Cincinnati Reds Press Clippings May 10, 2017 THIS DAY IN REDS HISTORY

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1 Cincinnati Reds Press Clippings May 10, 2017 THIS DAY IN REDS HISTORY 1947-Ewell Blackwell begins his string of 16 consecutive wins. He will not lose a game until July 30th. MLB.COM Davis follows Garrett to Triple-A in Reds' move Right-hander the second rookie starter to be optioned this week By Mark Sheldon / an hour ago + 1 COMMENT CINCINNATI -- The Reds optioned starting pitcher Rookie Davis to Triple-A Louisville on Wednesday, two days after his last start vs. the Yankees. A corresponding move to take the 25-man roster spot will be announced on Thursday ahead of a four-game series opener vs. the Giants. Davis, 24, was scheduled to pitch on Saturday at San Francisco. In five big league starts, Davis was 1-2 with a 7.58 ERA and a 2.21 WHIP over 19 innings. He also missed some time on the disabled list with a bruised right forearm after he was hit by a pitch on April 11 at Pittsburgh. Davis, who is the Reds' No. 16 prospect as ranked by MLBPipeline.com, has made three starts since being activated. He labored for 4 1/3 innings vs. the Yankees and gave up five runs (four earned) with seven hits, three walks and four strikeouts while throwing 91 pitches. Pitch efficiency has been an issue in all of Davis' starts, and he has yet to get beyond the fifth inning. Although he struggled on Monday, especially with his slider, Reds manager Bryan Price seemed to show confidence that he would get better and continue to develop. Davis is the second rookie starter to be sent out of the rotation this week. Lefty Amir Garrett was sent to Louisville on Sunday in an effort to limit his innings and because there are off-days in the schedule where the Reds won't need a fifth starter. Service time ahead of the arbitration eligibility was likely a factor as well, and that could be in play for Davis. The Reds have limited options to replace Davis. One choice could be to move Robert Stephenson back into the rotation after he's pitched in the bullpen all season. Stephenson pitched three innings for his first career save to end Saturday's win over the Giants. Cody Reed was optioned to Louisville to work through struggles, and he did not fare well in his first outing. Garrett must remain with Louisville for at least 10 days, unless there is an injury. At Double-A Pensacola, the Reds have Tyler Mahle and Luis Castillo -- who are both pitching very well. Price recently expressed the organization's desire to have both prospects go to Triple-A first before a big league promotion. Mahle, who threw a perfect game already this season, is also not on the 40-man roster. Mark Sheldon has covered the Reds for MLB.com since 2006, and previously covered the Twins from Follow him on and Facebook and listen to his podcast. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs. Reds ride 5-run 2nd to split with Yankees By Mark Sheldon and John Fay / MLB.com 9:12 AM ET COMMENTS CINCINNATI -- The Yankees hit two impressive home runs in the first two innings on Tuesday, but those solo shots proved insufficient against a singles-filled Reds rally. Cincinnati scored five runs in the bottom of the second inning for a 5-3 victory that provided a split in the two-game series and ended New York's six-game win streak. Staked to a 2-0 lead on homers by Gary Sanchez in the first inning and Didi Gregorius in the second, Yankees starter CC Sabathia faced 10 batters in the bottom of the second while allowing five runs, six hits and a walk. Billy Hamilton's two-run single with the bases loaded tied the game, and Joey Votto's two-run single provided the go-ahead runs. Adam Duvall followed Votto with an RBI single.

2 After getting out of the second inning, Sabathia retired 10 in a row and 13 of 14, but the damage was done. He lasted six innings with five earned runs, seven hits, two walks, a hit batter and two strikeouts. "He didn't find his cutter until later on," Yankees manager Joe Girardi said. "Once he did, things got a lot easier." Reds starter Tim Adleman pitched five innings for the win, his second in a row. Adleman gave up three earned runs -- including a Gregorius two-out RBI single in the fourth inning -- with five hits, two walks and six strikeouts. Adleman also benefited from two double plays. "I thought we had some good at-bats," Girardi said. "We hit a couple of homers off him. It just didn't seem like we could get that one big hit. His changeup was pretty effective tonight." "Sabathia got really tough after that inning. Both he and Adleman were about 50 percent strikes those first couple of innings," Reds manager Bryan Price said. "They tightened it up a bit. Sabathia was throwing a good fastball inside, a breaking ball and changeup away. He kept us off balance, but fortunately we took advantage of those opportunities in the second to plate all of those runs." Price utilized his best bullpen arms early to finish the game. Michael Lorenzen took over in the sixth and pitched two scoreless innings. Raisel Iglesias tackled the final six outs and overcame a hit and a walk in the ninth inning, getting a fortuitous game-ending double play for his sixth save. MOMENTS THAT MATTERED He got all of it: Two batters into the game, Sanchez made it 1-0 when he clobbered Adleman's 3-2 fastball into the left-field upper deck. According to Statcast, the ball left Sanchez's bat at mph with a 21-degree angle and traveled a projected 448 feet. It was the longest homer of his brief big league career and tied for the third-longest Yankees homer of the season. "I wanted it in, and I just pulled it back over the plate," Adleman said. "With me, if I'm more aggressive, I've got a really good chance of being able to drive that in there. But I sort of aimed it a little bit and ended up coming off of it a little bit and pulled it back over the plate where he could