Cincinnati Reds hitters whiffed on a big ninth-inning opportunity in a 2-1 loss to the Baltimore Orioles before 33,202 at Great American Ball Park.
Final | R | H | E |
---|---|---|---|
Baltimore Orioles (22-11) | 2 | 7 | 0 |
Cincinnati Reds (16-17) |
1 | 6 | 0 |
W: Means (1-0) L: Abbott (1-4) Sv: Cano (1) |
|||
Statcast | Box Score | Game Thread |
Trailing by one run with the bases loaded and one out in the bottom of the ninth, Christian Encarnacion-Strand struck out swinging and Jeimer Candelario popped up to send the Reds to their fourth consecutive loss. A ninth-inning run ended a 21-inning scoreless streak by the Reds offense dating back to Wednesday’s game in San Diego
Today’s loss puts the third-place Reds 4 1/2 games behind first-place Milwaukee, and 3 1/2 games behind second-place Chicago.
The Offense
Reds hitters’ composite box-score line: 6-for-31, 2 walks drawn, 10 strikeouts.
Orioles lefthander John Means made his first start and appearance of the year at the major league level, and completely shut down the Reds offense over his seven innings. He allowed only three hits while striking out eight.
Former Reds lefthander Cionel Perez came on in the bottom of the eighth and allowed a leadoff single to Jeimer Candelario, but Santiago Espinal grounded into a quick double play to erase Candelario. Pinch-hitter Luke Maile flied out to end the inning.
In the ninth, facing closer Craig Kimbrel, pinch-hitter Jake Fraley led off with a single, followed by a Jonathan India walk. That brought Elly De La Cruz to the plate representing the winning run, but De La Cruz looked at strike three from Kimbrel. Spencer Steer then hit an opposite-field single to right, scoring Fraley and sending pinch-runner Bubba Thompson to third with one out.
Hey Spence ? pic.twitter.com/8bIvoqW0ZC
— Cincinnati Reds (@Reds) May 5, 2024
Orioles Manager Brandon Hyde then replaced Kimbrel with righthander Yennier Cano to face Tyler Stephenson. During Stephenson’s at-bat, Steer stole second to put the winning run at second. On a 3-2 pitch, Stephenson walked to load the bases. But the three ducks on the pond did not advance thereafter, and the Reds fell below .500.
India’s 2-for-3 performance raised his batting average to .225.
The Pitching
Reds pitchers’ line for the day: 9 innings, 7 hits and 1 walk allowed, with 13 strikeouts and just two solo homers allowed. You can’t argue with what the hurlers produced this evening.
Baltimore’s first two batters of the game reached on singles, and it didn’t take long for the here-we-go-again thoughts to creep in on the heels of a three-game losing streak. But starter Andrew Abbott shifted into another gear, popping up Ryan Mountcastle to left, and striking out Anthony Santander and Jordan Westburg both swinging — all while both runners stayed glued to their bases. It seemed like a very good sign.
In the third inning, the Orioles had runners on first and third with two out, and Abbott benefited from an excellent play by first baseman Encarnacion-Strand on a hot shot by Santander right at the first-base bag for out number three.
Baltimore broke a scoreless tie in the top of the fourth on a one-out Jorge Mateo solo home run. An inning later, Adley Rutschman did the same to make it 2-0.
Manager David Bell removed Abbott from the game after five innings with a pitch count of 84, 60 for strikes. That’s a 71 percent strike rate, sterling for any pitcher. In his five innings, Abbott allowed seven hits while striking out eight and walking none. You really can’t ask for much more from a starting pitcher, particularly against a very good-hitting team.
Nick Martinez, who surprisingly had the fourth-highest WAR on the team before today’s game (0.7), pitched a scoreless sixth and seventh. Lucas Sims and Sam Moll finished with a scoreless inning apiece.
Reds lefty Sam Moll has now thrown 23 consecutive scoreless innings, which is the longest streak among pitchers on an active roster in Major League Baseball. @Reds pic.twitter.com/NggSzM1omJ
— Bally Sports Cincinnati (@BallySportsCIN) May 5, 2024
What’s New(s)
Encarnacion-Strand’s bloop single to right field in the second inning ended an 0-for-41 streak by Reds players not named Elly De La Cruz. CES, an everyday player, has been a very pleasant surprise with the quality of his defense at first. But his hitting, which was what got him to the big leagues, has disappeared. Prior to today’s game, CES had a -0.6 WAR, the worst for any Reds player. He continues to swing at pitches way out of the strike zone, and as long as that continues, major league pitchers will continue to own him. Batting in the middle of a major-league batting order for a team that thinks it is a contender is not where hitting rehab needs to take place. CES has options, so let him go down to Louisville with the mandate that swinging at pitches in the dirt is unacceptable.
It’s surprised me, but what we might actually be watching is development year #2 for players like CES and Will Benson, who both have hit far below expectations. Combine that with the fact that Candelario has been a huge disappointment to date and you currently have a couple of reserves in Espinal and Stuart Fairchild starting nearly every day, and you have a situation that most of us did not anticipate to happen this year. We’re still in the “it’s early” phase, but within that realm, it’s getting late.
Up Next for the Cincinnati Reds
Baltimore Orioles at Cincinnati Reds
Sunday, May 5, 4:10 p.m. ET
Dean Kremer (2-2, 4.19 ERA) vs. Nick Lodolo (3-0, 1.88 ERA)
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