The Cincinnati Reds have struggled at the plate this season, languishing at or near the bottom of several key offensive statistics.
That changed a bit, though, after their cold bats caught fire over the past 20 innings.
Fresh off posting a season-high run total, the Reds will look to complete an undefeated six-game road trip on Wednesday afternoon when they square off against former teammate Nick Martinez and the Tampa Bay Rays in St. Petersburg, Fla.
The Reds began the trek by winning all three games vs. the Minnesota Twins, capped by scoring six runs over the final two frames of a 7-4, 10-inning victory on Sunday. Cincinnati followed with a 6-1 win in the series opener against Tampa Bay on Monday and a five-homer performance in a 12-6 victory on Tuesday.
Elly De La Cruz recorded his sixth career multi-homer performance, and Ke’Bryan Hayes, Dane Myers and Spencer Steer also went deep on Tuesday. Myers reached base four times as the Reds improved to 10-2 on the road.
“I’m really happy for our hitters. If they can breathe a little bit, they’ll be better hitters,” said Cincinnati manager Terry Francona, who is celebrating his 67th birthday on Wednesday.
Martinez (0-1, 2.45 ERA), who set career highs in wins (11), losses (14) and innings pitched (165 2/3) last season with the Reds, will be tasked with slowing down Francona’s charges on Wednesday.
“It’s gonna be a lot of fun, right?” Martinez said. “It adds another layer to the pitching game. More of a cat-and-mouse (situation).”
The 35-year-old right-hander compared his former manager (Francona) to his current skipper (Kevin Cash).
“I feel like — not a knock on Tito whatsoever — I’m playing for a younger Tito,” Martinez said of Cash, 48. “It’s been a lot of fun. Obviously, a lot of similarities. They both manage to win the game. Communication is great with both those guys. It really feels like both those guys are really rooting for their players; they care about the players. They want to see us succeed.
“And they understand how hard this game is. That’s refreshing. Knowing your manager has your back allows you to play with a certain aggressiveness that usually leads to reward.”
Martinez would like to be rewarded on Wednesday after receiving his first decision of the season in his latest trip to the mound. He yielded two runs on eight hits in 5 1/3 innings during a 5-1 loss to the Pittsburgh Pirates on Friday.
The veteran is 1-0 with a 4.00 ERA in four career appearances (one start) vs. the Reds.
Cincinnati will send left-hander Brandon Williamson (2-1, 4.35 ERA) to the mound on Wednesday. Williamson improved to 2-0 with a 2.25 ERA in three starts this month after allowing one run on three hits in 5 1/3 innings of a 2-1 win over the Twins on Friday.
While likely happy with the victory, Williamson has struggled with his control. He has permitted 10 walks over his past two outings (9 1/3 innings).
Williamson, 28, has yet to face the Rays in his career.
Jonathan Aranda belted a two-run homer as part of a three-RBI night on Tuesday for Tampa Bay, which has been outscored 24-10 during a three-game losing streak.
–Field Level Media
