As good as April was to the Cincinnati Reds, the second-to-last game of the month happened to hand them their ugliest and most-lopsided defeat of the young season.
The Colorado Rockies evened the three-game series with Cincinnati April 29 with a 13-2 win against the Reds at Great American Ball Park.
Brett Sullivan’s two-out, bases-loaded double in the top of the first inning off starting pitcher Brandon Williamson proved to be all the scoring the Rockies would need.
Williamson, a lefty, was removed from the game after three innings due to left shoulder fatigue.
Reds manager Terry Francona said Williamson would have an MRI performed April 30.
“Command. Walks. It’s a hard way to be successful and he knows that,” Francona said. “You could tell it was really bothering him, so I’m glad we got him out when we did.”
Luis Mey, called up after reliever Graham Ashcraft was placed on the bereavement list, went two innings for the Reds and Jose Franco went three innings to help cover the club’s pitching needs.
Catcher Jose Trevino emerged from behind home plate, where he called the game for eight innings, to pitch the ninth inning for Cincinnati. Trevino allowed five runs in what was his fifth career appearance as a pitcher.
Williamson suggested afterward the fatigue might have been a result of his long layoff from action for Tommy John surgery, which sidelined him for about 15 months prior to this past spring training.
“I feel like I’m to the point where I’m just catching up to a lot of, not rehab but just not playing for so long,” Williamson said. “Feel like I’ve just been trying to grind through it. It’s kind of caught up to me a little bit. I’m still just trying to figure it out.”
Colorado starter Tomoyuki Sugano tossed 5 1/3 innings of scoreless, four-hit baseball and conceded three walks.
“I thought the split was kind of the equalizer for (Sugano),” Francona said. “He could get his fastball by our barrels at times, up, but then the split really gave us fits.”
Prior to a ninth inning at-bat that started with Cincinnati trailing 13-0, the Reds went 1-for-6 with runners in scoring position. The lone hit with a runner in scoring position was a two-out Sal Stewart single in the first inning that was knocked down by Ezequiel Tovar. Matt McLain attempted to score from second base but was tagged out at the plate.
Through eight innings, the Reds’ six hits were all singles. Tyler Stephenson doubled in the ninth inning in his only at-bat and Will Benson followed with a two-run homer. Two further singles followed.
Win or lose on April 30 in the series finale, April will have been an effective start to Cincinnati’s 2026 season. The team was 16-9 (19-11 overall in 2026) in the month going into the third game of the series.
In addition to nearly being shut out, the 11-run margin of defeat was the largest so far of 2026.
Reds close out Rockies series against familiar face
The Reds and Rockies will decide the winner of their three-game set with an April 30 matinee (12:40 p.m. EDT). Cincinnati Opening Day starter Andrew Abbott (0-2, 6.59 ERA) is scheduled to be opposed former Reds pitcher, Rockies right-hander Michael Lorenzen (2-2, 5.97 ERA).
Lorenzen spent seven seasons with Reds from 2015 to 2021. As a pitcher, he went 23-23 with a 4.07 ERA. Lorenzen proved handy with a bat in his hands, but only during his years in Cincinnati as he didn’t register a plate appearance against in subsequent stints with the Los Angeles Angeles, Detroit Tigers, Philadelphia Phillies, Texas Rangers and Kansas City Royals.
Lorenzen had 147 plate appearances for the Reds and hit .233 with seven career homers.
A win for Cincinnati would mean five consecutive series victories. That would be their longest streak of series wins since claiming five in a row in June 2023.
This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: The Reds suffered a lopsided loss to Rockies. Here’s what happened
Reporting by Pat Brennan, Cincinnati Enquirer / Cincinnati Enquirer
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
