Diamondbacks Sweep Reds

  

The Arizona Diamondbacks completed the sweep of the Reds with a 5-4 decision, sending the home team to its eighth straight loss and an 0-6 home stand.  

Joc Pederson, who had three hits, belted his fourth home run of the season in the first inning. Pederson was a candidate in the home run hitting contest at the 2015 All-Star game in Cincinnati.  He hit 26 home runs in his rookie season.

Hunter Greene got the first two outs before Pederson connected. It was the first run Greene has allowed in three starts, covering 12 2/3 innings. 

 

Diamondback starter Slade Cecconi didn't allow the Reds' first hit until Elly De La Cruz broke an 0-for-16 slump with a single in the fourth inning.

Jeimer Candelario's fourth home run of the season tied the game in the fifth inning. Will Benson nearly hit one out but it hit off the top of the right center field wall for his 10th double of the year. Cecconi got out of the inning with a tie.

Pederson led off the sixth inning with a single. Christian Walker took a base on balls from Greene. David Bell brought in Nick Martinez. Luis Gurriel Jr. doubled to score Pederson. Walker scored on a sacrifice fly to left by Eugenio Suarez. 

Greene was left with the game tied at 1-1 but pitched five innings, allowing three runs on four hits. He walked five and struck out six.

In five of Greene's eight starts, the Reds have scored two or fewer runs in five of them, two in which they were shut out.

"It was a sluggish day. I was just trying to grind through it and keep the team in the game," Greene said. "I was trying to be as effective as possible. I was trying to wake up. I didn't have to pop smelling salts in a while but I popped a couple of those. I was trying to wake up. Everybody goes through it sometime in our career. We know our bodies so well but sometimes we over think. Fighting off that negativity and not let negative thoughts creep in."

Arizona combined a one-out triple by Marte and an RBI single by Walker to extend the lead to 4-1.

Singles by Candelario, TJ Friedl and De La Cruz cut the lead to two off Logan Allen in the seventh. Arizona brought Ryan Thompson into the game. De La Cruz stole second. Spencer Steer fell behind 0-2 but singled to tie the game. 

With two outs in the eighth, Fernando Cruz walked Tucker Barnhart and pinch hitter Pavin Smith. Reigning Rookie of the Year Corbin Carroll delivered the go-ahead run with a single to score Barnhart. 

Paul Sewald returning from a oblique injury earned his first save, striking out two.

The Reds have improved at the plate the last two games but have fallen one-run short.

"We fell short today. We talk about in here (with the press) but we don't talk a lot about in the clubhouse. We don't want it to pile up. I see signs that it is getting better," Bell said.

Diamondbacks Bite Snake Bit Reds Again To Take The Second Game Of The Series

  

The Reds knicked Jordan Montgomery for two runs but Eugenio Suarez homered and singled to lead the Arizona Diamondbacks to a 4-3. It extended the Reds losing streak to seven games.

The Diamondbacks won three games in a row for the first time.

"I think these are good games for us to win," Torrey Lovullo said. "We have to win one-run games. We have to learn how to execute at critical points in the game and expect to have this type of outcome."

The Reds scored first in the game for the first time since Wednesday. They snapped a four-game, home stand long stretch by scoring off the starting pitcher in the second inning.

Tyler Stephenson doubled off Montgomery and continued to third when Lourdes Gurriel Jr. couldn't pick up the ball in the corner. Santiago Espinal hit the hardest ball of the inning but third baseman Eugenio Suarez dived for the ball and knocked the ball down. Kevin Newman picked it up and threw out Espinal. Stephenson had to freeze on the line drive. Stuart Fairchild singled home Stephenson.

Graham Ashcraft got into trouble in the third. Gabriel Moreno opened the inning with a single. He scored on a double by Pavin Smith. Corbin Carroll walked. Ketel Marte beat out an infield hit as Ashcraft was late covering on a ground ball to Jeimer Candelario at first base. Christian Walker walked to score Smith.

The Reds tied the game in the fourth. Stephenson singled to open the inning against Montgomery. Espinal forced Stephenson at second. He scored from first on a double by Candelario, his second hit.

The Diamondbacks regained the lead in the sixth. Gurriel and Suarez singled to open the inning against Ashcraft.

David Bell brought in Fernando Cruz.  He was coming to his 17th game. Starting the inning, Cruz has inherited 15 runners and stranded 13 of them. One of the two inherited runners scored when Moreno found a hole up the middle to plate Gurriel. Cruz stranded two to end the inning.

