Stroman shuts out Reds. Mets take the series win.

The Joe Nuxhall Memorial Honorary Star of the Game

I will only give a silver lining honorable mention to Sean Doolittle, R.J. Alaniz, and Edgar Garcia for not giving up a run over the final three innings. No one deserves an actual award after a game like the one we watched today. But, in the end, I do not blame the players. I blame an owner that put them behind the eight ball from the start. Any and all excitement that has been created this season was icing on a shit cake that was created by CEO, Bob Castellini, early in the offseason. The owner did not cause the shutout today, good pitching and bad hitting did, but we can blame him for just about everything else that has transpired with this club for near a decade.

Key Plays

• In the top of the 2nd, Jeff Hoffman gave up a solo dinger to Jonathan Villar. It wasn’t crushed or anything and just snuck out. In fact, Aquino was only a couple feet short of getting it. Mets lead, 1-0.
• In the bottom of the 3rd inning, Hoffman gave up three straight singles to load the bases. Derek Johnson went out to talk to him but Dominic Smith lifted a fly ball to deep left field. I thought it was a freaking pop up. Instead, it was a grand slam. Seriously. The two homeruns given up by Hoffman today looked like they should be outs. That’s some really shitty luck. He got a pop out and then walked a batter on four pitches. Then a dribbler was hit back to Hoffman and he bobbled the pick up for an error. That could at least help his ERA going forward because this is about to get bad. Hoffman coaxed a soft liner to Votto and then Hoffman did something to get out of the inning. I didn’t see it. Mets lead, 5-0.
• Santillan came in in the 5th inning to replace Jeff Hoffman. He struck out the first batter but then gave up a double and then a homerun to Luis Guilleorme. This one was legit. Mets lead, 7-0.
• That was pretty much it for the Mets and the Reds. The Reds did little to make this game competitive as they were completely shutdown by Stroman and then Familia. They had two men reach base and it was a single and a walk. Reds lose, 7-0.

Tony Graphanino

Other Notes

• Before the game last night, Sean Doolittle decided to burn some sage and smudge GABP to reverse the Reds luck and drive away bad spirits. Do you think it worked?

• It did not work. Though, Doolittle did not give any runs so maybe it worked for him.
• This game was not fun.
• The Reds get a well needed day off before playing the Cardinals in Cincinnati this weekend. Hopefully, things go better there. If not, the Reds have big decisions to make about their future. This team has shown too much talent and too much spirit throughout the 2021 campaign. What is needed is a direction, any direction, and aggressive movement towards a plan from the front office. Sadly, for the fans and the city of Cincinnati, this ownership group does not look to up to the task. The team should be run by someone who is. I’m not one to freak out about a six game stretch, nor one bad game, it’s just very frustrating to watch this team fight and battle throughout a season with one hand tied behind their back. It would be one thing if they were actually bad. It’s another when ownership has kept the front office from putting the best team on the field that they can.
• Tunes.