Reds Press Clippings May 25, 2017 THIS DAY IN REDS HISTORY 2011-The 19- game at Philadelphia lasts 6 hours, 11 minutes, setting a club record MLB.COM Vroom when it happens: Hamilton's huge By Mark Sheldon / MLB.com | @m_sheldon | 2:46 AM ET + 9 COMMENTS

CLEVELAND -- Just a few minutes earlier, the fireworks had burst and the music had blared as the Indians were celebrating what they thought was a one-run win over the Reds on a rainy Wednesday night at .

But the only sound Reds outfielder Billy Hamilton could hear was the wind whistling in his ears as he blazed around the bases to score the game-winning run in an improbable 4-3 victory over the Indians.

They say speed kills. On this night, it certainly killed the Indians. Twice the Indians had a chance to end the game and twice Hamilton said "not so fast."

With men on first and second with one in the ninth, Hamilton appeared to into a stellar 3-6-3 double play that closed with a bang-bang play at first to end the game.

But Reds challenged the out call at first as the Indians gathered to celebrate their win, and the call was overturned. That left Hamilton at first and pinch-runner Arismendy Alcantara on third, with two outs and shortstop Zack Cozart at the plate facing Tribe Cody Allen, who had not blown a all season.

Allen threw Cozart a 1-0 fastball that was lined hard into short left field. Michael Brantley sprinted in and dove to make , but he could not make the play. It would have been a heck of a game-ending catch: He had only a 16-percent catch probability, according to Statcast™, meaning it would have been a five-star catch.

After diving, Brantley had trouble locating the ball, and that was all the blazing Hamilton needed. Running on the pitch, Hamilton never broke stride and scored the go-ahead run in a mad dash home in less than 9 seconds, a barrier broken only seven previous times in the Statcast™ Era. Hamilton himself holds the record, at 8.23 seconds last May 7.

"As soon as I saw him dive, that was my key just to go," Hamilton said. "In my head the whole time, I'm like, 'We've got the tying run.' I had 'score' in my head the whole time once I saw him dive. I didn't see [third-base coach Billy] Hatcher. I didn't look at Hatcher. I was going to go no matter what, even if he tried to stop me. It's just something that I made up in my mind rounding second."

Once Brantley found the ball, he didn't even attempt a throw home as Hamilton scored standing up and raced into the dugout, where he was mobbed by his teammates.

"When I rounded first, I was kind of shocked it even made it," Cozart said. "Brantley almost caught it. I was shocked. Then when I looked up, I saw [the ball] on the ground and looked where Billy was. I knew he had no chance to get Billy, too. So I was just pumped. I knew he was coming in and we had a good chance to win."

Added Price: "There's not many other guys that are going to score on that play or are going to be able to beat out that ball."

Dealt his first loss of 2017, and his first blown save since Aug. 17, 2016, Allen made no excuses.

"Obviously, you think it's over right there, but once they challenge it, you have to take a step back and get ready just in case. I was ready," Allen said. "I'm not going to say that Zack Cozart got a base hit because of that. He hit a pretty good pitch."

Added Indians manager : "It's kind of hard once you think the game's over, you kind of let your emotion go. If there's anybody that I would trust to reel it back in, it's Cody."

It all started with Hamilton's first dash -- a 4.13-second sprint from home to first to beat out what would have been the game-ending double play.

"From just looking, I thought Billy was safe," Cozart said. "Then when they showed the first replay, I don't know why it took so long for them to make the safe call. It looked right away to me that he was safe. Then once I saw that, I was focused on getting my timing because Allen was throwing pitches on the mound."

"It's a tough play," said Indians first baseman Carlos Santana, who initiated the 3-6-3 double play attempt with a great catch and quick throw to second. "The umpire, he called him out, but with baseball now, there's replay. I think he's out, so I was very excited. But the umpires called him safe, and that's why we lost the game."

Just last week at Wrigley Field, the Reds lost a game on a final-play challenge that was overturned against the Cubs. was originally called safe on a two-out grounder to second base after a throw pulled Anthony Rizzo's foot off the bag. While Votto looked safe, replay officials overturned the call -- leaving Price and Cincinnati fuming.

"I was concerned," Price said. "The thing that's tough about that is if you're able to see things on the video, and then they don't match up with the final call from New York, and you don't have anyone from New York to complain to, it just rips your heart out."

On this night, it was the Indians that had their hearts ripped out.