Ashcraft (3-2) allowed three earned runs in five plus innings. He gave up six hits, walking three and striking out two. He left with a 3.86 ERA.

 Former Reds' slugger hit his third home run of the season. It came against Lucas Sims with two outs. Suarez has now hit 99 home runs at GABP.

"Baseball is hard," Lovullo said of Suarez, who came into the game hitting just .215 with two home runs. "It is hard to be consistent and hit every night. I know Geno (Suarez) had a good work day today. I had a conversation with the hitting coach (Joe Maither) and he told me to expect some barrel awareness. Geno had a good night two hits and his 249th home run."

Montgomery lasted seven innings, giving up two runs on seven hits. He walked two and struck out to improve to 2-2 on the season.

"I'm definitely getting closer," Montgomery said. "After the way it went for the Dodgers I just had to get back out there. It was good to get back out there and have better results. I still have to execute some pitches."

The Red put Kevin Ginkel to the test. Pinch hitter Jake Fraley walked to open the inning. Pinch hitter Mike Ford, who was re-signed by the Reds when they placed Christian Encarnacion-Strand on the injured list. He flied out but Jeimer Candelario singled for his third hit. TJ Friedl lined a single to right to score Fraley and send Candelario to third with one out. Will Benson was announced as the pinch hitter. Lovullo brought in left-hander Joe Mantiply. He struck out Benson. Friedl stole second to put the potential winning run in scoring position. Jonathan India flied out to right to end the game.  

"What Joe Mantiply did today was unbelievable," Lovullo said. "In a very uncommon way, he got himself ready in less than a batter. He made pitch after pitch and picked up his teammates."

"I was committed to Kevin at a certain point. I saw that they were maneuvering and they were going to have some left-handed batters. I thought Joe was the best guy."

Mantiply picked up his first save of the season and the first since 2022 when he had two for the Diamondbacks. Mantiply did not pitch in 2017 and 2018. He spent two springs in the Reds' camp.

"I was trying to stay ready. I got hot earlier," Mantiply said. "It didn't take me long. Obviously, I was hoping Gink would work through that. The call came and I had to be ready."

Corbin Carroll Drives In Five Runs As Diamondbacks Bite Reds

  

Corbin Carroll homered and drove in five runs as the Arizona Diamondbacks poisoned the Reds in the opening game of the series with a 6-2 win.

TJ Friedl returned to the top of the Reds' lineup but the hitting woes continued to produce zeroes for the snakebitten Reds as they dropped their sixth straight game, scoring three runs on the four-game home stand. 

Zac Gallen barely broke a sweat as only Jake Fraley had a hit in six innings for the Reds.

Frankie Montas returned after missing two starts after getting hit on the right forearm on April 21.  He was effective. The Diamondbacks scored a run in the third and one in the fifth.

"They are trying to do what they need to do to get out of slumps. Everyone here has the right mentality," Montas said. "They know its a long season. We've only played like 30 something games. We still have 120 to play. The way they are approaching this right now. They are not putting their heads down and feeling defeated or how bad we're losing."

Montas retired the first six Arizona hitters before walking Jake McCarthy to open the third. Former Red Tucker Barnhart bounced a single over the head of Christian Encarnacion-Strand for a base hit that sent McCarthy to third. Montase got Kevin Newman to popped out. Corbin Carroll hit a high chop back to Montas who could only force Barnhart at second as McCarthy scored.

Barnhart reached on an error by Elly De La Cruz in the fifth. Newman singled. Carroll singled to drive in his second run of the game.

Montas finished six innings, allowing two runs (one earned) on four hits and one walk. He struck out seven.

"Frankie was really good, David Bell said. "His velocity was back for sure. He had a good split and good cutter. The first time back after a layoff he got us deep into it. A lot of that had to do with how good his stuff was."

Justin Wilson entered the game in the seventh.  

Pinch hitter Randall Grichuk singled to open the inning. Barnhart forced him at second trying to sacrifice him to second. Former Red Newman singled. Carroll followed with his second home run of the season. It gave Carroll five RBI for the game. Ketel Marte lifted his seventh home run. It was the Diamondbacks' second set of back-to-back homers of the season.

Buck Farmer relieved Wilson. 

Gallen allowed one hit and three walks in six scoreless innings. In the four game home stand the Reds have not scored on a starting pitcher.

Jonathan India hi his second home run of the season with the bases empty in the seventh inning. It broke a four game streak with no home runs as a team. 

Tyler Stephenson connected for his fourth home run of the season. He victimized Paul Seward in his first game of the season. The Diamondbacks' closer missed the beginning of the season with a strained oblique. 

