A 4-1 victory over the Angels on Monday night in The Big A was Cincinnati’s ninth straight over the Angels.
And after kicking around the ball against the Brewers like an English Premier Soccer League team, the Reds performed flawlessly in this one.
Starting pitcher Brady Singer gave the Reds six one-run, six-hit innings for his career-best 11th win.
When asked what was working for him, he quickly said, “Ke’Bryan Hayes.”
Credit: AP
Credit: AP
That is an understatement.
In the first three innings, Hayes performed highlight reel plays.
FIRST INNING: The Angels first hitter, Zach Neto lined one just inside the third base bag. Hayes backhanded it with his back to home plate, whirled and threw out Neto. One star.
SECOND INNING: With a runner on first and no outs, Christian Moore lashed one 105 miles an hour at Hayes. It bounced off his chest, but he grabbed it barehanded and started a 5-4-3 double play. Two stars.
THIRD INNING: The first hitter, Bryce Teodosio lined one off pitcher Singer’s foot. It caromed toward Hayes and he barehanded it and threw out Teodosio, a kick save and a good one. Three stars.
“Oh, my goodness,” said Reds manager Tito Francona when asked about Hayes by reporters after the game. “That double play ball, that ball is by him. I would say he comes as advertised. We kinda thought we were getting the best defensive third baseman in the league and it sure looks like it.”
And Francona continues to be adept with a pencil when he makes out his lineups. After using Spencer Steer in the number two spot for several days, on Monday he moved Gavin Lux into that spot.
So TJ Friedl opened the game with a single and Lux drove an 0-and-2 change-up 387 feet into the right field seats for a two-batter 2-0 lead.
Credit: AP
Credit: AP
And Francona moved Noelvi Marte up to fifth in the order and he extended his hitting streak to nine games with two more hits.
About Lux, Francona said, “He hit that 0-2 pitch really good. I think he’s been consisent all year. You’re going to go through a little ups and downs, but his at bats all year have been solid.”
Another residual of the Milwaukee series was that Francona had to use up his three best relief pitchers — Graham Ashcraft, Tony Santillan and closer Emilio Pagan.
Francona knew going in they were unavailable so he went to a different trio to finish the game — just called-up Connor Phillips, Luis Mey and Scott Barlow.
Phillips pitched the seventh and put two runners on and got the last out ... barely. Neto put center fielder TJ Friedl against the wall to make the catch, almost a game-tying three-run home run.
Mey retired the first two in the eighth, then gave up a walk and a single. Francona brought in Barlow and he struck out Jo Adell.
He sent Barlow back out for the ninth and he struck out the first two, issued a walk, then completed his four strikeout night by whiffing Neto to end it.
It was Barlow’s first save for the Reds.
Credit: AP
Credit: AP
“My mind-set is to be ready any time they call your name. That was cool, anything to help out the team,” said Barlow. “It’s always a pleasure, especially the way all the other guys have been working so hard. It was just doing my part to contribute any way you can,”
After Lux’s homer, the Reds stranded nine runners and went 1 for 8 with runners in scoring position through the fifth inning.
“We had chances, good at bats to get runners on,” said Francona. “Then we had some pop-ups that we didn’t cash in on.”
After Lux’s home run, the Reds scored their other two runs after leadoff triples. They actually led three innings with triples, but only scored two.
Austin Hays led the third with a triple and Jose Trevino walked with two outs before Hayes flied to left.
Elly De La Cruz opened the fifth with a triple into the right field corner and scored on a sacrifice fly by Hays to make it 3-1.
Luis Rengifo, an infielder, was placed into center field after he pinch-hit in the seventh. As they say in baseball, “The ball will always find you,” and Hays led the eighth with a line drive to center.
Rengifo charged in and the ball sailed over his head for a triple and Hays scored on Matt McLain’s sacrifice fly to make it 4-1.
While the Reds left the bases densely populated in the early going, the Angels did it late in the game. They stranded two runners in each of the sixth, seventh and eighth.
Singer retired the first two in the sixth, then gave up a single and a walk. Taylor Ward swung at the first pitch and lined out to right to end that inning.
Connor Phillips put two on in the eighth with two outs when Friedl caught Neto’s drive against the wall.
Mey retired the first two in the ninth, then gave up a walk and a single. Barlow came in to strike out Adell, who swung wildly at two pitches he couldn’t reach with a fishing pole.
After Lux’s home run, the Angels scored their only run in the bottom of the first and had two on with one out. First baseman Spencer Steer speared Yoan Moncada’s harshly-hit line drive and turned it into an unassisted double play, another defensive dandy.
Credit: AP
Credit: AP
When it was still 1-1 in the third, the Angels had a runner on third with two outs and Singer caught Mike Trout gaping at strike three.
“Our defense was unbelievable,” said Singer. “I made some pitches and was commanding the zone. But the defense was huge.
“They hit a lot balls that were smoked but the defense made the plays.”
In four of his last five starts, he has held the opposition to one run and he said, “It’s because I’m competing in the zone and my command has helped me a lot.”
And his defense was in a zone, The Twilight Zone.
NEXT GAME
Who: Cincinnati at L.A. Angels
When: 9:30 p.m., Tuesday, Aug. 19
TV: FanDuel Sports
Radio: 1410-AM, 700-AM
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