Tampa Bay Rays Wreck Reds And Nick Lodolo To Even The Series

Taylor Walls hit two home runs and a triple to drive in four runs as the Tampa Bay Rays drubbed the Reds, 10-0.

The Rays snapped a five-game losing streak to the Reds dating back to April, 2014.  The Reds swept the Rays at Great American Ball Park last season.

The Rays jumped on Nick Lodolo for two home runs in a four-run second inning.  With one out Taylor Walls hit his second home run of the year into the left field stands.  Lodolo got a foul out from Manuel Manuel Margot but catcher Francisco Mejia beat out a slow ground ball to short.  Lodolo hit the number nine hitter, Vidal Brujan with a pitch.  Yandy Diaz blasted his fifth home run of the year to deep left to give Tampa Bay a quick 4-0 lead.

 Nick Lodolo

"I wasn't sharp," Lodolo said. "I was missing middle and that's what good teams will do. It comes down to me and executing. I wasn't even close to executing today. At no point did I want to come out of the game. You have to battle."

David Bell let him battle.

"There were not enough first pitch strikes," Bell said. "He didn't have a good feel for his breaking ball from what I could tell on the side."

"Even guys who have pitched for a long time will have days like this. He doesn't have a ton of experience in this league. We've seen him very good. There's no reason to believe he won't come back from this."

The Rays added three runs in the third.  Randy Arozarena singled.  Harold Ramirez hit a ground ball toward short but Kevin Newman could't make the play.  It was ruled a single, sending Arozarena to third.  Walls drilled a ball over the head of TJ Friedl in center field for a triple.  Margot hit a fly to deep right to send Walls home.

Arozarena hit his fourth home run of the season in the fourth.

Rookie Taj Bradley, making his second Major League start cruised for 5 1/3 innings, striking out nine Reds.  He allowed three harmless singles and walked one for his second win in eight days.  He struck out eight Red Sox batters in his only other appearance on April 12.

Lodolo lasted into fifth inning, 4 2/3, allowing eight earned runs on 12 hits and four walks.  He hit three batters to make matters worse.

Casey Legumina in his second appearance since being recalled from Louisville pitched 2 1/3 innings.  He gave up Walls second home run of the game in the sixth.

"It has been an odd mix of games with a lot of blow outs but our bullpen is in pretty good shape," Bell said.

Alexis Diaz pitched the eighth inning.  He had not pitched in three days and just needed the work.

Yonny Chirinos pitched 2 2/3 innings of shut out baseball to take the white wash into the ninth.

For the third game in a in four days a position player was used to save a bullpen when Covington Catholic grad, Luke Maile pitched the ninth for the Reds. Walls collected his fourth hit of the game, a single.  Mejia doubled home Walls with his fourth hit of the game.

Princeton High School's Josh Harrison finished the game for the Phillies on Saturday.  Jason Vosler mopped up for the Reds on Sunday.

Garret Cleavinger pitched the ninth for Tampa Bay.

Tampa Bay leads the Major Leagues in runs per game in improving their record to 15-3 with 125 runs.  They have allowed just 50 runs, the third fewest.