Luis Castillo fantastic again as Reds top Braves, 4-1

The Joe Nuxhall Memorial Honorary Star of the Game

To say that Luis Castillo struggled for the first two months of the season is an understatement. With a 7.22 ERA, he was one of the worst pitchers in baseball throughout April and May. That narrative has completely changed since the calendar turned to June, and it continued tonight. He was great once again, shutting down the Atlanta Braves to the tune of 6 hits, 2 walks, and 6 strikeouts over 7 shutout innings. This is quite the welcome development for a Cincinnati Reds team who has dealt with injuries to their pitching staff all season.

Honorable mentions are due to: Jesse Winker, who went 1 for 3 and absolutely destroyed a ball over the fence in right center for his 18th dinger of the season; Tyler Stephenson, who hit himself a pinch-hit dong; Joey Votto, for going 1 for 3 and driving in a run; and Amir Garrett, for slamming the door in the 9th for his 5th save of the season.

Key Plays

• The Reds got things started quickly, as Jesse Winker bombed a 1-1 pitch over the wall in right to give the Reds a 1-0 lead in the bottom of the 1st.
• The Reds added to their lead in the bottom of the 3rd. Jonathan India continued his tear, hitting a 1-out single to left to get things started. After a Jesse Winker fly out, Nick Castellanos did what he does and smacked a double to center to bring in India. Joey Votto would immediately follow that up with a line drive to right to give the Reds a 3-0 lead.
• The Braves got a run back in the top of the 8th off reliever Brad Brach. After walks to Ozzie Albies and Dansby Swanson, Guillermo Heredia came up with 2 outs and grounded a single to left to score Albies. Reds lead, 3-1.
• The Reds got that run back in the bottom of the 8th, as Tyler Stephenson came on to pinch hit and knocked a solo dong to center to extend the lead to 4-1.
• Amir Garrett came in and shut the door in the 9th and earned his 5th save of the season. Reds win, 4-1.

Tony Graphanino

As of 10:00, fangraphs didn’t have a graph so ¯\_(ツ)_/¯.

Other Notes

• Jesse Winker left in the middle of the top of the 8th due to a hip injury. The Reds are unsure of his status for tomorrow, according to C. Trent.
• Sonny Gray made a rehab start in Louisville and went 3 innings, allowing no runs on a hit with 3 walks and 4 strikeouts.
• The Reds will look to win the series tomorrow with Tyler Mahle (7-2, 3.56 ERA) getting the start. He will face off against Kyle Muller, who is making his second career start.
• Tunes.