Brandon Williamson was brilliant in his big league debut, allowing just one run in 5.2 innings and striking out six batters along the way. However, his offense didn’t do much while he was in the game. Things would change after he exited the game and Nick Senzel homered a big 2-run homer to put Cincinnati ahead for good in the 7th inning as the Reds held on for a 3-1 win to tie the series with the Colorado Rockies.
| Final | R | H | E |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cincinnati Reds (19-23) |
3 | 6 | 0 |
| Colorado Rockies (18-25) |
1 | 4 | 0 |
| W: Right (3-4) I : Lambert (0-1) VS: Diaz (10) | |||
| Dissemination of statistics | Box score | Thread of the game | |||
In a game between a pitcher making his MLB debut who had a 6.62 ERA in Triple-A and a 35-year-old player making his third major league appearance of the season after spending the first part of the season in Triple-A, a pitching duel broke out.
Chase Anderson, who started the year with the Reds in Triple-A but was later traded to Tampa Bay before being designated for an assignment and claimed by the Rockies, held Cincinnati to one hit and one walk on walks in five shutout innings. Reds rookie Brandon Williamson tied it along the way as he allowed just one hit and one walk in the first five innings of his day.
Peter Lambert took over for the Rockies in the top of the 6th inning and he continued to drive things forward as he retired the Reds in order. Williamson couldn’t tie his inning as Ezequiel Tovar homered with one out to make it 1-0. After taking Charlie Blackmon down, Williamson walked Jurickson Profar out and that would end his day with Cincinnati calling Derek Law from the bullpen. He would give up a double to Elias Diaz, moving Profar to third base, but Law pulled out Randal Grichuk to block both runners.
It would put a final stamp on Brandon Williamson’s debut. The 25-year-old southpaw allowed one run in 5.2 innings with just two hits allowed, two walks and struck out six batters.
Jake Fraley reached on an error single (play changed to hit later in the game) to start the 7th inning, but then made one of his own when he broke for second on a stoppage drive line- short and was easily doubled in the process. That would be crucial because after Tyler Stephenson walked, Nick Senzel homered to give the Reds a 2-1 lead. Alex Young took over for the end of the inning and the southpaw landed two strikeouts in a perfect inning of work to hold on to the Reds’ new lead.
Curt Casali walked with one out and would be run after reaching second base on a pitch. It paid off as Matt McLain picked center and Kevin Newman came home to barely beat the throw on the play and extend Cincinnati’s lead to 3-1. Ian Gibaut came out of the bullpen to start the bottom of the 8th inning. He gave up a single infield to start the frame, but got the Rockies in order from there to send the game to 9th with a 2-run lead.
The Reds threatened at the start of the 9th, but they cornered runners on the corners. Alexis Diaz entered from the bullpen for the bottom of the 9th, looking to hold on to the Reds’ lead. It was easy work for the closer, who only needed six pitches to recover the stoppage.
Key moment of the game
Nick Senzel’s 2-run home run in the 7th inning gave the Reds the lead.
Notes to Note
Jake Fraley’s bat remains hot. He is now hitting .389/.463/.667 in May and has five 2-hits in his last six games. The only game he didn’t, he went 0-1 with a walk off the bench.
Cincinnati is now 7-14 on the road, which sounds bad (because it is), but they started the season 1-9 on the road….. so things are turning around.
The next step for the Cincinnati Reds
Cincinnati Reds vs. Colorado Rockies
Wednesday, May 17, 3:10 p.m. ET
Graham Ashcraft (2-1, 3.95 ERA) vs. Austin Gomber (3-4, 6.30 ERA)
