Reds win in the 9th again, take 3 of 4 from Milwaukee

The Joe Nuxhall Memorial Honorary Star of the Game

Nick Castellanos, man. This dude has done nothing but come through for the Reds this season and he did it again on Sunday. In the last game before his first All-Star appearance, he delivered with the bases loaded against one of the best relievers in baseball in Josh Hader. He ended up 2 for 5 with a double and 2 RBI. Have a trophy, Nick. Enjoy your first All-Star Game.

Honorable mentions are due to: The bullpen combination of Amir Garrett, Art Warren, Sean Doolittle, Ryan Hendrix, and Josh Osich, who combined to throw 3.2 shutout innings; Joey Votto, who went 2 for 5 and drove in a run; and Jonathan India, who continues to be an on-base machine, reaching 3 times today.

Key Plays

• The Reds took the lead right away in this one. Jesse Winker came up with one out and hit a single to left. He would move to third when Nick Castellanos followed him up with a line drive double to left. That brought up Joey Votto, who lined a single to center to give the Reds a 1-0 lead.
• The Brewers tied the game in the bottom of the 6th inning. Luis Castillo allowed a 1-out walk to Jace Peterson. That ended Castillo’s day and he made way for Amir Garrett. After a Keston Hiura strike out, Peterson would steal second with Jackie Bradley Jr. at the plate. Bradley would hit a slow roller that would find a hole in the infield and score Peterson.
• Things would remain tied until the 9th. Eugenio Suarez led off the inning and was hit with the first pitch and then Kyle Farmer singled to center. After Alejo Lopez struck out, Jonathan India worked a 10-pitch walk to load the bases. After a Jesse Winker strike out, Nick Castellanos would line a single to center to score Suarez and Farmer to give the Reds a 3-1 lead.
• Josh Osich came on in the 9th and pitched a perfect inning, securing the 3-1 victory. Go Reds!

Tony Graphanino

Other Notes

• Luis Castillo was not as sharp has he had been in previous starts, but he was still effective. In all, he threw 5.1 innings and allowed one run on 3 hits while walking 6 and striking out 6.
• In case you missed it, two future Reds played in the futures game today. Jose Barrero smashed himself a dinger and Nick Lodolo got two line outs and a strikeout in the 3 batters he faced on the day.

• The first round of the MLB draft is tonight. The Reds will have three picks, Nos. 17, 30, and 35. Coverage starts at 7:00 PM ET on ESPN and MLB Network.
• The All-Star Break is this week with the Home Run Derby on Monday night and the All-Star game on Tuesday. When the Reds return to play on Friday, they will host the Brewers in another huge 3-game series.
• This team is fun, man.
• Tunes.