TJ Friedl homered twice in the first game but the Rockies offense was too much as they took game one. In game two it was all Cincinnati as the Reds scored 10 runs with it being capped by an Aristides Aquino grand slam in a 10-0 win to split the day’s games and take the series victory over Colorado.
Game One
| Final | R | H | E |
|---|---|---|---|
| Colorado Rockies (57-77) |
8 | 8 | 1 |
| Cincinnati Reds (52-79) | 4 | 4 | 1 |
| W: Marquez (8-10) L: Kuhnel (2-3) |
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| Statcast | Box Score | Game Thread | |||
The Offense
Cincinnati didn’t have a hit until the bottom of the 4th inning when TJ Friedl hit a leadoff homer to give the Reds a 1-0 lead. He would also have the team’s next hit when he hit his second homer of the day – another solo shot – in the 6th inning.
Trailing 5-2 when the bottom of the 8th began, Colin Moran started the inning with a walk. Jonathan India then extended his hitting streak to 16 games with a 447-foot 2-run homer to cut the Rockies lead to 5-4. After the Rockies added to their lead in the top of the 9th, Cincinnati got a 2-out walk from Spencer Steer but Jose Barrero flew out to center to end the game.
The Pitching
Nick Lodolo was dominant in game one for the Reds. The rookie left-hander went out and allowed just two hits and a walk in 6.0 shutout innings while striking out nine batters. With the Reds holding a 1-0 lead in his time on the mound he was pitching in a close game throughout. Cincinnati would score another run in the bottom of the 6th to give him a 2-0 lead as he exited the game.
With Lodolo out of the game things started to go the Rockies way. Joel Kuhnel entered the game and allowed all four batters he faced to reach, including a bases loaded walk to bring in the first run for Colorado. Buck Farmer took over with the bases loaded and no outs and struck out Garrett Hampson. The Rockies called Charlie Blackmon off of the bench to pinch hit and after a wild pitch brought in the tying run and moved the other two runners up a base, Blackmon singled them both in to make it a 4-2 game. All four runs were charged to Kuhnel.
Colorado extended their lead to 5-2 in the 8th on a walk and a bloop double that was just out of the reach of Jonathan India with two outs. In the 9th inning the Rockies padded their lead on a fielders choice where Jose Barrero threw wide of the plate to make it 6-4. Art Warren then served up a 2-run homer to make it 8-4.
Game Two
The Offense
Cincinnati picked up a single in each of the first three innings but they couldn’t do much with it. But in the 4th inning they came through with runners on. Kyle Farmer walked to start the inning and scored on a Jake Fraley double. Then Nick Senzel, Alejo Lopez, and Jose Barrero all followed with singles. Chuckie Robinson grounded the ball to third and Ryan McMahon came up firing home to try and beat Lopez to the plate but threw the ball way past the catcher and both Lopez and Barrero scored to make it 5-0.
Cincinnati added to their lead in the 6th inning when Nick Senzel led off with a double, stole third base, and then scored on a fielders choice when Alejo Lopez grounded the ball to shortstop and Alan Trejo’s throw was up the first base line a bit to allow Senzel to score. That was just the beginning of things. Jose Barrero and TJ Friedl would both walk after a pitching change to load the bases before Aristides Aquino unloaded them with a grand slam to make it 10-0. That was the last time the Reds would cross the plate but it was more than enough to earn the split on the day and pick up the series win.
The Pitching
Chase Anderson had to pitch in extra’s the other day and that likely kept his pitch count a little lower than it otherwise would have been on the day. Still, he wasn’t expected to go deep as he’d been a reliever for the last month in the minors, but he gave the Reds 2.2 hitless innings. When he exited the game there were two runners on base via the walk, but Derek Law stranded them both. He would then pitch a shutout 1.2 innings moving forward before giving way to Ian Gibaut who entered with the bases loaded and two outs in the 5th, but he was able to get Charlie Blackmon to fly out to end the threat.
Gibaut would toss a shutout 6th inning before giving way to Dauri Moreta for the top of the 7th. Moreta had to work around two walks but he fired off two shutout innings as he held the Reds lead at 10-0. Hunter Strickland took over for the 9th and had to work around a 1-out walk, but he did just that to complete the shutout victory for the Reds.
Notes Worth Noting
Jonathan India’s hit streak ended at 16 games when he had to exit game two after fouling a ball off of his calf. After the game manager David Bell noted that the team wanted to be precautionary given the leg issues India suffered during the Field of Dreams game. He was checked out and everything was fine.
David Bell says all is OK with Jonathan India after he was examined. Just precautionary after his Field of Dreams leg injury. India should be good to play Tuesday in Chicago.
— Bobby Nightengale (@nightengalejr) September 4, 2022
Dauri Moreta gave up five earned runs without recording an out on May 11th. It was the 4th straight appearance he allowed at least one run and at least one homer. His ERA was 9.88 after the game and he was sent back to Triple-A Louisville. He returned on June 19th and has been up-and-down a few times since then, but he’s made 17 appearances for the Reds since then and has thrown 20.0 innings with a 2.70 ERA, 5 walks, 17 strikeouts, and has allowed just 2 home runs.
Up Next for the Cincinnati Reds
Cincinnati Reds vs Chicago Cubs
Tuesday September 6th, 7:40pm ET
Justin Dunn (1-2, 4.63 ERA) vs Wade Miley (1-0, 2.84 ERA)
