Reds get 11 hits but zero runs, lose in 13 innings

The Joe Nuxhall Memorial Honorary Star of the Game

Trevor Bauer was completely tremendous in his start today. He yielded just 2 hits, no walks, and nary a run in his 7.2 IP, in the process striking out 12 Atlanta batsmen in a dominant outing. If it was the final time we see him don a Cincinnati Reds uniform between the chalk, it was a hell of a way to sign off.

If it was not the final time we see him don a Cincinnati Reds uniform this season, well, his outing today will be one of the single largest reasons why they move on.

If the ESPN broadcast is to be believed, he became the first pitcher in MLB postseason history to log at least 12 Ks with no walks and no runs allowed, and that’s the kind of history you want your name etched into.

Honorable Mentions are due to: Raisel Iglesias, who picked up 4 outs in relief (all of them via strikeout); Nick Castellanos who had a trio of hits (including a double), though added a costly TOOTBLAN; Joey Votto, who had a pair of hits and a walk; and Nick Senzel, who found his bat again with a pair of hits.

Key Plays

• The Reds got a pair of singles from the Nicks to start the Top of the 1st, eventually having runners at 1B and 3B with nobody out. They did not score, and that seemed Key enough to include here. Sigh.
• Fast-forward to the Top of the 6th, and it was back to back singles by Castellanos and Joey Votto that made the hairs on the backs of our necks tingle, but Castellanos tried to take 3B only to be thrown out by Atlanta LF Adam Duvall, who we watched nail runner after runner as a Red a few years back. Uggggh. Still no score.
• The Top of the 7th saw runners on 1B and 3B with 2-out and one of the more egregious TOOTBLANs I’ve ever seen. Kyle Farmer was caught between 1B and 2B trying to steal, I think? Why that was going on, I’ve no clue, but the end result was a pair of rundowns before Aristides Aquino was tagged out trying to score. My brain turned off and my eyes rolled back in my head when it happened, and I’m still wiping the drool off my chin, but I think that was the case. Anyway, the Reds ran themselves out of another scoring chance.
• The Top of the 11th saw the Reds load the bags against reliever Darren O’Day, thanks to a 2-out double by Castellanos, an intentional walk to Votto, and an unintentional walk to Eugenio Suarez. Atlanta turned to lefty Tyler Matzek with Mike Moustakas at the plate, however, and Moose K’d on 3 pitches. Still no runs.
• The top of the 12th saw the Reds put runners at the corners with one out. Still no runs.
• They loaded them in the 13th. Still no runs.
• The Braves finally scratched a run in the bottom of the 13th. 1-0.

Tony Graphanino

Other Notes

• Bauer’s 12 Ks set a record for a Reds pitcher in a playoff start, surpassing the 10 logged by Homer Bailey in black and white non-HD film from yesteryear.
• This was the first game in MLB postseason history to go into the 13th inning as a scoreless affair.
• Thursday’s game between these two will again feature a noon-ish ET start, which is incredibly frustrating. Ian Anderson will toe the rubber for the Braves, whereas Luis Castillo will start for the Reds.
• Tunes.