Games 17 and 18: Cubs Take Two From Reds over Weekend

They were supposed to play three, but Mother Nature had other plans for the Cubs and Reds on Saturday. A short two game series ended in the Cubs taking both from Cincinnati, and familiar issues rearing their ugly head once again for the Reds. 

Game 17: CHC 7, CIN 3 F/11

The Friday night game started off great for Cincinnati. The Reds jumped out to a 2-0 lead after Billy Hamilton scored two runs in his first two trips up. In the top of the fourth, Anthony Rizzo belted a home run off of Mike Leake to tie the game up at 2. In the bottom half of the inning, Zack Cozart hit a sac fly that would score Marlon Byrd to regain the lead for Cincinnati. Leake would give up a solo homer in the 7th to Chris Coghlan, and with that, the game headed to extras. In the 11th, Chicago would score four runs off of Burke Badenhop to finish off the game. 

Game 18: CHC 5, CIN 2

The Sunday afternoon matchup would feature Jake Arrieta and Anthony DeSclafani. It was the first time that DeSclafani would get roughed up this season as he took his first loss as a Red. He went five innings and gave up five runs, but only one of which were earned. Todd Frazier would hit his 5th home run of the season in a losing effort. Miguel Montero also hit his 100th home run of his career in the game. This one was never in doubt for the Cubs. 

A few things we can take away from this losing series are both good and bad. 

GOOD:

Billy Hamilton had three steals Friday night, and one on Sunday upping his total to 13 for the season. At the pace he is going, he will certainly break his own personal record (56) and lead the league. 

Mike Leake is getting it together. Not normally know as a strikeout pitcher, Leake rang up 9 Cubs in 7 innings of work Friday night while not factoring in the decision. He command is back where we think it should be. Leake threw 110 pitches, 73 for strikes. 

BAD:

The Reds did not hit well with runners in scoring position during the series. I might sound like a broken record, but for crying out loud, they were 0-for-20 in two games! If this stat doesn't improve, we might be in for a long season. 

UP NEXT:

Jimmy Nelson vs Jason Marquis

The Brewers come to town for a three-game tilt. This could be just what the doctor ordered seeing as the Reds just took three out of four in Milwaukee last week. Let's hope they get back on track!

-Dug

@chansm1th

Games 15 and 16: Reds Right Back Where They Began

The Reds split the final two contests of the four game series with the Brewers, but still took the series 3-1. On Wednesday night, Johnny Cueto registered his first win of the season with a spectacular pitching performance. One night after the two teams combined for 26 runs, Cueto shut down the Brewers' bats by going 8 innings, striking out 8, and giving up only one run. The game went to the ninth inning tied, and Billy Hamilton score the go-ahead run on a Francisco Rodriguez wild pitch. Aroldis Chapman would come in to nail down his fourth save of the season. 

On Thursday's afternoon finale, Kyle Lohse sealed the deal for his first win of the season. The only blemish was a two-run home run he gave up to Marlon Byrd (his first of the year). Lohse threw seven innings while giving up two runs in the win. His opponent, Homer Bailey, had a decent start also, just his second since opening the season on the DL. Homer's final line was 5.2 innings, seven hits, and two earned. He drops to 0-2 on the season. Kevin Gregg took the loss when he gave up a single to Jean Segura in the eighth inning that plated Logan Schafer. The Brewers won 4-2, and Francisco Rodrigez secured his 350th save of his career. 

The Reds return home where they will face Chicago. The Cubs took two of three last week from the Reds, but will send out Jon Lester for the opener who had a rough go the last time these two teams met. Coming off his phenomenal performance against the Cardinals on Sunday Night Baseball, Mike Leake will oppose him. 

-Dug

@chansm1th

Game 14: Reds Prevail in Slugfest, 16-10

Wow! Now that's some hitting! The Reds score a season high in runs on Monday night when they took the first game of the series with the Brewers, 6-1. They had that total halfway through a grand slam from Todd Frazier in the fourth inning. The game had more of a Home Run Derby or NBA All-Star feel to it as the pitching was left irrelevant. 

