Reds squander opportunities and bullpen blows lead in loss to the Mets.

Joey Votto also loses his streak... barely.

The Joe Nuxhall Memorial Honorary Stars of the Game

Eugenio Suarez - 1 for 4, HR, 3 RBI

This guy has been struggling the entire year so I decided to give him the credit for the big swing in the game for the Reds. Yes, they did not win, and that sucks, but sometimes bad stuff just happens. If I was writing this for a winning game I’d still give it to Suarez. When the Reds needed him the most, in the most clutch situation, he came through. One swing doesn’t change much about your season but it was a high note for Heeny.

Honorable Mention: Kyle Farmer who went 3 for 5 with a dinger, Shogo Akiyama who singled and doubled, Wade Miley for tossing a good game (7 IP, 4 H, 3 ER, 2 BB, 1 K), and Michael Lorenzen for slinging a shutout inning from the pen.

Key Plays

• In the bottom of the 3rd, Brandon Drury led off with a double and Rich Hill sacrificed him to third. Jonathan Villar then singled and Drury scored. From what I saw from the play, Winker dropped the ball and I thought it was an error. Maybe I saw it wrong. I probably am and never looked back at it. Either way, Pete Alonso grounded into a double play and the Mets lead, 1-0.
• Jesse Winker struck out to lead off the top of the 4th but then Kyle Farmer singled, Joey Votto flew out, and Aristides Aquino walked to bring up Eugenio Suarez with two on and two outs. I’d like to first point out that I love how much Aquino is walking but Suarez faced a crucial situation for the Reds and he crushed a deep home run into left field to give the Reds a 3-1 lead. I know Suarez has had a rough season but it so good and fun to watch him succeed. Barnhart was hit with an errant breaking ball in the back of the head, Akiyama doubled, and then Wade Miley hit a soft liner to left field that was only caught by a fantastic play by Dominic Smith. Reds lead, 3-1.
• Then in the top of the fifth Kyle Farmer continued with his torrid pace for the month of July. He hit a bomb to push the Reds out to a 4-1 lead.
• Jonathan Villar lead off the bottom of the 6th with a walk and then advanced to second on a Pete Alonso single. However, Kyle Farmer, with a great throw from Miley, got Villar sleeping off of second base with a simple daylight play. Jeff McNeil lined out with Winker making a good running play and then Javier Baez, who is a piece of shit, hit a two run dinger to deep left field. The daylight play ended up being huge because otherwise that dinger would have tied the game but instead the Reds lead, 4-3.
• A bunch of weird stuff happened in the top of the 8th. Kyle Farmer led off with a single and Joey Votto missed hitting another home run literally by inches. Still the Reds had runners on first and third and no outs. Naquin and Suarez both struck out and then with Tyler Stephenson at the plate Joey Votto got caught too far off first. Kyle Farmer tried to advance home in the confusion but the Mets played it well to end the threat. Still, the Reds lead, 4-3.
• In the final inning Heath Hembree came in to try and secure the save. He walked the leadoff batter and then a wild pitch and a three one count was given to Baez, who is a piece of shit. The runner advanced to second on the wild pitch and Baez, who is a piece of shit, swung at ball four and eventually struck out. Hembree then struck out McCann. Sean Doolittle then came in to get the last out. He hit 98 MPH. However, Doolittle gave up a bloop single to center field to tie the game.
• The Reds had some business in the top of the 10th. India advanced on a wild pitch and Winker walked. However, Farmer and Votto struck out. Tyler Naquin battled after being 0-2 and got off a good swing at a pitch but hit it too hard and the inning was over. Luis Cessa entered in the bottom of the 10th and gave up a leadoff single that ended the game. Mets win, 5-4.

Tony Graphanino

Other Notes

• Joey Votto missed hitting a dinger in his eighth straight game by literally inches. It was soooo close but look at this. In GABP it was gone via Baseball Savant.

• Eugenio Suarez was thrown at some point in the dugout and no one knows why.
• You may remember this man of large frame and of large heart.

• The Reds lost a tough one tonight but have the opportunity to take the series tomorrow. Tonight’s loss breaks a four game winning streak and Votto’s seven game home run streak.
• The bullpen and whatever but there was also a big TOOTBLAN and the Reds did not score with two runners on and no outs in the 10th. With a bullpen as suspect as the Reds have, even with the improvements, you CANNOT squander opportunities. But, again, sometimes bad shit just happens.
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