After coming back from being no-hit for six innings and a 2-0 deficit late in the game, the Cincinnati Reds fell short by a final score of 5-2 to Jose Ramírez and the Cleveland Guardians in this short two-game series at Progressive Field in Cleveland.
| Final | R | H | E |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cincinnati Reds (76-83) |
2 | 6 | 0 |
| Cleveland Guardians (92-67) | 5 | 8 | 3 |
| W: Hunter Gaddis (6-3) L: Emilio Pagán (4-5)
SV: Emmanuel Clase (47) |
|||
| Box Score | Game Thread | |||
It was a bullpen day for Cleveland, and they were brilliant for most of the game tonight. Four Guardians pitchers combined to be perfect through six innings. The Reds would finally get on the board in both the hits column and the run column in the seventh inning. TJ Friedl led off the inning with a bunt single, took second on an errant pick off throw, and scored when Guardians second baseman Andrés Giménez committed an error trying to throw Elly De La Cruz out at first base. The Reds were able to tie it up in the eighth with a Jake Fraley one-out double and a Santiago Espinal single that Lane Thomas bobbled in center field.
Meanwhile, Jakob Junis was working on a very good final start of the season. He allowed a leadoff home run to Steven Kwan, but then settled down and retired the next six Cleveland hitters. In the bottom of the 4th, he allowed a Jose Ramírez triple off the wall in right center field and a Josh Naylor single on the next pitch for the Guardians’ second run of the game. Junis allowed only those two runs on four hits in five innings. He struck out three and walked one batter, a rarity if you been following Junis’ stats closely. This start lowered his ERA to 1.44 with the Reds and 2.69 for the season.
Tony Santillan and Buck Farmer combined for two perfect innings in the sixth and seventh. Emilio Pagán entered the game in the eighth in a tie game and almost got out of the inning unscathed. He allowed back-to-back two-out singles to Kwan and Kyle Manzardo to bring up Ramírez. Ramírez did not miss the opportunity, drilling a ball to right field for his 38th home run of the season to give the Guardians the lead.
Emmanuel Clase finished the game in the ninth to earn his 47th save, but it did not come without drama. The Reds loaded the bases with no outs, but Spencer Steer lined out hard to the shortstop, Ty France struck out swinging, and Jake Fraley grounded out to Ramírez for the third and final out.
Key Moment of the Game
Jose Ramírez’s two-out, three-run home run to give the Guardians a 5-2 lead in the eighth inning.
Notes
-Junis walked Bo Naylor in the fifth inning. It was just his second walk allowed since being traded on July 29.
-The Guardians bullpen entered the game with an MLB-best 2.60 ERA. Every reliever that pitched for the Guardians tonight has an ERA below 2.00.
-Cleveland swept the two-game series and won the season series 3-1.
Up Next for the Cincinnati Reds
Thursday, September 26th: Off Day
Cincinnati Reds at Chicago Cubs
Friday, September 27th, 2:20 PM EDT
TBD vs. Jameson Taillon (11-8, 3.41 ERA)
