Stephenson and Fairchild contributes as the Cincinnati Reds secure a 7-5 victory over the Los Angeles Angels
Tyler Stephenson smashed his first-ever grand slam in the opening inning, while Stuart Fairchild contributed with two RBIs as the Cincinnati Reds secured a 7-5 victory over the Los Angeles Angels on Saturday night, clinching the first two games of their three-game interleague series.
Graham Ashcraft took the mound for the Reds and pitched into the sixth inning. The 26-year-old right-hander gave up all five Angels runs along with five hits, managing four strikeouts and three walks.
Nick Martinez stepped in for three scoreless innings in relief, and Alexis Diaz closed out the game by retiring the Angels in order in the ninth inning, earning his third save of the season and marking his 50th career save.
The Reds capitalized on Angels starter Patrick Sandoval’s struggles in the first inning. After Stuart Fairchild’s run-scoring double, Sandoval walked Jeimer Candelario and Elly De La Cruz before Tyler Stephenson’s bases-loaded hit to right field, resulting in a grand slam.
Reflecting on his performance, Stephenson remarked, “The past week or so I’ve been putting some good swings on the ball. I got a good pitch to hit, didn’t know if was going to stay fair or (go) foul. Luckily it did stay fair. It’s been a lot of hard work, and I can see some results coming for sure.”
Manager David Bell emphasized the importance of the first-inning offensive outburst, stating, “You can’t overestimate like how important that is.
The game isn’t over. We have a long way to go, but if you don’t score right away, the game can get away from you. (Stephenson’s) grand slam, but a lot of good at-bats to get to that point. That was really the game right there.”
Sandoval struggled through four innings, allowing seven runs and six hits, with six strikeouts and five walks.
Angels manager Ron Washington commented on Sandoval’s performance, noting, “(Sandoval) wasn’t at his very best as far as his command and stuff goes.
We went out and put two runs on the board (in the first inning), then we made a mistake and we just couldn’t recover from that mistake. After that, we settled in and just kept grinding and came up short.” Elly De La Cruz concluded the game with a career-high four walks.
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