BOSTON — Before Tuesday’s game against the Boston Red Sox, Cincinnati Reds outfield coach Collin Cowgill took a full lap around the outfield wall at Fenway Park with all of the Reds’ outfielders. Cowgill pointed out the nuances of the Green Monster, showed them every time the angle of the wall changes and previewed different scenarios that could come up during the game.
As Cowgill reviewed this with the Reds’ outfielders, Jose Barrero was taking ground balls at shortstop, unaware he’d make the biggest defensive play of the Reds’ 9-8 win over the Red Sox while playing the outfield. Two innings later, Barrero crushed his first career grand slam, driving a high fastball over the Green Monster.
Barrero, who entered the game when center fielder TJ Friedl left with left hamstring tightness, had never practiced taking a single line drive off of the Green Monster. He hadn’t studied the way the outfield wall cuts off and changes angles when it gets to center field.
Then in the bottom of the fifth inning, Red Sox right fielder Ramiel Tapia smoked a line drive high off the middle of the Green Monster. Barrero cleanly fielded the ball off the bounce and made a perfect throw to shortstop Matt McLain, who then made a perfect throw home to get the runner out.
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The Reds kept their 2-0 lead, and starting pitcher Ben Lively kept his shutout.
In 2022, the Reds seemed to never figure out how to execute relay plays from the outfield to home plate. Someone would be out of position. The throw wouldn’t have enough velocity. The timing would be just off.
Reds rookie shortstop Matt McLain has hardly had time to practice these plays during his first two weeks in MLB, but his greatest strength is that he’s a “ballplayer” who knows exactly what to do and where to be.
Barrero, McLain and catcher Tyler Stephenson completed the perfect play, saving another impressive outing for Lively, who allowed four hits in 5 ⅔ shutout innings.
In early May, when starting pitcher Nick Lodolo went on the injured list with a calf injury, the Reds’ entire pitching staff could have cratered. Lodolo was the Reds’ best candidate every turn in the rotation to deliver a long start. The Reds called up Lively, who hadn’t pitched in MLB since 2019.
Now five games into his Reds career, Lively has a 1.99 ERA. He escaped a few jams with a high fastball that the Red Sox couldn’t time up, a five-pitch mix, by using the entire strike zone and getting some help from his defense. Lively rarely got swings and misses, but he stayed aggressive and efficient.
The Reds took a 9-3 lead into the bottom of the ninth inning. The Red Sox rallied and got the go-ahead run to the plate, but closer Alexis Díaz pulled through with the final outs. Rookie reliever Eduardo Salazar was only able to record one out in the ninth inning, but the Reds had the security blanket of a standout closer.
Takeaways from Reds vs. Red Sox
1. In the second inning, Friedl gave it everything he had to beat the throw to first base on a potential double play ball. Friedl was safe on the fielder’s choice, which allowed the runner on third base to score as the Reds took a 1-0 lead. But Friedl grimaced after stretching across the first base bag, and he later left the game with left hamstring tightness.
2. If it weren’t for the Green Monster, then Reds second baseman Jonathan India would have picked up his third home run over the last three games. India hit one of his hardest shots of the year, a 108 mph line drive high off the monster, but he had to settle for a single. He scored from first one batter later when designated hitter Jake Fraley drove a ball into the left field gap for a double.
3. The Reds were encouraged by the progress that Will Benson made after they optioned him to Triple-A, and Benson has looked like a much better hitter recently. He entered Tuesday with a .074 batting average and two total hits in 2023. Benson had a three-hit game against the Red Sox in the most productive game of his MLB career.
This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: Cincinnati Reds get well-rounded team win over Boston Red Sox