INSTANT REACTION: Nick Martinez Struggles, Reds Fall to Twins 12-5

After catching a series of breaks in the first two games against the Minnesota Twins, especially when it came to two-out runs, the breaks did not go the Reds way Thursday afternoon in a 12-5 loss in the series finale.

Reds right-hander Nick Martinez got the start and was quickly chased with seven earned runs allowed. The Reds' bullpen didn’t help matters much the rest of the way, allowing five more earned runs in 6 1/3 innings pitched.

The Reds made the score 7-4 in the third and 9-5 in the seventh, but they couldn’t draw any closer.

Cincinnati is now 39-36 on the season and still has a four-series winning streak.

Let’s look at the key takeaways from Thursday afternoon’s 12-5 loss to the Twins.

Nick Martinez gets roughed up

After giving up three home runs in Detroit last Friday, Martinez didn’t fare much better Thursday afternoon at Great American Ball Park.

For the second straight game, Twins center fielder and leadoff hitter Bryan Buxton started the game with a monstrous home run. While it wasn’t on the first pitch like Wednesday night’s was, it was a sign of things to come Thursday.

Just as he did Friday, Martinez allowed three home runs Thursday to the Twins. He was knocked out of the game in the top of the third inning, allowing seven earned runs on seven hits in just 2 2/3 innings.

Martinez had a stellar month of May. June, though, has been a completely different story. The Reds right-hander had just a 2.25 ERA in May. That’s up to 5.74 in June.

Twins take a page out of the Reds playbook

The Reds scored their first eight runs of the series with two outs. 

On Thursday, the Twins took a page out of the Reds playbook and scored ten of their 12 runs with two outs.

Three of those runs came in the top of the second inning, when the Twins flipped a 2-1 Reds lead into a 4-2 lead of their own with two two-out home runs.

Minnesota played add-on in the third by plating two more runs with two outs, and they also plated two more two-out runs in the fourth.

That rally in the fourth started with a walk, which came with bases empty and two outs. It’s those small-ball at-bats that can be haunting, and it sure was to Reds reliever Lyon Richardson in the fourth inning Thursday.

TJ Friedl continues to make a push for his first All-Star appearance.

The Reds leadoff hitter and center fielder had three hits and an RBI on Thursday, further validating his All-Star credentials.

Friedl’s average is now up to .295 on the season, and he went 5-12 with three RBIs in the three-game series against the Twins.

Elly De La Cruz concludes a hitless against Minnesota

It was not a good series for the Reds shortstop. Despite reaching base twice and scoring a run on Tuesday, De La Cruz finished the series 0-10 with three strikeouts.

This isn’t something to be too concerned about, but it was disappointing to see De La Cruz struggle at the plate over all three games against Minnesota.

Notes and observations

• The Reds went just 2-7 with runners in scoring position and left six runners on base.
• Minnesota went 3-11 with runners in scoring position and left 14 runners on base.

On deck

The Reds are back on the road again this weekend for a three-game series in St. Louis against the Cardinals.

Brady Singer (7-4, 4.34 ERA) will get the ball Friday night (7:15 E.T. on FanDuel Sports Network Cincinnati and 700WLW) and will be opposed by Cardinals right-hander Andre Pallante (4-3, 4.83 ERA)

Wade Miley (1-0, 6.75 ERA) and Andrew Abbott (6-1, 1.85 ERA) follow on Saturday and Sunday for the Reds, with both of those games starting at 2:15 E.T. on FanDuel Sports Network Cincinnati and 700WLW.