Severino sets tone as Yanks pile on vs. Reds

NEW YORK -- Luis Severino continued to establish himself as an ace, Didi Gregorius homered for the third straight game and Clint Frazier contributed a pair of run-scoring hits, leading the Yankees to a 9-5 victory over the Reds on Wednesday at Yankee Stadium.
Todd Frazier also slugged his first homer as a Yankee, helping New York log its sixth win in eight games. The Reds have lost 11 of 13 since the All-Star break and were stifled over seven innings by the All-Star Severino, who is earning plaudits as the Yanks' top starter.
 

"I take the mound every time thinking of going six, seven [innings]," Severino said. "That's my mindset. Every time they give me the ball, I'm trying to pitch a good game. I'm satisfied with the work I'm doing right now."
Severino seemed uncomfortable with the "ace" tag, saying that he would need to "keep doing this for five or six years" before being considered alongside the likes of Masahiro Tanaka and CC Sabathia. The 23-year-old logged his fourth consecutive quality start, limiting Cincinnati to three hits and two walks over a nine-strikeout performance.

"That's a term that's thrown around loosely these days, but for what that term is, yeah, he is [the ace]," Sabathia said. "He's been there every start, and that's something that we need. Every good team needs that guy that goes out there every fifth day and has a chance to win. He's been that for us."
A Gregorius error preceded a pair of unearned runs in the seventh, snapping Severino's streak of 17 scoreless innings.

"If there's a guy that I haven't seen before that really looks like an ace, it's that kid," Reds manager Bryan Price said. "That's a quick arm -- three pitches for strikes. He'll throw them all at any count. He throws them with command. That's a difference maker."
Clint Frazier notched the fourth multi-RBI game of his brief big league career with a pair of run-scoring singles off Reds starter Homer Bailey, who permitted seven runs (five earned) on 10 hits over six-plus innings while dropping his third straight start.
Adam Duvall trimmed the large deficit with a three-run homer off Luis Cessa in the eighth. It was Duvall's 21st homer of the season, but his first since July 6.
MOMENTS THAT MATTERED
Two out damage: The Yankees peppered Bailey for three two-out singles in both the third and fifth innings, as rookie Frazier drove home Ronald Torreyes with run-scoring hits. Frazier lined a hit to right field in the third inning that produced New York's first run, and he came to the plate in almost the same situation in the fifth, with Torreyes and Brett Gardner reaching ahead of him. Frazier grounded a hard hit into left field to cash the run.

"They're doing everything they can to get on base," Frazier said. "They're running balls out and giving me good opportunities to try to push runs across the board. It's fun to play with a guy like Gardy, who's hustling all the time. And I've just kind of followed his lead." More >
Yes in-Didi: Following a leadoff walk to Clint Frazier, Bailey was chased by run-scoring hits off the bats of Gary Sánchez and Matt Holliday in the seventh, with Price summoning Tony Cingrani. Gregorius greeted the left-hander rudely, slugging his first pitch over the right-field wall for the shortstop's 16th homer of the season and his fourth in the past three games. Todd Frazier followed two batters later with a solo blast, giving New York a seven-run lead at the time.

"In the seventh with a walk, a leadoff walk will always get you," Bailey said. "The manager trusts you to have a clean seventh, and you don't even get an out."
QUOTABLE
"Today it was Severino, but I think in general we don't have anybody that's on fire. We haven't really gotten into our power in the second half, which was really part of our strength, being able to drive the ball for extra-base hits. When we've fallen behind, we haven't made a real strong push. For a team that was 10 games under at the half, our calling card was the fact that we'd found our ways back into games where we were behind." -- Price, on his club's sagging offense

SOUND SMART WITH YOUR FRIENDS
A lack of offense has been a big part of the Reds' second-half struggles. The team's .210 average since the All-Star break is the worst in the National League. Cincinnati entered the day with the lowest run total in the league as well.
REPLAY REVIEW
The Yankees successfully challenged a call at second base in the bottom of the sixth inning, as Todd Frazier was initially ruled out on a fielder's choice. A review of one minute and 10 seconds showed that shortstop José Peraza was off the bag after receiving a throw from first baseman Joey Votto, overturning the original call. The play led to a run on Torreyes' RBI groundout.

WHAT'S NEXT
Reds: The road trip moves on to its third city in four days as the Reds open a four-game series vs. the Marlins in Miami. First pitch on Thursday is at 7:10 p.m. ET, with Robert Stephenson getting the start. Stephenson lost his last outing to the Marlins, 5-4, after he allowed five earned runs and eight hits over 5 1/3 innings in his first start of 2017.
Yankees: The Yankees will begin a four-game divisional showdown against the Rays at Yankee Stadium on Thursday at 7:05 p.m. ET, as CC Sabathia heads to the hill opposite Tampa Bay's Chris Archer. Sabathia has won his past two starts, permitting just a run and six hits over 11 innings (0.82 ERA).
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