Nick Martinez pitched seven innings, giving up only two hits, while Ty France hit a double that drove in the only run, leading the Cincinnati Reds to a 1-0 victory over the Atlanta Braves on Monday night. This game was a rescheduled matchup from July due to rain.
With this loss, Atlanta fell behind the Mets for the last National League wild card spot. The Mets won their game 3-2 against Toronto.
Martinez (8-6) struck out five batters and didn’t allow a hit from the second inning through the seventh inning, retiring 17 batters in a row. This was the fourth time this season that he allowed only two hits in a game.
Reds manager David Bell praised Martinez for his performance, noting that he threw only one first-pitch ball, which is quite impressive.
Fernando Cruz struck out two batters in the eighth inning, and Alexis Díaz closed out the game with a perfect ninth inning, earning his 27th save in 30 chances, completing the two-hitter.
This game was rescheduled from July 23. The Reds had already won the first two games of that series on July 22 and 24.
A win would have put Atlanta a season-high 14 games over .500, but instead, they fell to 4-4 in September.
Manager Brian Snitker said the team needs to hope their key players get hot and that they need to keep working hard. With scoring troubles and strong pitching, there’s little room for mistakes. The team needs to focus on each game and aim to win.
Atlanta has a record of 16-22 in one-run games and 22-38 when the opponent scores first.
Charlie Morton (8-8) struck out seven batters in 6 2/3 innings, allowing one run and six hits.
Morton acknowledged that, given the timing in the season, games like this are particularly challenging.
Cincinnati scored their only run in the second inning when France’s double brought in TJ Friedl, who had been hit by a pitch.
