The Cincinnati Reds clobbered the Washington Nationals 15-0 Friday night to take home their third win of the young MLB season.
The Reds sent right-hander Homer Bailey to the mound, while the Nationals starter Dan Haren made his team debut.
The Reds spoiled Haren's debut and sent a major statement to the baseball world following their 2-1 series victory over the Angels with Friday's barn-burner over the Nats.
Offense
The offensive attack was a balanced one as 11 different Reds collected hits, including five multi-hit efforts.
Four different Reds hit home runs, including two, two-home-run games from Zack Cozart and Todd Frazier.
Shin-Soo Choo also contributed a home run, as did Xavier Paul, whose pinch-hit grand slam gave the team a 14-0 lead in the seventh inning.
The team totaled six home runs, one shy of their record while playing at Great American Ball Park.
The star of the Reds' offensive effort though was Frazier.
Frazier logged five at-bats Friday and contributed four hits—including two home runs—to go along with four RBI and three runs scored.
The impressive showing by Frazier raised his batting average to .471 on the season
The Nationals on the other hand, didn't have much of an offensive attack to speak of.
The Nats and only had four runners reach second base—none of which advanced beyond second.
The only true bright spot in a box score riddled with 0-for performances was Danny Espinosa, who was 2-for-4 with a double.
Pitching
Homer Bailey was on-point in his first start of the season.
The 26-year-old righty won his first game of the season behind a six-inning, six-strikeout effort.
Bailey allowed just two hits and three walks, and had it not been for numerous deep counts, he may have gone the distance.
The relief corps was also impressive. The duo of Manny Parra and J.J. Hoover combined for three innings, three hits, one strikeout and a walk.
The three Reds pitchers combined for the team's first shutout of the season.
Conversely, the Nationals suffered through a dismal performance by both their starter Dan Haren and the bullpen.
Haren allowed six earned runs in four innings pitched coming on nine hits—four home runs—and no walks.
Haren was relieved by Zack Duke, Henry Rodriguez and Ryan Mattheus, respectively.
The trio of relievers combined for four innings pitched and allowed nine runs—eight earned—on 10 hits and a walk.
Wrap-Up
The Reds turned this one into a laugher when they staked themselves out to a 14-0 lead by the end of the seventh inning.
The game was an important one for the Reds, though, who have now won three of their first four games in 2013.
The offense proved its worth tonight and showed that the Reds can play with any team in the league.
It's obviously very early, but wins like these over quality opponents like the Nationals can go a long way toward creating confidence in the clubhouse.
Tomorrow, the Reds send Mike Leake to the hill for his first start while the Nationals are slated to start Ross Detwiler (per Cincinnatireds.com).
Final Score: Reds-15, Nationals-0 W: Homer Bailey (1-0), L: Dan Haren (0-1)
All stats courtesy of ESPN.com.
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