Jake Fraley torments Marlins again in 6-5 Cincinnati Reds victory

We’ll get to Jake Fraley in a second, but don’t you dare skip past that glorious upper lipholstery on Curt Casali in the above picture. Just look at that dirt squirrel in all of its glory.(For the record, the San Francisco Giants were committed to Mustache May when Casali was a part of their club last season, and it’s not just a gimmick - it’s to draw awareness to mental health issues, and last season helped raise money for the nonprofit Bring Change to Mind.)

As for Fraley, today’s Joe Nuxhall Memorial Honorary Star of the Game, all he did was sock another 3-run homer and drive in 4 on the day to power the Reds to a win over the Miami Marlins in a game started by reigning Cy Young Award winner Sandy Alcantara. That, of course, came on the heels of his 2-dinger night on Friday, and all of a sudden Fraley has 28 ribbies on the season. That puts him in a tie for 11th in all of baseball!

Fraley’s tater came in the 5th off Alcantara, and the Reds later added a trio of runs in the 8th off Miami’s ace to flip the scoreboard for good. The ‘for good’ portion of that comment held up on a day in which the Reds sent Derek Law out as an opener for the second time this week, and he was followed by a cadre of bullpenners including Levi Stoudt (3.0 IP, ER), who was called up earlier in the day to provide some depth to the pitching staff with Nick Lodolo’s status still in question.

A fine win on a fine day in Miami, as the Reds rode away with a 6-5 W.

Tony Graphanino

[Link to interactive WPA chart and box score, via FanGraphs]

Other Notes

• As was pointed out by our former fearless leader, the Reds now have the most wins in all of baseball after trailing in the 7th inning or later. Cool!
• Luke Weaver will toe the rubber for the Reds in the series finale tomorrow, with first pitch set for 1:40 PM ET.
• Tunes.