"Any time you can kind of snatch a win like that, so late," Cozart said, "and they have their guy on the mound, you pull out a victory, that's a big, big thing for sure."

Mark Sheldon has covered the Reds for MLB.com since 2006, and previously covered the Twins from 2001-05. Follow him on Twitter @m_sheldon and Facebook and listen to his podcast. This story was not subject to the approval of or its clubs.

Reds race to win with two-out rally in ninth By Jordan Bastian and Mark Sheldon / MLB.com | 2:38 AM ET + 76 COMMENTS

CLEVELAND -- Indians closer Cody Allen had been perfect in save situations dating back to August of last season. That changed on Wednesday night, when a clutch hit from Zack Cozart and a furious sprint from Billy Hamilton fueled a two-run ninth that gave the Reds a 4-3 comeback win over Cleveland at Progressive Field.

With two outs and runners on the corners, Hamilton bolted from first base and Cozart lined a 1-0 pitch from Allen into left field, where Michael Brantley came up just short on a diving attempt. Arismendy Alcantara scored from third and the fleet-footed Hamilton was not far behind, scoring the go-ahead run to send Allen to his first blown save since Aug. 17, 2016.

"Their whole is pretty good," Cozart said. "That shows how tough we've been offensively to score runs off guys like that in the past couple of games and to have good at-bats. That's tough to do. So we're out there, we just keep battling on every at-bat, even versus guys like that."

Between this season and last, Allen had been perfect in 22 consecutive regular-season saves, with six more collected during the Indians' postseason run last fall.

"He's just really good," Indians manager Terry Francona said. "When you have one-run games, you run the risk of something happening. You could lose. It's nice if you can spread a game out. We didn't. It had a chance to be a nice, crisp win, but we didn't spread it out. I don't ever feel like it's on Cody. We could've done some things better to score a few more runs."

Cincinnati's late push overcame a solid night for Carlos Santana, who provided all of the Tribe's offense with a two-run homer in the third inning and an RBI double in the fifth. Both hits came off Reds starter Lisalverto Bonilla, who was charged with three runs on six hits in his five .

Cincinnati slugger Adam Duvall knocked a towering two-run homer (No. 10 on the year) in the fourth off righty Trevor Bauer, who turned in 5 1/3 innings for the Indians before a rain delay lasting just over two hours arrived in the sixth. Duvall's shot traveled a projected 432 feet, per Statcast™, snapping his 15-game homerless drought.

MOMENTS THAT MATTERED

Last out overturned: With runners on first and second and one out in the ninth, Hamilton chopped a pitch to Santana. The first baseman gloved and fired to shortstop Francisco Lindor, who got the force at second before firing back to Santana for what looked like a 3-6-3 double play to end the game. As the crowd roared in celebration, the Reds challenged the final out call. After a replay review lasting two minutes and 57 seconds, the ruling was overturned and Hamilton was deemed safe. That set the stage for Cozart's game-winning hit.

"Up until we saw it, I thought he was out," Allen said. "A guy like [Hamilton] is going to make any play close. They got the call right. He was safe. That's why the rule is there. If that was us on the other side, we'd want that. It's something you just have to deal with, try to figure out a way to not let it affect you."

Billy's mad dash: On Cozart's single to left field where Brantley couldn't make the diving catch, Alcantara easily scored the tying run. But as the ball rolled away from Brantley, the speedy Hamilton made the mad dash home and scored from first base without a throw to plate the go-ahead run. The catch percentage was just 16 percent for Brantley, according to Statcast™.

"I had 'score' in my head the whole time once I saw him dive," Hamilton said. "I didn't see [third-base coach Billy] Hatcher. I didn't look at Hatcher. I was going to go no matter what, even if he tried to stop me. It's just something that I made up in my mind rounding second." More >

QUOTABLE

"You couldn't help but feel the sense of satisfaction. We understand that we're playing an outstanding team. They're really good in all facets of the game. We lost a close one yesterday, but we've been playing them well. When you grind one out, it doesn't matter if it's a team in first place, a team in second place or a team in last place. It feels good to win." -- Reds manager Bryan Price on the emotional swing from losing to winning following the review

"That was as good a potential double-play turn as you're ever going to see. To have a chance to get [Hamilton] -- and it was bang- bang as they get. Carlos was quick, he was accurate, he was strong, and then Frankie came flying across." -- Francona, on Santana's effort on the overturned call in the ninth

UPON FURTHER REVIEW

A crew-chief review was used in the bottom of the fourth inning to examine a foul ball hit by Tribe catcher Roberto Perez that was nearly a . After a 40-second replay review, it was confirmed that Perez's fly ball to deep left field struck a railing just to the left of the foul pole.

