Reds Stat of the Day: August 2021

MLB.com is keeping track of a Stat of the Day for the Reds this season, highlighting a unique, interesting or fun nugget from each game.

• Reds Stat of the Day: July 2021

Aug. 30: Cardinals 3, Reds 1 -- Farmer breaks out of funk
Kyle Farmer collected both of the Reds' hits in the loss. His leadoff homer off Jon Lester in the second inning snapped an 0-for-14 slump. Farmer came into the night in a 2-for-23 skid. His longest hitless skid of the season, and his career, was when he went 0-for-16 from May 26-30.

Aug. 29: Marlins 2, Reds 1 -- The ol' 5-4-1 double play!
It wasn't so much that the Reds turned a double play in the 5th inning, it was how they turned it that put them into the franchise history books. Eugenio Suárez fielded a bunt attempt and fired to second baseman Jonathan India, who was covering first base, for the first out. Then, alertly, pitcher Tyler Mahle scampered over to cover third, tagging out an overly aggressive Magneuris Sierra. Ultimately, Cincinnati recorded its first 5-4-1 double play in the expansion era (since 1961). It also marked the first time that any club in the Majors had turned such a DP since the Nationals did so on April 23, 2013, against the Cardinals.

Aug. 28: Marlins 6, Reds 1 -- Naquin sets mark
With Saturday's start, Tyler Naquin set a career-high with 117 appearances, surpassing the 116 games he appeared in during his rookie season of 2016 with Cleveland.

Aug. 27: Reds 6, Marlins 0 -- Reds keep reeling in Marlins
Following the victory, the Reds are 11-1 vs. Miami dating back to 2019.

Aug. 26: Reds 5, Brewers 1 -- India's HR extends club record
Jonathan India slugged a three-run homer in the fifth inning. It was the 32nd homer overall from the leadoff spot in the order, which extended the single-season club record. The record was previously 28, set in 1987.

Aug. 25: Brewers 4, Reds 1 -- A season high in K's
The Reds tied a season high by striking out 16 times vs. the Brewers, including 10 by starting pitcher Brandon Woodruff. Brad Boxberger had two strikeouts, Devin Williams had one and Jake Cousins had three. The Reds' other 16-strikeout game came against Cleveland on April 18, including 13 by starter Shane Bieber.

Aug. 24: Brewers 7, Reds 4 -- Tough luck strikes Mahle again
Tyler Mahle allowed one run and five hits over 5 2/3 innings and left with a 4-1 lead. It was the ninth time this season that Mahle started a game that included at least one blown save. That leads the Major Leagues.

Aug. 22: Reds 3, Marlins 1 -- Moose is loose
With his solo homer that broke a 1-1 tie in the fifth inning, Mike Moustakas snapped a career-long 0-for-26 slump. It was tied with Eugenio Suárez for the longest hitless streak by a Reds player in 2021.

Aug. 21: Reds 7, Marlins 4 -- Votto ties Larkin
When he drew an intentional walk in the sixth inning, Joey Votto reached base via a hit, walk or hit-by-pitch for the 3,334th time in his career. That moved Votto into a tie with Barry Larkin for second on the club's all-time list. Pete Rose is the all-time leader with 4,654 hits, walks or HBPs for the franchise.

Aug. 20: Reds 5, Marlins 3 -- Barnhart's streak ends
With a catcher's interference call against him with two outs in the sixth inning -- automatically ruled as an error -- Tucker Barnhart's franchise record for catchers of 161 straight games without an error came to an end.

Aug. 19: Reds 6, Marlins 1 -- Votto ties Johnny Bench
With his team-leading 27th homer of the season -- a three-run drive to right field in the fourth inning -- Joey Votto notched career run No. 1,091. That moved him into a tie for third in franchise history in runs scored with Hall of Famer Johnny Bench.

Aug. 18: Cubs 7, Reds 1 -- New career high for Naquin
With his second-inning solo drive to center field, Tyler Naquin set a new career high for a season with his 15th homer. Naquin also extended his hitting streak to a season-high eight games -- which includes five multi-hit contests. He is batting .419 (13-for-31) during the streak.

Aug. 17: Cubs 2, Reds 1 -- Dynamic duo yet to make an error
Reds catchers Tucker Barnhart and Tyler Stephenson have combined for 1,079 2/3 innings caught this season without making an error. The rookie Stephenson caught all nine innings for Cincinnati on Tuesday. Barnhart and Stephenson rank first and second, respectively, in the Major Leagues for fielding percentage.

Aug. 16: Reds 14, Cubs 5 -- 3rd milestone puts Votto in elite group
With his second hit during a three-hit game, Joey Votto reached career hit No. 2,000. Votto has now achieved three major milestones this season. On April 30 -- also vs. the Cubs -- he hit his 300th home run. (He now has 321.) On June 30 vs. the Padres, he notched RBI No. 1,000. According to the Elias Sports Bureau, Votto is the second AL/NL player to record his 2,000th hit, 300th home run and 1,000th RBI in the same season. Cubs great Billy Williams also did it in 1971.

Aug. 15: Reds 7, Phillies 4 -- Coming through in a pinch
Tyler Stephenson clubbed a two-run pinch-hit homer in the eighth inning -- his third straight game with a home run -- to provide a pair of crucial insurance runs. Stephenson has accounted for all three of Cincinnati's pinch-hit home runs this season. He has four extra-base hits (three homers and a double) in 30 plate appearances as a pinch-hitter this season, matching the total of all other Reds pinch-hitters combined in 153 at-bats. That group is just 25-for-153 (.163) with four extra-base hits (all doubles).

