The Cincinnati Reds are having a pretty tough season, but they gave their fans reason to celebrate Monday with a 7-0 win over the Arizona Diamondbacks at Great American Ballpark.
The crowd favorites were already leading 4-0 as they entered their seventh turn at bat. A double from Tyler Stephenson (two points) and a single from Albert Almora Jr. (one point) then allowed the Reds to widen their lead to seven points. In the end, it was not the visitors’ defense that put an end to the threat, but the weather. The rain initially interrupted the game, which was eventually declared complete after seven innings.
The Reds’ 22-year-old pitcher Hunter Greene (3-7) had quite the game. In seven innings of work, he made eight opponents bite the dust, in addition to allowing only one hit.
Keuchel as reinforcement
In addition, the Diamondbacks agreed to the terms of a minor league contract with gunner Dallas Keuchel earlier in the day.
The 34-year-old veteran was released by the Chicago White Sox on May 30. In eight starts this season, he went 2-5 with a 7.88 ERA.
He will try to find his old airs with the formation of Arizona, he who had also maintained an earned run average of 1.99 during the shortened season, in 2020. The former Atlanta Braves and the Houston Astros also won the Cy-Young Trophy with them in 2015 after going 20-8 with a 2.48 ERA.
The Diamondbacks have a clause to cancel this agreement if ever the pitcher is not recalled to the major leagues before a certain date which has not been disclosed.
Five Rays players leave out the rainbow logo
The Tampa Bay Rays were the talk of the town for the wrong reasons on Saturday as five players opted out of sporting the team’s logo, altered with rainbow colors, in l honor of the LGBTQ+ community.
The Florida team, which celebrated Pride Month during this game against the White Sox, saw five of its players refuse to wear the uniform. Pitcher Jason Adam, one of the five, said his religious beliefs were central to his decision.
“It’s a tough decision because ultimately we want to let them know they’re welcome and loved,” said Adam, whose comments were picked up by the Tampa Bay Times. But when we have to wear [le logo arc-en-ciel] on our body, it is a lifestyle, not that we lower our eyes to, but that we may not want to encourage if we believe in Jesus, who encourages us to live a lifestyle of abstinence against this kind of behavior. Just as Jesus encourages me, as a heterosexual male, to abstain from having sex without being married. It’s no different.”
Manager Kevin Cash also said he was impressed by the conversations created by this debate in his locker room. He does not believe that differences of opinion will create disputes.
“I think it allowed him to fuel many conversations and to value the opinions of everyone in the locker room, while appreciating the community that we try to support,” mentioned Cash.
This “Night of Pride” was the 16th organized by the Rays, who hold this event annually.