Cincinnati Reds keep running to snap eight-game losing streak
SAN FRANCISCO — One day during spring training, as the Cincinnati Reds’ players walked into the clubhouse, a video was playing on the television.
Over and over, it replaced an inside-the-park homer from center fielder TJ Friedl from the 2023 season. The video was captioned, “This is how we run the bases.”
The Reds’ reputation around MLB starts with their team speed and their aggressive style. They broke their eight-game losing streak because they didn’t let a few mistakes on the bases change their identity.
On Friday, the Reds beat the San Francisco Giants, 4-2, at Oracle Park. The Reds took the lead by scratching together runs. They turned singles into doubles, fearlessly stole bases and kept taking advantage of their team speed, which is the Reds’ biggest strength.
“Our coaching staff made a point to address that,” said Reds outfielder Stuart Fairchild, who made a baserunning blunder on Thursday and responded with an inside-the-park homer on Friday. “That’s our identity. That’s how we’re going to win a lot of games this year. We’re really good at that. We don’t want to ever lose that part of our game.”
The Reds took an early 1-0 lead when shortstop Elly De La Cruz, singled, stole second base and scored on a base hit by first baseman Spencer Steer. De La Cruz, who’s on pace to steal over 100 bases this season, scored again in the third inning by reaching base on a hustle double, stealing third base and scoring on another hit from Steer.
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Then in the fourth inning, left fielder Will Benson singled, made it to second base on a fielder’s choice and scored on a hustle double by center fielder TJ Friedl.
Fairchild had the hustle play of the day. He smashed a ball to left field in the eighth inning. When it ricocheted off the wall, Fairchild turned on the jets and showed off his speed. Following a very aggressive send around third base, Fairchild slid in safely for an inside-the-park homer.
The Reds kept running, even after their worst baserunning game of the season.
“You have to understand the situations and when to be aggressive and all of that, there’s no question,” Reds manager David Bell said. “We error on the side of being fearless. Understanding the situation. If you make a mistake, you learn from it and get right back after it.”On Thursday, the Arizona Diamondbacks beat the Reds, 5-4. In that game, De La Cruz got picked off at second when it looked like the Reds had a chance to start a rally. Then late in the game, when the Reds tried a hit and run, Fairchild didn’t see that the fly ball was caught in the outfield and got picked off for a double play.
After the game, Bell said that while the Reds didn’t make the right decisions on the bases on Thursday, he didn’t want the team to change. That approach paid off on Friday in a matchup against Cy Young Award candidate Logan Webb.
“We’re an aggressive team, and everyone in the league knows that,” Friedl said. “Part of that comes with the territory of teams picking up on our running game. Sometimes, you take your chances. Running, that’s what we do.”
Reds starting pitcher Andrew Abbott kept the Reds in the game on a day where he didn’t have his best fastball or his best slider. He battled and escaped several jams as the Giants picked up six hits against him.
The Reds gave Abbott the chance to pitch with the lead. Following eight terrible games from the Reds’ offense, the speed picked up the entire team.
The Reds have already tried a lot of changes to break out of the slump they’ve been going through. On Friday, Bell shook up the order and moved recent addition Mike Ford all the way up to third in the lineup. The Reds have tried out different approaches at the plate, individual hitters are making adjustments and the Reds have made roster moves to try to find the right balance in the lineup.
The Reds’ speed ended up being the spark that gave the Reds their first win since April 29.
“We knew it was going to happen,” Bell said. “When it does happen, you miss the feeling of winning. You work so hard. There’s nothing like the feeling. It’s nice to get back in there and celebrate.”
This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: Cincinnati Reds beat San Francisco Giants to snap losing streak