WHAT'S NEXT

Reds: When the Cup series concludes at 6:10 p.m. ET on Thursday, Tim Adleman (2-2, 6.19 ERA) will start for Cincinnati. Adleman gave up a career-high six earned runs and four walks over 4 2/3 innings in his previous start on Saturday against the Rockies.

Indians: Right-hander Mike Clevinger (2-1, 1.56 ERA) is scheduled to take the mound for the Tribe on Thursday in an Interleague clash with the Reds. In his last outing on Saturday, Clevinger struck out eight and carried a no-hitter into the seventh inning in a win over the Astros in Houston.

Watch every out-of-market regular-season game live on MLB.TV.

Jordan Bastian has covered the Indians for MLB.com since 2011, and previously covered the Blue Jays from 2006-10. Read his blog, Major League Bastian, follow him on Twitter @MLBastian and Facebook.

Mark Sheldon has covered the Reds for MLB.com since 2006, and previously covered the Twins from 2001-05. Follow him on Twitter @m_sheldon and Facebook and listen to his podcast.

This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.

Suarez's adjustments part of the process By Mark Sheldon / MLB.com | @m_sheldon | May 24th, 2017 + 0 COMMENTS

CLEVELAND -- For a six-game stretch from May 9-16, Reds third baseman Eugenio Suarez was in a 3-for-26 (.115) funk with one walk and 10 . Extended slumps were part of Suarez's resume in 2016 during his first season as a regular in a big league lineup.

This particular slump lasted just the one week, however. What did Suarez change at the plate to get out of it? Nothing.

"I looked at what I did in the beginning of the season, about three weeks or a month ago, and I studied it again -- my routine, my mental process in a game," Suarez said on Wednesday. "When you're in trouble, it's more mental than mechanical. I knew it wasn't my swing. You start thinking about how they're pitching and you try to find something, and you're wrong. I stuck with my setup and approach, and the results are in the game."

Entering Wednesday, Suarez has gone 9-for-23 (.391) with three doubles, three homers and five runs over the past seven games. He came in batting .302/.378/.566 with 10 homers and 30 RBIs overall.

In Tuesday's 8-7 loss to the Indians, Suarez notched the first pinch-hit homer of his career -- a game-tying three-run shot to right- center field.

"We try to stay on topic with chasing the process and going through what you need to do to be a consistent ballplayer," Reds manager Bryan Price said. "I see an adjustment like that is chasing the process, it's not chasing the hits or the batting average or the home runs. It's chasing a process that will lead to more consistency. And that's maturity."

Suarez, 25, has taken a page from teammate Joey Votto's two-strike approach this season, and it worked for him on Tuesday. On a 3-2 count, Suarez choked up on the bat and shortened his swing, driving the ball to the opposite field.

"They throw me a lot of sinkers, and [I] tried to find out how to hit that ball," Suarez said. "When they throw them 93-94, it's hard to hit. Now I just take them and if I swing, I must choke up on the bat and try to shorten my swing and put the ball in play."

Votto has been there as a veteran example and occasional adviser to Suarez. Not only has Suarez made upgrades as a hitter, his defense has also jumped several notches.

"Every aspect of his game has gotten better," Votto said. "I think it's a combination of experience, but I also saw it with . There's a point in a player's career where they say to themselves, 'This is what I want to be, and I'm going to do exactly what I need to do to get to that point.' I saw Frazier turn the corner and become an All-Star and a fantastic overall player. I'm seeing it with Eugenio."

Worth noting

• Reds Homer Bailey (right elbow) pitched an inning in a simulated game on Wednesday at extended spring camp in Arizona.

"I got an email from [coach] Tony Fossas," Price said. "He threw very well. The delivery looked good, and they're happy with his overall outing."

Mark Sheldon has covered the Reds for MLB.com since 2006, and previously covered the Twins from 2001-05. Follow him on Twitter @m_sheldon and Facebook and listen to his podcast. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.

Adleman starts Ohio Cup finale By William Kosileski / MLB.com | May 24th, 2017 + 6 COMMENTS

After playing two contests in Cincinnati and one in Cleveland, the fourth and final game of the Ohio Cup between the Indians and the Reds will take place at Progressive Field at 6:10 p.m. ET on Thursday. Cincinnati has won two of three.

