White Sox' starter Dylan Cease was unhittable mainly because his pitches from the Great American Ball Park would have been closer to the outside corner in Comisky Park in Chicago.
Cease walked seven batters in three plus innings and hit one. The walks established a new career high. He walked two in the second inning and hit Freddie Galvis with a pitch. It was the team-high sixth time Galvis has been plunked. Tucker Barnhart took a swing at the first pitch and grounded out to first base.
Cease walked Shogo Akiyama and Joey Votto in the second inning but got out of the inning.
The fourth was too much for Chicago manager Rich Renteria to take. Cease walked Jesse Winker, Brian Goodwin and Galvis. That was all Renteria could stand and he couldn't stand no more as Popeye would say. He brought in Ross Detwiler, a left hander, to face Barnhart, the former switch hitter. Barnhart hit a check swing ground ball to shortstop for a force that allowed Winker to score the game's first run.
It was David Bell's turn to strategize. Bell made a second guesser's delight move. He took down Akiyama. Baseball's new three-batter rule came into play. A left hander was often brought in to face one batter but now it is mandatory that pitchers pitch to a minimum of three batters. Bell took down the lefty hitting Akiyama, who has been one of the best Reds' at getting on base lately and its best defensive outfielder. In his place young Aristedes Aquino stepped in to face Detwiler. Aristedes grounded out to third base but was credited with an RBI as Goodwin scored. The White Sox walked the free swinging Nick Castellanos intentionally. Votto walked, tying Pete Rose for the most walks in franchise history at 1,210. Eugenio Suarez walked to bring Barnhart home. The Reds led 3-0 and didn't have a hit.
That changed when left handed hitting Mike Moustakas grounded a single back through the pitcher',s mound, driving in two runs for a 5-0 lead.
In his second start, Michael Lorenzen, had his way with the heavy hitting Sox, who lead the American League in offense. Lorenzen allowed an infield hit to Nick Madrigal and a bloop single to Jose Abreu. Lorenzen coaxed a fly out to Goodwin in shallow center, in which Madrigal unwisely trotted toward home and had to go back to third base to tag. Lorenzen fanned Edwin Encarnacion.
"It felt like it was the longest game in the history of baseball," Lorenzen said. "I think I handled it pretty well. It was my goal to get them out as fast as possible but I wasn't able to do it so I will learn from it."
Lorenzen caught the "walk bug" from the White Sox contamination of the mound. Luis Robert trotted down to first base after four pitches missed the strike zone. Yolmer Sanchez singled Robert to third with no outs. Lorenzen struck out reigning AL batting champion Tim Anderson but Bell brought in Lucas Simms. Madrigal again reached base on an infield hit as Robert scored the White Sox first run. Abreu doubled to plate Sanchez.
"I wanted to stay in but at this point in time, winning is all that matters," Lorenzen said. "I always want to stay in the game. There is no place for being selfish."
"The last two games have been fun. It is what I train my body for. It has worked out well so far."
Aquino made Bell's earlier move look good with a long two run home run to the Reds bullpen to rebuild the Reds five-run advantage off Steve Cishek.
"I am trying to focus on what I can do and stay ready so I can contribute," Aquino said through interpreter Jorge Merlos. "I am super excited to be a part of this team."
Simms put himself in jeopardy by walking Robert and Sanchez to start the seventh inning. Simms got ahead of Anderson with a strike but White Sox leading hitter had to exit with a cramp in his hamstring. Yoan Moncada struck out in his place as did Madrigal and Abreu, after a nine-pitch at bat.
"Michael set the tone," David Bell said. "The at bats all day gave us the opportunity to score those runs. It was a tough call but Lucas was ready and got us deep in the game. That battle with Abreu was big. He stayed with it. That was a big out right there."
Former Red Edwin Encarnacion hit his 10th home run of the season against Archie Bradley.
Raisel Iglesias entered in the ninth inning in a non save situation.
The win gave the Reds a 2-1 win in the series and brought them back to .500 at 27-27 with six games left to play.
"It is a good accomplishment any time you can take two of three from a good team," said Bell who is anticipating the upcoming series with Milwaukee a rival for one of the disappearing playoff spots. "We had to put everything we had into today. No matter what it was going to be a big series against Milwaukee. We have to continue to give everything we have and do it as a team."
"This is a playoff team that we just played. It was a big test for us. We proved to ourselves that we can do it, we have to keep doing it," Lorenzen said.
The Reds had five hits but left 12 men on base, 11 put their by walks. Votto walked for the second time in the fifth inning to pass Rose for the all-time walk leadership as a Red with 1,211.
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