Cincinnati Reds See Three-Run Lead Evaporate, Lose to Mets

One bad inning derails a potential win for the Cincinnati Reds.

Baseball can be a cruel sport. The Reds looked to be on their way to a win over the New York Mets on Tuesday night, with Brandon Finnegan cruising and a three-run lead in hand. But a rough seventh inning turned the tide, as Finnegan allowed a three-run home run to Yoenis Cespedes to tie it and the Mets would take the lead later in the inning.

Here are some takeaways from the game:

Reds take rare early lead

For much of the season, the Reds have been playing from behind, but they were able to get to Mets starter Bartolo Colon early on Tuesday. They got on the board in the third. Billy Hamilton and Zack Cozart led off the inning with back-to-back singles to put runners on the corners. Two hitters later, Joey Votto hit a sacrifice fly to score Billy Hamilton. The next inning, Ivan De Jesus Jr. — who was in the starting lineup in place of Brandon Phillips — crushed a 410-foot, two-run home run to left-center field to make it 3-0. That looked like it would be enough until…

One big mistake sours Finnegan’s gem

Through six innings, Brandon Finnegan threw the ball very well. While he allowed a baserunner in every inning except the third, he didn’t allow anyone to reach second until the sixth when Curtis Granderson and Asdrubal Cabrera hit a pair of singles to lead things off. The southpaw buckled down, though, getting three straight pop-ups to get out of the jam.

With 94 pitches, he headed back out for the seventh and struck out the first batter, but got into trouble afterward with a walk and a single to put runners at first and third base. The Mets initially had Lucas Duda in the on-deck circle to pinch-hit and switched to Cespedes, who has been out of the lineup with a knee issue. Bryan Price chose to stick with Finnegan — a reasonable choice given the rather grim state of the Reds’ bullpen — but it backfired as Cespedes lined a three-run home run on the first pitch he saw to tie the game. Finnegan’s game ended there, having allowed three runs on five hits and three walks, while striking out five.

When Price did turn to the bullpen, it went like it has for the entire season. After the Cespedes homer, Tony Cingrani gave up a triple to Granderson, who scored on a single by David Wright to give the Mets a lead they wouldn’t relinquish.

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Bad baserunning proves costly

The Reds had some chances to add to their lead that went by the wayside due to questionable decisions on the basepaths. Before the De Jesus home run in the fourth, Adam Duvall led things off with a single, but was thrown out by a mile at second on a botched hit-and-run by Tucker Barnhart. Had he not been thrown out, it would’ve been 4-0 after De Jesus went deep. The following inning, a single by Tyler Holt and a walk by Votto put runners on first and second with one out. Holt was picked off at second base and Eugenio Suarez popped out to end the inning. The Duvall caught stealing can at least be excused for being aggressive. The Holt mistake, not so much. For what it’s worth, the Mets also had their share of bad baserunning, as Granderson and Wright were both picked off first base in the game.

Notes:

Another day, another amazing defensive play by Billy Hamilton. The center fielder took away what looked to be a sure extra-base hit for Kevin Plawecki in the fifth with an incredible leaping grab that you’d have to see to believe. No, seriously, go check it out.
Caleb Cotham fired a scoreless eighth inning for the Reds, allowing one hit and striking out two. In a messy bullpen situation, he’s been the clear bright spot thus far.
Though they had just the three runs to show for it, the Reds picked up 10 hits on the night, including two hits apiece from Cozart, Holt, Duvall and Barnhart.

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