The Cincinnati Reds will try to continue their winning ways Wednesday night when they host the Seattle Mariners in the second game of a three-game set.
On Tuesday, the Reds extended their winning streak to four games, all of them coming on the current six-game homestand. Austin Hays hit a go-ahead, three-run homer in the fifth inning and drove in four runs while Gavin Lux went 4-for-4 in an 8-4 decision over the Mariners.
It was just the third time in franchise history that a player drove in four runs in his Cincinnati debut. Lux, meanwhile, matched a career high with four hits and became the third Reds player this season with a four-hit game.
The Reds spent the first 16 games of the season without several pieces, including Hays (calf injury) and closer Alexis Diaz (hamstring). Matt McLain (hamstring) missed just five games.
But on Tuesday, all three returned and played a role in Cincinnati’s win.
Hays was set to start the season as Cincinnati’s cleanup hitter but sustained a calf injury three days before the season opener and spent the first 16 games on the injured list before going 2-for-4 for the Reds on Tuesday.
“It doesn’t always work that quickly when a guy comes back, but I think we just missed him,” Reds manager Terry Francona said of Hays.
“He can do damage in the middle of our lineup,” McLain said. “He’s going to be a great player for us. We’re all excited for him. I think we all saw it in spring, and we all know he’s a really good player. He’s a guy we need in the lineup, so it’s good to get him back.”
McLain returned from a 10-day stint on the injured list, walking three times and scoring twice.
Meanwhile, 2023 All-Star closer Alexis Diaz came back from a hamstring injury, retired two batters but walked a pair in the sixth.
Cincinnati wasn’t the only team celebrating new faces Tuesday. Seattle third baseman Ben Williamson made his major league debut, going 1-for-3 and picking up his first big league hit in his first major league plate appearance, in the second inning. He scored on Dylan Moore’s RBI single off Nick Lodolo.
“I’ve been refining my approach a lot with two strikes, trying to get the ball as deep as possible,” Williamson said after Tuesday’s loss. “And that just gave me a lot of confidence, knowing that even against the best arms, I’m still able to have that approach, where I’m able to foul tough pitches off and try to see if I can get a good one to hit.”
Williamson needed tickets for 14 family and friends in attendance, including his parents, his Little League coach and a childhood friend.
The Reds on Wednesday will send right-hander Nick Martinez (0-2, 6.06 ERA) to the mound, making his fourth start of the season. In his most recent start, last Wednesday, he was rolling into the sixth inning with a 6-1 lead. But San Francisco rallied for four runs and then a single run in the eighth before Mike Yastrzemski won it 8-6 in the 10th with a two-run homer.
Martinez is 0-3 with a 4.41 ERA in eight career appearances and five starts against Seattle.
The Mariners will counter with right-hander Bryce Miller (0-2, 4.50 ERA), making his fourth start for Seattle. Miller will make his second career start against Cincinnati. Miller allowed just one hit and one run over six innings in the start last year and got the win.
-Field Level Media
