*Photo from the San Diego Union Tribune*
Sometimes, everything just clicks for a team. Spencer Steer homered, Kevin Newman drove in two runs, and the Cincinnati Reds shut out the New York Mets with a 5-0 victory on Thursday afternoon in Cincinnati.
The Reds got everything they needed in this win, getting early offense and solid pitching to shut out the Mets in the series finale, picking up a series win in the process. They did so with only one home run, a rarity at the Reds hitter friendly ballpark.
Newman said of the mentality at the plate that "Getting into scoring position when maybe you weren't if you weren't pushing a little bit, that's huge for us. All it takes is another base hit and it's a run. I think the homers are going to come, obviously. Hopefully down the road, we'll get a few out. Spence had a great swing today and gave us an extra run late, which is awesome. But I think we're really starting to form an identity and we're really proud of the way we're playing."
The Reds got an early dose of offense in the first inning. Jake Fraley got it started, hitting a single to center field that scored Jonathan India to make it a 1-0 game. The next RBI came from outfielder Nick Senzel. He provided a double to right field, bringing Fraley over the plate to double the Reds lead to 2-0.
Later in the inning, the Reds opened up the lead farther. Newman got the job done, hitting a single to left field that brought home Senzel and Tyler Stephenson to make the lead 4-0. They didn't score again until the 5th inning. That was when Steer provided the long ball, hitting a solo home run to center field to make the score 5-0 for the Reds.
It was Derek Law who got the start for the Reds, working the first 1 1/3 innings in an opener role. Ben Lively got the win, his first since 2017 with 3 scoreless innings out of the bullpen. Lucas Sims pitched the next 1 2/3 innings before Kevin Herget pitched the final 3 innings to get the save.
Lively said of getting the win that "I'm so fired up. My mom and my sister were here. I was so jacked up. I’m pretty riled up right now. It is surreal. I feel the circle is complete now. They told me to be ready for the second inning. I had no idea how long I’d go. I could have gone longer. Hell, yeah, I was fired up. I felt good. That’s just me. That’s how I am. It was an awesome win today."
Getting the start for the Mets was Kodai Senga, who struggled in the first inning, allowing 5 runs on 8 hits in 5 innings pitched in the loss. Tommy Hunter was first out of the bullpen and pitched 2 1/3 scoreless innings, with Dominic Leone working 2/3 of an inning.
Senga said of his start that "I think those weak hits turning into hits are just the result; it is what it is, and there’s not much you can do about it. But after letting in those runs in the first inning, it’s hard to get the team in a groove. It’s something I need to work on."
Up next, both teams play on Friday night as they each hit the road. The Reds square off against the Miami Marlins, with Graham Ashcraft getting the start. Tylor Megill will start for the Mets as they face the Washington Nationals.
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