handle it." More > Hamilton ties it up: With the bases loaded and one out in the big Reds second-inning rally, Hamilton bounced a ball to the left side that skipped off of the glove of third baseman Ronald Torreyes and then ricocheted through Gregorius at shortstop for a single into left field that scored two runs. Hamilton has a seven-game hitting streak and is batting.375 (12-for-32) with nine RBIs during the hot stretch. SUAREZ STOPS SANCHEZ LASER Iglesias secured the final two outs on one nifty play by Reds third baseman Eugenio Suarez in the ninth. Representing the go-ahead run, Sanchez smoked a sharp line drive to Suarez, who adjusted his positioning and gloved the ball before throwing to second base to get Aaron Hicks for the game-ending double play. The exit velocity on the liner was mph. "I'm ready for that," Suarez said. "I know Sanchez has power and he tries to pull it a little bit. I moved a little bit because I saw [catcher Devin Mesoraco] moving in, I anticipated that play, and that's why I was ready. I try to catch the ball and finish the game like that. It's perfect for us." QUOTABLE "I think that was more important than anything. They beat us up a little bit yesterday, and to come back and play a better game and get a split in the series was a great reinforcing message to our guys. I think they already know we have a good club, but I think beating a team that's really been hot is an exclamation point on the early part of the season that we have a better club than even some of the players thought." -- Price, about his club, which remains in second place in the National League Central WORTH A SECOND LOOK Batting for himself in the bottom of the sixth, Lorenzen grounded to third base and was called safe after apparently beating out Torreyes' one-hop throw to first baseman Chris Carter. However, the Yankees challenged the call, and it was overturned upon review by the replay official. WHAT'S NEXT

3 Yankees: After a day off Wednesday, the Yanks open a four-game series with the Astros in a 7:05 ET game Thursday night at Yankee Stadium. Right-hander Michael Pineda (3-1, 3.12 ERA) will start the series opener for the Yankees, who have won his last five starts. Reds: Also off on Wednesday, the Reds return to action on the West Coast on Thursday at 10:15 p.m. ET with a four-game series opener vs. the Giants. Cincinnati, which swept a three-game series from the Giants at home last weekend, will have Bronson Arroyo making the start. Mark Sheldon has covered the Reds for MLB.com since 2006, and previously covered the Twins from Follow him on and Facebook and listen to his podcast. John Fay is a contributor to MLB.com based in Cincinnati and covered the Yankees on Tuesday. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs. Suarez impressing with stellar start to season Reds' third baseman making strides, among NL leaders in WAR By Anthony Castrovince / an hour ago + 1 COMMENT CINCINNATI -- Like pretty much everybody else, Eugenio Suarez doesn't know what to make of seeing his name among the Major League leaders in Wins Above Replacement (WAR) at this still early but not totally early stage of the 2017 season. "I don't pay attention to that," the affable Reds third baseman said with a smile. "I just try to be good every day and work. I don't think about that. I don't want to think about how I'm one of the best at third base right now, because I don't know the future." OK, fair enough. But seriously: Entering play on Wednesday, Suarez leads the National League in Baseball Reference's WAR, at 2.4. He was above Ryan Zimmerman (2.2), Bryce Harper (2.1), Freddie Freeman (1.9). Everybody. Where did this come from? And is it real? The second part of that question is easily answered: No, Suarez will quite likely not be vying for NL MVP Award honors this season. But the 25-year-old has drowned out the doubts about whether he could stick at the hot corner and taken advantage of a very special resource available to him just across Cincinnati's locker room. In so doing, Suarez has made good on his sleeper prospect status from a few years back. So the answer to that first question comes down to two key points: 1. Suarez has been fantastic at third Maybe WAR is guilty, as some have suggested, at overvaluing defensive metrics that are ultimately imperfect. But whether you go off the numbers or your own two eyes, there's no denying Suarez looks nothing like he did a year ago. A converted shortstop who had to slide over to third out of deference to a healthy Zack Cozart, Suarez committed 23 errors last season and was worth just one defensive run saved, per Baseball Info Solutions. It's not that he was terrible, but he wasn't getting any legs behind his throws, he didn't have the experience that hones an understanding of likely outcomes from a given hitter and he was guilty of occasional lapses in focus. This year, Suarez leads all Major League third basemen with seven defensive runs saved, and he's made just one error in 269 innings. He made a nice stab of a sinking Gary Sanchez liner to start the double play that capped Tuesday's win over the Yankees. "Miraculous progress," is how Reds manager Bryan Price described Suarez's defense. Big credit here goes to Cincinnati infield coach Freddie Benavides, who last year switched up Suarez's pregame routine to include taking grounders from his knees, fielding screaming balls of Benavides' bat and a focus on footwork. "At first I thought [the move to third] was going to be easy because it's the same ground ball," Suarez said. "When you play third, you see it's not the same ground ball. That ball comes at you hard and at a different angle. My first year there was not good defensively. That's why I've worked hard on my footwork to be in a good position." 2. Suarez is more patient at the plate Suarez hasn't just done his homework on opposing hitters; he's learned about himself, too.

