Cincinnati Reds News: Eugenio Suarez homers in five straight games

Good morning Reds fans. The Cincinnati Reds evened the series with Philadelphia last night, Eugenio Suarez went deep for a fifth straight game, and who is Mason Williams?

The Cincinnati Reds recaptured their offense last night after being outhit by the Philadelphia Phillies in the series opener on Thursday. Eugenio Suarez got things going in the second inning with his 24th homer of the season, and Scooter Gennett tied the game at 2 with an RBI knock in the third. The Reds won 6-4.

Suarez is unstoppable. Eugenio Suarez tied a club-mark on Friday night after he launched a home run into left-center field to lead off the top of the second inning. It was Suarez’s 24th home run on the year and the fifth consecutive game in which he has left the yard.

Suarez’s latest home run puts him in exclusive company, as he became the eighth Reds player to hit a home run in five straight games. The most recent Red to accomplish such a feat was Devin Mesoraco back in 2014. Other players on that list include slugger Adam Dunn, Ted Kluszewski, and Hall of Famers Johnny Bench and Ken Griffey Jr.

Great American Ball Park will no doubt be packed on Saturday evening in anticipation of Eugenio Suarez trying to break the record and become the first player in Reds’ history to hit a homer in six straight games. He’ll get his chance against Philadelphia’s right-hander Vince Vasquez. Vasquez has allowed 13 home runs on the season thus far, and Saturday will be Suarez’s first at-bat against the former second-round pick.

Mason who? Who is Mason Williams? Well, with Jesse Winker’s season-ending injury, Williams was promoted from Triple-A Louisville where he was hitting .280 with a .341 on-base percentage. Williams, who was typically in the leadoff role for the Bats had 6 home runs and 30 RBIs in minors this season.

Williams was originally drafted by the New York Yankees in the fourth round of the 2010 MLB Draft. He advanced through the Yankees’ farm system and was promoted to the big leagues in 2015. From 2015-2017, Williams never played more than 12 games in a season.

The Reds took a flyer on the young man, and it paid off on Friday. With Scott Schebler on the DL and Phillip Ervin getting a night off, Williams got his first start of the season with the Reds. He hit a 3-run shot to right field in the bottom of the 4th inning to give the Reds a 5-2 lead.

With Winker now out for the season, and Schebler still on the disabled list, players like Williams and Ervin are getting their chances to see some playing time in the Reds’ outfield. Even when Schebler returns, either Ervin or Williams will likely still be on the 25-man roster. Don’t be surprised if Williams beats out Ervin for that spot when the time comes.

Garrett hurt. Amir Garrett made an incredibly athletic play in the fifth inning covering the first base bag. Odubel Herrera grounded a ball up the first base line, Joey Votto fielded the ball, tossed it to Garrett, who was hustling to beat the runner to the bag, and Garrett extended his right foot to tag the bag and record the out.

Garrett came up a bit lame after making the play. The medical staff spent a few minutes checking on the Reds’ reliever, and the decision was made to bring in David Hernandez and remove Garrett from the game. CBSSports.com reports that Garrett is listed as day-to-day with an Achilles strain.

Garrett is one of only two left-handed relievers they have in their bullpen. Cincinnati recently promoted Wandy Peralta after Kyle Crockett was designated for assignment. If this injury lingers for Garrett, look for the Reds to put him on the DL and promote a lefty from Triple-A Louisville.

The Cincinnati Reds’ options at the Triple-A level are pretty limited. Brandon Finnegan might be the Reds’ best bet, but Finnegan hasn’t shown much reason of late to get the call-up. Over his last 10 games, Finnegan has pitched 12.1 innings, allowed 16 hits and 8 home runs. He’s walked 9 batters during that stretch and is carrying a 5.84 ERA in those 10 games.