Those two pitches were slugged for solo home runs by No. 6 hitter Dansby Swanson and No. 8 hitter Guillermo Heredia. And they were the difference in Atlanta’s 3-2 victory over the Reds in front of 30,231 in Great American Ball Park.
Swanson’s came in the sixth inning and gave the Braves a 2-0 lead and Heredia’s came in the seventh, the last batter Gutierrez faced, and made it 3-1.
“I was checking the tablet I have in the dugout, just to see where those pitches were,” said Gutierrez. “It looked like the first home run was down, but close to the plate. The one to Heredia was in the middle of the plate.
“It’s just part of the game,” he said. “A pitcher who doesn’t give up a home run doesn’t play the game. I was just trying to execute good pitches, get them out, but the balls stayed in the zone and that’s what happened.”
Gutierrez pitched six innings, plus Heredia in the seventh, and gave up two runs and six hits.
The game was full of high drama. Reds center fielder Aristides Aquino chased down three long fly balls. Jonathan India literally stole a run with some bold, daring baserunning.
And Eugenio Suarez made a stupendous defensive play in the fourth inning with runners on third and second with two outs.
The score was 0-0 and Atlanta’s William Contreras pulled one over the third-base bag. Suarez slid to his knees in foul territory behind the bag, backhanded the ball and, from his knees, threw out Contreras to end the inning. It saved two runs and kept the score 0-0.
“That was a huge, emotional moment right there,” said Gutierrez. “When I saw Suarez make that play, it was like, ‘Wow,’ and I thought we had a chance to win after that play. Unfortunately, it didn’t work out that way.”
The Reds were 1 for 10 with runners in scoring position. In addition to his huge home run, Heredia roamed all over the center field acreage to snag line drives.
Jesse Winker led off the eighth inning with a smash to deep center. Heredia, running full speed, chased it down and smashed into the wall and crumpled to the ground. He held on to the ball and after several moments stretched on the grass he stayed in the game.
“Their center fielder (Heredia) had an unbelievable game,” said Reds manager David Bell. “In some ways, he won the game.”
He did, both with bat and glove.
“It was pretty fun, not being on our side, to watch him play,” said Bell. “The play he made crashing into the wall. . .a really impressive game. The game was scoreless through four innings until the Braves extracted a run off Gutierrez in the fifth.
Gutierrez had two outs and nobody on but walked Ronald Acuna Jr. on a full count. Freddie Freeman doubled to left field, scoring Acuna with Freeman’s 800th career RBI.
Gutierrez retired the first two in the sixth, too, then gave up a first-pitch home run to Swanson to make it 2-0.
India stole the Reds’ first run in the sixth. He singled on a full count to open the inning. Jesse Winker flied deep to center and India alertly and boldly tagged up and took second. Then with two outs he stole third and scored on Tyler Stephenson’s single, cutting Atlanta’s margin to 2-1.
Bell permitted Gutierrez to return to the mound for the seventh and Heredia said hello with a home run.
Suarez led off the Reds seventh with his 16th home run and the Reds were back to within a run. Suarez has driven in 14 runs in his last 12 games.
Nick Castellanos and Stephenson both singled with one out in the eighth, but Joey Votto hit into an inning-ending double play.
The Reds put a scare into the Braves and closer Will Smith in the ninth. With two outs, Kyle Farmer drove a two-strike double to right center, putting the potential tying run on second.
Smith struck out pinch-hitter Scott Heineman to put the ribbon around his 16th save in 17 opportunities.
Other than Suarez’s home run, the Reds did no damage to Braves left hander Drew Smyly — six innings, one run, six hits, no walks.
“You have to give both starting pitchers credit, they were both very good,” said Bell. “Gutierrez is handling everything that comes his way. He is throwing strikes, changing speeds, adjusting to hitters. That was another great step in his process and development.”
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