4 Suarez hit 21 homers and 25 doubles last year, so his early power (seven homers and seven doubles in 110 at-bats) hasn't come completely out of nowhere. But he's getting on base at a.395 clip vs. a.317 mark a year ago. Because Suarez is swinging outside the strike zone less (21.7 percent vs last year, per FanGraphs), he's improved his strikeout rate by seven percentage points and his walk rate by three. A patient approach from a Reds infielder? Gee, why does that sound familiar? "When you see Joey Votto hitting, you know how he does it," Suarez said. "He is so focused. Always. He talks to me about selecting one pitch, no matter what it is, and waiting for it." Suarez and Cozart, whose walk rate has doubled this season, are both benefiting from an evolution of Votto's leadership role and Cincinnati's organizational emphasis, preached by hitting coaches Don Long and Tony Jaramillo, on selectivity. Yes, Suarez generated power in the past. But he sold out to get it. "You can see when he's really going well, he's in the middle of the diamond to right-center -- not trying to get the barrel there on every pitch, because that's what makes him vulnerable," Price said. "That's maturity. He doesn't need to be chasing homers. I think he's coming to terms with that." Suarez has learned to let the numbers come naturally. So, no, he's not caught up in his unexpected spot among the WAR leaders, though he did appreciate that early bit of trivia and laughed when told of the Twitter user who suggested he be referred to as Eugenio WARez. "If you lead at something, you feel good," Suarez said. Suarez's spot on the leaderboard might seem confusing, but he has given the Reds plenty to feel good about. Anthony Castrovince has been a reporter for MLB.com since Read his columns and follow him on Twitter This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs. Lorenzen, Iglesias at heart of relief revamp Reds' duo shuts down potent Yanks over 4 scoreless innings to cap series split By Mark Sheldon / 12:56 AM ET + 1 COMMENT CINCINNATI -- Without defining roles and not being afraid to use any reliever in any scenario, Reds manager Bryan Price has taken bullpen management to a different level this season. He has often been rewarded. But in games like Tuesday's 5-3 win over the Yankees, in which Michael Lorenzen and Raisel Iglesias combined for the final four scoreless innings, Price didn't feel like he had many buttons to press. "Take this as it is, but you don't have to manage as much when those two guys are in the game. You don't have to think so much about left-right [matchups]," Price said. Reds starter Tim Adleman gave way after five innings and 83 pitches with more left in the tank. With an off-day coming on Wednesday, Adleman had a feeling Price would be aggressive in using his relievers. Both Lorenzen and Iglesias last pitched on Thursday and were fresh. "In the back of my mind, I knew there were some guys in the 'pen I figured Bryan would probably want to get some work for," Adleman said. "It didn't change my approach. It just happened that today was a good day to have those guys locked and ready for a couple innings. They picked me up, and it was a great team win." A season ago, letting Cincinnati's bullpen near a two-run lead with four innings to go might have resulted in a debacle. Reds relievers led the Majors last season in homers allowed, walks and had the second-worst ERA. This year's bullpen is not that bullpen. Reds relievers have a 3.26 ERA, which is third-best in the National League, despite having the most innings pitched backing up an often struggling rotation. Lorenzen and Iglesias have been the backbone of the operation.

5 "Since last year, the second half was really good. This year, we're even better," Iglesias said through translator Julio Morillo. "When I came back last year in the bullpen role with Lorenzen and the other guys, I think we've been doing a really good job, and I think we're going to do great this year." Lorenzen picked up two quick outs in the sixth but encountered danger by walking Aaron Judge, allowing a Didi Gregorius single and throwing a wild pitch to Chris Carter before walking him, but he escaped the bases-loaded jam. He also delivered a one-out walk to Brett Gardner and a wild pitch in the seventh. Iglesias gave up a one-out single to Judge in the eighth and escaped before issuing back-to-back one-out walks in the ninth. It took a nice play by third baseman Eugenio Suarez to glove a Gary Sanchez hard line drive and get the game-ending double play with a throw to second base. Sanchez represented the go-ahead run. "They're at the point in time in their young careers where I'm really comfortable to allow them to pitch out of their own jams, unless they really look like they're out of sorts on a particular day," Price said. "Once I got Michael in there, I felt really confident he'd be in there for the two innings and that he would do well. The same thing with Raisel." Iglesias has a 0.98 ERA in 12 appearances, and four of his six saves were more than one-inning efforts. Lorenzen has a 3.72 ERA in 14 games, but has a perfect three-inning outing on his ledger and has thrown two innings four times this season. "Whatever the manager asks me to do, I will do it," Iglesias said. "If it's one inning, two innings, I don't care. I'm just going to go there and do my best, and I'm going to help the team to win." Mark Sheldon has covered the Reds for MLB.com since 2006, and previously covered the Twins from Follow him on and Facebook and listen to his podcast. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs. Cingrani progresses to bullpen session Reds lefty rehabbing oblique strain; Alcantara making tough job look easy By Mark Sheldon / May 9th, COMMENTS CINCINNATI -- Injured reliever Tony Cingrani made some progress on Tuesday in his efforts to return from a strained right oblique. The Reds left-hander worked in his first side bullpen session since he went on the 10-day disabled list April 21. Reds manager Bryan Price and head trainer Steve Baumann were among those supervising the session. "He threw a 15-pitch bullpen with no restriction," Price said. "The ball came out of his hand good. He didn't have any issues. So he'll progress and throw another bullpen on Friday." It hasn't been determined if Cingrani will travel with the team to San Francisco to keep throwing, or remain in Cincinnati. If he starts a rehab assignment after the next bullpen session, he might stay behind as the club begins a seven-game road trip Thursday. "We don't want this kid flying to San Francisco and flying back here," Price said. "If he's going to throw a couple of more bullpens, I would say it's possible he could go on the road trip and throw with us." Alcantara stays ready to hit When Arismendy Alcantara stepped up as a pinch-hitter in the fifth inning of Monday's 10-4 loss to the Yankees and hit a single to right field, he extended the Major Leagues' longest active streak with a hit in seven straight plate appearances. Alcantara entered Tuesday's two-game series finale with hits in eight of nine plate appearances and nine of his last 12. To Price, Alcantara's production while playing sparingly so far this season has been impressive. "It is when he is 25 years old, a guy who has never had regular at-bats at the big league level, not like 300, 400 or 500 at-bats," Price said. "I think if you look at a guy like [Miguel] Cairo or [Skip] Schumaker, guys that have had really nice careers as regulars and had those seasons of at-bats and then moved to that bench role, I think it's a little bit easier. I can't say it's an easy job, but it's easier for the veteran player than it is for the young player." Alcantara, who was claimed off of waivers during the offseason and made the team in Spring Training, keeps himself occupied during games with assistant hitting coach Tony Jaramillo. "We have a cage behind the dugout, and every other inning we go inside and get loose and hit against the machine, get flips from Tony and take BP sometimes," Alcantara said.

