Cincinnati Reds: Three takeaways from walk-off win in extra innings

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CINCINNATI, OHIO – MAY 15: Yasiel Puig #66 of the Cincinnati Reds celebrates with teammates after hitting a game winning single in the 10th inning against the Chicago Cubs at Great American Ball Park on May 15, 2019 in Cincinnati, Ohio. (Photo by Andy Lyons/Getty Images) /

Yasiel Puig was the hero, but there was more to the Cincinnati Reds’ 6-5 walk-off victory over the Chicago Cubs than the last at-bat.

There is so much to unpack from last night’s 6-5 walk-off win in extra innings. The Cincinnati Reds improved to 7-13 in one-run games and gained a game on the division-leading Chicago Cubs. If you’re a baseball fan, this is the type of game that makes you come back to the ballpark.

The Cincinnati Reds got out to the early lead against the Chicago Cubs when Eugenio Suarez laced a double down the left field line in the bottom the first inning to score Nick Senzel. The 1-0 lead would not hold, as Addison Russell took Sonny Gray deep in his first at-bat to give the Cubs a 2-1 lead.

The Cubbies would play add-on in the top of the 4th inning when Albert Almora went yard with his 3rd homer of the year. A 3-1 Cubs lead would not be safe, however, as later in the inning Jose Iglesias drove in Derek Dietrich on a double to right field.

In the 7th inning, Daniel Descalso hit a pinch-hit sacrifice fly to score Russell and gave the Cubs a 2-run cushion once again. But, Iglesias had other ideas when he launched a solo shot into center field in the bottom half of the 7th to close the gap once again.

The Cubs thought they’d put the game out of reach in the 8th after a Kyle Schwarber bomb to center field. However, Suárez had other ideas. With Joey Votto occupying first base, Suárez went opposite field for his team-leading 13th home run of the season and the game was knotted at 5 apiece.

Nine innings could not contain this rivalry and with the bases loaded in the bottom of the 10th inning, The Wild Horse could not be contained either. Yasiel Puig hit the game-winner to center field with the bases loaded and sent the home crowd home happy. Let’s look at the the three biggest takeaways from last night’s dramatic victory.

CINCINNATI, OHIO – MAY 15: Joey Votto #19 and Eugenio Suarez #7 of the Cincinnati Reds celebrate after Suarez hit a game tying two run home run in the 8th inning against Chicago Cubs at Great American Ball Park on May 15, 2019 in Cincinnati, Ohio. (Photo by Andy Lyons/Getty Images) /

1. The Reds bats came up clutch

Say what you will about this year’s Cincinnati Reds’ offense, but last night proved that this team does have clutch hitters. While Yasiel Puig’s game winning single will get most of the attention, there were three others who delivered when the game was in the balance.

Is José Iglesias the best hitter on this Reds’ team? That’s a rhetorical question. The Reds struck gold this offseason when they signed Iglesias to a minor league deal and he has rewarded their faith in him time and time again this season with both his glove and his bat. Last night was no exception.

On two different occasions, Iglesias came up clutch for the Reds. His 2-out RBI double in the 4th inning closed the gap after the Cubs had added an extra run and he did it again in the 7th inning with a leadoff home run. No one on this team has delivered more timely hits than Jose Iglesias.

While Iglesias showed off his power in the 7th inning, his partner on the left side of the infield joined the party in the 8th. After getting the party started with an RBI double in the 1st, Eugenio Suárez tied the game in the 8th with an oppo taco to right field. His 13th bomb of the season came at just the right time and helped spark the Reds’ extra innings rally.

The reason that Suarez’s homer was a two-run shot and not a solo blast was due to the clutch hitting of one Joseph Daniel Votto. Votto has had his fair share of struggles this season and they’ve been well documented. For what it’s worth, I think he’ll figure it out. Maybe last night was a step in the right direction.

Joey Votto was visibly upset all night, and for good reason. The former MVP has looked uncomfortable at the plate for the majority of the season and was 0-for-4 heading up to the plate in the 8th. But, Votto looped the 1-0 pitch from lefty Kyle Ryan into center field and brought the tying run to the plate.

None of us really know what’s going on with Joey Votto this season. All we know is that what we’re seeing is not what we’re used to. However, last night’s late inning single followed by a walk in the 10th is exactly the type of performance this Reds team needs from their All-Star.

SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA – MAY 10: David Bell #25 of the Cincinnati Reds walks off the field after making a pitching change during the seventh inning against the San Francisco Giants at Oracle Park on May 10, 2019 in San Francisco, California. (Photo by Daniel Shirey/Getty Images) /

2. Last night was a chess match

If you’re a fan of the “thinking” aspect of baseball, you enjoyed last night’s game, right? One of the biggest reasons that I favor baseball over any other sport is the mental aspect of the game. Decisions are made from pitch-to-pitch that affect the outcome of the game. Last night, David Bell outwitted Joe Maddon.

Joe Maddon is regarded as one of the brightest minds in baseball and for good reason. Regardless of what you think of him or his team, the Chicago Cubs manager has been one of the best in the game for a long time. However, last night, Bell got the better of him.

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There wasn’t a lot of strategy early in the game. While it was surprising that the Cincinnati Reds got virtually nothing off starter Yu Darvish, other than some early steals from rookie Nick Senzel, there weren’t a lot of high-leverage situations that called for Bell or Maddon to make crucial decisions.

Bell deployed the reserves of Robert Stephenson, Jared Hughes, and Wandy Peralta in the sixth and seventh innings. While the move to Peralta rather than Amir Garrett was questioned by some, it turned out to be the right move.

Yes, Peralta gave up a sac fly, but Garrett was needed much later in the game and David Bell showed great restraint in not going to his best bullpen arm early. Again, this is chess, not checkers, and David Bell was playing the long game.

Maddon’s move to Carl Edwards in the 8th inning proved costly as Suárez took the right-hander deep to tie the game. Edwards entered last night’s game with an 11.57 ERA and had been erratic lately with only 6 strikeouts and 5 walks in 7 games.

While Maddon’s decision to walk Jesse Winker to get to Yasiel Puig can be questioned, given the situation, there was little else the Cubs manager could’ve done. However, the biggest move of the game was Bell’s confidence in Amir Garrett with the Cubs’ hottest hitter sitting on the bench waiting for his chance.

David Bell pulled Raisel Iglesias in the 10th inning with 2 outs and 2 runners on base to face the left-hander Kyle Schwarber. Maddon countered with pinch hitter Willson Contreras who entered last night’s game with a .305/.413/.610 slash line.

Garrett reared back with an 85-MPH slider on the first pitch and Contreras hit a dribbler back towards the mound that Garrett fielded cleanly and fired to first base in time. Bell’s faith in Garrett was rewarded and that may not be the last time we see the flamethrowing southpaw in that type of high-leverage situation.

CINCINNATI, OHIO – MAY 15: Yasiel Puig #66 of the Cincinnati Reds hits a game winning single in the 10th inning against the Chicago Cubs at Great American Ball Park on May 15, 2019 in Cincinnati, Ohio. (Photo by Andy Lyons/Getty Images) /

3. The Reds needed this game

Is May 15th too early to call any game a must-win? Not the way this season has unfolded for the Cincinnati Reds. After a 1-8 start to the season, the Reds dug themselves a whale of a hole. Since then, the Reds have gone 18-16 (.529). Had the Reds just gone .500 during those first 9 games, they’d be sitting in the thick of the NL Central right now.

But, games are not played on paper and while I love the Pythagorean W/L statistics, the Cincinnati Reds are a below-.500 team. In fact, the Reds are the only team in the NL Central who have a losing record. Last night’s win could be a springboard towards bigger and better things.

This ball club is not as bad as their record suggests, but 13 one-run losses will put you in a big hole. The Reds are 7-13 (.350) in one-run games after last night’s walk-off win over Chicago. Again, if half those one-run losses were wins, Reds Country would be smiling from ear-to-ear.

As it is, the Cincinnati Reds have another game with these same division-leading Chicago Cubs on Thursday night. Thankfully for the Reds, Luis Castillo is on the mound. He’ll be opposed by Jose Quintana. This has the makings of another one-run affair.

The Cincinnati Reds needed performances from some of their best players last night. If the Redlegs hope to make any noise this season, Yasiel Puig and Joey Votto have to start hitting. José Iglesias and Derek Dietrich have helped keep this team afloat, along with Eugenio Suárez, but in order for the Reds to compete, Puig and Votto have to perform up to their lofty standards.

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With the Los Angeles Dodgers coming to town, the Reds find themselves in another must-win game on Thursday. They should feel better with their ace on the mound, but the bats need to find a way to get to Quintana early and win this series over their division rival.

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