Toronto Blue Jays at Cincinnati Reds
· Major League Baseball0 - 1
Encarnacion-Strand homers in 9th as Cincinnati Reds beat Toronto Blue Jays 1-0
Encarnacion-Strand Jordan Hicks (2-8) deep to left for his fourth homer. It was Cincinnati's fourth hit of the game.
“He's a mature hitter,” Reds manager David Bell said. “A two-strike slider. Probably a pretty good pitch. Christian was in a good position to hit it hard, and he's got plenty of power.”
Fighting for positioning in the NL playoff standings, the Reds (64-59) won for the third time in four games.
Encarnacion-Strand said he was looking for a pitch to hit out.
“I always try to do damage,” he said. “Maybe that's why I strike out. But when you go up to do damage, maybe that happens sometimes, too.”
Toronto wasted a terrific performance by José Berríos, who struck out eight in 5 2/3 innings. The right-hander allowed one hit — Matt McLain's one-out single in the sixth — and walked four.
“He was really good tonight,” Bell said of the Toronto starter. “Seemed like he got better as the game went on.”
The Blue Jays (67-56), who are in the mix for an AL wild card, finished with three hits in their second straight loss.
“I think it just wasn’t our night," Blue Jays manager John Schneider said of his offense. “Looking back at pitches, they were there. I think we just missed our pitches tonight.”
Cincinnati got a big lift from Brett Kennedy, who pitched five effective innings in his first major league start since July 4. The right-hander struck out two and walked one.
After Kennedy departed, Buck Farmer, Ian Gibaut, Lucas Sims and Alexis Díaz (5-4) each pitched a hitless inning. Díaz worked a 1-2-3 ninth, striking out two.
KENNEDY'S COMEBACK
The 29-year-old Kennedy made his major league debut with San Diego in 2018, going 1-2 with a 6.75 ERA in six starts. He didn't make another big league appearance until July, earning the win in a spot start at Washington.
Kennedy, who also pitched two scoreless innings in a relief appearance at Pittsburgh a week ago, started the year with the Long Island Ducks in an independent league.
“He was all you could ever ask for right there against a good hitting team,” Bell said. “He used his fast ball, located it well. He's got some deception on his fast ball, and really attacked hitters with that pitch. Used his slider a little bit. The bullpen was outstanding."
Said Kennedy: “It's really cool for me to back in the big leagues and helping a team win.”
TRAINER’S ROOM
Blue Jays: OF Kevin Kiermaier (elbow laceration) and RHP Trevor Richards (neck Inflammation) were reinstated from the injured list. OF Nathan Lukes and RHP Jay Jackson were sent to Triple-A Buffalo.
Reds: RHP Vladimir Gutierrez (Tommy John surgery) has been pulled from his rehab assignment at Triple-A Louisville.
UP NEXT
Reds left-hander Brandon Williamson (4-2, 4.33 ERA) is the scheduled starter against Blue Jays right-hander Chris Bassitt (11-6, 3.95 ERA) on Saturday night.
How can I watch Toronto Blue Jays vs. Cincinnati Reds?
- TV Channel: Blue Jays at Reds 2022 MLB Baseball, is broadcasted on Apple TV+.
- Online streaming: Sign up for Fubo.
Matchup Prediction
Scoring Summary
9th Inning | Encarnacion-Strand homered to left (411 feet). | |
9th Inning | Votto lined out to right. | |
9th Inning | Hicks relieved Swanson | |
9th Inning | Kirk flied out to center. | |
9th Inning | Chapman fouled out to first. | |
9th Inning | Biggio struck out looking. |
Statistics
TOR | CIN | |
---|---|---|
1 | Games Played | 1 |
1 | Team Games Played | 1 |
1 | Hit By Pitch | 0 |
6 | Ground Balls | 11 |
7 | Strikeouts | 10 |
0 | Runs Batted In | 1 |
0 | Sacrifice Hit | 0 |
3 | Hits | 4 |
1 | Stolen Bases | 0 |
2 | Walks | 5 |
0 | Catcher Interference | 0 |
0 | Runs | 1 |
0 | Ground Into Double Play | 1 |
0 | Sacrifice Flies | 0 |
30 | At Bats | 28 |
0 | Home Runs | 1 |
0 | Grand Slam Home Runs | 0 |
11 | Runners Left On Base | 14 |
0 | Triples | 0 |
0 | Game Winning RBIs | 1 |
0 | Intentional Walks | 0 |
1 | Doubles | 0 |
17 | Fly Balls | 7 |
0 | Caught Stealing | 0 |
132 | Pitches | 144 |
0 | Games Started | 0 |
0 | Pinch At Bats | 0 |
0 | Pinch Hits | 0 |
0.0 | Player Rating | 0.0 |
1 | Is Qualified | 1 |
1 | Is Qualified In Steals | 0 |
4 | Total Bases | 7 |
33 | Plate Appearances | 33 |
0.0 | Projected Home Runs | 162.0 |
1 | Extra Base Hits | 1 |
0.2 | Runs Created | 1.7 |
.100 | Batting Average | .143 |
.000 | Pinch Hit Average | .000 |
.133 | Slugging Percentage | .250 |
.133 | Secondary Average | .286 |
.182 | On Base Percentage | .273 |
.315 | OBP Pct + SLG Pct | .523 |
0.4 | Ground To Fly Ball Ratio | 1.6 |
0.2 | Runs Created Per 27 Outs | 1.9 |
6.0 | Batter Rating | 11.0 |
0.0 | At Bats Per Home Run | 28.0 |
1.00 | Stolen Base Percentage | 0.00 |
4.00 | Pitches Per Plate Appearance | 4.36 |
.033 | Isolated Power | .107 |
0.29 | Walk To Strikeout Ratio | 0.50 |
.061 | Walks Per Plate Appearance | .152 |
.033 | Secondary Average Minus Batting Average | .143 |
0.0 | Runs Produced | 2.0 |
0.0 | Runs Ratio | 1.0 |
0.2 | Patience Ratio | 0.4 |
0.1 | Balls In Play Average | 0.2 |
58.5 | MLB Rating | 64.8 |
0.0 | Offensive Wins Above Replacement | 0.0 |
0.0 | Wins Above Replacement | 0.0 |
Game Information
Location: Cincinnati, Ohio
Attendance: 28,502 | Capacity:
2024 American League East Standings
TEAM | W | L | PCT | GB | STRK |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
New York | 94 | 68 | .580 | - | W1 |
Baltimore | 91 | 71 | .562 | 3 | W3 |
Boston | 81 | 81 | .500 | 13 | W1 |
Tampa Bay | 80 | 82 | .494 | 14 | L1 |
Toronto | 74 | 88 | .457 | 20 | L3 |
2024 National League Central Standings
TEAM | W | L | PCT | GB | STRK |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Milwaukee | 93 | 69 | .574 | - | L1 |
St. Louis | 83 | 79 | .512 | 10 | W1 |
Chicago | 83 | 79 | .512 | 10 | L1 |
Cincinnati | 77 | 85 | .475 | 16 | W1 |
Pittsburgh | 76 | 86 | .469 | 17 | L1 |