The Cincinnati Reds offense never really got going as Cleveland shut them out. The Guardians scored twice in the first inning and that was all they would need, though they were able to tack on a run later in a 3-0 win.
| Final | R | H | E |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cleveland Guardians (58-62) |
3 | 7 | 0 |
| Cincinnati Reds (62-59) |
0 | 6 | 1 |
| W: Allen (6-5) L: Ashcraft (6-8) SV: Clase (32) | |||
| Statcast | Box Score | Game Thread | |||
It was a tough 1st inning for Graham Ashcraft. He gave up a leadoff single to Steven Kwan and then Jose Ramirez doubled on a ball that Spencer Steer lost in the sun to put two men in scoring position. After a strikeout, Kole Calhoun came through with a 2-run single.
Neither team would really threaten again until the bottom of the 4th. Spencer Steer would walk with one out and with two outs Christian Encarnacion-Strand single into left field. Both runners would be stranded as Stuart Fairchild struck out to end the inning.
In the bottom of the 6th inning the Reds would threaten again when Matt McLain led off with a walk and Elly De La Cruz followed up with an infield single. But things went south when Spencer Steer flew out to right field and De La Cruz was thrown out at second trying to advance on the play. Henry Ramos then struck out to strand McLain at third base to end the inning.
Graham Ashcraft returned for the top of the 7th. After getting a lineout he gave up a single up the middle to Myles Straw, who then stole second base. Steven Kwan then drove him in with a single into right field that saw him take second base when TJ Hopkins overran the ball. Ashcraft would get a ground out and a pop up to strand Kwan, but Cleveland held a 3-0 lead at the end of the inning.
Cincinnati would threaten again in the bottom of the 7th inning when Will Benson pinch hit for Tyler Stephenson and doubled to the wall in left center with two outs. With TJ Hopkins due up and a righty on the mound, the Reds opted to bring Joey Votto in as a pinch hitter but he struck out to end the inning as the home club remained scoreless.
Alex Young took over in the 8th inning for Ashcraft and he worked a 1-2-3 inning. Cincinnati’s offense also went down in order. Young returned for the 9th inning and like his previous inning, he sat the Guardians down in order.
Emmanuel Clase entered the game for the bottom of the 9th for Cleveland. After getting ahead of Spencer Steer 0-2 he fired a 101 MPH cutter that Steer lined into right field for a leadoff single. Henry Ramos would follow up with a strikeout, and Christian Encarnacion-Strand would pop up. That left the game up to TJ Friedl. He battled for seven pitches against Clase, but flew out to center to end the game.
Key Moment of the Game
Kole Calhoun’s 2-run single in the 1st inning held up as all of the runs needed by Cleveland.
Notes Worth Noting
The Reds are now 3-10 in August.
Nick Lodolo threw 3.0 hitless inning with two walks and six strikeouts in his rehab start with Double-A Chattanooga.
Up Next for the Cincinnati Reds
Cleveland Guardians vs Cincinnati Reds
Wednesday August 15th, 6:40pm ET
Noah Syndergaard (2-5, 6.35 ERA) vs Andrew Abbott (6-3, 2.93 ERA)
