Reds Limp To Finish Line With Loss To Royals Three Games Left

The Kanas City Royals wasted very little time putting former farm hand, Cody Reed to the test. The Royals scored in the first and put a string of five single-run innings together to sweep the Reds 6-1.  It was payback for the Reds sweep in Kansas City in June.

The left-hander that Kansas City spent three left-handed pitchers, including Reed to obtain Johnny Cueto for its 2015 World Championship team.

"I wasn't as sharp," Reed said.  "I didn't have the back foot slider to righties that I had the last two games.  I rushed myself a little warming up before the game but I felt fine."

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Adalberto Mondesi singled off Reed with one out in the first inning.  After Mondesi stole his 27th and 28th bases, Salvador Perez scored him with a long double to center.

"Cody wasn't as sharp," Jim Riggleman said.  "In his last two games there weren't a lot of base runners.  Tonight when they got base runners there were four stolen bases in two innings.  That means there weren't opportunities for double plays.  That's a part of his game he needs to work on."

Heath Fillmyer, the Royals starter, gave up Jose Peraza's 14th home run of the season to tie the game in the bottom of the first.

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Whit Merrifield extended his hitting streak to 16 games with a single in the third.  He stole second for his 40th stolen base but was thrown out at third according to umpire Tom Hallion.  The Royals appealed and won.  Alex Gordon singled to score Merrifield.

Hunter Dozier walked to lead off the fourth inning.  Jorge Bonifacio hit a ground rule double to left.  Alcides Escobar's infield single gave the Royals a 3-1 lead.

Fillmyer retired 12 of 13 batters before the Reds' second hit of the game.  Gabriel Guerrero singled as a pinch hitter.  Billy Hamilton walked but Scott Schebler flied out to end the inning.

"We may have looked flat because we didn't get a lot of hits and there was no activity," Riggleman said. "We have been doing all our preparations before the games and trying to finish strong.  Since Chicago we haven't got good results.  We didn't score a lot of ruins in Chicago either but we had better at bats."

Mondesi led off the fifth inning with triple and scored when Romano took too long to throw Gordon out a first on a weak come backer.  Fillmeyer doubled off Matt Wisler for his first Major League hit to score Escobar, who reached on an error by Peraza.  Alex Gordon hit his 13th home run of the season off Wandy Peralta in the seventh to put Kansas City up 6-1.

Hamilton's single in the eighth inning ended Fillmyer's night.  Tim Hill came out of the Royals bullpen.  Fillmyer allowed four hits and two walks. He struck out a career-high nine batters.

It was Reed's last start of the season.  He had a good year at Louisville and turned in a couple of good starts since he was inserted into the rotation.  Reed will be competing for a job in the Reds' rotation in 2019.

"I've built confidence this year," Reed said.  "Really, I showed myself that I belong.  I need to try not to be too fine, try not to be perfect."

The Reds have lost five in a row to the worst two teams in baseball that combined lost 198 games this season.  The Reds were 10-10 against American League teams this season.









Reed

"I wasn't as sharp.  I didn't have the back foot slider to righties that I had the last two games.  I rushed myself a little warming up before the game but I felt fine."