Pitching implodes, Reds lose 15-11

The Joe Nuxhall Memorial Honorary Star of the Game

Tyler Naquin - 5 for 6, 2B, 4 RBI

Honorable Mention: Jonathan India - 2 for 3, 2B, 2 RBI, 2 R, 2 BB, HBP, Jesse Winker - 3 for 6, 2 2B, 2 RBI, 2 R, Joey Votto - 3 for 5, 2B, RBI, R, Kyle Farmer - 2 for 4, R, and to Amir Garrett for striking out two in a perfect inning and Heath Hembree for firing 1.1 scoreless innings.

Key Plays

• Nimmo led off the game with a single and then Pete Alonso promptly hit one a mile. It was a big ‘ol breaking ball that did not break. Then McNeil beat one into the moon deck. Gutierrez then got a grounder and a lineout double play to end the inning. Mets lead, 3-0.
• The Reds had the gumption to respond in their half of the first. Jonathan India did what Jonathan India does. He led off the game with a ripped double over the head of the left fielder. Jesse Winker then undressed a baseball into right field. It was hit so hard India had no choice but to hold. Stephenson hit a grounder to short that was flubbed, allowing India to score, and bringing up Joey Votto. Votto was then plunked in the shin. Tyler Naquin hit a blooper down the left field line for a double. Suarez hit a hard grounder to third but no one could advance. Shogo Akiyama hit a ball to the warning track, and Votto scampered home on the sacrifice fly. In no time at all, the Reds had a 4-3 lead.
• Well, Gutierrez got out to lead off the inning. Jonathan India got hit on a 3-2 pitch. Jesse Winker hit a ball hard, and it should have been a tailor made double play, but McNeil threw it wide of second. Then, Tyler Stephenson hit a weak grounder to shortstop. The shortstop, who is not Francisco Lindor, bobble the ball and then tried to flip it to third for the force and it didn’t make it there. It rolled all the way to the dugout. India then scored. Joey Votto hit a blooper to center field and another run scored. Then Naquin hit a squibber down the third base line. That drove in another run. Both of his RBI base hits were not hit hard at all. Shogo flied out to end the threat. Reds lead, 7-3.
• Michael Conforto hit a dinger with a runner on in the top of the fourth. Then Tomas Nido hit a double and the Reds had to get the bullpen to work and quick. Jerad Eickhoff then bunted for a hit. There was another out somewhere and then Pete Alonso blooped one to right. Luckily only one scored and Vladdy Gutierrez gave up a shot to the warning track but it was caught. Reds lead, barely, 7-6.
• R.J. Alaniz made his season debut for the Reds. He gave up a solo dinger to the first batter he faced. He settled down and got out of the inning out of that. Tie game.
• In the bottom of the 7th, Kyle Farmer hit a one out single and Jonathan India walked again. On an 0-1 pitch, Jesse Winker broke a bit out of his funk by lacing a double down the right field line. Farmer scored and India advanced to third.
• Osich gave up a two run dinger. Mets lead, 9-8.
• Kyle Farmer led off the bottom of the ninth with a walk and they brought Aristides Aquino into the game to run for him. India grounded out to advance Aquino to second but then there were two outs with Winker at the plate. Winker laced a double into left center field to score Aquino. Mike Freeman was brought in to hit because someone had to replace Farmer at SS and Bell ended up implementing a double switch to eliminate the need for a pinch hitter in the 10th. The first pitch got away that advanced Winker to third. Freeman struck out on a full count but the game is tied and going to extras.
• Edgar Garcia got to make his season debut in the top of the 10th. He got an out and then a line went up the middle, almost hitting Garcia who tried to make a great play, scoring the free runner from second. Garcia got out of the rest of the inning unscathed. Mets lead, 10-9.
• Votto led off the bottom of the 10th with a single, but Freeman was forced to hold at third because the velocity Votto hit the ball. Tyler Naquin then slapped a single to left field to knock in the tying run. Suarez then came up with runners at second and third and grounded into a double play. Shogo hit one that was almost fair in the left field corner but ultimately he grounded out. Tie game.
• In the top of the 11th, Brandon Nimmo led off with a single but the free runner had to hold. Garcia got a strike out and then gave up another single, advancing Nimmo to third. Then a grounder was hit to third and Suarez was able to eliminate the runner at third. Bell decided to bring in Castellanos and Ryan Hendrix with a double switch. Hendrix promptly gave up a three run dinger. He then gave up a solo homer to Conforto. I don’t know what else to do but laugh. Freeman got the last out. Mets lead, 15-10.
• The Reds scored one in the bottom of the eleventh and they made it kind of interesting but the gap was too wide to overcome. Mets win 15-11.

Tony Graphanino

Other Notes

• Jonathan India was on base three times through three innings. As of writing this his OBP sits at .401 and 4th in the NL. He’s a rookie.
• Johnny Bench was on the broadcast and he actually said some pretty cool things. Apparently, he is a big fan of players today which is rare to hear from an old guy. He even called the game a bit because he literally did not stop talking. He also may have been sauced.
• Jonathan India got on base for a fourth time. So far he had a double, a hit by pitch, and two walks.
• India walked again in the 7th. That’s five times on base. Overall he got on base six times.
• Naquin had five hits. All of them were opposite field. I did not know he was capable of that. It was the first five hit game of his entire professional career, minors included.
• It has to be pretty rare to lose a game when your opponent has four errors.
• When Suarez came to the plate in the bottom of the 10th, the Reds had an 81% chance of winning the game. He went 0 for 6 with 9 LOB for the game. It’s not 100% why the Reds lost but it certainly didn’t help. He’s now hitting .170 as August approaches.
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