The last game between the two ballclubs will offer a pitching matchup of two young right-handers: Cleveland's Mike Clevinger and Cincinnati's Tim Adleman.

Clevinger, recalled from Triple-A Columbus earlier this month to replace the injured Corey Kluber in the Indians' starting rotation, is coming off a standout performance, setting career highs in innings (seven) and strikeouts (eight) against the Astros. In the 106- pitch effort, he did not allow a run and gave up just two hits after taking a no-hitter into the seventh en route to his second win of the season.

With Kluber's stint on the disabled list nearing an end, one of Cleveland's starters will be forced out of the rotation when the Tribe's ace returns from his back injury. While Clevinger is aware that he may be the odd man out in that situation, he said that he will not let any added pressure get to him in his start on Thursday.

"I just need to stay grounded," Clevinger said. "One good start doesn't mean you have a good start the next time. You got to keep the same mindset, the same plan of attack and the same aggressiveness. After watching [the Reds], they are a very aggressive team and they're taking some pretty good swings. I need to stick with the same plan -- stay low and change speeds."

Pitching opposite of Clevinger is Adleman, who had a rough start against the Rockies. Although he got a no-decision, Adleman surrendered six runs on seven hits and walked four in 4 2/3 innings. Adleman's last outing was only the second time this season that he permitted more than three earned runs in a start.

Three things to know about this game:

• In his last outing, Clevinger threw 59.4 percent of his pitches either at the bottom edge of the strike zone or below, the fifth-highest rate by a pitcher with at least 100 pitches in a game this season. Those low pitches resulted in 12 called strikes and eight missed swings (four for strikeouts), while opponents went 0-for-3 on balls in play.

• Clevinger gets his second career start against the Reds, against whom he made his Major League debut on May 18, 2016. In that start, the right-hander was handed a no-decision after allowing four runs on five hits with five strikeouts and one walk over 5 1/3 innings. Reds shortstop Zack Cozart had success in his limited at-bats against Clevinger, going 2-for-3.

• Adleman will make his second career start against the Indians. His first outing versus the Tribe came one day after Clevinger's Major League debut, and the Reds' right-hander was pulled in the fourth with an oblique injury. In his 3 1/3 innings, he allowed two runs on three hits, including a two-run homer to Carlos Santana.

William Kosileski is a reporter for MLB.com based in Cleveland. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs. CINCINNATI ENQUIRER Left for dead, Reds score replay-aided comeback Zach Buchanan , [email protected] Published 1:00 a.m. ET May 25, 2017 | Updated 4 hours ago

CLEVELAND – For two minutes and 57 seconds, the laid dead on the operating table. They had lost Wednesday to the by a run, the game ending on a 3-6-3 double play in the top of the ninth.

But the final play was under review.

For nearly three minutes, various angles of the final out at first played on a loop on the humongous video board at Progressive Field. One seemed to clearly show runner Billy Hamilton beating the throw by half a step. But the wait was ominous; clear-cut plays usually don’t require such deliberations.

Bryan Price had been burned before, just earlier this month. A replay had handed the the final out of a Reds loss, despite what Price felt was a lack of clear evidence. He was taking nothing for granted.

“If you’re able to see things on the video, and then they don’t match up with the final call from New York, and you don’t have anyone from New York to complain to,” Price said. “It just rips your heart out. It rips your stomach out.”

This time, the all-seeing umpires in Major League Baseball’s replay headquarters made the obvious call. Hamilton was safe, and the Reds were alive again with runner on the corners. The next batter, Zack Cozart, stepped in to the box against Indians closer Cody Allen, and ripped the second pitch he saw into left to score two.

Cozart screamed in triumph. The undead Reds held on to win 4-3.

“Any time you can kind of snatch a win like that, so late, and they have their guy on the mound, you pull out a victory,” Cozart said, “that’s a big, big thing for sure.”

Things had seemed to conspire against the Reds all night. Desperate for a lengthy start, the Reds got only five innings from Lisalverto Bonilla due to a rain delay that lasted a minute past two hours. Once play resumed, Cincinnati was down 3-2 and basically playing a 3 2/3-inning game against one of the top in baseball.