"It was about tonight," Bell said. "We weren't able to get anything done tonight. Zac Gallen had a lot to do with that. It is one pitch at a time. We'll come back tomorrow and do it all over again. That's how we'll get through this."

The Diamondbacks broke a four-game losing streak. 

 Frankie Montas

David Bell

Orioles Fly By Reds Laying Goose Eggs To Sweep Series

  

Dean Kremer continued the Baltimore Orioles starters over the Reds with a 11-1 win. The Orioles starters, Cole Irvin, John Means and Kremer did not allow a run in the series.

The Orioles swept the series with their fourth straight win. The Reds went the other way, suffering their fifth straight loss to drop to 16-18 on the season. The Reds scored just seven runs during the losing streak and just one in the Orioles series. 

"It's the nature of the game," Jake Fraley said. "It puts pressure on you. It puts pressure on you because you care. We have no choice to get through it. Tomorrow's coming. We're all big leaguers. A pitcher doesn't go six or seven innings of one, two hit baseball without hitting their spots. So guys are throwing really well. We're going up there and trying to give in every thing we've got. Tip your cap to those guys. They are at the top of the AL East for a reason."

The Orioles erupted for three runs against Nick Lodolo after two were out in the first inning. Ryan Mouncastle hit a high fly to left. Spencer Steer was shading Mountcastle too right field. The ball landed inches fair down the leftfield line. Anthony Santander singled with two strikes to score Mountcaslte. Jordan Westburg hit his sixth home run to the first two rows of the right field stands.

Lodolo retired nine batters in a row until he hit Ramon Urias with a pitch with two outs. Gunnar Henderson walked. Adley Rutschman doubled to plate the fourth Baltimore run.

The slumping Reds, who had four batters start the game under .200 with Will Benson right at .200, got their first base runner in the fifth. Christian Encarnacion-Strand singled after Dean Kremer retired the first 13 Reds' batters. Jonathan India walked. Kremer pitched out of it. 

Brent Suter entered to pitch in the sixth inning. 

Lodolo pitched five innings, allowing four runs on four hit. He walked two and hit a batter. Lodolo collected six strikeouts.

Ryan McKenna hit the top of the left field fence off Suter for his second home run, to increase the lead to 5-0. Urias doubled and scored on Rutschman's second hit and RBI came on a run scoring single. It is Rutschman's 15th multi-hit game, leading baseball.

Alexis Diaz was rusty and needed to pitch. He hit McKenna with a pitch and Colton Cowser delivered McKenna with a double. Urias singled. Henderson walked to load the bases with no outs. Diaz struck out Rutschman then turned it over to Emilio Pagan. Santander hit a grand slam with two outs. It was his third grand slam of his career. The home run was his fifth of the season.

Albert Suarez retired all seven batters he faced. Mike Baumann, like Diaz, needed the work. He walked Benson and Elly De La Cruz. Steer's bloop single loaded the bases. Jake Fraley's single scored Benson with the Reds second run of the series.

 "It was a tough series," David Bell said. "A tough little stretch for our team. It is going to turn around. We have good players. They do the right thing over and over. They do things the right way and that's how you know it will turn around."

O's Lay Another Zero On Reds Suffer Third Straight Loss At GABP

  

John Means showed that he was fully recovered from elbow surgery with seven scoreless innings, lifting the Baltimore Orioles to a 2-1 win.

The Reds had last scored 26 innings ago at home with a run in the eighth inning against the Philadelphia Phillies on April 24. The Reds last scored in the fifth inning at San Diego on Wednesday a span of 22 innings before Spencer Steer drove in Jake Fraley in the ninth inning.

"We talked all day," David Bell said. "There wasn't a team meeting or anything. We talk all the time. We had good at bats at the end. We've been struggling to score runs. It going to turn. We know that. It doesn't make it any easier to go through. We have good players. We have to fight through it,"

Jorge Mateo broke a scoreless tie in the fourth inning with his second home run of the season. Andrew Abbot survived consecutive singles twice, once to open the game and another with two outs in the third.

The Reds' starter struck out eight along the way. 

John Means made his first start of the season for the Orioles. Means has been dealing with elbow problems since 2022.

He allowed a single to Christian Encarnacion-Strand blooped a single to right in the second inning.  Jonathan India doubled with two outs in the third.

Adley Rutschman's third hit of the game was his fifth home run to send the Orioles up, 2-0. It extended Baltimore's major league leading home run total to 51.

The lineup for Cincinnati is mired in an extended slump. Only Elly De La Cruz started the game with a decent batting average at .288. The rest were under .250 with four batters under .200.

