Atlanta Braves Shut Out Cincinnati Reds Again

ATLANTA – When Ronald Acuña Jr. reached second base, he raised his artillery higher up his head as his teammates in the Atlanta Braves dugout waved towels, pounded their hands on the railing and pointed toward at him.

Acuña, arguably the elevation rise star in the sport, did something the Cincinnati Reds couldn't do in two postseason games. Acuña drilled a full-count slider into the left-field gap, scoring Austin Riley from starting time base in the fifth inning, to accept a one-run atomic number 82.

One run is all information technology took to cease the Reds' season after a five-0 Game two loss at Truist Park. The Reds didn't score a single encounter 22 innings in the all-time-of-three Wild Carte Series, the longest scoreless streak to start the playoffs in MLB postseason history.

The Reds haven't won a playoff series since 1995, winless in their last 4 appearances.

"I felt similar we had equally adept of a team as anybody coming into this," Tucker Barnhart said. "Our pitching staff pitched amazing. Just equally an offense, we couldn't do annihilation."

Marcell Ozuna and Adam Duvall added a two-run homers to left field in the 8th inning against Reds closer Raisel Iglesias. Ozuna's was a no-doubter as the Braves dugout erupted with cheers. Ozuna held a pose, taking a fake selfie, halfway down the offset-base line. Information technology was the first fourth dimension Iglesias allowed an earned run since Sept. 6.

The Reds became the first team in MLB postseason history to fail to score a run in a serial that lasted more than 1 game. The 1921 New York Giants had a 20-inning scoreless streak to brainstorm their playoff run, co-ordinate to Elias Sports Bureau, and the 2018 Atlanta Braves were shutout in their first 2 games.

"There was a little flake of pressing because you want to score runs, and y'all can't score runs," Eugenio Suárez said. "Yous start being frustrated. For me personally, I started thinking about why wouldn't I score runs, why you lot're not hit base hits or whatsoever, why you lot're not getting better at-bats to help my team score runs."

When the Braves celebrated around the first-base line later on the terminal out, several Reds players watched from their own dugout before retreating to the clubhouse. The concluding thespian to walk abroad was Sonny Greyness, who was scheduled to start in Game three.

The story of the Reds' loss in Game 1 of the Wild Card Series was all their missed opportunities, stranding 13 runners on base of operations, but they didn't accept many chances Thursday. In a must-win playoff game, the Reds produced a measly two hits and drew two walks against rookie correct-hander Ian Anderson and Atlanta'southward bullpen.

"Clearly, it sucks not scoring any runs, but losing is losing, no matter how you take it, especially at this point in the year," Barnhart said. "Obviously, nosotros would've loved to get our (pitchers) some runs. They deserved it. They earned it. It just didn't happen."

The Reds were final in the Majors with a .212 batting average, only they joined the 1906 Chicago White Sox (.210) and 2007 Arizona Diamondbacks (.250) every bit the only teams to finish with the league's worst batting average and qualify for the playoffs.

Improving the criminal offense was the forepart part'south top priority terminal wintertime. The Reds committed nearly $150 one thousand thousand to add Mike Moustakas, Nick Castellanos and Shogo Akiyama. With their pitching, Joey Votto called the Reds a "(bleeping) nightmare" entering the playoffs. Other players called them "dangerous" and "scary."

"I meant what I said going into the playoffs," Votto said. "I think both starting pitchers and the pitcher showed. We obviously didn't practise our part offensively. Kudos to the Braves. I thought they were tenacious and steady. Their pitching, I don't want to say it was better than I idea information technology would exist considering it would exist disrespectful, merely they were very, very proficient."

In a pitcher'south duel between two starters that throw excellent changeups, Luis Castillo had problem against one player: Acuña. With Riley on first base of operations and two outs in the fifth inning, Castillo gave up the go-ahed striking on an 87-mph slider at the bottom of the strike zone. Acuña's hit rolled to the wall, scoring Riley without a throw to the plate.

Castillo shook off Barnhart once earlier that pitch, wanting to throw his changeup to Acuña. Barnhart signaled slider over again. Barnhart felt it was the correct pitch and said information technology was something they talked nigh a lot earlier the game.

"It's a tough game to play when you're trying not to give up any runs," Barnhart said. "Clearly, that'due south the way you lot play the game anyway, but when yous know the offense is struggling and that we're struggling to cord whatever at-bats together, hits together or anything positive, information technology feels like you can't surrender whatever runs.

"It's a actually damn tough game to play from a pitch calling standpoint and I can't even imagine how it feels from a pitching standpoint."

Acuña had three hits in three at-bats against Castillo. He hit an infield single to short in the get-go inning and he golfed a changeup fashion below the strike zone back up the middle for a two-out single in the third inning. Castillo appeared to smile at Acuña at the third-inning single after information technology whizzed by him on the mound.

Post-obit Acuña's run-scoring hit in the fifth inning, the Reds intentionally walked Freddie Freeman to bring up Ozuna. Castillo struck out Ozuna in a ten-pitch at-bat in the first inning with a 98-mph fastball at the top of the strike zone and struck him out again in the 4th inning. Castillo won another boxing when Ozuna flew out on the first pitch to strand two runners on base.

"Our pitching was unbelievable," managing director David Bell said. "Unbelievable. I mean, against a swell lineup. There are no words for the credit that our pitching staff deserves. It was unbelievable."

Castillo, who would walk up to the chalk on the third-base line and and so hop over information technology each inning, wasn't equally dominant every bit the two pitchers in Game 1, but he gave the Reds every chance to win. Castillo allowed six hits and one run in 5 ⅓ innings, striking out 7 and issuing zippo non-intentional walks.

He received fist bumps from all his infielders when he was replaced by Lucas Sims with i out in the sixth inning. Sims pitched one ⅔ scoreless innings, striking out 4 of the five batters he faced.

"I don't care how great of a Major League hitter you are," Braves manager Brian Snitker said. "Everybody nosotros saw in this series, it was something pretty special."

Anderson, the No. 3 overall pick in the 2016 MLB Typhoon, was making just his seventh big-league commencement, but he was in control all afternoon. He reached 97 mph with his fastball and fooled hitters with his 87-mph changeup.

"Nobody really comes to mind as far as the guys that are so over the tiptop like him, almost like an Iron Mike pitching automobile," Barnhart said. "His fastball and changeup await exactly the aforementioned."

Said Bell: "What makes his fastball elite is the manner information technology has that rising effect, so he can do it up in the zone and down in the zone."

The Reds loaded the bases in the second inning subsequently Suárez opened with a single to left in a 10-pitch at-bat. Jesse Winker and Freddy Galvis drew walks.

Braves pitching charabanc Rick Kranitz made a mound visit every bit Anderson ticked above 30 pitches in the inning. With the bases loaded and two outs, Barnhart fell into a 0-2 count and grounded into a fielder'due south pick to end the inning.

(Wednesday), we did a lot of good things, only couldn't get anything across," Barnhart said. "Not a lot of positives happened today and it's a shame."

Anderson retired eight straight, including a stretch of four consecutive strikeouts, before Galvis hit a routine ground ball that deflected off the outset-base handbag for a hit. Suárez tried to fire up his teammates in the dugout, yelling, "Come on!" and waving his arms to the Reds' pocket-sized cheering section near the suites.

The lively dugout didn't change their offensive fortune. Anderson struck out the next two hitters and the Reds didn't have another batter reach base.

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Source: https://www.cincinnati.com/story/sports/mlb/reds/2020/10/01/cincinnati-reds-make-playoff-history-eliminated-braves-0-runs/5881171002/