Andrew Miller and Bryan Shaw got the Indians to the ninth with little drama. But the Reds put pressure on Allen, who’d seemed to escape disaster when first baseman Carlos Santana initiated the fateful double play. But Bryan Price raised his hand immediately.

Once again, Price had learned from painful past replay experience. Last year in St. Louis, he’d failed to signal in time to challenge was incorrectly ruled a game-winning play for the Cardinals. Price had no clue one way or another if Hamilton had beaten the throw to first. But he had nothing to lose.

“We saw with the game with the Cubs, just when it looks like everything is as it is, it’s not,” Price said.

Hamilton ran into the dugout nonetheless. Unlike many players, he hates waiting on the field in hopes of a reversal. He’d rather return from the dugout triumphantly after a favorable review than slink off in embarrassment after an unfavorable one. Plus, even he wasn’t sure if he’d beaten Francisco Lindor’s throw.

Cozart was standing in the on-deck circle, and had a better view than most. To his eyes, Hamilton was clearly safe. While the review process inched along, he watched Allen deliver warm-up throws and decided to get his timing down. He was proven right.

The game resuscitated, Cozart stepped into the box with the tying run on third and baseball’s fastest player on first. On the second pitch, the Reds shortstop shot a shallow liner to left. Indians outfielder Michael Brantley charged and dived, getting his glove on the ball but not the webbing.

As the ball ricocheted toward the foul line, Arismendy Alcantara trotted home from third to tie the game. Hamilton jetted around second, keeping his eye on Brantley’s recovery and repeating the score in his head. With the immediate danger of a loss averted, he was determined to score, no matter what third-base coach was signaling.

No throw to the plate was attempted. Reds closer Raisel Iglesias put two one with two outs in the bottom of the inning, but got Brantley to ground out to seal the game, five hours and eight minutes after it began.

“It feels good to win,” Price said. “I’ve said it a million times, we chase that good feeling, and today was especially good.”

Cincinnati Reds recap: Team comes back in ninth inning to down Cleveland Indians Zach Buchanan , [email protected] Published 11:23 p.m. ET May 24, 2017 | Updated 9 hours ago

After a rain delay of more than two hours, the Reds mounted a ninth-inning comeback to beat the Cleveland Indians 4-3 on Wednesday at Progressive Field. Here are the main storylines:

Box score: Reds 4, Indians 3

The Reds soared back from the dead. Facing Cleveland closer Cody Allen, the Reds put their first two batters aboard on singles by Scooter Gennett and Tucker Barnhart. Jose Peraza attempted to bunt both over with no outs, but popped the ball directly to first baseman Carlos Santana, who fired to third for the force.

Billy Hamilton grounded into a game-ending 3-6-3 double play, but Reds manager Bryan Price immediately signaled for a challenge. The call was overturned on review, and Hamilton was ruled safe at first.

That brought up Zack Cozart – hitting .336 – with two outs and runners on the corners, with the Reds down one. Cozart shot a low liner to left that Indians outfielder Michael Brantley dove and got leather on, but couldn’t catch. Two runs scored, with Hamilton scoring from first as Brantley scrambled for the loose ball.

Reds notes: Rookie Davis to avoid disabled list

Rain shortened a solid Lisalverto Bonilla start. Bonilla became the latest Reds starter not to finish six innings, although it was hardly his fault this time. A rain delay ended his outing after just five innings, with the Reds trailing 3-2.

Bonilla was having a solid outing until then, although it wasn’t without its drama. He left the bases loaded in the first. In the fourth, Roberto Perez missed a home run to left by about a foot. In between, Bonilla allowed a two-run homer to Santana that put the Indians up 2-0 in the third.

The Reds answered a half-inning later on a two-run shot by Adam Duvall, but Cleveland reclaimed the lead in the fifth. Jason Kipnis began the inning with a double, and moved to third on a sacrifice bunt. Michael Brantley flied out too shallow for Kipnis to score, but Santana struck again with a double to give the Indians a one-run lead.

One out into the next inning, rain halted the game for two hours and one minute. Blake Wood took over for Bonilla once the Reds took the field again.

Austin Brice keeping mustache, critics be damned

Right before the rain came, the Reds missed a big opportunity. Cincinnati had a prime opportunity to take a significant lead in the fifth, right as it began raining. Barnhart reached on an to start the inning, and moved up on a Peraza single. Billy Hamilton’s sacrifice bunt advanced both runners, and Zack Cozart walked on four pitches to load the bases for Joey Votto.

