Cincinnati Reds: 3 takeaways from the comeback win over the Braves

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CINCINNATI, OH – APRIL 23: Yasiel Puig #66 of the Cincinnati Reds reacts after hitting a two-run home run in the first inning against the Atlanta Braves at Great American Ball Park on April 23, 2019 in Cincinnati, Ohio. (Photo by Joe Robbins/Getty Images) /

The Cincinnati Reds had their best game of the season last night with a 7-6 win over the Atlanta Braves. What did we learn in Reds’ come from behind win?

What a win for the Cincinnati Reds last night. This was as close to a “team win” as you’ll probably see all season. The Reds got out to a 3-0 lead early last night against the Atlanta Braves, only to have that lead erased in the 6th inning. But, thanks to some timely hitting and quality pitching from the bullpen, the Reds overcame the deficit and walked out with the victory.

It looked like an easy victory early on, as Sonny Gray cruised through the first four innings of work. However, a leadoff triple by Dansby Swanson in the fifth inning helped put the Braves on the board and a 3-run effort from Atlanta in the sixth put the Reds in a 1-run hole heading into the bottom of the inning.

There were several key moments during the game, but let’s look at three of the biggest observations from the Cincinnati Reds 7-6 come from behind victory over the Atlanta Braves on Tuesday night.

1. This team is selfless

Was there a bigger play in the game than Derek Dietrich‘s bunt? With José Iglesias on first and one out, Derek Dietrich came on to hit from Robert Stephenson with the Reds trailing 4-3. No one thought Dietrich was going to lay down a bunt, as evident by the Braves voiding the left-hand side of the infield.

Dietrich walked up right up to the plate, and when the entire stadium assumed he’d be swinging for the fences, he laid down a perfect bunt toward third base and easily secured a bunt single. Dietrich scampered down the first base line, tipped his hat to the dugout, put the tying run in scoring position.

The very next batter, Jose Peraza, broke out of his slump in the very next at-bat and a 2-RBI double down the left field line brought home Iglesias and Dietrich. The Reds then took a 5-4 lead.

However, Jesse Winker‘s reaction to Phillip Ervin drawing a walk in the sixth inning was one of the best displays of being a “good teammate” that I’d seen in some time. With the bases loaded in the sixth, David Bell pulled Winker in favor of Ervin to hit against the left-handed Jesse Biddle.

Winker was obviously upset, but didn’t allow his emotions to get the better of him. In fact, when Ervin drew a walk to bring home another run, Winker stood on the top of the dugout steps cheering on his teammate. What a great display of leadership by Winker.

CINCINNATI, OH – APRIL 23: Robert Stephenson #55 of the Cincinnati Reds pitches in the sixth inning against the Atlanta Braves at Great American Ball Park on April 23, 2019 in Cincinnati, Ohio. The Reds defeated the Braves 7-6. (Photo by Joe Robbins/Getty Images) /

2. The pitching was good enough

Two months ago, would you have imagined yourself cheering for Robert Stephenson entering a game at a critical point in the sixth inning? It’s okay, neither would I, but that’s exactly what I was doing on Tuesday night.

Sonny Gray pitched well enough to win last night’s game, but after Dansby Swanson’s looper into left field found the turf and he wheeled around the bases for a triple, there seemed to be a different attitude among the Braves hitters.

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When the sixth inning began, the Atlanta bats began teeing off on Gray and he looked gassed. Three consecutive hits, an error, and a sacrifice fly led to a 4-3 Atlanta lead and Gray’s exit. Gray finished with 3 earned runs through 5.1 innings and 9 strikeouts.

Bell virtually emptied his bullpen over the next 3.2 innings, with Stephenson turning in a beautiful performance in his 0.2 innings. With the Braves threatening to score again in the sixth inning, Stephenson shut down the Atlanta rally with back-to-back punch outs and left Ronald Acuna Jr. on third base.

Wandy Peralta and Jared Hughes each surrendered a run, but David Hernandez, Amir Garrett, and Raisel Iglesias kept the Braves bats at bay. Iggy closed out the game in ninth after surrendering a leadoff double to Matt Joyce.

The Cincinnati Reds’ pitching was not stellar, they did allow 6 runs, but it was good enough to walk out of Great American Ball Park with the win. If the offense does its part, the Reds can survive a pitching performance like they had last night.

CINCINNATI, OH – APRIL 23: Yasiel Puig #66 of the Cincinnati Reds rounds the bases after hitting a two-run home run in the first inning against the Atlanta Braves at Great American Ball Park on April 23, 2019 in Cincinnati, Ohio. (Photo by Joe Robbins/Getty Images) /

3. Yasiel Puig is a hero in Cincinnati

We all assumed this would happen when the Cincinnati Reds made the trade with the Los Angeles Dodgers back in December, but we saw it on full display during last night’s game. Yasiel Puig is entertaining and the fans love it.

In his first at-bat, Puig gave the Cincinnati faithful what they’ve been wanting to see since the trade was made. Puig stepped into the batters box in the bottom of the first inning and launched a two-run shot into the upper deck of left-center field.

Puig Airlines... Baseballs fly free! ✈️⚾️#BornToBaseball pic.twitter.com/XUMLGQk0oS
— Cincinnati Reds (@Reds) April 23, 2019

Great American Ball Park went bananas, especially the section of fans in right field that’s blanketed by signs that read “Let’s Get Puiggy With It!”, “We Love Puig!”, and “Mi Amigo Puig!”. The Reds right fielder is entertaining to say the least.

Puig’s bat is not the only thing that the he brings to the table. The Reds’ right fielder has a cannon for an arm and Dansby Swanson thought better of testing it in the top of the fifth inning. A fly out by Tyler Flowers to Puig in right gave Swanson the chance, but he wisely didn’t take it as Puig rifled a throw home to Tucker Barnhart that would’ve likely resulted in a double play.

Puig added to his RBI total in the sixth with a sacrifice fly to center field and singled to left in the bottom of the eighth inning as well. It was a solid all-round game for Puig and the fans inside GABP loved every minute of it.

Next. Kemp's injury opens the door for Ervin

What Yasiel Puig’s future in a Cincinnati Reds’ uniform looks like is unclear. The former Dodger is playing in the final year of his contract and will be a free agent at the end of the season. The Reds surely want to see more of this type of play from Puig before committing to him long-term, but with the support he receives from the fans, he’ll be a hard player to let go of if he keeps producing as the season wears on.

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