A leaping catch, happy tears, and a win: How TJ Friedl saved the Reds
Associated Press
CINCINNATI (AP) — In what has been a frustrating first season with the Cincinnati Reds, manager Terry Francona was able to shed some happy tears Tuesday night courtesy of a game-saving catch.
TJ Friedl made a leaping grab in center field for the final out to rob pinch-hitter Jake Bauers of a tying home run in the Reds' 4-2 victory over the Milwaukee Brewers.
'We couldn't tell if Friedl caught it. We were just kinda goin' on his body language,' Francona said. 'That was certainly a nice feeling. You may have seen a grown man cry.'
The Reds appeared to lock up the win when Caleb Durbin hit a grounder to Elly De La Cruz, but the shortstop's throw to first base was high and sailed into the camera well for an error, allowing Durbin to reach second base.
Bauers got ahead in the count 2-1 before he got the barrel on a fastball by Emilio Pagan. According to MLB's Statcast, the ball had a 95% hit probability, but Friedl did a nice job of tracking it and timed his jump perfectly to help the Reds snap a three-game losing streak.
'I knew it was hit well off the bat. I think it was probably when I was coming close to the warning track that I thought, I could have a chance at this,' Friedl said.
Milwaukee manager Pat Murphy brought in Bauers because of his experience in late-game situations. It almost resulted in the third pinch-hit homer of his career.
'It's hard to get it out of here in center when it gets later in the evening. It was such a line drive I knew it was going to be close,' Murphy said after the Brewers had their eight-game winning streak snapped. 'It was a great play by Friedl. You play to the last pitch and he made it.'
It was the second time in three years Friedl made a homer-saving catch in center at Great American Ball Park. The previous time came against the club Francona managed for 11 seasons, when Friedl robbed Cleveland's Ramón Laureano of a two-run shot during the third inning on Aug. 16, 2023.
Friedl and the other Reds outfielders worked on making plays at the wall before Monday's series opener against Milwaukee. When he robbed Laureano, they practiced it before that game, too.
'Maybe we should work on it a lot,' Friedl said.
Francona wasn't the only one relieved. Pagán thought he made a great pitch to Bauers.
'I didn't realize he hit it so well. I turned around and saw that TJ was making a sprint. The way this game works, you prepare and do the right things,' Pagán said.
The win improved the Reds' record to 30-32 with a chance to snap a string of 11 consecutive series losses to the Brewers. Cincinnati is nine games behind the first-place Chicago Cubs in the NL Central and four back in the wild-card race.
Whether Friedl's heroics can serve as a catalyst for a win streak remains to be seen.
'Your guess is as good as mine. We're just going to continue to go out every day and control what we can control and play our game. And then we'll see what ends up,' Friedl said. 'It's a long season, so we're going to continue to go out there and play the best baseball.'
___
AP MLB: https://apnews.com/hub/mlb
recommended
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Newsweek
2 hours ago
- Newsweek
Cubs Offense Could Get Better With Addition of This Outfielder
Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources. Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content. The Chicago Cubs are off to their best start since 2016, a year Cubs fans remember so well. Chicago has one of the best lineups in MLB and that lineup is a huge reason it was the first National League team to reach 40 wins. There are weak spots for the Cubs, one of which is their bench. The duo of Jon Berti and Vidal Brujan have combined for just four at-bats since May 20, meaning neither of those two players have done much for Chicago over the last two weeks. It is safe to assume Chicago will upgrade its bench prior to the trade deadline and one option to upgrade it would be current Chicago White Sox outfielder and former Cub Mike Tauchman. CHICAGO, ILLINOIS - JUNE 05: Mike Tauchman #18 of the Chicago White Sox looks on against the Detroit Tigers at Rate Field on June 05, 2025 in Chicago, Illinois. CHICAGO, ILLINOIS - JUNE 05: Mike Tauchman #18 of the Chicago White Sox looks on against the Detroit Tigers at Rate Field on June 05, 2025 in Chicago, spent the first five seasons of his career with the Colorado Rockies, New York Yankees and San Francisco Giants. He spent the last two seasons with the Cubs and instantly became a fan favorite due to his heroics in the summer months of the season. The last two summers on the northside of Chicago were often referred to as the "Summer of Tauchman" and that magic would certainly be welcome back. Sights and sounds of an (early) summer of Mike Tauchman 😌#YouHaveToSeeIt | — Chicago Cubs (@Cubs) April 24, 2024 He is batting .297 with three home runs and a .957 OPS in 19 games and 67 at-bats so far this season. Those numbers are well above his .250 average and .732 OPS in his two seasons with the Cubs. Tauchman could provide much more depth than Brujan has given Chicago, and his familiarity with the players and the organization could make him a critical player not only on the field, but in the locker room as well. A trade for the former Cub could be exactly what the franchise needs to secure its first NL Central title and playoff appearance since the COVID-shortened 2020 season. More MLB: Three Players Diamondbacks Could Trade if Struggles Continue
Washington Post
3 hours ago
- Washington Post
Brewers' Brandon Woodruff remains upbeat as he deals with one more obstacle in his comeback
MILWAUKEE — Milwaukee Brewers right-hander Brandon Woodruff is putting the best possible spin on the latest setback in his attempted comeback. Woodruff was on the verge of pitching in the majors for the first time since September 2023 when he was struck in the throwing elbow by a line drive with a 108-mph exit velocity during a rehabilitation appearance Tuesday for Triple-A Nashville. That left the two-time All-Star with a bruised elbow that will delay his return once more.