Right as Votto stepped into the box, the Progressive Field grounds crew rushed in unison to the tarp sitting along the third-base line, huddling behind it in anticipation of a delay. That delay was delayed, and Votto went down looking and Duvall flied out to right to end the inning without a run scoring.

The game was delayed a full inning later.

Reds notes: Rookie Davis to avoid disabled list Zach Buchanan , [email protected] Published 6:14 p.m. ET May 24, 2017 | Updated 16 hours ago

CLEVELAND – Last Friday, Cincinnati Reds right-handed pitching prospect Rookie Davis left his Triple-A start after just three innings with back issues. (His team wound up having to cover 15 more innings.) Five days later he won’t make his scheduled start, but will avoid landing on the disabled list.

“I think the feeling was that he’d be able to work through it rather than be pushed back and be more on an eighth day than on a fifth,” Reds manager Bryan Price said.

Losing Davis wouldn’t have directly affected the major-league club, but would have further narrowed its already thin margin for error. Three big-league starters are already on the disabled list, as is Triple-A right-hander Sal Romano. Other minor-league options like Cody Reed and Jackson Stephens have struggled to perform.

The five starters the Reds have in the rotation right now may be the only five starters available. Robert Stephenson could be an option in a pinch out of the bullpen, but ideally would need to return to the minors to stretch out first.

“Another injury to one of our roster would certainly make a tough situation more challenging,” Price said.

Bailey sees game action

Right-hander Homer Bailey, working back from offseason surgery to remove bone spurs from his elbow, took another significant step in his rehab by pitching an inning in an extended game on Monday.

Price didn’t have a full report on the outing, but said Bailey was set for about 15-20 pitches. But what Price did hear was positive.

“He threw very well,” Price said. “The delivery looked good, and they’re happy with his overall outing.”

Bailey essentially will follow a spring training schedule from now on, pitching every five days and extending his outing by an inning each time.

To be predictably successful, Scott Feldman working to be successfully unpredictable Zach Buchanan , [email protected] Published 4:47 p.m. ET May 24, 2017 | Updated 17 hours ago

CLEVELAND – It’s been hard for the Cincinnati Reds to know which version of Scott Feldman they’ll get from start-to-start. They’d liked if opposing hitters could say something similar.

Feldman’s overall numbers – a 4.00 ERA in 10 starts, and a team-best 5.6 innings per outing – are the best among the Reds’ starting pitchers. But the journey to those numbers has been erratic.

On May 2, Feldman allowed four runs in seven innings to the . Five days later, he tossed a four-hit shutout of the . In the outing immediately before his nine- showcase against the Cleveland Indians on Monday, Feldman failed to make it out of the third against the Chicago Cubs.

The difference between the Cubs outing and the Indians one is easy to see when looking at Feldman’s pitch usage. Against Chicago, he threw his cutter 63 percent of the time, including 74 percent of the time with two strikes. Facing Cleveland, he used the cutter only 37 percent of the time, and favored the with two strikes.

“I think his success last night and some other games are when he’s unpredictable,” pitching coach Mack Jenkins said. “That’s what most pitchers are. I think he just got in some patterns where he pitched every left-handed batter the same, and last night I think he confused some guys.”

The 34-year-old Feldman long has been known as a sinkerballer capable of getting a bevy of outs on the ground. But he may be capable of quite more than that. He still generates an average exit velocity of 83.1 mph, lowest of any major-league starter with at least 100 balls in play. But has also been striking out batters at a higher rate.

After fanning nine Indians on Monday – including the first five he faced – Feldman is striking out 20 percent of his batters, a significant jump from his career rate of 14.7 percent. More than 38 percent of his strikeouts end without a swing, the eighth-highest ratio in the majors.

Feldman isn’t ready to predict whether his strikeout numbers will hold for a full season, but it’s an encouraging sign of a veteran pitcher who still could be evolving.

“I’ve always been a guy who just tried to get quick outs and get groundballs,” Feldman said. “I still love having quick innings, just three quick and easy groundballs. It is nice to be able to get a strikeout when you need it, so hopefully I can do that.”

Key to Feldman’s success have been his curveball and change-up. The latter is a pitch he’s toyed with forever, but only this spring was able to throw with any confidence. Despite that, he’s thrown it only four percent of the time this season. Yet, when Jenkins visited Feldman on the mound Monday with the Reds in need of a groundball, he told Feldman to throw a first-pitch change-up. It immediately resulted in a double play.

