MLB Playoffs: 3 takeaways from the Reds extra-inning loss to the Braves

3. Base running blunders spoiled opportunities for the Reds to score.

What in the world was going on with the Cincinnati Reds on the base paths? Seriously, I’ve never seen so many blatant mistakes. Three very specific ones come to mind, and there may be more. The bottom line is, good teams don’t make those types of mistakes and the Reds need to clean that up quickly.

The first base running error came in the sixth inning. With Nick Castellanos standing at first base, Joey Votto rocketed a single in left-center field. Castellanos pressed his luck and was tagged out at third base on a brilliant throw from former Reds outfielder Adam Duvall. All of Reds Country knows that Duvall has a cannon, but apparently that information wasn’t passed on to Castellanos.

The second, and most egregious, base running error came in the following inning when a double steal was not executed well at all, and Aristides Aquino was tagged out on his way to the plate. During the play, Kyle Farmer took off from first to second, but Aquino looked like a statue at third base.

Was this play poor managing, poor execution or both? Honestly, it doesn’t matter. The weirdest part of the that entire sequence was pinch hitting Matt Davidson for Curt Casali, who by the way was calling a masterful game behind the plate.

The final base running mistake came in thee 13th inning. While I don’t want to be too overly dramatic, with Joey Votto standing at second base, the single that Eugenio Suárez ripped into left field should have scored the former MVP. He got a bad break and it may have cost the Reds a run. That said, Votto does not run well, and, as we already mentioned, Adam Duvall has a cannon.