Yahoo
3 hours ago
- Yahoo
Brewers' Brandon Woodruff remains upbeat as he deals with one more obstacle in his comeback
FILE - Milwaukee Brewers' Brandon Woodruff looks on during the eighth inning of a baseball game against the Kansas City Royals, April 1, 2025, in Milwaukee. (AP Photo/Aaron Gash, File) MILWAUKEE (AP) — Milwaukee Brewers right-hander Brandon Woodruff is putting the best possible spin on the latest setback in his attempted comeback. Woodruff was on the verge of pitching in the majors for the first time since September 2023 when he was struck in the throwing elbow by a line drive with a 108-mph exit velocity during a rehabilitation appearance Tuesday for Triple-A Nashville. That left the two-time All-Star with a bruised elbow that will delay his return once more. Advertisement 'That's life, you know?' Woodruff said Saturday before the Brewers' game against the San Diego Padres. "I could have been walking down the street and broke my ankle walking off the sidewalk or something. It's about putting everything in perspective. I was lucky that I got away with what I got away with.' Woodruff, who missed the entire 2024 season with a shoulder injury, isn't putting a timeline on when he could return from this latest issue. He noted that he's waiting for the swelling to go down before he begins throwing again. Brewers manager Pat Murphy mentioned the possibility that Woodruff could start throwing again early next week and could have a bullpen session by at least June 17. The next step after that likely would involve throwing live batting practice and one more rehabilitation assignment. 'The one thing we don't want, for himself and for us both, we don't want this to turn into where we're rushing him back in any way, shape or form, right?' Murphy said. Advertisement Woodruff, 32, is grateful that testing revealed only had a bruise. He realizes it could have been a much more serious injury. 'It hit me in a spot where it didn't cause any damage,' Woodruff said 'I didn't know that in the moment. My biggest fear was that it was going to be broken and likely cost me the rest of the season.' Woodruff underwent surgery to repair the anterior capsule in his throwing shoulder after the 2023 season, an issue that caused him to miss the Brewers' 2023 NL Wild Card Series loss to the Arizona Diamondbacks. He hoped to return early in the 2025 season. It hasn't worked out that way. Advertisement On two occasions, Woodruff has sustained an unrelated injury while pitching in what he believed would be his final rehabilitation appearance before pitching in the majors again. He dealt with tendinitis in his right ankle last month. Now he faces the elbow issue. 'It sucked in the moment because I'd gotten to essentially the finish line the last two times and something has popped up,' Woodruff said. 'Stay positive. I look at it like my luck will turn around eventually, but man, that's baseball. Things can happen like that. Take it for what it is and just show up the next day and keep going.' Woodruff owns a 3-1 record with a 2.11 ERA in nine minor league appearances, but a guy whose fastball velocity has exceeded 95 mph throughout his major league career hasn't approached that level in his most recent outings. He also has 34 strikeouts over 38 1/3 innings in the minors this year. Woodruff has 788 strikeouts over 680 1/3 innings during his 130 career appearances with Milwaukee. Advertisement 'The last couple outings, what we saw, obviously, he's holding back a little bit,' Murphy said. 'He had an ankle situation the last couple outings. We saw the stuff isn't 'old Woody' and I mean, yet. So, we'll deal with that when he comes here, but his stuff will tick up once he gets here.' Woodruff acknowledges his velocity has gone down a bit as he works his way back, but he believes that will change once he's off the injured list and back in a Brewers uniform. 'Once you get here, it's a different animal,' Woodruff said. 'The adrenaline's pumping a lot more, so I'm expecting a little bit of a jump there.' Woodruff isn't the only notable player the Brewers are hoping to get back. Murphy said Saturday that outfielders Garrett Mitchell and Blake Perkins could begin playing games later this month, first in Arizona and later in Nashville, with the hope that they could get activated before the All-Star break. Advertisement Perkins still hasn't played this season after fracturing his right shin in batting practice early in spring training. Mitchell is dealing with a left oblique injury and last played on April 25. ___ AP MLB:
