Ryan Hanigan shines as Cincinnati Reds defeat Tampa Bay Rays 4-3 – MLB Update
The Cincinnati Reds won 4-3 against the Tampa Bay Rays at the Tropicana Field in St. Petersburg, Florida on Wednesday, June 29.
The win enabled the Reds to complete a comprehensive series victory, with all three games delightful to watch. This game, like the previous two, was also a close encounter with the Reds getting lucky in the end.
Both teams displayed immense spirit in a game where runs came scarcely amid steaming pitches. The Reds ended one-run better than their counterparts and their flurry of runs in the fourth innings proved to be the difference between the two highly matched
sides.
Pitchers from both teams started impressively, leaking no run till the end of the three innings. It was only when Ryan Hanigan came to the plate for the Reds that Cincinnati gained momentum. Hanigan smacked the ball 388-feet at the top of the fourth innings
to open the scoring for the night. Scott Rolen and Joey Votto cashed in on Hanigan’s hit and completed their runs to make the scoring 3-0 with four innings played.
The Rays responded in the sixth inning, adding two runs courtesy Johnny Damon and Ben Zobrist. The Rays sensed some hope. With the game standing at 3-2, there was every chance that the Rays can get the better of the Reds.
Jonny Gomes helped the Reds to score one more in the seventh inning. Gomes has been connecting well for the past few weeks and his vital run here managed to take the Reds to an impressive two-run lead.
The Rays replied quickly to the Reds this time. B.J. Upton has exhibited how well he can hit and he once again displayed it at the Tropicana Field. He rocketed a 421-feet hit to score his 12th home-run this season, but to his bad luck, the other
hitters could not cash in on this hit and they failed to level the score, the game ending at 4-3. Upton now has four home-runs in the last six games.
It was a tough fight between both starting pitchers. Edinson Volquez of the Reds came out victorious in the end, using all his experience to halt the Rays from building some run-scoring momentum. James Shields from the Rays was impressive too, but the third
inning fiasco proved to be costly for him. A few more precise pitches could have made a difference in the result of the game.
Although Shields’s statistics for the match come good to the eye, his ten strike-outs did not help the Rays win. He has recorded a far-fetched 127 strike-outs this season but was unlucky to lose his fifth game of the season. Volquez, on the other hand, won
his fifth game of the season with his seven strike-outs, taking his season tally to 82. It was his first win on the road since May 6.
The 2-1 series victory puts the Reds 8-1 ahead of the Tampa Bay Rays overall.
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