Homer Drought Ends Reds Grind Out A Sweep Of Texas

 

The Reds swept the American West leading Texas Rangers without hitting a home run grinding out a 5-3 win. It was the Reds' first sweep of the season.

Nick Senzel hit the Reds first home run in nine games to break the drought.  Senzel's first career walk off home run was his first home run of the season. 

"I was talking to David after the game," Senzel said. "I told him we were making it hard on ourselves trying to scratch hit after hit.  It's nice to hit one out every now and again."

"We knew it (a home run) was going to come," Bell said. "It was a matter of time. It couldn't come at a better time.  We've been scoring in other ways which was great.  We have the ability to hit homers too.  They will come without trying to do it.  That was certainly not on Nick's mind in that at bat. It just happened because that is what happens when you put a good swing on the ball."

After scoring 14 runs in a pair of 7-6 comeback wins, this time starting pitchers Graham Ashcraft for the Reds and Jon Gray for Texas turned in quality starts.

The Reds didn't hit a home run in eight games. The longest home run drought since April 1992.

Ashcraft pitched out of a bases loaded no out jam in the second inning.  A single by Adolis Garcia started it.  Ashcraft hit Josh Jung with a pitch and walked Jonah Heim.  Ashcraft bore down. He got Robbie Grossman to pop up in the infield.  He struck out Brad Miller on three pitches.  Number nine hitter Josh Smith hit a slow ground ball to first base to end the inning.

The Reds offense took the momentum and put up a pair of runs against Gray in their half of the inning. Tyler Stephenson doubled down the left field line.  Jake Fraley, who got a key hit in the Reds six-run eighth on Tuesday night, hit a long fly to deep right center. Former Red Travis Jankowski ran it down.  Last night as a pinch hitter Fraley doubled in the two-tying runs with a bloop down the left field line, "a hit off the knuckles" Texas manager Bruce Bochy lamented.  This time he was robbed. Henry Ramos lined a Gray pitch to the other gap that Jankowski dived for it but it eluded him.  Ramos ended up with an RBI triple.  Keven Newman grounded to Jung at third but Ramos easily beat the throw home.

Ashcraft walked Marcus Semien one out into the fifth.  The fourth walk he issued in the game.  Leody Taveras singled.  He took over for Jankowski, who left with left hip tightness from the second inning.  Nathaniel Lowe fisted a double to left, down the line.  Ezequiel Duran, who replaced Jung, tied the game with a sacrifice fly to right. Jung had his left hand x-rayed which was negative.

Nick Senzel singled to start the Reds' half of the fifth.  Curt Casali bunted to move Senzel to second.  Senzel stole third and scored on a fly to left by TJ Friedl.

Ashcraft pitched six innings, allowing two runs on three hits but he walked four.  He struck out just two.

Alex Young took over in the seventh. 

Gray left after the sixth inning. He allowed three runs on four hits and two walks.  He struck out two, which gave him exactly 1,000 for his career. Josh Sborz relieved Gray. 

Young got left handed batter Lowe out to start the eighth.  David Bell brought in Ian Gibaut, who struck out Garcia but hit Duran.  Curt Casali threw out Duran trying to steal to end the inning. 

Heim doubled off Gibaut to start the ninth.  Grossman rolled a single to left to put runners on the corner with no outs.  Lucas Sims came in to attempt the save.  Brad Miller hit a sacrifice fly but Sims fanned Semien and Taveras to send the game to the bottom of the ninth.

"Of course I was thinking strikeout in that situation you want to get out of it and gives us a win but you don't want to be too cute and dig a deeper hole," Sims said.  "I was trying at worse case limiting it to one and give our guys a chance to put up a run in the bottom of the ninth to win it. Our guys came through."

Bochy brought in Jonathan Hernandez in to send the game to extra innings.  He collected his sixth straight scoreless outing on Tuesday which dropped his ERA to 1.80.

Kevin Newman hit a ground ball up the middle that shortstop Josh Smith had to stretch to field.  Smith's attempt to throw Newman out got past Lowe at first. Newman went to second base.  Senzel worked the count to 3-2 then hit a slider deep to left. The ball hit the rail just beyond the outfield wall for the game winner.

"I didn't know it was gone but I thought just please hit the wall so we can score that run," Senzel said.  "To see it go out it was pretty exhilarating."

Emotional Win

Graham Ashcraft was dealing with emotions when he took the mound.  His grandmother died in the Dallas-Fort Worth area on Monday.  She would keep score of Reds' games even if Graham wasn't pitching.

The Reds pitcher broke down after the game. He told Bell that he wanted to go back out for the sixth inning.  Bell asked if he was o.k.

 

"That last inning was for her," Ashcraft said.  "She wanted me to go out. It means a lot to see the love that comes out of this clubhouse in a short period of time. She was such a great lady.  She never missed a game. I made her happy today."

Bell lost his grandfather Gus, who played for the Reds, days after his Major League debut in 1995.

"It was a tough week. I know how important it was today for Graham to go out and compete.  When you go through something like that, the loss of a loved one, it is really tough to hold it together and do your job.  I know that Graham thought that was the best way he could honor his grandmother. It was just all heart, all heart."