In yet another tight game between the two best teams in the National League over the last two months, the Cincinnati Reds and Milwaukee Brewers needed extra-innings for a second day in a row to find a winner. On Sunday it was the home team coming out on top with a walk-off hit by Austin Hays to put an end to the Brewers 14-game winning streak.
Final
R
H
E
Milwaukee Brewers (78-45)
2
5
1
Cincinnati Reds (65-60)
3
8
0
W: Ashcraft (7-4) L: Anderson (2-4)
Statcast | Box Score | Game Thread
With two streaks on the line on Sunday and one of them having to come to an end, the starting pitchers on the day did their best to make sure their team wasn’t going to be the one on the wrong end of things.
Jose Quintana held the Reds to three hits and no runs through six innings. Andrew Abbott matched him as he held the Brewers to three hits and no runs through six innings. Neither pitcher had reached the 90 pitch mark by that point.
Abbott headed back to the mound to start the 7th with 83 pitches. He’d work around a single by getting a grounder to shortstop where it turned into an inning-ending double play. In the bottom of the inning it was Quintana back to the mound and the Reds tried to take advantage of seeing him yet another time as Austin Hays lined a double into the left field corner and then took third base on a single into right field by Noelvi Marte. Jose Trevino then hit a fly ball to the wall in right field that was caught on a leap against the wall by Brandon Lockridge, but it was enough for a sacrifice fly that gave Cincinnati a 1-0 lead.
After 92 pitches, Andrew Abbott’s day was done and Tony Santillan took the mound for the home team in the 8th inning. A 1-out walk would put the tying run on base, but the Reds guessed right on a pitch out and Jose Trevino threw a strike to Elly De La Cruz at second base who barely had to move his glove to make the tag on Tyler Black to send him back to the dugout. Santillan would then strike out Brice Turang to end the inning and hold onto the lead.
With the Brewers 14-game winning streak and the Reds streak of not having been swept in a series on the season on the line, Cincinnati sent Emilio Pagan to the mound in the 9th inning with a 1-0 lead. He walked the leadoff batter on four pitches. After getting a pop up for the first out of the inning, Pagan left a cutter dead red on the first pitch to William Contreras and he hit it into the second row of seats in left-center for a go-ahead 2-run home run.
After throwing 1.2 shutout innings of relief, Tobias Myers was tasked with starting the bottom of the 9th inning for the Brewers. Will Benson, in his first game since being called up hit a weak grounder up the middle but Brice Turang fumbled the transfer from his glove to try and make the throw and Benson reached on the error. After getting Austin Hays to pop up, Myers was replaced as Milwaukee brought in Grant Anderson to face Noelvi Marte. That move didn’t pay off immediately as Marte singled into right to put runners on the corners for Jose Trevino.
Before Trevino could officially step into the batters box, the Brewers pitching coach headed to the mound to discuss some strategy. That plan also didn’t pay off as Trevino lined a single into right field to plate the tying run and send Marte over to third base. Milwaukee brought the infield in against Ke’Bryan Hayes, which allowed Trevino to take second base on the first pitch thrown. Hayes would eventually strike out, bringing pinch hitter Matt McLain to the plate. He walked on four pitches to load the bases for TJ Friedl, but a pop up ended the inning and the game went onward to the 10th inning.
Graham Ashcraft took over for Cincinnati in the top of the 10th. With a free runner at second, Blake Perkins attempted a sacrifice bunt but it barely went forward and Jose Trevino fielded it and threw to Ke’Bryan Hayes at third to get the lead runner. A pop up and a soft line out would end the top of the frame with no damage done.
The Reds had TJ Friedl at second to start their half of the inning and Spencer Steer did what Blake Perkins couldn’t – lay down a successful sacrifice bunt. Milwaukee chose to intentionally walk Elly De La Cruz and Will Benson to load the bases. That led to a meeting at the mound to once again discuss some strategy as Austin Hays stepped up to the plate. The first pitch thrown by Grant Anderson left the bat of Hays at 106 MPH and headed down the line into left field for a walk-off single.
The Brewers win streak ends. Cincinnati still hasn’t been swept. A painful weekend for the Reds and their fans ends on a high note.
Key Moment of the Game
Austin Hays hitting the walk-off single in the bottom of the 10th.
Notes Worth Noting
Andrew Abbott lowered his ERA to 2.28 while striking out seven batters and walking no one in seven shutout innings. He’s chasing Johnny Cueto and his 2.25 ERA for the lowest ERA by a Reds starting pitcher since Gary Nolan’s 1.99 mark in 1972 (minimum 100 innings pitched).
Austin Hays and Noelvi Marte were the only players for either team to have more than one hit. They both had two of them.
Elly De La Cruz has been intentionally walked 11 times this year. Today was the first time the batter behind him reached base according to Joel Luckhaupt.
Despite the game going into extra innings it was a two hours and 38 minute ballgame.
Up Next for the Cincinnati Reds
Cincinnati Reds vs Los Angeles Angels
Monday August 18th, 9:38pm ET
Brady Singer (10-9, 4.31 ERA) vs TBA
