SAN DIEGO –– Just over two weeks ago, Alex Blandino went from the mound to shortstop, and Mike Freeman then went from shortstop to the mound.
On June 1, in the ninth inning of a 17-3 loss to the Philadelphia Phillies, the Cincinnati Reds needed two position players to pitch and finish the ninth inning. With the loss, the Reds fell to 24-29 and 6 1/2 games back in the NL Central.
Since then, the Reds have won 11 of their last 13 games and closed within two games of first place in the division. As Reds manager David Bell acknowledged after the Reds 2-1 win against the Milwaukee Brewers on Wednesday, going on a run like that and turning around a season is extremely difficult.
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“Obviously, it's fun to win and try to keep the momentum going and all that, but every part of this game, there's nothing like the challenge of it,” Bell said. “Guys have really stepped up when it's time and we're enjoying how we're playing right now.”
The Reds run in June has been a combination of season-changing plays and innings. These are the moments that have defined this stretch for Cincinnati.
1. Tucker Barnhart’s game saving double play puts the sweep against the Cardinals in motion
Reds first baseman Joey Votto credited the series sweep in early June against the St. Louis Cardinals as Cincinnati’s turnaround moment. The series might not have started with a win if Barnhart hadn’t executed arguably his most important play of the season.
On June 3 for the series opener in St. Louis, the Reds had a 4-2 lead in the bottom of the ninth. The Cardinals started the inning with two singles and had two runners on base with no one out.
With the go-ahead run at the plate, the Reds bullpen was in danger of blowing another save.
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Cardinals infielder José Rondón put down a bunt, and Barnhart immediately got to the ball. Reds left fielder Jesse Winker later said Barnhart had “Cat-like” reflexes as Barnhart threw to third for the forceout, and Eugenio Suárez relayed the ball to first for a double play.
Instead of having runners on second and third with one out, the Cardinals had just a lone runner on second with two outs in the ninth. Two batters later, the Reds got the last out to win the first game of the series.
"That's the game right there," Winker said. "That's why (Barnhart) is a two-time Gold Glover."
2. Luis Castillo is “back” with a stellar sixth inning against the Cardinals
Luis Castillo has been a completely different pitcher in June, lowering his ERA from 7.22 to 5.83 and putting the Reds in position to win all three of his starts this month.
Castillo pitching like an ace has been one of the Reds biggest recent developments, and that started in St. Louis on June 4. He allowed just one run in six innings to get his second win of the season, and he earned it in the sixth inning.
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To finish his best start since early April, Castillo threw a 99.1 mph sinker against Cardinals catcher Yadier Molina and got an inning-ending pop out. Castillo threw with more velocity than he had all season.
“I had to grab all the strength that I had and deliver the best pitch that I can,” Castillo said about that pitch, according to translator Jorge Merlos. “That’s what I did.”
Castillo went into that start with a game plan to throw more fastballs and sinkers, and that has led to his success over the last month. Two starts later in Tuesday's 2-1 win over the Brewers, Castillo pitched seven scoreless innings while leaning on those same pitches.
Castillo has been the Reds best starting pitcher in June with a 1.93 ERA over his last three starts.
"Thank God that I could say that I am back,” Castillo said.
3. Jesse Winker’s emotional home run clinches the sweep against the Cardinals
If the Reds build on this run and make a run toward the postseason, Winker’s ninth inning homer to seal the sweep on June 6 against the Cardinals will be one of the defining moments of the season. The franchise’s breakout star and early MVP candidate hit his third homer of the game to clinch a sweep against the division rival.
After the Reds bullpen blew a 7-0 lead, Winker delivered with one of the Reds most important hits of the season. As he rounded the bases, Winker pumped his fist, skipped, shouted and clapped his hands.
It was another memorable chapter in Winker’s All-Star caliber season.
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"The best part of this whole thing is watching him run around the bases and be in the moment, play with emotion, play just enjoying it," Reds manager David Bell said. "He’s always like that. It’s not just when he goes out and has a big game. He’s into it and doing everything he can to help this team win."