6 Alcantara has only 26 at-bats in 20 games but was batting.385/.407/.538 while making three starts. However, he likes his role. "It's not easy, but you work hard every day and get better," Alcantara said. "You've got to put it in the game when you get a chance, just try to do what you've been doing." Mark Sheldon has covered the Reds for MLB.com since 2006, and previously covered the Twins from Follow him on and Facebook and listen to his podcast. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs. Arroyo leads Reds into SF for rematch By Mark Sheldon / May 9th, COMMENTS With the Reds' three-game series sweep of the Giants last weekend likely still fresh in both clubs' minds, the two teams will stage the rematch at AT&T Park rather quickly, beginning with the opener of a four-game series on Thursday. In taking the three games, Cincinnati outscored San Francisco by a 31-5 margin. Bronson Arroyo, who was the winner of the previous series opener by a 13-3 score, will pitch on Thursday for the Reds. The Giants will send Ty Blach to the mound. Arroyo threw 95 pitches over 5 1/3 and gave up three runs (two earned) with five hits, one walk and four strikeouts. Blach was roughed up for 10 runs (eight earned) and 11 hits over three innings by the Reds in a 14-2 rout on Saturday. Things to know about this game Reds shortstop Zack Cozart is riding a seven-game hitting streak heading into the series. Including the 2012 National League Division Series, the Reds have won 14 of the last 19 games between the two teams at AT&T Park. In his career vs. Arroyo, Giants first baseman Brandon Belt is batting.438 (7-for-16) with two home runs. Belt was 0-for-2 with a walk in their previous showdown. Mark Sheldon has covered the Reds for MLB.com since 2006, and previously covered the Twins from Follow him on and Facebook and listen to his podcast. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs. Cozart's newfound selectivity boosting stats By Mark Sheldon / May 8th, COMMENT CINCINNATI -- During the early days of Spring Training games, Reds shortstop Zack Cozart made a slight adjustment to his approach that had him starting at-bats with the bat rested on his shoulder before he got into the hitting position. The first time he tried it in a Cactus League game, Cozart hit a home run. That approach is continuing to be successful for Cozart. Not only does he remain one of the hottest hitters in baseball, he is seeing more pitches, drawing more walks and getting on base more often than usual. "It obviously clears my mind so I can see the ball longer, so I don't swing at bad pitches all the time," Cozart said before Monday's series opener against the Yankees at Great American Ball Park. "It's been working well. As long as I stay with my timing and I'm early, then I see the ball really well." Cozart entered play on Monday fifth in the National League with a.351 average, seventh with a.438 on-base percentage and 11th in slugging at.596. He's already drawn 16 walks in 27 games after having 37 in 121 games last season. According to Statcast, Cozart's overall swing percentage has dropped from 47.8 percent in 2015 and 46.8 percent in '16 to 39.4 percent this season. His swing rate on the first two pitches of an at-bat (0-0, 0-1 or 1-0 counts) has gone from 39.7 percent in 2015 and 33.5 percent in '16 to 25.6 percent in '17. This season, Cozart is second in the Majors to Toronto's Jose Bautista in pitches per plate appearance at Cozart saw an average of 3.74 pitches last season and 3.5 in 2015.

7 "I go up there looking in a certain area, and if they throw two pitches dotting on the black [of the plate] away, those aren't pitches I want to hit anyway, and I might be down, 0-2," Cozart said. "Then I just battle from there. In the past, I might have swung at one of those and put it in play with bad contact because I didn't want to fall behind." Cozart was coming off 2015 reconstructive right knee surgery last season but still started out hot with a 10-game hitting streak and a.361 average in April. But he didn't come close to that level of production the rest of the season. This year, following a normal offseason that didn't require any special rehab, Cozart has more endurance and strength in his legs. "It's hard for anyone to hit or.400 the first month and maintain that," Reds manager Bryan Price said. "We certainly don't expect that. But to stay somewhere between warm and hot is a nice thing that I think he's able to do, as long as he's able to maintain that strike zone command that he's improved so much the past year." Worth noting Injured lefty starter Brandon Finnegan, who has been on the disabled list since April 16 with a strained teres major muscle near his left shoulder, began long tossing this week. There is no date set for Finnegan to start throwing from a mound. Mark Sheldon has covered the Reds for MLB.com since 2006, and previously covered the Twins from Follow him on and Facebook and listen to his podcast. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs. CINCINNATI ENQUIRER Cincinnati Reds demote Rookie Davis Zach Buchanan, zbuchanan@enquirer.com Published 10:38 a.m. ET May 10, 2017 Updated 29 minutes ago The Cincinnati Reds on Wednesday demoted starting pitcher Rookie Davis to Triple-A Louisville, making him the third young starter to go to the minors in the last week. The Reds have also demoted left-hander Cody Reed for performance and to return to starting after pitching relief in the majors, and left-hander Amir Garrett to manage his innings. A corresponding roster move will come Thursday when the team is in San Francisco. Davis struggled with pitch efficiency and putting away hitters, making it through five innings only once and posting a 7.58 ERA. The move leaves the Reds with just a three-man rotation at the moment, and they need a minimum of four to get by for the next stretch of games due to off days. A replacement isn't apparent. Neither Reed nor Garrett have spent the requisite 10 days in the minors before they could be