ST. LOUIS — Jonathan India hasn’t hesitated to step in, especially with some of the Reds’ key hitters out, and he’s also racking up doubles at an incredible pace.
India hit two more doubles in the Reds’ 9-4 win over the Cardinals on Saturday at Busch Stadium, not only extending his hitting streak to 11 games but also setting a new franchise record with seven consecutive games with a double.
“Wow. This is pretty cool, right?” India said. “This is a cool record. I don’t know what else to say. I’m feeling good right now.”
“Awesome. He’s awesome,” said catcher Austin Wiens, who hit three doubles in his Reds debut.
Six games have passed since TJ Friedl was placed on the disabled list with a right hamstring injury. India has returned to his original role as leadoff hitter in place of Friedl and is batting .591 (13-for-22) with a 1.667 OPS, nine doubles, four walks and one hit by pitch.
In the third inning, India’s double to left field brought Wins home to score the first run, and then India scored on an RBI double by Ellie de la Cruz to give the Reds a 2-0 lead.
“I wouldn’t change anything,” India said. “Whenever guys go down I think, ‘Now, we’ve got to get back up.’ I’m the same person every day: I go out there, I prepare and I help the team win.”
In the seventh inning, against Cardinals relief pitcher Gordon Gracefo, who was making his MLB debut, India hit a timely double to left field with two outs to give the Winds their second run of the game.
“I’ll have nightmares about the double he hit against me,” Graceffo said.
The last player to hit a double in seven consecutive major league games was Bo Bichette, who hit a double in nine straight games with Toronto in 2019.
This would mean a lot, as the Reds came one step closer to their first series win in six tries, winning the first game in four of those attempts before losing the remaining games and the series.
Saturday’s win came over former Red Sox and Cardinals ace Sonny Gray, who entered the game with a 9-4 record and a 2.81 ERA. Gray gave up six runs (three earned) in 4 1/3 innings in his shortest outing of the season.
A misplay by perennial Gold Glove third baseman Nolan Arenado sparked the Reds’ six-run fifth inning, sending 10 batters to the plate.
In the top of the fifth inning, De La Cruz tripled to right field with the score at 2-1. With a runner on second against Gray, Jake Fraley threw 10 pitches and was hit by a pitch to load the bases.
Cincinnati got an opportunity when Arenado missed a grounder by Noelvi Marte and scored on a late throw. That ended Gray’s day, and with two outs, Stuart Fairchild hit a two-run single to left field, and Will Benson’s two-run single and Winds’ RBI double to left field added another run past Arenado.
“Sonny Gray on paper, hey? That guy’s a star. We had a good day,” Winds said. “We gave it our all and we got the win, so I’m really happy. We needed to win. It’s a big series and it’s not an easy team. They’re a really good team.”
Meanwhile, rookie Carson Spiers maximized his chances of being in the rotation with six quality innings, allowing two runs (one earned) on three hits, one walk and four strikeouts. The only blemish was a two-out solo home run by Paul Goldschmidt in the sixth inning.
“He went out there and made good pitches and mixed it up well. [we played] “It was good defense,” Winds said. “Goldschmidt got it, and I was like, ‘OK, we were great today.'”
Could this finally be the start of a real momentum for the 39-44 Reds as they look to prove they can compete in the National League playoffs?
India, frustrated by recent violent confrontations, maintained a cautious stance.
“We dominated the match and then we fell back. Let’s see what happens tomorrow,” India said. “We are in a good position, our attack is going well. I don’t know what the reason is but we have to win tomorrow.”
