The Cincinnati Reds look to maintain the momentum from their first walk-off win of the season when they try to pick up a series-clinching victory against the visiting Texas Rangers on Tuesday.
TJ Friedl’s walk-off single in the ninth inning ended Cincinnati’s six-game losing streak with a 7-6 win on Monday, capping a rally that came after the Reds trailed 6-4 with two outs in the eighth inning.
After tying the game by drawing two bases-loaded walks off Jose Leclerc (0-1) in the eighth, the Reds won it in the ninth. Friedl’s single off Will Smith scored Jonathan India, who had drawn a leadoff walk off Leclerc and advanced to second on a passed ball.
Spencer Steer went 2-for-4 with a two-run triple and two runs, while Friedl went 2-4 with an RBI and a run and India went 1-for-3 with three runs for the Reds.
The Rangers’ bullpen collapse wasted a night in which Josh Jung went 2-for-4 with two home runs and three RBIs. Ezequiel Duran went 3-for-4 with a double and a run for Texas, which led 5-1 after its third at-bat.
Cincinnati’s Alexis Diaz (1-1) pitched a scoreless ninth to pick up the win to culminate a stellar performance by the Reds’ bullpen, which allowed just one hit over the final five innings. Reds starter Nick Lodolo allowed six runs on nine hits, including two homers, with six strikeouts and two walks.
Cincinnati looks to take the three-game series on Tuesday behind Luke Weaver (0-1, 6.00 ERA). The right-hander got off to a rough start in his Reds debut last Thursday against the Pittsburgh Pirates after missing the first three weeks of the season with a right elbow flexor strain.
Weaver allowed four first-inning runs before following with five shutout innings in a 4-3 loss. He finished with eight strikeouts against two walks and four hits.
“First one out there, it’s kind of tough to gauge the emotion and kind of feel like you’re grounded and able to attack,” said Weaver, who joined the Reds on a one-year deal during the offseason.
“It was coming out real good, but just felt like I was just missing down or in or out. Once I got past the nitpicking and just started going after them, I felt like the stuff started to play better.”
Texas, which is coming off just its second loss in its past eight games, will turn to left-hander Martin Perez (3-1, 3.38). He allowed three runs on eight hits with three strikeouts and no walks over 5 2/3 innings in a 12-3 win over the host Kansas City Royals last Wednesday.
Perez will pitch against the Reds for the first time in nearly a decade and for just the second time in his 12-year major league career. Perez threw 6 2/3 shutout innings, allowing just six hits with three strikeouts and a walk, in a 4-0 win in June 2013.
The Rangers are averaging 8.75 runs per game over their past eight contests.
“We did a lot of good things in the game offensively, put some runs up,” Rangers manager Bruce Bochy said of Monday’s loss. “But we just had trouble throwing strikes.”
–Field Level Media
