CINCINNATI — Especially for Game 2 of a doubleheader, the Reds pitching staff pulled together superbly for a bullpen night vs. the Pirates on Tuesday at Great American Ball Park. Fernando Cruz and Reiver Sanmartin even took a combined no-hitter into the fifth inning.
And overall, Reds pitchers allowed three hits. But the team was still handed a 1-0 defeat after the lineup notched just one hit of its own. Combined with the 6-1 loss in Game 1, Cincinnati has lost five straight games and has scored one run over its last 21 innings.
“Everybody stepped up, [a] different kind of game, different kinds of roles, different kinds of situations,” Reds manager David Bell said of his bullpen. “And they all handled it perfectly, gave us every opportunity to score and win that game.”
Cruz, the 32-year-old rookie who earned his first big league callup on Sept. 1, was thrilled when he was told he would be the opener by Bell.
“Oh my god, yes. It is, for me, something that I was dreaming of, watching my name against another big league pitcher and pitching against a big league team [while] starting,” Cruz said. “Watching the name in the lineup everywhere I go with my phone was really special. It was [as] an opener, but personally, it meant a lot.”
While throwing 19 pitches, Cruz retired all five batters he faced before turning it over to Sanmartin. In six appearances, Cruz has a 1.42 ERA.
“The beginning, [there was] a little bit of emotion and a lot of stuff going through my mind — this new scenario,” Cruz said. “But I’ve finally landed, and I feel like I’m playing baseball again. The numbers, I don’t look at the numbers. I take care of what I need to take care of. The first thing is my teammates and my team.”
Sanmartin followed Cruz with 2 1/3 innings, issuing one walk and striking out three, but he faced the minimum seven batters because he ended the fourth inning with a double play.
Next was Raynel Espinal, who was signed last month to a Minor League contract after he was released by the Cubs. Espinal, who was called up from Triple-A Louisville on Monday, pitched his lone big league game for the Red Sox on Aug. 30, 2021.
“That’s why I was more excited coming into the game, because it was a no-hitter. I was getting ready for it,” Espinal said via interpreter Jorge Merlos.
Espinal’s first batter, Ben Gamel, grounded to the left side against the shifted infield. It was just out of reach for diving shortstop Matt Reynolds and Pittsburgh’s first hit. Unlike Espinal, Cruz didn’t know that was the first hit.
“I wasn’t thinking about it until it finally happened,” Cruz said. “I was like, ‘Oh. We had a no-hitter going.’ The most important thing was that we were tied. We weren’t winning.”
Espinal retired his next seven batters before Rodolfo Castro lined a one-out double to the left-field wall. Ian Gibaut replaced Espinal, and Kevin Newman broke the scoreless tie with a lined two-out RBI single that was barely above the reach of Reynolds’ glove.
Gibault provided 1 2/3 innings, and Alexis Díaz closed out the bullpen combo with a perfect ninth inning and two strikeouts.
The Reds’ lone hit in Game 2 came against Pirates starter Luis Ortiz, when Stuart Fairchild hit a double to right field in the third inning. In his big league debut, Ortiz and three relievers shut down Cincinnati’s offense. It was the second time in less than a week that Cincinnati produced only one hit, alongside Saturday at Milwaukee during a 5-1 defeat.
“We believe we’re going to score better than that, but I think it does start with — that was pretty impressive stuff with what [Ortiz] had,” Bell said.
In Game 1, starter Luis Cessa provided 5 2/3 innings for his second start in a row, which was one out shy of tying his career high. Cessa gave up five earned runs on eight hits, including three home runs.
Cessa threw first-pitch strikes to 21 of 26 batters, but some aggressive hitting by the Pirates did him in. The fourth-inning homer by Ke’Bryan Hayes and the fifth-inning homer by Bryan Reynolds each came on the first pitch.
“The reports say this is a patient team, but maybe they know I throw too many strikes,” Cessa said. “That was maybe the reason they were aggressive. I think that was the key today. If I pay more attention with Reynolds and Hayes, it’ll be a different game.”
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