Reds Dominate At Home In Sweep Of Dbacks

Both teams roll into this series in the playoff hunt. The Reds are riding a 4 game sweep of the Cardinals and tied for 1st, while the Dbacks sit at 13-15 just a few games back of the last playoff spot. Would the Reds get snake bitten or would we continue our streak?

Game 1

Gray vs Pallante

Reds 11, Dbacks 4

The Reds draw first blood with a Christian Walker 2-run double, but the Dbacks come back and tie the game at 3 through 3 1/2 innings. The Reds fight right back in the 4th and bat around +1, scoring 4 runs off 3 walks and 4 hits that included a costly X ball chart that resulted in a Single + Errorx2. The Reds tack on insurance runs via the long ball in the later innings, including a solo shot by Mookie Betts and Ketel Marte, and then a 2-run shot by Mike Yastrzemski. The Dbacks rallied in the 8th with 1st and 2nd and 1 out, but Doyle was gunned out at home on a single and then Otto Lopez grounded out to end the threat. 

Game 2

Knack vs Feltner

Reds 9, Dbacks 6

Landon Knack is that guy who shouldn't have a 3.30 ERA, but he does, and you love it (well, I do). This game wasn't really that close as Feltner got shelled to the tune of 5IP, 11H, 3BB, and 9ER. The Reds sent 12 men to the plate in a 7-run 3rd inning, with one of the big shots being a 3-run homer by Brendan Donovan. The Reds brought in their mop up relievers, but combining that with just 1 hit and a BB after our big inning allowed the Snakes to claw back by putting 9 men on base from the 7th-9th innings. Ezequiel Tovar actually had a chance to tie the game up in the 9th with a 3-run homer, but grounded out to Geno Suarez to end the game. 

Game 3

Wacha vs King

Reds 5, Dbacks 0

I joked to Jim that Wacha is 6-0 but has a 5 ERA, but looking back his ERA is bloated due to one bad start (of course against the Phillies). Nonetheless, Wacha was stellar in this one, going 6IP 1H 0BB and 10K. The Snakes were never really in this game as they could only muster up 3 hits. King went 5 2/3 and 5ER, which includes a 3-run Geno Suarez homer and a Bryan Reynolds solo shot. 

Game 4

Gallen vs Stone

Reds 2, Dbacks 1

By far the closest game of the series. The Reds did the good ol' book corners in this one - scoring in the 1st and not again until the 9th - but their pitching kept them in it. Gallen goes 6IP 3H and a BB along with 8K. Michael Tonkin comes into the game in the 7th for Gallen and feels like giving up a hit and 2BB to make the bases loaded with zero outs. The Reds play back and Ketel Marte's 1e8 is summoned to secure a huge 4-6-3 DP, but it does tie the game at 1-1 as Tovar comes in to score. Aaron Ashby comes in and pitches 2 scoreless innings for the Reds, and in the bottom of the 9th Brendon Donovan singles and Bryan Reynolds walks to setup Elly De La Cruz, who hits his 2-8 double 1-8 shot to walk off the Snakes and secure the sweep.

Thanks Jim for hosting. This was an extremely frustrating series for the Snakes as they really only had one big inning (when it didn't even matter, really). The bases loaded GIDP with zero outs in game 4 was probably the metaphor of this series for them. 

Reds pitcher Michael Wacha has a solid outing in Game 3 of Reds vs. Dbacks as they shutout Arizona 5-0.