The game didn’t start on time because of rain and it ended early because of rain. But in the middle there, the Cincinnati Reds took care of business behind a quality start from Nick Lodolo and the bat of Spencer Steer in their 4-2 win over the Minnesota Twins.
| Final | R | H | E |
|---|---|---|---|
| Minnesota Twins (36-37) | 2 | 3 | 0 |
| Cincinnati Reds (39-35) | 4 | 9 | 0 |
| W: Lodolo (5-5) L: Ober (4-4) | |||
| Statcast | Box Score | Game Thread | |||
After just over two hours of a rain delay, the Reds and Twins took the field just after 9:15pm. The game remained scoreless for about four seconds. Byron Buxton took the first pitch of the game from Nick Lodolo and hit it four rows into the seats in left-center to put Minnesota up 1-0. Their lead didn’t stay there for long as TJ Friedl led off the bottom of the frame with a single and then scored when Spencer Steer hit an opposite field go-ahead 2-run home run.
An inning later the Reds would add to their lead. Jose Trevino and Jake Fraley both singled, setting up Matt McLain for a single of his own that brought in a run to make it 3-0. In the 4th inning the Cincinnati offense added on again. This time Spencer Steer doubled and then he came around to score on a single by Will Benson.
The Twins would get that run back in the next inning after two singles put runners on the corner with one out and then a ground out brought in their second run of the game. Nick Lodolo got back on track from there and didn’t give up another hit through the 6th inning as the Reds held onto a 4-2 lead.
Cincinnati’s half of the 6th inning saw Jose Trevino single with one out. With Jake Fraley at the plate the rain began to come down again and the game was immediately stopped and the grounds crew went to work to put the tarps on the field. After about 55 minutes of a delay the game was called as official and over, giving the Reds a 4-2 win in a rain-shortened game.
Key Moment of the Game
Spencer Steer’s 2-run home run in the 1st. It gave the Reds the lead and they never gave it up.
Notes Worth Noting
Spencer Steer didn’t homer for a month before connecting for a long ball on June 14th. Now he’s hit two in the last four games.
Nick Lodolo now has nine quality starts this season. His ERA dropped to 3.71 on the season with his outing.
Cincinnati is now 39-35 on the season. It’s the first time all year that they’ve been four games over .500 this year. The win moved the Reds into a tie for second place in the division with the Brewers.
The rest of the NL Central was rained out.
Up Next for the Cincinnati Reds
Minnesota Twins vs Cincinnati Reds
Thursday June 19th, 12:40pm ET
Chris Paddack (2-6, 4.30 ERA) vs Nick Martinez (4-7, 3.92 ERA)
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