Cincinnati Reds vs. Washington Nationals (National League)

Great American Ballpark-Cincinnati, OH:  I love it that I have a summer birthday.  One perk is that it’s a good even split from presents at Christmas.  My sister has a birthday on December 29th.  It just seemed like Christmas presents simply flowed into birthday presents a few days later.  Another perk of a summer birthday is that I can enjoy it at a ballgame.   This year the Cincinnati Reds were nice enough to host a day game in celebration, so Brian and I made the short journey to enjoy some Major League Baseball.  As usual, we parked over in Newport, KY, and took the boat across the Ohio River to the Great American Ballpark.

It was a super hot day out, but Brian still wanted to play on the kids’ field for a bit.  Good gravy, the game hasn’t even started yet and this kid looks so hot and disheveled…

Our seats were amazing, even in the upper deck.  We had front row and had a phenomenal view of the game taking place before us, sitting behind home plate.  Unfortunately, as northern boys, the sun and heat were not making it comfortable for us, so we had to move down under some shade.   At least we had a solid look at Eugenio Suarez’s home run in the second inning.  And that was pretty much all the offense the Reds could muster.

Here’s a hit by Scooter!

If Tucker Barnhart is looking at me for a sign on what to throw to Bryce Harper, I have no clue. That guy can hit just about anything…

The game itself wasn’t a great one for the Reds.  Scott Feldman started out on the mound, but only lasted one inning.  He gave up five runs on five hits, including two home runs.  One was a three-run blast by Harper.  Well, he’s now on the DL…  Asher Wojciechowski  (who was just on Louisville last month) came in to throw five solid innings, giving up one run on two hits, while striking out four.  And again, the only offense for the Reds was Suarez’s home run. FINAL:  Reds 1, Nationals 6.

Despite the score and the heat, this was a great birthday.  Lily and Trevor were up visiting Michigan, so I really missed them, but Brian and I had a good time. I definitely want to take in another game here before the season is over, but maybe in September, and maybe a night game so it’s cooler.  We’ll be back at the Bats this weekend, but I can’t believe the season is half-way over, and we only have a few more games planned…

Photos property of Minoring In Baseball