Cincinnati Reds fall to Atlanta 3-2 in series opener

Aristides Aquino socked an early 2-run homer for the Cincinnati Reds on Tuesday in their series opener against Atlanta, but unfortunately that was lone thump the Reds offense could provide on the day.

Sonny Gray was mostly solid - he allowed just a 2-run tater to former Red Adam Duvall on his official ledger - but he was forced to exit after throwing 89 pitches in just 5 IP, leaving the Cincinnati bullpen to sort out the difference. Unfortunately, Heath Hembree and Amir Garrett struggled mightily in attempts to find the strike zone in the 6th inning in the bullpen’s initial inning of work, and that led to Atlanta’s 3rd run - one that would be enough for them to hold off the Reds.

It was a disappointing contest, honestly. The Reds went some 6 full IP in between hits, with Aquino’s 2nd inning blast bookending a Nick Castellanos single in the 8th, with hardly a whisper in the middle. As a result, the Reds slipped to their second consecutive loss.

They’ll be back at work tomorrow with a chance to right the ship, of course, and they’ll do so with Wade Miley taking the bump opposite Atlanta starter Touki Toussaint. First pitch is again set for 7:20 PM ET.

A graph, from FanGraphs, of the action:

Go Reds.