recalled. Right-hander Sal Romano is still working back from the disabled list. Right-hander Robert Stephenson, currently in the big-league bullpen, is unlikely to return to starting at this time. The team's hottest arms are in Double-A in Luis Castillo and Tyler Mahle, but neither are likely to advance that quickly. Whoever replaces Davis is likely to come from Triple-A. Righties Jackson Stephens and Lisalverto Bonilla are both in the Triple-A rotation and on the 40-man roster, but have struggled with ERAs over 5.00 this year. Minor-league signee Asher Wojciechowski has a 1.23 ERA in four starts, but a spot would have to be cleared for him on the 40-man roster. Cincinnati Reds make unconventional bullpen work C. Trent Rosecrans, crosecrans@enquirer.com 11:40 p.m. ET May 9, 2017 The Yankees have the prototypical back of the bullpen, with closer Aroldis Chapman and setup man Dellin Betances. The Reds do things a little differently, and on national TV on Tuesday night against one of the biggest draws in the game, the Reds showed off their new-look bullpen. With a rested bullpen and a day off on Wednesday, Reds manager Bryan Price was able to deploy his back of the bullpen in the sixth inning, getting two scoreless innings each from Michael Lorenzen and Raisel Iglesias to shut down a 5-3 victory at Great American Ball Park to split the two-game series against the team with baseball s best record. We're just attacking guys, Lorenzen said of the team s bullpen. We're the hunters right now. The Reds bullpen entered Tuesday s game with a 3.36 ERA, the third-best mark in the National League. After four scoreless innings, the team s bullpen ERA is down to down to Lorenzen said Tuesday was almost like a spring training game, both he and Iglesias knew they were going to pitch. Lorenzen hadn t pitched since last Thursday, a two-inning stint in the 4-2 victory over the Pirates when he was followed by Iglesias, in his last appearance, who picked up the save with an inning of work.

8 Take this as it is but you don t have to manage as much when those two guys are in the game, Reds manager Bryan Price said. You don t have to think so much about left-right. They re at the point in time in their young careers where I m really comfortable to allow them to pitch out of their own jams, unless they really look like they re out of sorts on a particular day. "Once I got Michael in there, I felt really confident he d be in there for the two innings and that he would do well. The same thing with Raisel. Iglesias piked up his sixth save of the season and his third two-out save of the year. Entering Tuesday s games, no other pitcher in baseball had more than one save of two innings or more, and only 11 such saves had been recorded through the first month-plus of the season. And of those, six were three-out saves in blowouts (including Robert Stephenson s save against the Giants on Saturday). Iglesias also has a five-out save to go with the three six-out saves. That s the new normal for the Reds, Price can and will deploy them at any time, using them for the highest leverage situations. Whatever the manager asks me to do, I will do it, Iglesias said afterward according to interpreter Julio Morillo. If it s one inning, two innings, I don t care. I m just going to go there and do my best, and I m going to help the team to win. Reds starter Tim Adleman handed the ball over after five innings, holding a two-run lead. Adleman gave up two solo homers in the first two innings to put the Reds in an early two-run hole, but Cincinnati responded with five runs on six singles and walk in the bottom of the second. From there, Adleman gave them what they needed, allowing another run, but keeping the lead intact for the bullpen. Lorenzen flirted with trouble in both innings, giving up a walk, hit and a hit batter in the sixth, but left the bases loaded. In the seventh, he walked a batter and had a wild pitch, but also got out of trouble with a strikeout and fly out. Iglesias gave up a broken-bat single to Aaron Judge in the eighth and worked around two walks in the ninth when Gary Sanchez lined to third baseman Eugenio Suarez for a game-ending double play. The victory capped a nine-game homestand that saw the Reds win seven of those, including a two-game split against the Yankees, who own baseball s best record. They beat us up a little bit yesterday and to come back and play a better game and get a split in the series was a great reinforcing message to our guys, Price said. I think they already know we have a good club but I think beating a team that s really been hot is an exclamation point on the early part of the season that we have a better club that even some of the players thought. Cincinnati Reds recap: Team bounces back to beat New York Yankees C. Trent Rosecrans, crosecrans@enquirer.com Published 10:05 p.m. ET May 9, 2017 Updated 12 hours ago The Reds managed a split with the Yankees in the two-game series, beating New York 5-3 at Great American Ball Park on Tuesday. Here are the main storylines from Tuesday s game: Singles lead to runs: While the Yankees built a 2-0 on a pair of monster home runs, the Reds took their lead on six singles in the second inning. Scott Schebler and Jose Peraza hit back-to-back singles to start the inning before Yankees starter CC Sabathia walked Devin Mesoraco to load the bases. After a Tim Adleman strikeout, Billy Hamilton s grounder tipped off the glove of a diving Ronald Torreyes and then deflected past shortstop Didi Gregorius into left field. Brett Gardner made a strong throw home, but Peraza glided past the tag, standing up, tying the game at 2. Zack Cozart followed with a single hit too hard to score Mesoraco from second to load the bases for Joey Votto. Votto singled up the middle to give the Reds the 4-2 lead. An Adam Duvall single made it 5-2. Adleman adds a win: Adleman moved to 2-1 on the season, allowing three runs in five innings. Adleman surrendered five hits in five innings, two of them home runs. He walked two and struck out six.