Jay Bruce started off the parade with a grand slam in the 3rd. The Brewers would knock away the lead and it was 4-4 by the end of the inning. In the fourth, Todd Frazier got in on the fun and hit another grand slam. In the following inning, Zack Cozart hit a 2-run home run that would extend the lead to 11-4. 

In the 6th inning, Joey Votto would go yard with a respectable solo shot. It's his sixth homer of the year. In that same inning, Elian Herrera would notch a grand slam for the home team that would cut the lead to 13-10. That would be the closest the Brewers would get. In the top of the 7th, Cozart would solo homer to get his second of the game, and third of the series. The Reds won by a final of 16-10. 

For the most part, pitching didn't matter. Jason Marquis took the win for Cincinnati, and dodged the majority of the scoring. He delivered 5 innings of work, allowed 5 runs, but struck out 8 for his first win since 2013. 

It truly was a game to remember for the Reds, and one to forget if you were a Brewers' pitcher. 7 total home runs and the two clubs also tied a league record for 3 grand slams in a game. The last time Cincinnati hit multiple grand slams in a game was August 21, 1999; a 9-3 win over the Montreal Expos. Cozart's two dingers give him four on the year, matching his total for all of last season. 

Next up for the Reds, Johnny Cueto takes the mound looking for his first win on the campaign. His opponent will be Jimmy Nelson, who lost to Pittsburgh in his last outing. First pitch is at 8:10. 

-Dug

@chansm1th

Game 13: DeSclafani Shines in Milwaukee

"Looking for that **** I give"- Bryan Price

The Reds came into Milwaukee reeling. Frustrations were running high, in case you didn't catch Bryan Price's pre-game interview. A win would be just what the doctor ordered for this team, and tonight they would get it. 

Not to sound like a broken record, but Anthony DeSclafani dazzled hitters again in spectacular fashion. Making his third start for the Reds, DeSclafani threw 8 scoreless innings while giving up only 2 hits. He did this in only 91 pitches before being lifted in the 9th for a pinch hitter. His counterpart, Wily Peralta, did not fare near as well. Peralta turned in 7 innings of work while giving up 6 runs. He scattered 8 hits and 3 walks while striking out five. 

The Reds thought they had an early lead in the second inning, but would lose a challenge on the play. DeSclafani hit a single to center field and Brayan Pena would be tagged out at home. The initial call was safe, but video evidence showed that the tag was applied just before he scored. 

In the 5th inning, DeSclafani would run into the only trouble he would face on the night. With two on and one out, Wily Peralta came to the plate with all intentions of bunting the runners over in the scoreless game. With two strikes on him, Peralta squared up to bunt and both runners took off. The pitch was fouled back and Pena made a nice diving snag and throw to first to double off Hector Gomes to get DeSclafani out of the inning. 

The Reds would break the game open in the 6th. Pena would come up with the bases load and hit a sac fly to deep center field that would score Todd Frazier and move Jay Bruce to third. Next batter up, Zack Cozart, would foul off three pitches. The first would go off his own leg. The second ran down the line and caught Bruce in the midsection. The third ended up going off of Jonathan Lucroy's foot. Lucroy would leave the game in the following inning and would also be put on the DL after the game with a broken toe. The next pitch to Cozart was sent deep left to clear the bases. The Reds led 4-0 after six. 

In the seventh, Billy Hamilton in his first game back led off the inning with a triple to right. Joey Votto would bring him home with his 5th home run of the year. 

Burke Badenhop was tasked with closing out the game in the ninth inning. Ryan Braun would take him deep on the first pitch he saw for his first home run on the year. The Reds took the first game of a four game swing with a final score of 6-1. 

Next up, Jason Marquis (0-1, 6.30) and Mike Fiers (0-2, 5.91) both look to snap the funk they have been in. The Reds look to get back to .500 ball, while Milwaukee looks to halt a six-game losing streak. 

