Reds Avoid Four-Game Sweep with Offensive Breakout in Milwaukee Finale
by William Meiners
Baseball is the ultimate traveling circus. The caravan, with rosters typically comprised of around 25 percent immigrant young men, set up camp for a few days in American cities, or Toronto. Day after day, these players put their skills on display at the game’s highest level.
The Reds late-June Milwaukee trip caught me reminiscing. With the benefit of hindsight, I would argue that this particular Cincinnati circus peaked on July 8, 2023. And I was there in person, traveling with wife and child from Michigan, through Chicago, to see a Saturday afternoon 8-5 victory over the Brewers in (appropriately) American Family Field.
You didn’t need a ticket to know what happened that Saturday. Elly De La Cruz, the rookie phenom called up to the Bigs a month earlier, stole second, third, and home on two pitches. Those seventh-inning swipes put the Reds up 7-5. Moreover, Elly’s home dash flashed all over the news, topped ESPN’s lists, and became forever part of baseball history.
Cincinnati then in first place, stood 10 games over .500 (50-40), a couple games ahead of the Brewers. De La Cruz emerged as the most exciting player on a team marked by speed and youth, yet still led by Joey Votto, an all-time great. In June, they won 12 games straight, the team’s longest streak since 1957. Mind you, the Reds lost 100 games in 2022.
On our Sunday drive home, we listened to the Reds on radio and a 1-0 loss. Jesse Winker and Wade Miley, both former Reds, did the damage with an RBI and six shutout innings, respectively. Milwaukee’s rubber-match win led to the All-Star break. On the other side of it, the Brewers swept through three wins in Cincy. With the MLB scheduling done by an apparent schizophrenic, the Reds were swept again in a three-game series in Milwaukee before the end of July. David Bell’s squad ended the season in third place in their division, finishing 82-80.
Nearly three years after his thrilling highlight, De La Cruz and crew made their first visit to Milwaukee this season. Instead of the conquering hero returning home, I consider the weary warrior pushed back into battle. The one-sided rivalry proved predictable in the opener with the Reds squandering Nick Lodolo’s good start, with the bullpen giving up five from in the sixth, seventh, and eighth in a 5-3 loss. On Tuesday, Rhett Lowder got pecked to death by ducks as the Brewers bounced a slew of consecutive singles in a four-run fourth that led to a 7-2 win. On July first, reliever Brock Burke served up a seventh-inning triple to Garrett Mitchell, scoring Andrew Vaughn. Mitchell then scored on Burke’s wild pitch. A 4-2 loss and seventh consecutive Brewer win over the Reds this season.
In protest, I had one eye on Thursday afternoon’s getaway game. Sal Stewart, a bona fide stud who should be Rookie of the Year, homered in the first inning. Jose Trevino’s three-run bomb in the fourth helped savaged a 7-2 win. Yet that three-year slide continues.