The curve is a pitch that Feldman’s used forever, and with about the same frequency. It ranks well in advanced metrics like spin rate, which generally coincides with a good break and movement. The key was for Jenkins to convince Feldman to trust it in a bind.

“He got in a rut where his most effective pitch has been that curveball, and it’s the pitch that he used the least,” Jenkins said. “It made little sense. I think we got him back emphasizing what he does best and utilizing all of his weapons.”

Despite the peaks and valleys of his season so far, Feldman is confident his numbers will wind up in the territory they always have. Since the start of the 2013 season, he has a 3.84 ERA as a starter in more than 500 innings.

The Reds would just like to make it a smoother, more predictable ride along the way. And that makes making it less predictable for hitters.

“I think he’s capable of going six-plus innings every time,” Jenkins said. “We’re cognizant of the fact that he didn’t start all year last year, and we look for signs of fatigue. But with the repertoire he has and the knowledge, getting six-plus innings a start is what we’re looking for.”

Reds celebrate anniversary of first MLB night game Dave Clark , [email protected] Published 3:44 p.m. ET May 24, 2017 | Updated 18 hours ago

On this date 82 years ago, the first Major League Baseball game to be played at night took place at Cincinnati's , with the Reds defeating the , 2-1.

Starting pitcher Paul Derringer earned the win for the Reds, scattering six hits through nine innings. Phillies starter Joe Bowman allowed four hits in seven innings.

The Cincinnati Enquirer's James Golden described the game as follows: "The great batteries of lights never seemed to bother either the spectators or the boys on the field. Big and bright as they were, one could look directly into them without winking an eye."

More from Golden's story, published on May 25, 1935:

The bands played, President Roosevelt turned on the lights, everybody said "Oh!" in a highly pleased way, Chlozza busted a fast one out towards Cassiopeia's Chair – and 20,422 fans got fandom's first introduction to night baseball in the big leagues.

Whether Cassiopeia was leaning down from her constellation to watch the Redlegs and the Phillies wasn't known, nor was it known whether she could have seen through the light clouds that commenced to drift across from over left field at about the end of the second inning, seeming to stay at about the height of the encircling lights and never dropping below them.

All that the fans cared about was that the visibility was plenty good from the stands and the bleachers, that the field showed up in a more uniform light, green and tan than it does in daytime. It was as brilliant with the trim little white figures running about it, as a new baseball game board in the window of the corner drugstore.

What clouds there were were so thin that the ball, when it flew high, shone through them like a bald head in a steam room. And when there was no mist, the sphere stood out against the sky like a pearl against dark velvet.

WCPO - Channel 9 Billy Hamilton beats double play throw, then scores winning run from first on single to left Associated Press 9:35 AM, May 25, 2017 31 mins ago

CLEVELAND - Billy Hamilton saw the ball skip away from Michael Brantley in left field, and after that, there was no stopping baseball’s fastest player.

Hamilton scored from first base on Zack Cozart’s two-run single with two outs in the ninth inning to lift the Reds over the Indians, 4-3, Wednesday.

SEE Billy run, beat Indians

Hamilton reached after narrowly beating out an apparent game-ending double play — he was ruled safe after a replay review, putting runners at first and third for Cozart.

With Hamilton running on the pitch, Cozart hit a sinking liner to left. Brantley came up just short on a diving catch attempt, and the ball rolled a couple feet away — plenty of time for Hamilton to follow pinch runner Arismendy Alcantara across home for the lead.

“Not many other guys are going to beat that ball out or score that run, but that’s Billy Hamilton,” Reds manager Bryan Price said.

Cozart gave all the credit to Hamilton.

“When I saw where Billy was, I knew they weren’t going to get him at home,” he said.

Indians closer Cody Allen (0-2) blew his first save since Aug. 17 and also credited Hamilton’s speed for affecting the game. The right-hander had recorded 22 consecutive saves.

“Up until we saw it, we thought he was out, but a guy like that is going to make any play close,” Allen said of the overturned call. “They got the call right. He was safe.”

Michael Lorenzen (3-0) pitched the eighth, and Raisel Iglesias retired Brantley with two on in the ninth for his eighth save.

The game was delayed by rain in the top of the sixth inning for 2 hours and 1 minute.

Iglesias retired the first two hitters in the ninth. Jason Kipnis walked and took third on Francisco Lindor’s single, but Brantley grounded out to second.

