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Dateline: Cincinnati
Eugenio Suarez did just what the Reds' brain trust of Nick Krall and Brad Meador brought him in to do.
The Reds had six base runners in the first five innings stranding all but one who two who were erased on double plays until Suarez ended the frustration with a very long 431 foot home run with two on in the sixth inning.
"I think that's the type of game we lose last year a lot of times," Terry Francona said. "We were kind of frustrated. We got some hits but didn't bunch them together but all of a sudden they try to sneak a fastball by him (Suarez) and he completely changes the game. That didn't happen a lot. That's why we got Geno."
It is also why Geno came back.
"It feels really good. I always say the first one of the season feels good but to lead to our team, it was, you know, really good. I made the adjustment on that at bat," Suarez said. "I never try to hit home runs. I just try to put my best swing on it. There's nothing I can do about it. I just want to put my best swing and swing at strikes and I'm going to have my best results. They threw me a lot of fastballs and I was late my previous two games. I knew they were going to attack me with the fastball and I had to make an adjustment."
Rhett Lowder struck out the first batter he faced, Roman Anthony, after a 15-month absence from a Major League mound.
"I thought he (Lowder) was really, really good. He started to get a little tired, a little in the fourth but you don't want to take somebody out. You want to build him up a little bit," Francona said.
The Reds 24-year old right hander, who missed all of last season, breezed through three innings before Wilyer Abreu clubbed his second home run in as many days with Willson Contreras on base.
"I thought Abreu had a great at bat. If I'm sitting over there, I'm bragging about that at bat. He fouled off a bunch of pitches," Francona said. "He's just a really good hitter, doing his thing."
Lowder finished five innings, allowing just the two runs on three hits and two walks. He struck out five.
"I need to be crisper in the middle innings. In the first two innings I was getting to the top of the zone with the four-seam and getting the sinker on the corner on both sides of the plate," Lowder said. "I kind of lost it for a little bit but I'm happy I came out for that extra inning. I'm pretty happy about going out that extra inning and getting another zero. It puts us in a much better position and is easier on the bullpen, especially because we went extra innings, yesterday."
The Red Sox starting pitcher, Connelly Early, allowed five hits in 5 1/3 innings without a run when he was removed by manager Alex Cora after 86 pitches. Greg Weissert picked him up after Early struck out Elly De La Cruz. Sal Stewart reached base for the third straight time with a walk. Eugenio Suarez hit his first of the season but 190th as a Red, one behind Brandon Phillips for the 12th spot on the Reds' all-time list.
The Reds bullpen made the lead stand up.
Brock Burke 1 1/3 innings allowing a hit and a walk. Pierce Johnson added 2/3 an inning.
Tony Santillan, who is nicknamed the bear, pitched a dramatic inning to hold the lead. He struck out Trevor Story. Then walked Jarren Duran. While he was walking Contreras, Santillan picked Duran off first base. Wilyer Abreu fast becoming a thorn in the Reds side, singled but Santillan struck out Caleb Durbin to end the inning with runners at the corners.
"His breaking ball is very good," Francona said. "He's scattering his fastball a little bit right now. His feet are as quick as anybody you're going to see. You take his size and take a little guy. His feet are so quick."
Perhaps his nickname should be the "dancing bear".
As for Abreu in eight games against the Reds, he is hitting .400, 12 hits in 30 at bats with two doubles, five home runs and 12 RBI. Last year in Boston, Abreu hit a grand slam and an inside the park home run in the same game.
Emilio Pagan, who allowed a game-tying home run to Abreu on Saturday, gave up a double to Andruw Monasterio and walked Roman Anthony with two outs before retiring Story on a fly out to Dane Myers to earn his first save of the season.
"Yesterday I made 22 pitches and one was bad. Reds' fans will think this is a broken record but I try to take the results out of it and continue to try to execute pitches the best I can. Actually, I thought I executed pitches better yesterday than I did today. That's baseball, sometimes the ball bounces your way and some days it doesn't. These are the kind of games, we're going to be in all year." Pagan said.
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