KSReds: Cincinnati Reds split series in St. Louis

After scoring 11 runs on 16 hits on Thursday night, the Cincinnati Reds were shut out by the St. Louis Cardinals on Friday. And after scoring nine runs on 13 hits in a win on Saturday, the Reds were shut out again on Sunday. 20 runs on 29 hits in two wins, zero runs on six hits in two losses. It’s really remarkable how inconsistent this team’s performances are.

With the defeat on Sunday The Reds have now failed to win their last six series. Cincinnati was 32-33 on June 8 after a seven-game winning streak. Now they finish the month at 39-45. With 13 games remaining before the All-Star break, it feels like a life-or-death decision.

The Reds have Monday off before traveling to New York for a three-game series against the Yankees. Graham Ashcraft will take the ball and throw out the first pitch at Yankee Stadium on Tuesday night at 7:05 p.m. Eastern Time. Andrew Abbott and Frankie Montas will also make the trip. After the three games against the 54-32 Yankees, the Reds have ten games to play against teams whose record is well below .500. The Detroit Tigers (37-46), Colorado Rockies (27-55) and Miami Marlins (30-54) should provide opportunities to pick up some wins. Getting into the swing of things before the All-Star break is now an absolute must. Cincinnati is currently four and a half games out of a Wild Card spot.

Reds score 16 goals in opening series win

It was a great night for the Cincinnati Reds. They scored in each of the first five innings, managed a total of 16 hits and took a clear 11-4 victory. No time was wasted either, as the first run came after just five pitches. Jonathan India hit a single up the middle to open the night in St. Louis, and then Elly De La Cruz hit a triple to make it 1-0. These two combined for five hits on the night, tying the lead with Noelvi Marte, who made his season debut.

Marte, who was suspended for the first 80 games, went 3-5 with one RBI and three runs scored against the Cardinals. His RBI double in the third inning made it 4-0 and then he scored on a sacrifice fly from Will Benson to make it 5-0. Nolan Arenado got the Cardinals on the scoreboard with a two-run home run, but Spencer Steer equalized with a two-run shot of his own. With a 7-2 lead, the Reds were in control from that point on and won the opening game of the series.

While everything went well in the batter’s box, Andrew Abbott was not comfortable on the mound. The left-hander struggled through five innings and walked six batters. Thanks to a lot of run support, Abbott achieved his seventh win of the season. Buck Farmer and Sam Moll were both good substitutes and Cincinnati defeated the opposing Cardinals 11-4.

Pitcher duel ends with 0-1 defeat

After an offensive explosion in St. Louis on Thursday, the Cincinnati Reds slacked off on Friday night. Despite a shutout The Reds left eight runners on base and only reached 1 of 10 runners in scoring position. There were scoring opportunities, but none that they converted. Cardinals left fielder Brendan Donovan also made two spectacular plays to keep the Reds off the scoresheet.

Donovan made the first of two run-saving plays in left in the sixth inning. Spencer Steer was hit by a pitch early in the inning and then Nick Martini drew a walk. After Nolevi Marte flew out to left field, Santiago Espinal spun a ball down the line, but Donovan was able to catch him and potentially save two runs. Then, with two outs in the ninth, Donovan prevented a home run by Stuart Fairchild that would have tied the game.

St. Louis’ only run came in the third inning, thanks to a poor defensive decision by the Reds. With one out and runners on the corners, Alec Burleson hit a ball into shallow center field behind second base. But instead of letting Stuart Fairchild charge forward and gain momentum toward home plate, Elly De La Cruz stopped him and made the play by moving away from the plate. Despite Cruz’s strong arm, Michael Siani was able to hold the ball and score a point. That one run proved to be enough as the Cardinals evened the series with the 1-0 win.

Jonathan India stays hot as Reds beat Sonny Gray

There is nothing more difficult in all of sports than hitting a baseball. It’s a game of failure. But sometimes you find yourself in a zone where the baseball looks more like a beach ball. That’s how it must feel for Jonathan India right now. The Cincinnati Reds second baseman has a batting average of 21-41 (.512) during his current 11-game hitting streak. He also hit a double in seven consecutive games, after hitting two on Saturday. Most importantly, the Reds got back on the scoresheet with nine runs on 13 hits in a 9-4 victory over the St. Louis Cardinals.

India opened the party with an RBI double in the third inning and then scored when Elly De La Cruz came behind him and hit an RBI double of her own. Cincinnati then closed the bag in the fifth inning and scored six runs and the score was 8-1. The Reds’ bullpen struggled a bit, but in the end, the lead was more than big enough to survive. Brent Suter pitched a clean ninth inning and secured the 9-4 victory.

Carson Spires took the win by allowing just one earned run on three hits in six innings. He has now pitched at least six innings in three consecutive starts. The 26-year-old has a 2-1 record with a 3.13 ERA and has done an excellent job in the starting lineup. Former Cincinnati Reds All-Star Sonny Gray allowed six runs, including three earned runs, in just four and one-third innings. He still has a 9-5 record this season with an impressive 2.98 earned run average.

The offensive stalls again

The level of inconsistency in the Cincinnati Reds offense is truly staggering. On Thursday night, they scored 11 runs on 16 hits, only to go blank in the next game. Then, after scoring nine runs on 13 hits on Saturday, The Reds kept a clean sheet on Sunday and scored just two goals. You can’t win if you don’t score goals, and Sunday was the seventh shutout of the season. The Reds have failed to score more than one run 19 times this season. Their offense is simply not good enough to make the playoffs.

Of course, the lack of offensive power was the storyline, but Hunter Greene’s performance also left a lot to be desired. After finding his rhythm in May and early June, the 24-year-old seems to have fallen into old habits. Sunday was his second consecutive start in which he failed to make it through five innings. He didn’t necessarily pitch badly, but Inefficiency continues to be a major problem for Greene, who needed 95 pitches to get 14 outs while allowing just one run on four hits. Cincinnati will demand more from him in the future.

St. Louis got on the scoreboard in the fifth inning when Alec Burleson scored on a double off Pedro Pages to break the scoreless tie. Masyn Winn also added an RBI double in the sixth inning to make the final score 2-0. Jonathan India, who extended his hitting streak to 12 gamesand Stuart Fairchild scored the only two goals for the Cincinnati Reds on Sunday.