Carlos Santana drove in all three Cleveland runs. He hit a two-run homer in the third and broke a 2-all tie with an RBI double in the fifth.

Adam Duvall hit a two-run homer in the fourth for the Reds, who have taken two of three from their in-state rivals in their annual series.

Reds starter Lisalverto Bonilla allowed three runs in five innings

Cleveland starter Trevor Bauer gave up two runs in 5 1/3 innings. He was removed after retiring the first batter in the sixth. As reliever Boone Logan entered the game, the umpires called for the tarp.

Andrew Miller replaced Logan following the lengthy delay. Logan was credited with an appearance despite not throwing a pitch.

Indians right fielder Lonnie Chisenhall was scratched from Wednesday’s lineup and is being evaluated for a possible head injury. He was tagged out sliding headfirst at home plate Sunday against Houston.

False start

After it appeared Hamilton had hit into the double play in the ninth, the fireworks at Progressive Field went off in celebration. The mood quieted quickly as replays clearly showed that Hamilton was safe and Allen threw warm-up pitches from the mound. The call was finally overturned after a delay of nearly three minutes.

“We made the call immediately,” Price said. “We had nothing to lose on the challenge, so we just wanted to turn it over to the umps. We thought it was pretty clear on the replay.”

No excuses

Allen didn’t blame the lengthy delay during the review for the loss.

“I was ready,” he said. “I’m not going to say Zack Cozart got a base hit because of that. He hit a pretty good pitch.”

Trainers room

Reds - RHP Homer Bailey (right elbow surgery), who has been on the 60-day disabled list all season, pitched one inning in an extended spring training game Wednesday.

Indians - RHP Corey Kluber (strained lower back), who has been on the 10-day DL since May 3, will make a minor league rehab start at Triple-A Columbus on Thursday.

Up next

Reds - RHP Tim Adleman allowed a career-high six runs over 4 2/3 innings in his last start against Colorado on May 20.

Indians - RHP Mike Clevinger made his longest start in the majors on May 20 at Houston, tossing seven scoreless innings while striking out a career-high eight. TRANSACTIONS 05/25/17 Philadelphia Phillies optioned Adam Morgan to Lehigh Valley IronPigs. optioned LF Dwight Smith Jr. to Buffalo Bisons.

05/24/17 Washington Nationals placed LF Chris Heisey on the 10-day disabled list. Right bicep rupture sent C Hector Sanchez on a rehab assignment to El Paso Chihuahuas. recalled RHP Ryan Garton from . Tampa Bay Rays placed RHP Diego Moreno on the 10-day disabled list retroactive to May 22, 2017. Right shoulder bursitis. optioned CF Andrew Aplin to . activated C Travis d'Arnaud from the 10-day disabled list. New York Mets placed LHP Tommy Milone on the 10-day disabled list retroactive to May 22, 2017. Left knee sprain. sent LHP Adam Liberatore on a rehab assignment to . Lane Adams changed number to --. sent RHP Huston Street on a rehab assignment to . Los Angeles Angels sent RHP Mike Morin on a rehab assignment to Salt Lake Bees. Los Angeles Angels recalled RHP Brooks Pounders from Salt Lake Bees. Los Angeles Angels placed RHP Alex Meyer on the 10-day disabled list. Back spasms. claimed SS Luis Sardinas off waivers from San Diego Padres. Seattle Mariners optioned RHP Emilio Pagan to Tacoma Rainiers. Seattle Mariners recalled RHP Rob Whalen from Tacoma Rainiers. placed RHP Nate Karns on the 10-day disabled list. Right extensor strain. Kansas City Royals activated LF Alex Gordon from the paternity list. selected the contract of RHP Zach Neal from Nashville Sounds. Oakland Athletics placed RHP Bobby Wahl on the 10-day disabled list. Strained right shoulder. Philadelphia Phillies sent OF Howie Kendrick on a rehab assignment to Lehigh Valley IronPigs. Houston Astros traded CF Andrew Aplin to Seattle Mariners for Player To Be Named Later. Seattle Mariners designated RHP Chris Heston for assignment. Toronto Blue Jays placed CF Anthony Alford on the 10-day disabled list. Left hamate fracture. Toronto Blue Jays recalled LF Dwight Smith Jr. from Buffalo Bisons. Washington Nationals recalled Brian Goodwin from Syracuse Chiefs.