Aug. 14: Phillies 6, Reds 1 -- Castillo hits 101
Luis Castillo struck out J.T. Realmuto on a 100.7 mph sinker -- the fastest pitch of his career -- in the first inning, then matched that speed in the second on a pitch to Brad Miller that was fouled off. Prior to those two pitches, Castillo had never registered a pitch faster than 100.3 mph. Overall, Castillo's sinker averaged 98.6 mph against the Phillies, tied for his fastest in any of his 115 career starts.

"I looked at the scoreboard and I saw 101 [mph]," Castillo said via interpreter Jorge Merlos. "I was like, ‘Dang, I’ve got potential today.’"

Aug. 13: Reds 6, Phillies 1 -- Mahle for Cy Young ... on road
Tyler Mahle outdueled NL Cy Young Award favorite Zack Wheeler en route to turning in yet another road gem. The Reds right-hander tossed seven scoreless innings to lower his road ERA to 1.86 in 13 starts this season. That's the second-best road ERA among all pitchers with at least 10 starts away from home, trailing only San Francisco's Kevin Gausman (1.55). Mahle, meanwhile, has a 5.74 ERA in 11 home outings.

Aug. 12: Reds 12, Braves 3 -- Reds hit for HR cycle
Jesse Winker came a triple short of hitting for the cycle against the Braves, but the Reds' lineup still managed to hit for a "home run cycle." Winker hit a grand slam in the second inning, followed by a three-run shot by Tyler Naquin and a solo homer by Jonathan India in the third. In the sixth, Kyle Farmer completed the home run cycle with a two-run dinger. It's the first HR cycle for Cincinnati since April 5, 2013, and the first time doing it on the road since 1987, also in Atlanta.

Aug. 11: Braves 8, Reds 6 (11 innings) -- Votto keeps rolling
It's said that the All-Star break is meant to give players extended time to recuperate for the second half of the season. If what Joey Votto has done since the break is any indication, that idea is certainly correct. Votto now has 14 home runs in 24 games since the break, and his 25 homers on the year puts him in a three-way tie for second place in the National League. Before the break, Votto was tied for 43rd in the NL with 11.

Aug. 10: Braves 3, Reds 2 -- Gray rings 'em up
To end his final frame, Reds starter Sonny Gray retired first baseman Freddie Freeman on a called strike three on an inside sinker. Of Gray's eight strikeouts in the series opener, that was the fifth time he caught the opposing hitter looking. It was also Gray's third start of the season with five or more called strikeouts, tying White Sox right-hander Dylan Cease for the most in the Majors.

Aug. 9: Indians 9, Reds 3 -- Castillo falters
Though Luis Castillo had entered Monday on a roll, he lasted just 3 1/3 innings against Cleveland and gave up eight earned runs for the third time in 2021. Per Baseball Reference, the outing marked just the seventh time in the Modern Era that a Reds pitcher had at least three starts in which he allowed eight runs or more in a single season. Bill Phillips did it six times in 1901, and Eppa Rixey (1922), Benny Frey (1930, 1935), Eric Milton (2005) and Homer Bailey (2017) all had seasons in which they did it three times.

Aug. 8: Reds 3, Pirates 2 -- Bell back to .500
With the victory on Sunday, the Reds improved to a season-high 10 games over .500 at 61-51. For manager David Bell, his career managerial record for Cincinnati reached .500 at 167-167. It's the first time Bell has been at .500 since the club had a 1-1 record two games into the 2019 season -- his first on the job.

Aug. 7: Reds 11, Pirates 3 -- Gutierrez on a roll
In the last two games, Reds starters have allowed one run in 13 innings. On Saturday, Vladimir Gutierrez provided his third consecutive quality start and his fifth in his last six games. Over his last three starts, Gutierrez has a 1.86 ERA.

Aug. 6: Reds 10, Pirates 0 -- Seven-run outburst
The Reds scored seven runs in the bottom of the first inning to take a 7-0 lead. It was their most first-inning runs since they scored seven on Sept. 24, 2004, also against the Pirates at Pittsburgh.

Aug. 5: Reds 7, Pirates 4 -- Givens sets club record
With a scoreless top of the ninth inning, Mychal Givens became the 10th reliever to record a save for the Reds in 2021. That sets a franchise record. Cincinnati's team leader in saves this season is Heath Hembree with eight. There have been 23 instances of double-digit pitchers with saves in a season. According to the Elias Sports Bureau, the record is 12 -- the 1973 Rangers and 2020 Rays.

Aug. 4: Reds 6, Twins 5 -- Rookie continues to impress
With three hits in Wednesday's win, rookie Jonathan India notched his 25th multi-hit game of the season. Some of the most recent Reds rookies to have 25 or more multi-hit games were Nick Senzel (28), Jesse Winker (33), Billy Hamilton (39), Zack Cozart (39) and Todd Frazier (27).

Aug. 3: Twins 7, Reds 5 -- Mahle can't catch a break
Reds starter Tyler Mahle has now missed out on a win six times as the victim of a blown save. In two other starts, he did not qualify for a win but the bullpen blew at least one save in those games. Add it up and the Reds' bullpen has blown eight saves in games that Mahle has started, which leads all Major League pitchers.

Aug. 1: Reds 7, Mets 1 -- Schrock stars
In a 5-for-5 day while filling in for Joey Votto, Max Schrock became the first Reds first baseman with five hits in a game since Sean Casey did it on May 18, 2005, also on the road against the Mets. Votto’s career high is four hits, which he has done many times.