Another Disappointing Loss, Reds Embarrass Cardinals 9-1
Tsunami starts are something we all look forward to and feel confident in every five days, but Matt Harvey morphed into his old form, The Dark Knight, tonight.
The Reds plated the only two runs they would need to win in the top of the 1st, coming with two outs, who’s surprised? After recording two strikeouts, Jesse Winker hit a two-run double off the top of the wall in front of the Reds bullpen off Martínez to score Peraza (single) and Votto (walk).
The Cardinals offense showed up for one inning, also the 1st. They would total 3 hits off Harvey, DeJong with the first, an infield single down the third base line, coming after Billy Hamilton took a base-hit away from Carp to start the inning. Cafecíto then struck out on a Harvey fastball, bringing in Swags. Swags hit a single into LF, extending things to the birthday boy, Yadi. Yadi would come through, because of course, that’s how birthdays work, hitting an RBI single up the middle to score DeJong, making it 2-1 Reds.
That’s when this one took a turn for the worse, the Reds would score 7 more times, and the Cardinals would produce only one more hit, an infield single off the bat of Carlos Martínez with two outs in the 2nd inning.
The bullpen, adding Gregerson and Lyons back today, struggled immensely.
Scooter Gennett is still a nightmare for Cardinal pitching.
Jesse Winker didn’t record an out, going (4-4) with 4 RBI. Dilson Herrera (pinch-hitting) delivered the definite nail in the coffin, not that it wasn’t already delivered earlier. Battling, fouling pitches off with two strikes, Tui finally hung one across the plate and Herrera didn’t miss it, connecting for a three-run shot to deep LCF, making it 8-1 Reds.
The Cardinals went 1-2-3 six times with the bats tonight, and honestly I think I speak for us all, I’ve become numb to the underperforming losses where the offense thinks it can take a night off because their ace is taking the mound.
The Reds are playing some inspired baseball, and are one of the hottest teams in the majors right now. I wonder what they did to spark a fire and a culture change? Oh, never mind. Jim Riggleman seems to be doing a fine job.
The play of the night, that also sums up how the night, and season has went, came in the bottom of the 7th. With two outs, Carp would send what looked to be a solo HR to Freese’s Landing in CF. But there’s a human, maybe not a human, named Billy Hamilton and he can climb walls betters than Spider-Man. Hamilton turned himself around a full time, ranged back, dug his spikes into the padded wall and robbed Carp of a HR. I wish I was exaggerating when I say it’s one of the best catches I’ve ever seen in my life, damn do I miss watching Jim Edmonds patrol CF.
Well, anyway, the Reds destroyed the Cardinals in every facet tonight, winning 9-1.
Jack Flaherty (3-4, 3.47) will look to start a positive trend heading into the All-Star break in a couple days, as he takes on one of my favorite young guns, Luis Castillo (5-8, 5.58). First pitch 3:10 c/t.
Thanks for reading, cheers!
Game 92 is in the books
by Stew/@StewStilez
