Reds 5 Rangers 3
Well, the Reds finally homered......and the Reds won again......again, in dramatic fashion.
Nick Senzel cracked a game-winning two run homer in the bottom of the 9th as the Reds completed a sweep of the 1st place Rangers Wednesday afternoon at GABP. Kevin Newman had opened the 9th with a single and went to 2nd on an error. Senzel then delivered the Reds first home run since last Monday night to walk it off.
How it unfolded: Reds went up 2-0 B2, Rangers tied it 2-2 T5, Reds up 3-2 B5, Rangers tied 3-3 T9. The Reds won it 4-3 B9.
Tied up: The Rangers tied the game in the 9th when a double and single to put runners on the corners with no outs vs Ian Gibaut. Lucas Sims came on and a sacrifice fly tied the game 3-3. Sims got back-to-back strikeouts to limit further damage. *Alexis Diaz was unavailable after pitching consecutive days.
Graham Ashcraft: 6.0, 3 H, 2 R, 4 BB, 3 K, HBP, 100 pitches/59 strikes. ERA 2.10. It was a season high for pitches. After a 12 pitch 1st inning he allowed 1B, HBP, BB to start the 2nd inning, but retired the next three batters. Per Bally's, Ashcraft has not allowed a 1st inning run over his last 14 starts.
Heavy heart: Ashcraft was pitching following the death of his 82-year old grandmother on Monday. Per Reds game notes, she converted from a Rangers fan to Reds fan when he was draft. She kept score of every game and was aware of all his teammate's stats. He was in tears in the dugout after he exited the game.
Sizzling Senzel: Senzel followed last night's 3 H, 2 RBI game with 2 more H and RBI on Wednesday. Series: 5 for 11, 3 R, 5 RBI, HR, BB, SB.
Pen: Alex Young 1.1 IN, 0 R. Gibaut 0.2 IN, 2 H, R. Sims 1.0 (W). Entering today, over the last 13 games, the bullpen had posted 2.04 ERA, 5th best in MLB.
Getting on: Tyler Stephenson lined a double, reaching base for the 15th consecutive game. His search for his 1st HR continues.
Good for him: 31-year old Henry Ramos is certainly taking advantage of an opportunity. He tripled in a run and scored. He'd collected 3 H, 2 RBI, 2 R, BB in his first two games.
Stop, thief! Newman was thrown out stealing. The Reds are just 15 of 22 in SB attempts (68%). MLB average 81%.
Battle: Jonathan India worked an 11-pitch AB vs Jon Gray to lead off the game before grounding out.
Nifty: 3B Senzel made a nice play behind the bag and 1B Spencer Steer made a nice snag of the one-hop throw.
Not so nifty: Leading 3-2 in the 7th, Senzel was on 2nd with one out. He ran into a tag on a ground ball directly to the 3rd baseman.
Go ahead: The Reds took a 3-2 lead in the 5th when TJ Friedl delivered a sacrifice fly to score Senzel (1B)
Big moment: Ezequiel Duran reached as the potential tying run in the 8th after being hit by Gibaut. But Curt Casali cut him down trying to steal 2nd with the help of a nice tag by Newman.
A day of rest: The Reds have completed a streak of 20 games on 20 consecutive days (7-13).
Next: Beginning Friday night the Reds head to Oakland to play the A's for the first time since 2019.