reds Made It Interesting But Lose 5-4

The Joe Nuxhall Memorial Honorary Star of the Game

Jesse Winker: 2 for 3, HR, RBI, BB, SB

Jesse Winker has been swinging a hot bat so he gets the award for tonight. Right now he’s pretty much leading the offense with seems slumpish. Hopefully, he can keep swinging a hot bat for a while but right now you’re seeing a quality at bat almost every single time he’s up.

Honorable Mention: Freddy Galvis went 2 for 4 with a 2-run dinger and a bunt. He also had a really bad error in the first inning. Josh Van Meter also dingered and walked. Shogo Akiyama singled and walked twice. Votto also walked twice. Both Amir Garrett and Nate Jones pitched scoreless innings.

Key Plays

• Miley took the mound, after a stay on the IL from a groin injury, and if you remember right he wasn’t very good in his first start. Well, that’s being generous. He was bad. In the first, Whit Merrifield led off with a double. He advanced to third on a passed ball, and then Jorge Soler struck out. Salvador Perez hit a grounder to shortstop and Galvis tried to get the runner at the plate. He committed a throwing error. While his defense has at times has been stellar he’s also made some boneheaded played. Miley then walked Hunter Dozier and Ryan McBroom singled to right field but the runner held. Miley was then able to limit the damage by getting a strikeout and coaxing a groundout. Royals lead, 1-0.
• In between innings there needed to be an umpire switch as the home plate ump took a foul ball off his hand and had to leave the game. This led to an eighteen minute delay. As soon as they came back Shogo Akiyama singled up the middle. Castellanos struck out, Votto walked, Suarez flew out, and then Jesse Winker came to the plate. On a 3-1 count, a pinch went in the dirt for a wild pitch, Akiyama would have scored but the pitch ricocheted directly off the wall back to Perez. Winker walked, bringing Senzel to the plate, he popped out to short right field. Dozier made a really good play on the ball which was tailing away from him. Royals lead, 1-0.
• There was some talk in the previous inning of someone warming up for Miley. He got two outs in the 2nd, but I’ll be honest he looked like he was hobbled a bit. Miley did get two quick outs. Whit Merrifield walked and then David Bell went out and got Miley. Tyler Mahle came in. He’s my fave. Mahle then got out of the inning. Royals lead, 1-0.
• Salvador Perez took Mahle deep to lead off the 3rd. It was a bit high and up but Perez yanked it out to left center. Royals lead, 2-0.
• Tyler Mahle hit Mondesi with a pitch to lead off the fourth inning. Wild pitches sent him to second and then third while Mahle recorded a strikeout somewhere in there. Whit Merrifield continues to kill the Reds as he knocked in Mondesi with a sac fly. The inning eventually ended. Royals lead, 3-0.
• Things happened in the fifth, mostly Mahle lost his control, and the bases ended up being loaded. Ryan O’Hearn then hit a deep drive to centerfield. Nick Senzel made a fantastic play at the wall. Obviously, the runner at third scored and then Mahle ended the inning. Royals lead, 4-0.
• Tejay Antone took over in the top of the 6th and he gave up a run. Salvador Perez knocked it in with a deep drive to right center. I wasn’t paying a ton of attention and the game went to commercial so I’m assuming he got out of the inning and the Royals now lead 5-0.
• In the Bottom of the 7th, the Royals made a pitching change. That pitcher, with the surname Kennedy, served up a meatball to Jesse Winker who just crushed it into the moon deck. Nick Senzel then walked. Then Freddy Galvis hammered one into the night almost exactly where Jesse Winker sent a baseball. The Royals made a pitching change, cause Kennedy is now dead. They brought in a guy named Barlow, who is the head vampire in the novel ‘Salem’s Lot. Then.... THEN.... Josh Van Meter came in and did the very same thing! ALL OF THE SUDDEN!!!, the Reds had a ballgame with no outs. Barlow then retired the rest of the order but the Reds are now only down one. Royals lead, 5-4.
• In the bottom of the 8th, Joey Votto led off with a walk. David Bell then elected to substitute Travis Jankowski to get some speed on the bases. Suarez struck out and then Jesse Winker ripped a liner to center field. Jankowski rewarded Bell’s confidence in his wheels by hustling to third on the hit. It was honestly some really good base running. Winker took second on a curveball in the dirt which eliminated the double play. Senzel got out and so did Galvis. A wasted opportunity. Royals lead, 5-4.
• In the bottom of the ninth, Josh Van Meter walked and then was replaced by Michael Lorenzen as a pinch runner. Tucker Barnhart bunted and they were able to get Lorenzen at 2nd base because bunting is stupid. Akiyama then walked on four pitches because plate discipline is way better than bunting. Castellanos then walked on four pitches. This is where running Jankowski for Votto comes back to rear its ugly head. Votto is out of the game bringing Christian Colon to the plate. It would be incredibly poetic to see the journeyman win the game. However, lots of poems are sad and so was this one. Christian Colon hit what looked like a slow roller to third base but it was rolled into a double play. Christian Colon is obviously not very fast. When it was hit I thought it was slow enough to score a run. Royals win, 5-4.

Tony Graphanino

Other Notes

• The home plate umpire did actually move to third base. He broke his finger. Ouch
• Juan Soto hit a ball pretty much out of the Nationals ballpark tonight.

• Tucker Barnhart was punching a garbage can earlier. That’s dumb.
• It seems like every move Bell makes is destined to failed. He tried to get a bit creative tonight but his team ultimately didn’t get the job done.
• Tunes.