4. Vladimir Gutierrez’s emergence continues with seven innings against the Brewers
Vladimir Gutierrez has made four MLB starts. The Reds have won three of them, and Gutierrez allowed only one run in five innings in the other one.
With three starting pitchers on the injured list, Gutierrez has filled a void in the starting rotation. All four of his starts have been crucial, but his seven inning start against the Brewers on June 9 was his most impressive.
After Gutierrez allowed a run in the first inning, he threw his glove in the dugout. Reds right fielder Nick Castellanos then told Gutierrez he was going to throw seven innings and win the game to give the rookie a confidence boost.
Gutierrez did exactly that, allowing just two runs and leading the Reds to a win.
Just hours after Sonny Gray was placed on the 10-day injured list, Gutierrez pitched a gem and left the field to a standing ovation.
“(Gutierrez) was getting ahead, throwing all his pitches for strikes, and able to finish guys off as well,” Bell said. “He was pitching like a very mature pitcher, and it’s fun to watch him compete.”
5. Ryan Hendrix’s slider sets the tone for the bullpen as the Reds beat the Rockies
Tony Santillan impressed in his first MLB start on June 13 against the Colorado Rockies, but he left the game in the fifth inning with the bases loaded. The Reds led 3-1, but the go-ahead run was at first base when rookie Ryan Hendrix came out of the bullpen.
Hendrix’s slider is his best pitch and a significant part of the reason the Reds drafted the reliever in the fifth round of the 2016 MLB Draft. Facing Rockies catcher Dom Nuñez, Hendrix threw six sliders and one fastball. With a full count, Barnhart called a slider down low, and Hendrix executed for a swing and miss strike three.
Hendrix escaped the Rockies biggest scoring threat of the game, and the Reds won 6-2 to sweep Colorado.
“It’s just basically trusting it,” Hendrix said. “Making it start in the zone was the only thing I needed to do. Make it start in the zone and make it look like a fastball. It was huge, Tuck having the trust behind the plate to call that 3-2 slider.”
6. The bullpen passes its biggest test of the season
Brad Brach, Lucas Sims, Heath Hembree and Amir Garrett have all struggled at points out of the Reds bullpen this season. On Tuesday’s 2-1 win over the Brewers, that group of relievers out-pitched one of the best late-game bullpens in MLB.
Those four pitchers only allowed one hit and one run in three innings, continuing a bounce back stretch for the bullpen.
“It’s time for us to do our part,” Sims said. “We know that we haven’t been performing to the best of our capabilities. We’ve got way too much talent in there to be performing the way we were performing. I think that’s kind of starting to come to a head.”
After seven shutout innings from Castillo, Brach frustrated the Brewers in the eighth with his mix of fastballs and sliders and struck out two hitters. In the ninth, Sims retired the heart of the Brewers lineup. In the 10th inning, Hembree came out of the bullpen for the third straight game.
Bell has hardly done that this season, but he trusted Hembree with the game on the line. The Brewers scored their automatic runner in extra innings, but Hembree got two outs and Garrett got the save with a game-ending strikeout using his slider.
“We believe in these guys,” Bell said. “I know there were times that there were struggles and to their credit, they just stayed after it and continued to believe in themselves.”
7. Joey Votto goes first to home as the Reds win their sixth straight game
As he rehabbed from his broken thumb at Great American Ball Park, Votto often sprinted around the bases as a part of his workout routine. All of that work paid off in Wednesday’s 2-1 win against the Brewers.
According to Statcast, Votto ranks in the bottom 11 percent in MLB in sprint speed. That didn’t matter in the seventh inning when on a double by Barnhart, Votto sprinted from first to home and scored on a close play at the plate.
Votto scored the deciding run in the game, and the Reds closed within two games of first in the NL Central.
“Now is the time of the year where we have to make a real push,” Votto said, “And get back to the top of this division.”
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