Games 10, 11, and 12: Reds Swept in St Louis

It was a rough weekend for the Reds so I will sum it up in one post. The Reds went into St Louis one game over .500 and left two games under. St Louis has always been a tough road challenge, and this weekend was no different. Aside from Mike Leake and his complete game loss (8 innings, 4 hits, and two runs), Reds' starters took a licking. Johnny Cueto pitched 7 innings and gave up four runs in the loss on Friday. The Reds lost the game 6-1 with Joey Votto's 4th home run being the only offensive production. 

On Saturday, Homer Bailey made his season debut as he was activated from the DL. He lasted 5.2 innings while giving up 9 hits and five runs. The bullpen would come in and throw the remaining 2.1 innings without allowing another run. The Cards took the second game by a score of 5-1. 

On Sunday night, the Reds and Cards played ESPN's edition of Sunday Night Baseball. Adam Wainwright threw 8 innings while giving up one run. Mike Leake continued to show improvement, but the bats were nowhere to be found. St Louis took a 1-0 lead in the first on a Matt Carpenter home run and never looked back. The final score was 2-1. 

The Reds had a rough weekend. It always sucks to lose to the Cardinals, and this weekend seemed all too familiar. Combined, the Reds were 2-for-16 with runners in scoring position. The pitching was far from spectacular, and St Louis is playing great ball. Next up for the Reds (5-7), they travel to Milwaukee on Monday for a four game swing with the Brewers (2-10). Anthony DeSclafani woll look to continue his hot start as he faces of against Wily Peralta in the opener. Peralta was 2-0 with a 0.60 ERA in his two starts last season against Cincinnati. Billy Hamilton returns to the lineup after a groin injury caused him to miss Sunday's finale in St Louis. The Reds need a good showing from their offense in this series to build on the momentum they started the season off with. 

The real K Bryant

Greetings amateurs,

Uh ohhhhh. The boys are bringing in the big gun. My boy Kris Bryant is about to make his debut and show the world why the Cubs are going to be a force for the next decade. 

This call up has been what Cubs fans have looked forward to over the past season as we've heard tales of Bryant's freakish hitting ability and power. It appears the day has arrived. His first game will be in Wrigley against San Diego and their new ace, James Shields. He has pitched well on the season, so I'm excited for Bryant to immediately be thrown into the fire. 

2:20 tomorrow. Find a TV and watch greatness begin. Kris Bryant is gonna put on a show and you'll want to watch it. 

All my love, 

@corbeeeech

Game 9: Reds Fall Flat in Series Finale, Lose 5-0

New twist on an old tradition, but not a pretty sight for Reds fans. 

On a Wednesday night in Chicago, the temperature (49 degrees at first pitch) wasn't all that was chilly. The Reds' bats were ice cold and Jason Marquis didn't do anything to help himself either. Marquis started off rocky in his first start and the trend continued tonight. Marquis gave up a lead-off double to Dexter Fowler, and Anthony Rizzo followed up with a home run in the first inning to give Chicago a 2-0 lead. In the second inning, the Cubs sent 8 batters to the plate. Jonathan Herrera singled in Starlin Castro. Rizzo would draw a walk to load the bases, and Jorge Soler would get plunked to bring in Arismendy Alcantara. In the fourth inning, Miguel Montero would hit a sac fly to center that would bring home Fowler for a 5-0 lead. Marquis lasted four innings. He gave up five runs (four earned) on seven hits and struck out six. An overworked Reds bullpen would give four scoreless innings (a welcomed sight) in relief. 

Marquis' opponent for the night, Travis Wood, turned in a phenomenal performance. Against his old team, Wood retired the first 10 batters he faced before walking Joey Votto in the fourth. Wood threw seven scoreless innings and struck out 7 in the win. 

The Reds have now lost four of five after starting the season 4-0. With the win, Chicago moves into first place of the division by half a game. Chicago has already won two series this season. Last year, they did not win a series until the first of May. 

Next up for the Reds, they have a day off on Thursday before a weekend tilt in St Louis where they have lost 8 consecutive series. Johnny Cueto returns to the mound for his third start of the year, and second against the Cardinals. He hasn't done very well in St Louis as he holds a 5.80 career ERA, his worst of any stadium. His opponent on Friday will be Michael Wacha. 

-Dug

@chansm1th