Nick Martinez relieved Abbott in the sixth.

Abbott pitched well enough to win, logging five innings, allowing two runs on seven hits, no walks and eight strikeouts.

"It was two pitches, two good swings. You'd like for it not to happen, being able to limit them to give our team a chance, I thought was good. There are a lot of," Abbott said.

The Reds starters have been good lately with no good results.

"We're not playing how we'd like to," Abbott said. "It'll come around eventually. We have to stay true to the process. The results will come. Stay true to yourself, stay true to what you can do. Eventually, it will turn the corner and we will be on a nice win streak and we'll be looking back and say hey, it's all part of the process. I think it is important for each an every guy whether you're a pitcher or a hitter, just try to do your best, do your job and live with the results at the end of the day. We know we can be better and we will be better.""

The Reds' bullpen, Nick Martinez, Lucas Sims and Sam Moll did their part holding the powerful Orioles for the last four frames, retiring 12 of the 13 batters they faced.

Cionel Perez, a former Red, pitched a scoreless eighth.

Closer Craig Kimbrel came on for his ninth save of the season.  allowed a single to Fraley and walked India. Bubba Thompson ran for India. Elly De La Cruz struck out looking. Steer singled to right to send Thompson to third with the tying run.

Yennier Cano took over for Kimbrell. Steer stole second as the count went full to Stephenson, who took ball four to load the bases with one out. Encarnacion-Strand and his .194 average came to the plate. CES struck out swinging. Jeimer Candleario stepped in at .192. He flied to left to end the game.

"We've been battling," Steer said. "It seems we just can't buy one at the moment. I think or last inning was great to see, man. Guys were battling, having real good at bats. We fell short. It is promising to see fight like that."

Cole Irvin Shuts Down Reds Orioles Take The First Game Of The Series

  

Cole Irvin turned in his third straight scoreless performance. He held the Reds until the Baltimore Orioles rallied for three seventh inning runs to take the first game of the series, 3-0.

The Reds were shut out for the third time this season and second straight time at home. The Phillies shut out the Reds before they went on a six-game road trip. 

"We've just got to keep working," David Bell said. "We have to continue the process and make adjustments. We have to work through it; continue to swing it. All the things we individually we know what we're capable of. There is no question we've faced good pitching and we're going to continue to face good pitching the rest of the year."

Irvin, and Hunter Greene posted zeroes for six innings. 

Greene allowed two hits in the first inning but April's Player of the Month, Gunnar Henderson was thrown out by Jake Fraley trying to stretch his leadoff single into a double. Greene walked Adley Rutschman and Ryan O'Hearn hit an infield single but Greene escaped. He gave up two hits and two walks over the next four innings.

"I have to keep doing it. The game is hard. I can't take my foot off the gas," Greene said. "I'm just trying to get ahead. When I did that I was able to put them away. I have to continue to pound the zone and trust my stuff."

"I think we're competing well, considering we don't have a lot of our top guys and the guys we do have aren't having their best games. When everybody syncs up it is going to be really scary for the league."

Irvin allowed a single by Elly De La Cruz in the first inning then retired 17 Reds' batters in a row. De La Cruz hit a leadoff double in the seventh to break the streak. Irvin struck out Spencer Steer, then Yennier Cano took over to face Stephenson. Cano retired him and Christian Encarnacion-Strand on ground balls to preserve the lead.

"Irvin threw a lot of curve balls," Bell said. "He was able to keep us honest inside with his fastball cut inside to our right-handed hitters. Both starting pitchers today after a long rain delay was pretty much the story of the game. They came out on top."

Irvin left after 6 1/3 innings, allowing two hits, no walks with four strikeouts. He has a string of 20 2/3 innings of shut out baseball.

Ryan Mountcastle led off the sixth with a single. He walked Jordan Westburg with two outs. David Bell summoned Fernando Cruz who struck out Heston Kjerstad to end the inning.

Greene finished with 5 2/3 scoreless innings, allowing five singles and four walks. He struck out five. Greene has not allowed a run in his last 15 2/3 innings, dropping his ERA to 3.12.

Emilio Pagan started the seventh for the Reds.  Jorge Mateo singled to open the seventh. He stole second and advanced to third on a deep fly to center by Henderson. Rutschman doubled to bring in the first run of the game. O'Hearn hit his fifth home run of the season to give Baltimore a 3-0 lead. 

Danny Coulombe and Craig Kimbrel closed out the Reds who dropped to 16-16 on the season. Kimbrel picked up his eighth save.