Also Follow Reds on https://athlonsports.com/
Dateline: 1,209 Kilometers from the Gulf of Mexico
Tyler Stephenson and Will Benson hit opposite field home runs to snap the Milwaukee Brewers eight game winning streak with a 4-2 win.
The Red broke a three game losing streak to give them a chance to win the series on Wednesday with a win.
The ending was full of drama. Emilio Pagan retired the first two batters in the ninth but Elly De La Cruz threw away a game ending ground ball to set bring Jake Bauers to the plate as the tying run. Bauers jumped on 2-1 pitch and lined it over the fence in center field it appeared but TJ Friedl caught it to end the game.
"I think I threw up in my mouth," Terry Francona said. "I'm not sure how to describe it. You always wait until the end but he (Pagan) was throwing the ball good. He's in command. All of as sudden the ball leaves his bat. We couldn't tell if Friedl caught it. We were just going by his body language. It was certainly a nice feeling. You may have seen a grown man cry."
Friedl told the press that coach Colin Cowgill was working with the outfielders yesterday at doing just that, robbing home runs.
"I knew it was hit well off the bat," Friedl explained. "I was tracking it. When I got to the warning track, I knew I had a chance at it. This tops any walk off I've ever had. It is something you dream about as a kid, robbing a home run."
The Brewers got off to a fast start against Hunter Greene. Brice Turang led off the game with a double to right. One out later Christian Yelich extended his hitting streak with an RBI single.
The Reds struggled against Milwaukee starter Freddy Peralta. He struck out five straight batters and six out seven around a single by Santiago Espinal.
Sal Frelick hit his fourth home run of the season on an 0-2 pitch with two outs in the fourth. The Brewers loaded the bases against Greene on a single by Rhys Hoskins and walks to Isaac Collins and Caleb Durbin but Greene struck out Joey Ortiz.
Elly De La Cruz solved Peralta with a double high off the left field wall. Stephenson tied the game with his fifth home run into the right field stands.
Scott Barlow pitched a scoreless sixth inning.
Greene pitched five innings, allowing two runs on five hits and three walks. He struck out seven.
The ace, who threw a first pitch strikes to every hitter he faced, felt his groin on the last two pitches. He will get an MRI tomorrow.
"It is not as bad as the one I felt in Atlanta," Greene said of the setback that cost him two starts. "It's not a concern. It's frustrating. I want to be out there. I want to compete. I feel like as a pitcher, you're best when you're in a groove and going out there every fifth or sixth day."
Graham Ashcraft took over in the seventh for the Reds.
Jake Fraley walked against Peralta, leading off the seventh. Matt McLane doubled Fraley to third with no outs. Milwaukee manager Pat Murphy selected left hander Rob Zastryzny to face TJ Friedl. With the infield in, Friedl hit a ground ball right at Turang at second base. Connor Joe batted for Gavin Lux and drove home Fraley with a fly out to right. Murphy ordered De La Cruz intentionally walked. He brought in Grant Anderson, who got Stephenson out on a dribbler in front of the plate.
Ashcraft retired Yelich on a line out to McLane. Tony Santillan took over and easily retired the last two Brewers in the inning.
After striking out three times, Benson took Anderson deep into the left field stands, his sixth home run of the season.
Emilio Pagan entered in the ninth inning to earn his 15th save in 16 chances with the heroics of Friedl.
"It's coolman the way this game works how things work. You prepare and you do the right things, those opportunities kind of present themselves," Pagan said. "He (Friedl) is one of the best in the game. It was a great catch. It has the same energy as a walk off win."
No comments:
Post a Comment