The manager of the Reds, David Bell, tends to avoid discussing team meetings or even acknowledging their occurrence. This was the situation before Cincinnati began a four-game series against the Brewers on Monday.
Bell stated, “We do that from time to time. It was more of just a conversation.”
The essence of that discussion was this: the Reds had a poor record of 3-10 against the Brewers last season, and Milwaukee won the National League Central division at Cincinnati’s expense. The aim was to prevent a repeat of that scenario.
“Before that game, DB said, ‘Let’s just set the tone and let them know who we are right away,'” explained outfielder Will Benson. “We came out in the game and did that. Me personally, I love playing the Brewers because of that little chip. So it’s obviously good we came out and did that today.”
Benson smashed a solo home run in the second inning, contributing to the Reds’ 8-0 lead after four innings. Although they had to fend off the Brewers in the late innings for a 10-8 win, with Elly De La Cruz hitting two home runs (including an inside-the-parker), the crucial point was that they emerged victorious.
“I was really happy with the way we came out,” remarked Bell. “We played our style of baseball, really. It’s pretty simple.”
Was this a message to Milwaukee?
“It’s certainly nothing personal,” clarified Bell. “It’s absolute respect for all the teams we play and definitely the Brewers are at the top of that list.”
Reliever Fernando Cruz found motivation in Bell’s discussion as he pitched a perfect eighth inning with two strikeouts.
“You want to beat the guys that gave you a hard time last year. They’re the reason we did not make it to the postseason. We won three games against them,” Cruz expressed. “It’s a matter of him being behind us every time in every situation. It’s the most important thing for me, personally. It doesn’t matter who we’re playing, he’s behind me.”
Despite the Reds falling to the Brewers 9-5 on Tuesday, two games remain in this series, with 11 left in the season series.