The Cincinnati Reds, who were two wins away from a playoff berth last season, might look back on Saturday’s loss to the Boston Red Sox at the end of the year as a very winnable game that got away from them.
Despite one of the best games of the season from shortstop Elly De La Cruz and an outstanding game from starting pitcher Frankie Montas, the Boston Red Sox beat the Reds, 4-3. The Reds created their own adversity with baserunning errors and defensive miscues that opened the door for the Red Sox to get back into the game.
On Saturday, the Reds played one of the sloppiest games of the year.
The Reds lead the MLB in stolen bases, but their aggressiveness has also cost them this season.
In the bottom of the fifth inning on Saturday, the Reds attempted to run a contact play with center fielder TJ Friedl at third base. Friedl ran into contact on a ground ball by third baseman Jeimer Candelario, and the throw home beat De La Cruz by a mile.
Later in that inning, De La Cruz was the lead runner at second base with two runners on and two out. He was tagged out to end the inning.
One inning later, Reds right fielder Jake Fraley was on third base with one out. When designated hitter Nick Martini hit a short grounder to the catcher, Fraley attempted to catch the Red Sox off guard and raced home. He was easily eliminated.
The Reds took an early 3-1 lead on home runs by De La Cruz and first baseman Spencer Steer, and wasted several opportunities to greatly extend their lead.
The red defense did the rest.
The Reds took a 3-2 lead into the eighth inning and the Red Sox tied the score without making hard contact.
Red Sox center fielder Ceddanne Rafaela hit a ground ball to Reds third baseman Jeimer Candelario, and Candelario made a bad throw. Instead of a ground ball, Rafaela ended up on second base.
All year, that hard ground ball down the third base line has been a difficult play for Candelario to execute.
The next batter, left fielder Jarren Durán, clipped a weak grounder over Candelario’s head. Then, pinch-hitter Rob Refsnyder beat the inning and placed a weak single to right field, which tied the score at three.
Next week, Reds third baseman Noelvi Marte is eligible to return from his 80-game suspension. The Reds need more from their infield defense and could end up relying on Marte’s defense at third base to improve the unit.
With one out, Red Sox third baseman Rafael Devers hit a 229-foot short fly ball to Reds left fielder Stuart Fairchild with Durán on third base. Duran is an elite runner, but Fairchild has a solid arm and should have had enough time to get his throw home in time.
But Fairchild’s soft throw bounced twice before reaching the plate, and Duran slid in safely to give the Red Sox a 4-3 lead.
Fairchild nearly made up for his mistake in the bottom of the ninth inning, but Duran stole what would have been a solo home run. On a day in which the Red Sox defense gave up several runs on the Red Sox, the Red Sox defense saved one with the game on the line.
The mistakes the Reds made on Saturday have not been uncommon. All year, they haven’t played clean defense and have been thrown out on the bases. Generally speaking, it’s part of the learning curve for a young, inexperienced team. But right now, that’s costing the Reds wins.
