Just as they did during their recent five-game winning streak, the Reds spotted the Kansas City Royals a two-run lead into the seventh inning then scored three runs in the seventh on their way to a 5-2 victory.
After losing Tuesday, the Reds were in danger of arriving in Milwaukee for an important four-game series that begins Thursday on a two-game losing streak.
And the losses would have been to the last-place team in the American League Central Division, losers of 22 of their previous 27 games.
“A good bounce-back win,” said manager David Bell. “We had the (five-game) winning streak, then the tough loss last night. Sometimes a win is a little bit more than a win and maybe today was one of those days.”
Reds starting pitcher Sonny Gray and rookie second baseman Jonathan India made certain bad vibes didn’t happen.
Despite putting runners on base in each of the first four innings, Gray held the Royals to two runs. Then he retired 10 straight through the bottom of the seventh.
And how did he do it? He changed his wardrobe after the fourth inning, then retired 10 straight.
“I came into the clubhouse and got completely naked and I changed everything I was wearing,” he said. “I tried to cool off. I changed my jersey, my pants, my underwear, my hat and my socks to just try to reset and start over. That’s what I did. Maybe it worked?”
Before he arrived at the park Gray was feeling gray.
“I woke up with a feeling in my stomach like I was going to throw up all day,” he said. “I don’t know why, but I was like super nervous today. I threw a ball and my nerves kind of went away a little bit. But they were still kinda there and I was trying to get settled in.”
Gray was in battle mode those first four innings and he wore his emotions on top of his cap.
“I was probably a little angry, a little angry elf,” he said. “Some days you just feel like that. I definitely had an edge, but maybe I was trying to fake it until I could make it. I tried all my tricks to get my nerves down.”
After Gray retired 10 in a row through seven, heavy rains fell, causing a 1 hour, 12-minute delay. That ended Gray’s day.
The Reds had no runs and four hits against Royals starter Brady Singer. But when Tucker Barnhart singled to open the seventh, Royals manager Mike Matheny went to his bullpen.
He brought in Scott Barlow, a guy so impressive this season that his teammates thought he was snubbed when he was not chosen for the All-Star game.
The Reds, though, quickly got to Barlow. Shogo Akiyama singled to put runners on second and first with no outs.
Wasn’t a bunt in order? Nope. Bell permitted Mike Freeman to swing away. With two strikes, he dropped a run-scoring single into left field, cutting Kansas City’s lead to 2-1.
India also faced a two-strike dilemma when he pulled a two-run double down the left-field line for a 3-2 lead before the rains fell.
The Reds had 13 hits with every player contributing at least one. Akiyama had two and Tyler Naquin had two.
India, who sat out Monday’s game and left Tuesday’s game before it ended due to a sore ankle and sore shoulder, told Bell before the game, “I’m playing.” In addition to his two-run double he had two other hits.
Asked what it would take to get him out of the lineup, he said, “A broken bone or something serious.” Even during the game, he jammed his hand on a batting helmet making a play at second base. But he stayed in and the three hits followed.
“He told me he was playing today,” said Bell about India. “That made it easy for me. That’s because of how much he loves to play. He has become an important player on our team and it has been like that for a while.”
When play resumed, the Reds added insurance runs in both the eighth and ninth.
Eugenio Suarez doubled to lead off the eighth and scored on Akiyama’s double. India and Tyler Stephenson singled in the ninth and Akiyama scored on Naquin’s single to make it 5-2.
THURSDAY’S GAME
Reds at Brewers, 8:10 p.m., Bally Sports Ohio, 700, 1410
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