HOUSTON – If it’s any consolation to the Cincinnati Reds during their road trip from hell this week, they heard from the league about that bad call in the 11th inning Thursday night that cost them a pair of ejections and contributed to a loss.
“They said they screwed up,” a club official said. Turns out the Reds were right to be upset about Ozzie Albies blocking Blake Dunn off the bag at second on Dunn’s steal attempt in the loss to the Atlanta Braves.
Advertisement
“Doesn’t make it any better.”
So much for consolation.
Elly De La Cruz after striking out in the third inning Friday against Houston Astros starter Hunter Brown Friday May 9. Brown struck out a season-tying nine in 5 2/3 innings.
And so much for their week getting any better with a change of venue.
Even with Austin Hays back from the injured list and even in Houston on Friday night, something happened to them that hadn’t happened in almost nine years — 3,205 days to be exact.
They lost to the Houston Astros.
A 3-0 loss to Astros right-hander Hunter Brown snapped a nine-game Reds winning streak against their former division rivals.
After three straight series sweeps in 2019, 2023 and 2024, the Reds lost to Houston for the first time since June 19, 2016.
Reds starter Nick Martinez pitched six innings, allowing three earned runs on 10 hits with five strikeouts and no walks against the Astros in Houston on Friday, May 9. He left trailing 3-0.
Whether it rubbed salt in the wound that a guy named Hunter held them to two hits on the day they put their own ace, Hunter Greene, on the IL, it has been almost nothing but pain for the Reds since they opened this two-city trip.
Advertisement
Rookie outfielder Tyler Callihan broke his arm on a play that looked like a catch (and wasn’t) in Monday’s series-opening loss in Atlanta. Noelvie Marte aggravated an oblique before Tuesday’s loss and landed on the IL. The only game they won out of four in Atlanta was the one that Greene left in the fourth inning because of a groin strain.
And they might even be looking at another IL move after Jake Fraley was scratched from Friday’s lineup again for the calf soreness that has bothered him since Tuesday night.
About the only thing going for the reeling Reds these days is a few nice restaurants in Houston, the pitching roll that starter Nick Martinez has been on, and a trade during Friday’s game for journeyman outfielder Connor Joe from the San Diego Padres.
After his third consecutive quality start Friday, Martinez has a 2.66 ERA in his last four starts.
Advertisement
As for Joe, he joins the team Saturday for the second game of the Astros series.
This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: Cincinnati Reds pull off nine-year first in Houston Friday night