Today in things we’d never thought we’d say: The Cincinnati Reds have elite pitching. At least at the top of the rotation, where Sonny Gray and Trevor Bauer have turned in the best seasons of their respective, and at times bumpy, careers. Last week, Gray broke a longstanding Reds record, when he recorded 45 strikeouts through his first five appearances of the season. To which Bauer, whose love of both Twitter and trash talk should be no secret to Loop readers, replied . . .
Then something interesting happened. The King of Beers got involved, throwing down the gauntlet for Bauer. The quest was simple: Record 14 Ks over your next two starts and break Gray’s freshly broken record, and we’ll slap “Cincinnati Buds” on our iconic Bud Heavy can.
Bauer, the kind of guy who goes sailing off the Cincinnati-Covington just because you told him not to jump off a bridge, took the challenge in stride. On August 19th, he lit up the Royals for 9 Ks. On August 24th, he rang up the Brewers for 8. For those of you keeping score at home, that’s 17 punch outs, bringing Bauer’s total through his first five games of the season to 49, a new Reds record.
Over to you Budweiser . . .
Unfortunately Reds fans won’t be able to crush these at the self-proclaimed Great American Ballpark™ this summer, but still, there’s no better beverage for washing down a giant plate of chili spaghetti than an ice cold Cincinnati Bud.
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