9 Both home runs allowed by Adleman were solo shots, an upper-deck drive by Gary Sanchez in the first and one half-way up the moon deck in right by former Red Didi Gregorius. Adleman gave up another run on two hits in the sixth, but cruised through the fifth before being lifted by Reds manager Bryan Price after just 83 pitches. Two closers, four innings: With a day off on Wednesday and another next Monday, Price used his bullpen more aggressively than he may have without a built-in day of rest for his relievers. Price brought in Michael Lorenzen for two innings and followed that with two innings from Raisel Iglesias. Lorenzen flirted with trouble in both innings, giving up a walk, hit and a hit batter in the sixth, but left the bases loaded. In the seventh, he walked a batter and had a wild pitch, but also got out of trouble with a strikeout and fly out. Iglesias gave up a broken-bat single to Aaron Judge in the eighth and worked around two walks in the ninth when Gary Sanchez lined into a double play. Joey Votto: This is the best I ve felt in my career Zach Buchanan, zbuchanan@enquirer.com Published 6:44 p.m. ET May 9, 2017 Updated 16 hours ago The first week of the 2017 season, Cincinnati Reds first baseman Joey Votto was doing something weird. Famous for his exceptional strike zone discipline and pickiness at the plate, the 33-year-old Votto was swinging at almost everything. His swing rate inside the strike zone was up nearly 30 points. His contact rate had skyrocketed as well. He offered at almost everything, and rarely missed. He wasn t trying to turn himself into the world s least likely contact hitter. He was trying to tell opposing pitchers to stop testing him. I got a lot of pitches out over the plate, Votto said. In this league, if you re going to be tested, you have to answer quickly. I feel like if you show signs of weakness, people attack that pretty quickly. I felt I was getting a lot of pitches and my instincts were to swing. I think that was a good sign. Votto s swing rates have reversed themselves back to normal since that opening stretch of games. In fact, they ve become even more elite. He s swinging at just 17.5 percent of pitches outside the zone, a career low and also the fourth-best mark in baseball. He s goosed his swing rate inside the zone by 10 percentage points, and has upped his contact rates all around. He s walking at the same rate as he always has, and striking out less than ever. If the ideal is to swing at only the pitches you can hit, Votto is closer to that than at any point before. This is the best I ve felt in my career, Votto said. The numbers don t leave much to be wanted. Entering Tuesday, Votto was hitting.286/.399/.625, good for a OPS. That OPS, over a full season, would equal his career high from his MVP year in And it s possible he ll improve upon it further. Votto hasn t had a full-season batting average worse than.300 or an on-base percentage worse than.400 since He s still arguably being held back by bad batted ball luck, with a batting average on balls in play (BAbip) of.250. His career mark is.356. Votto s started slow each of the previous two seasons, with last year s malaise lasting into June. But once he s found his swing it s difficult to identify any prolonged stretch of time where he lost it again. He never slumps, said shortstop Zack Cozart. He might go 0-for-10, but he s got five walks or something. He quickly gets out of that 0-for-10 and fixes it. The most striking aspect of Votto s performance this year has been his power. He began May 9 with 10 home runs, three more than he s accumulated to that point in any previous season. His current slugging percentage would be by far a career best. His isolated slugging percentage which measures the difference between batting average and slugging, to separate singles from extra-base hits sits at a ridiculous.339. Votto doesn t have a good explanation for the power surge. Available statistics don t shed much light either. His exit velocity is actually a few miles-per-hour worse than a year ago, and his launch angle is higher by less than one degree.

10 He s hitting more fly balls, but has publicly disavowed the school of thought that leads some hitters to chase putting the ball in the air. He s pulling the ball more, but that doesn t explain how six of his homers have gone to center. The best Votto can offer is that he s simply a better hitter than he s ever been. He said on several occasions that he lacks the power he had in his late 20s, but he was also gifted with an abundance of it in the first place. I may not have the athleticism, the whip and the power that I used to, he said, but I feel like I had enough then to be able to lose some and still be able to be successful, and then combine that with the accumulation of experience. In the span of a five-minute interview, Votto couldn t help but stress several times how early it is to be drawing any grand conclusions about his offensive abilities. Reds manager Bryan Price echoed the sentiment. But Votto s never been one to tail off at the plate, and Price certainly won t be upset if he keeps things going. If Joey wants to hit 65 homers and drive in 160 runs, Price said, that s fine with me. Reds Arismendy Alcantara settling into bench role C. Trent Rosecrans, crosecrans@enquirer.com 6:13 p.m. ET May 9, 2017 With his fifth-inning pinch-hit single on Monday, Reds reserve Arismendy Alcantara got a hit in his seventh consecutive plate appearance, the longest active stretch in the big leagues. Alcantara, 25, was hitless in his first eight at-bats this season, striking out six times. Since then, he s hit.556 with just three strikeouts in 19 plate appearances. He also has eight hits in his last nine plate appearances and nine in his last 12. I couldn't be happier for Mendy because he shows up positive and happy every single day. He's been really challenged to get his foot in the door in the big leagues and find a role or a niche for himself, Reds manager Bryan Price said. He's found one and he's young enough to create an environment where he can play himself into a regular role. Alcantara broke into the big leagues with the Cubs in 2014, playing in 70 games in center field and second base and racking up 300 plate appearances, hitting just.205/.254/.367. He appeared in just 11 games for the Cubs the next season and was traded to the A s last season. He appeared in 16 games for Oakland last season and the Reds selected him off of waivers in October. Alcantara earned a bench spot with the Reds this season, in part because of his ability to play multiple positions. Already this season he s played six different positions for the Reds all three outfield spots and each of the infield spots apart from first base. The bench role is new for Alcantara, which makes what he s been able to do over the last week all the more impressive, Price said. He's never had a surplus of at-bats at this level. I think if you look at a guy like (Miguel) Cairo or (Skip) Schumaker, guys that have had really nice careers as regulars and had those seasons of 450-to-600 at-bats and then they move to that bench role, I think it's a little bit easier, Price said. I can't say it's an easy job, but I would say it's easier for the veteran player than it is the regular player. Alcantara said he s focused mostly keeping his approach simple like it would be at any other time. The one change he has made is that he hits in the cage continuously during the game. During the game, I'm still hitting in the cage to keep my swing warm," Alcantara said. "I keep hitting off the machine during the game so that way when I get to the game, I don't feel cold or off-balance or anything different." Storen hits 3 Yankees Reds reliever Drew Storen hit three Yankees in one inning on Tuesday, marking the first time since 1960 that a Reds pitcher hit three batters in one inning. In the top of the seventh in the Reds 10-4 loss, Storen hit Aaron Hicks in the foot to start the inning. After a walk and a lineout, he hit Gary Sanchez in the forearm and then, with the bases loaded, he hit Chase Headley in the knee. I tried to throw too good of a slider off a guy's foot, then get on the side of a fastball and it runs up and then yanked a fastball I was trying to cut, Storen said. It just happens. The last time it happened to a Reds pitcher, it was Raul Sanchez on May 15, 1960, who hit three Phillies.

