CINCINNATI: They were locked up twice on the West Coast road trip that had just ended, but the Reds ’offense came back to life at home at Great American Ball Park.
A ten-bat burst and seven runs in the third inning featured another home run by Joey Votto as Cincinnati beat Cleveland, 10-3, in the first edition of Friday’s Ohio Cup series.
“It’s fun to be part of a team like this. I’m not sure if I’ve been part of a team like this in my career, “Votto said.” I’m not sure … until now. It’s very early. I don’t want to get ahead. “
Here’s how the home field feels for the Reds:
• Through seven home games, they are 6-1, including six straight home wins.
• The Reds have scored 67 runs in these seven games, averaging 9.57 runs per game.
• The home race differential is +38, compared to the minus-12 of the road trip from 2 to 4.
• Overall, the Reds lead the major leagues with 85 runs and are second with a .827 OPS.
“Yes, clearly, we were dissatisfied with our road trip, certainly with the way it ended,” Votto said. “It simply came to our notice then. It’s good to play well against Reds fans in Cincinnati. But we often think of being a dangerous team everywhere. Of course, we want to win as often as possible at home, but we focus on bigger and better things ”.
Against Logan Allen, the Reds retired in order in each of the first two minutes and finished with a 1-0 lead. The bottom of the third inning began when Kyle Farmer searched a ball through the legs of third baseman Jose Ramirez for an error and Tyler Stephenson was hit in the foot by a throw. A wild throw from Jeff Hoffman moved both runners before Hoffman hit a single RBI that tied the game in midfield.
With this door open just a crack, the Reds burst in, as Hoffman’s single was the first of five consecutive hits. Against the relief Phil Maton, Eugenio Suárez took a double to the left. On a Maton 2-1 playing field, Votto lifted him to the other side to make a two-run homer to the left field (his third long ball in his last four games) to turn him into a 7-1 match.
Entering the night, Votto had hit 14 balls with output speeds of 100 mph or more, according to Statcast. On Friday, his homer was hit at 103.6 mph and his sixth entry on the left field was 104.3 mph, and he only needed to be another homer. It was double.
“As I mentioned a few days ago, I need to put the ball in the air more,” Votto said. “Hitting the ball hard is good, but it’s better to put it in the air. Yes, two good swings today. We must continue to do so collectively. Lots of good changes throughout the training “.
The Reds ’additional runs reached the fifth position of Stephenson’s two-run single and the sixth, when Nick Castellanos sent a single solo play into the right field.
“I don’t think it’s necessarily a homemade thing. I know it has looked like this so far, ”said Reds manager David Bell. “We’re trying to prepare an offense that’s just as effective at home and on the road. I think the way we’re having some of those tickets, you could have that kind of tickets at any dance stadium.”
After working early, Hoffman allowed a career win and seven hits in six innings with three runs and four attacks. Amed Rosario hit a solo homer in the second inning. As Hoffman loaded the bases on two runs and a single in the third inning, the Reds ’bullring was starting to get active. But Hoffman escaped without giving up another race and continued to enjoy a quality start.
“I think after receiving my success … it took them a while to get the first one out, so it looked like we smelled blood and we had guys who, when they smell blood, go looking for it,” Hoffman said. . “It was a great inning for us and getting that cushion. It was like all I had to do was attack the area from then on, force contact and get out of there with the win.”