On Monday night, the Cincinnati Reds lost to the Milwaukee Brewers by the score of 4-3 but should have won the game.
On Monday night, Ryan Braun gave the Milwaukee Brewers a one-run lead on a double down the left field line. That lead should have vanished in the bottom of the ninth inning when Cincinnati Reds catcher Curt Casali led off the last of the ninth inning with a double down the left field line.
Casali was able to get the double off of one of the best relievers in the game in Josh Hader.
Now, there are no outs with a runner on second. Scott Schebler is at the plate and Joey Votto is on deck. The most obvious thing for manager David Bell to do was to have Scott Schebler bunt Casali over to third.
There would be only one out, leaving two more chances for the Reds to drive in Casali to tie the ballgame.
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But what does Schebler do? He swings away. He ends up striking out, not advancing the runner. Now, the Reds are down to two more chances to drive in Casali, who instead of being 90 feet away remains 180 feet away from home.
Joey Votto has been the Reds’ most efficient run producer in recent years, and he is their best hitter, but now a sacrifice fly to the outfield does not produce a run.
So, forced to press, Votto ends up flying out to left field. Had Schebler bunted Casali over, the fly out he would have scored and tied the game. Now, however, since the fly ball was to left, Casali could not advance to third base.
Finally, Yasiel Puig comes up and pops up to the catcher Yasmani Grandal to end the ball game.
Curt Casali got stranded at second base after he led off the inning with a double, and he stood on second base while Schebler did not bunt him over, while Votto flew out on a ball he should have scored on, and while Puig ended the game with a high pop up to the catcher.
That is inexcusable.
I get that Scott Schebler is not your prototypical lead-off man since he has power, but the Reds had a guy get into scoring position with no outs in the ninth inning against Josh Hader.
David Bell could have an argument if they were facing the Marlins who have Sergio Romo, but you have no excuse to not bunt Casali over with no outs when the best left-handed relief pitcher in the league is on the mound.
He is going to be hard enough to hit off of, so in those situations, teams have to think, and not try to hit balls in the gap or over the fence when the Milwaukee Brewers were giving them the tie game.
Every single team including the Cincinnati Reds need to look back at what occurred in the ninth inning and say “That is not going to happen to us.”
Every win counts and mistakes as simple as not bunting a runner over with Joey Votto on deck can cost you a postseason berth.