The Reds got a good start from Chris Paddack and when he left the game Cincinnati had the lead. But the bullpen then came on and gave up the lead as they allowed a run in every inning that they had to cover as the Cleveland Guardians came from behind to win 7-4 and even up the series.
| Final | R | H | E |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cincinnati Reds (24-22) | 4 | 5 | 1 |
| Cleveland Guardians (25-22) | 7 | 10 | 0 |
| W: Sabrowski (2-1) L: Moll (1-3) SV: Smith (14) | |||
| Statcast | Box Score | Game Thread | |||
Chris Paddack made his first start since signing with the Reds earlier this week. After retiring the first five hitters he faced in order he ran into trouble with two outs in the bottom of the 2nd inning. He gave up a single, hit a batter, and then walked a batter to load the bases. Bryan Rocchio then came through with an RBI single that plated two runs to put Cleveland on top. In the next half-inning the Reds got one of those runs back when Dane Myers hit a 2-out solo home run.
After Paddack worked around baserunners in both the 3rd and 4th innings his offense got back to work. Blake Dunn led off with a bunt single, took second on a sacrifice bunt, and stole third base. Two walks later in the inning would load the bases with two outs to bring Sal Stewart to the dish. He would also walk, bringing in the tying run. Spencer Steer then came through with a 2-run double off of the wall in center to give Cincinnati a 4-2 lead.
The Reds went to the bullpen to begin the 6th inning and called on Luis Mey and he immediately found himself in trouble with a leadoff walk. Angel Martinez then picked up a hustle double to put two men in scoring position. After picking up a strikeout, Mey uncorked a wild pitch to bring in a run and then walked a batter to put two men on once again. Sam Moll then took over and gave up the lead on a sacrifice fly before getting out of the inning.
Sam Moll returned to start the 7th and gave up single back up the middle that went off of Elly De La Cruz’s glove. The next two batters struck out before Cincinnati brought in Pierce Johnson to face Angel Martinez to turn him around and have him hit from the right side. The move did not pay off as Martinez hit a go-ahead 2-run home run into the second row of the season in right-center.
Cleveland tacked on a run in the 8th inning after Connor Phillips allowed a single to Jose Ramirez and then saw him steal both 2nd and 3rd base. With two outs Travis Bazzana hit a comebacker to Phillips and had it go off of his glove, then when he tried picking it up he fumbled it and the error allowed the run to score.
Cincinnati came to the plate in the 9th down 7-4 with the bottom of the lineup coming up. The first two batters struck out, but Tyler Stephenson drew a walk to keep hope alive. Nathaniel Lowe came off the bench to pinch hit and hit a liner to the warning track in left field but Steven Kwan made an outstanding catch just before slamming into the wall to end the game.
Key Moment of the Game
Angel Martinez hitting a 2-run home run in the 7th inning to put Cleveland ahead.
Notes Worth Noting
Blake Dunn was the only Red who had multiple hits in the game. He went 2-3 on the day.
Sal Stewart didn’t have a hit but he did walk twice in the game. That allowed him to be on base and steal his 10th base of the season. He now leads the team with 10 of them.
The Reds bullpen walked six batters in the final three innings of the game.
Jose Trevino exited the game with a hamstring issue after he laid down a bunt in the 5th inning – he initially remained in the game to catch the bottom of the 5th but was then pinch hit for in the 6th.
Up Next for the Cincinnati Reds
Cincinnati Reds vs Cleveland Guardians
Sunday May 17th, 1:40pm ET
Brady Singer (2-3, 5.79 ERA) vs Gavin Williams (5-3, 3.74 ERA)