11 Storen didn t hit more than three players in any of his first five seasons in the big leagues. He hit five in 2015 and seven last season. This year he already has a big-league best five hit batters. Still, control has been one of the reasons for Storen s success so far this season. Wildness has not really been an issue for him. He's been really good on the plate with his stuff, Price said. He's getting into the first full season of throwing down from his lower spots and release point. I'm sure he wouldn't make any excuses, it's just three pitches that didn't go where he wanted to go. Cincinnati Reds' latest mound logo comes from 1800s Cingrani throws a bullpen Before Tuesday s game, Reds left-hander Tony Cingrani threw his first bullpen since going on the disabled list with an oblique injury on April 21. Price said he looked good in the 15-pitch bullpen and had no restrictions. The ball came out of his hand good. He didn t have any issues. So he ll progress and throw another bullpen on Friday, Price said. We re going to assess if we ll do three bullpens and a rehab, (or) two bullpens and two rehabs. We haven t decided yet. A lot of it will be based on how he comes out of today. The team hasn t decided if he ll go with them to San Francisco on Wednesday or stay in Cincinnati. Cincinnati Reds' latest mound logo comes from 1800s Dave Clark, dclark@cincinnati.com 5:59 p.m. ET May 9, 2017 The logo on the pitchers' mound for Cincinnati Reds home games at Great American Ball Park has gotten fans' attention, and team representatives say the old-style C logo from the 1869 Red Stockings' uniforms started appearing last season - the third logo the team has used on the mound. Reds Business and Community PR Manager Michael Anderson said that for many years, Reds head groundskeeper Steve Lord and the grounds crew typically put down the wishbone C for most home games. The "hat & 'stache" logo was used several times throughout the 2015 season during which the Reds hosted the All-Star Game. And Lord says the logo from the 1800s "has become a favorite logo for the mound while paying homage to the rich tradition and heritage of the team," according to Anderson, who added that "the decision on what logo to use is based on a few factors including weather, time, etc.," and "the more intricate of the logo the longer it takes to create." WCPO - Channel 9 Fay: Reds have the best, most flexible defense in MLB John Fay 11:12 PM, May 9, :18 AM, May 10, 2017 CINCINNATI -- If you believe in defensive metrics, the Reds have the best defense in Major League Baseball. Fangraphs rates the Reds first with an overall defensive rating of 9.8. The Giants at second at 9.4. As points of reference, the St. Louis Cardinals (-10.7) and the Pittsburgh Pirates (-12.7) are rated the worst in MLB. The Reds also lead in Ultimate Zone Rating/150 and are tied with Tampa Bay for Defensive Runs Saved, according to Fangraphs. Those ratings are based on the numbers. The Reds pass the eye test as well. Manager Bryan Price points to the defense as a reason the Reds are hovering around first place. "I don't think we have a weak spot defensively," Price said. The numbers bear that out. Fangraphs, in fact, rates every Red except Joey Votto in the 10 at their position in the majors. Votto is rated 14th. The others: Eugenio Suarez, first at third base; Tucker Barnhart, third at catcher; Zack Cozart, fourth at shortstop; Adam

12 Duvall, fourth at left field; Billy Hamilton, fourth at center field; Scott Schebler, eighth at right field; and Jose Peraza, ninth at second base. Brandon Phillips, by the way, rated 18th at second. The remarkable thing is Cozart, Votto and Barnhart are the only ones playing the position in which they started the minors. "To be able to move Adam Duvall from a corner infielder into left field and have him play Gold Glove-caliber defense, you couldn't have seen that happening," Price said. "You couldn't have seen the transition with Suarez moving from shortstop to third base happening so quickly. "Even Peraza getting reps at second base. He gets better every day." Price says Cozart and Hamilton are the keys. "You've got your stalwart out there with Cozart captaining the infield," Price said. "I think the commodity of having a veteran player in the middle of the diamond makes everyone around him better. Suarez and Peraza can learn a lot from watching the way Zack plays the game and what he's willing to share. "I haven't seen everybody, but I don't imagine there's a better center field than Billy Hamilton." Hamilton is the fastest man in baseball and, despite being relatively new to center field (he started at a shortstop), he has great instincts. His speed allows Duvall and Schebler to guard the lines. "We're able to cut a lot of balls off that might be doubles," Schebler said. Defensive improvement comes from work. The Reds, largely a young group, have bought into that. "I don't even have to watch my guys anymore," outfield coach Billy Hatcher said. "I know they're going to be out there doing batting practice, shagging balls, getting the reads off the bat." Suarez is a living, fielding example of the improved defense. He led MLB third basemen with 23 errors last year. He had one so far this year. "Freddie Benavides deserves the credit," Price said. "You have to have the athleticism to do it. But Freddie has made a huge difference with (Suarez's) footwork. That's what they talk about.... It's been miraculous." Benavides and the infielders are out at 4 p.m. working on drills before batting practice. "I thought it would be easier because the throw is closer," Suarez said. "But it's been hard. That ball gets on you much faster. I keep working hard every day." The numbers say the work is paying off. DAYTON DAILY NEWS Cincinnati Reds beat Yankees to complete 7-2 homestand David Jablonski Staff Writer 10:02 p.m Tuesday, May 9, 2017 Sports CINCINNATI -- Gary Sanchez hit the ball hard but right at Cincinnati Reds third baseman Eugenio Suarez, who threw to second base to double off Aaron Hicks for the final out. Just like that, the Reds had a 5-3 victory Tuesday over the New York Yankees and a 7-2 home stand at Great American Ball Park. Reds reliever Raisel Iglesias raised both arms into the air in celebration. Seconds earlier, he was flirting with danger. Now he celebrated his sixth save of the season and his sixth two-inning save in the last two seasons. He made sure to thank Suarez after the game. He always says thank you, Suarez said. The Reds (18-15) kept pace with the top teams in the National League Central Division. The Saint Louis Cardinals (18-14) lead the division by a half game. On the home stand, the Reds took three of four games from the Pittsburgh Pirates, swept three games from the San Francisco Giants and split a two-game series with the Yankees.

13 All Cincinnati needed Tuesday was one big inning. The Reds scored five runs in the second inning. They sent 10 batters to the plate. Six of them singled. Billy Hamilton drove in two runs with a bases-loaded single. Joey Votto also had a two-run single. Votto increased his RBI total to 31. Adam Duvall drove in the fifth run with a single. All the runs came against Yankees starter CC Sabathia, who was 4-2 with a 2.46 ERA in 12 career starts against the Reds. He lasted six innings. He gave up five earned runs on seven hits with two walks and two strikeouts. The Reds had never scored more than three runs against him. Sabathia got really tough after that inning, Reds manager Bryan Price said. Reds starter Tim Adleman allowed three runs on five hits in five innings. He struck out six and walked two. He made two big mistakes, giving up solo home runs to Gary Sanchez in the first and Didi Gregorius in the second. I think early on I was just trying to be too fine, Adleman said. I gave these guys too much credit arguably credit they deserve. They re hot right now. They re probably the best team in baseball. They ve been playing well. They re swinging it well. They smacked the Cubs around at Wrigley for three games. But I definitely needed to attack more early. That was probably what caused the early runs and some of the deep counts and bad counts. Sometime in the third I found it a little bit and was able to get through those last two a lot easier than I did those first two. ASSOCIATED PRESS Reds end Yankees winning streak with 5-3 victory Joe Kay Associated Press 10:20 PM, May 9, 2017 CINCINNATI (AP) -- Joey Votto singled with the bases loaded during the latest big inning off CC Sabathia on Tuesday night, and the Cincinnati Reds held on for a 5-3 victory that ended the New York Yankees' winning streak at six games. Sabathia (2-2) struggled for the fourth consecutive start, unable to get his fastball in the right spots until Cincinnati was in control. The Reds piled up six singles - most of them grounders through the infield - while scoring five runs in the second inning. Votto and Billy Hamilton had two-run singles during the 10-batter rally. Manager Joe Girardi had Chad Green warming in the bullpen as the inning compounded. Overall, Sabathia gave up seven hits and five runs in six innings. TRANSACTIONS 05/10/17 Seattle Mariners selected the contract of Sam Gaviglio from Tacoma Rainiers. Seattle Mariners placed RHP Hisashi Iwakuma on the 10-day disabled list retroactive to May 7, Inflammation in right shoulder. Cincinnati Reds optioned Rookie Davis to Louisville Bats. New York Yankees optioned Chad Green to Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders. Washington Nationals sent RHP Koda Glover on a rehab assignment to Harrisburg Senators. St. Louis Cardinals sent LHP Tyler Lyons on a rehab assignment to Peoria Chiefs. Seattle Mariners transferred RHP Evan Marshall from the 10-day disabled list to the 60-day disabled list. Strained right hamstring. 05/09/17 Philadelphia Phillies recalled Ty Kelly from Lehigh Valley IronPigs. Oakland Athletics recalled 1B Mark Canha from Nashville Sounds. Los Angeles Dodgers signed free agent LHP Logan Darnell to a minor league contract. Tampa Bay Rays sent 3B Matt Duffy on a rehab assignment to Charlotte Stone Crabs. Tampa Bay Rays traded RHP Bryan Bonnell to Seattle Mariners for Future Considerations. Oakland Athletics sent LHP Sean Manaea on a rehab assignment to Nashville Sounds. Colorado Rockies recalled RHP Jeff Hoffman from Albuquerque Isotopes. 3B Miguel Sano roster status changed by Minnesota Twins. Tampa Bay Rays optioned Austin Pruitt to Durham Bulls. Tampa Bay Rays recalled Diego Moreno from Durham Bulls. Chicago Cubs recalled Jeimer Candelario from Iowa Cubs. Oakland Athletics designated CF Jaff Decker for assignment. Toronto Blue Jays recalled Mike Bolsinger from Buffalo Bisons. Toronto Blue Jays designated RHP Neil Ramirez for assignment.