On this day, though, the Guardians erupted like Mount Vesuvius and put an 11-2 beating on the Reds.
It seemed as if the Reds owned the advantage at game’s beginning.
While the Reds were 8-13 against left-handed starters, the Guardians were 4-13.
And they had lost five of their last starts against southpaws and scored no more than two runs in the five losses.
Reds starter Nick Lodolo was 4-4 with a 3.21 earned run average while Guardians starter Logan Allen was 3-4 with a 4.42 ERA.
Lodolo, though, lasted a season’s low 3⅓ innings and gave up six runs and five hits that included a grand slam home run by Carlos Santana.
Credit: AP
Credit: AP
Then they attacked left-handed relief pitcher Joe LaSorsa, called up to replace Brent Suter, gone on bereavement after the death of his grandmother.
LaSorsa gave up five straight hits to open the sixth, including a three-run home run by Lane Thomas, hitting .129.
And the Reds did nothing against Allen, just solo home runs by Elly De La Cruz, a 441-footer, and a blast by TJ Friedl.
But while the Guardians were amassing 13 hits, the Reds had only five, two by De La Cruz.
The loss prevented the Reds from extending a winning streak to a season’s best six. But they took the series two games to one.
And they won five of six in the season’s series to recapture the Ohio Cup for the first time since 2014.
All of that was no solace to manger Tito Francona. When reporters asked if winning the series and taking five of six from Guardians soothed the Wednesday whipping, he would have none of it.
“No, no. I never ever ever think that way,” he said. “We still had to play today...and we have a day off tomorrow. That will be good for ‘em because we are going to play a good Detroit team (over the weekend in Detroit).”
Credit: AP
Credit: AP
The Reds had a quick opportunity to take a lead in the first inning. With one out, Santiago Espinal singled and was awarded third when shortstop Gabriel Arias threw the ball into the first-base dugout. He didn’t score when both De La Cruz and Christian Encarnacion-Strand grounded out.
Lodolo walked David Fry, hitting .150, on a full count with one out in the bottom of the first and he came around to score when Jose Ramirez doubled off the top of the 19-foot left field wall.
Lodolo tempted fate in the second by walking leadoff batter Nolan Jones, hitting .211. But the Reds turned in a double play to leave it 1-0.
The crusher came in the third when the first batter, Angel Martinez, 4-for-41 singled on his way to a three-run, three runs scored day.
Thomas singled and with one out, Lodolo hit Ramirez with a pitch, filling the bases.
Up stepped Santana, wearing shorts above his knees and celebrating the 15th anniversary of the day he was called up. He swung at the first pitch and drove it into the right field seats, his sixth career grand slam and a 5-1 lead.
They could have called the game right then. The Reds biggest comeback of the season is a two-run deficit.
Lodolo was taken down after only 3⅓ innings, the shortest start of his career.
“His stuff was really good, maybe too good,” Francona told reporters. “He wasn’t commanding anything. He was all kinds of all over the place and kinda paid the price for it.”
Of the home runs by Santana and Thomas, both hit to right field, Francona said, “When it warms up here and the wind is blowing to right, the ball really carries.
“Santana, though, had a really nice swing,” he added. “And there was traffic anyway. The next one, down the right field line, off the bat I was just hoping it would stay in play so we could make a play on it. And you look up and it’s a three-run homer.”
Credit: AP
Credit: AP
Another consolation was that Reds outfielder Will Benson was named the Ohio Cup Most Outstanding Player (The ‘Mop’).
And he won it sitting on the bench Wednesday as Francona employed a dominant right-handed batting order except for Friedl.
Ironically, Friedl homered off the left-handed Allen.
Benson won the award mainly for what he did in the three-game series sweep in Cincinnati, 8 for 13 with four homers and seven RBI.
Allen, though, matched his season’s best by pitching six innings, holding the Reds to the two homers, four hits, one walk and six strikeouts.
There was more negative news. Outfielder Austin Hays was expected back during this series, but an MRI Wednesday morning revealed that he still had a deep bruise in the foot he injured fouling off a pitch.
He left the club to get a second opinion and more treatment.
“He went to get another MRI,” said Francona. “We just wanted to be respectful to him. He is trying so hard to get out there. And he still feels it.
“So we just wanted to be sure because it showed he has a pretty deep bone bruise. We’ll watch him over the weekend to see how he’s doing.”
NEXT GAME
Who: Cincinnati at Detroit
When: 7:10 p.m.
TV: FanDuel Sports
Radio: 1410-AM, 700-AM
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