INSTANT REACTION: Wade Miley Gets First Win in Return from Surgery, Reds Clinch Ohio Cup with 7-4 Win

CINCINNATI -- For the first time since 2014, the Reds have won the Ohio Cup by beating the Cleveland Guardians 7-4 on Monday night. It's the Reds fourth win in four of six scheduled games against the Guardians this season, and it's also the Reds fourth straight win overall to lift their record to .500 at 34-33.

It was a great, all-around performance by the Reds Monday night, with their starting pitching, bullpen, lineup, and defense all contributing to the win.

Let's look at the key takeaways from Monday's 7-4 Reds win over the Guardians.

Reds lineup jumps on Cleveland early and often

The Reds banged out 16 hits against the Guardians pitching, converting those into seven runs. Interestingly, the Reds scored one run in seven different innings. The only innings the Reds didn't score a run were the first and eighth innings.

Eight of the Reds nine hitters in the starting lineup had at least one hit with five hitters having multiple hits. Six different Reds hitters had an RBI and five had at least one run scored.

Jake Fraley's big night at the plate

The best hitter on Monday night for the Reds was Jake Fraley. Cincinnati's right fielder went 3-4 with a home run, two RBIs, two runs scored and a stolen base. It's been a tough year for Fraley at the plate, but Monday night is a reminder of why he's still an important part of this Reds team, even if his role this season is going to be a player who provides depth.

Wade Miley guts it out for the win

After getting roughed up in two innings against the Milwaukee Brewers Wednesday afternoon, Miley got the start Monday night in Cleveland. He got through five innings, including getting through a difficult third inning where the Guardians plated three runs to turn a 2-0 deficit into a 3-2 lead.

The Reds lineup, though, quickly answered, though, in the next two innings with Fraley's home run tying the game in the fourth and Christian Encarnacion-Strand's go-ahead sacrafice fly in the fifth.

Miley only threw 42 strikes on 78 pitches in five innings and allowed four walks, but he pitched well enough to earn the win. That's what it's all about sometimes; doing just enough to earn the win both individually and as a team.

Another huge effort by the bullpen

Just as they did in the first three games against Cleveland in Cincinnati, the Reds bullpen stepped up on Monday night against the Guardians with four innings of one-run baseball with just two hits allowed. Ian Giabut, Graham Ashcraft, Tony Santillan and Emilio Pagan all pitched one inning to clinch the Ohio Cup.

Notes and observations

Cincinnati committed just one error on Monday night while Cleveland committed three.
The Reds went 4-15 with runners in scoring position with 12 runners left on base.

On deck

The Reds can now win the series in Cleveland Tuesday night when they send left-hander Andrew Abbott (5-1, 2.18 ERA) to the mound against Guardians right-hander Slade Cecconi (1-2, 4.87 ERA).

First pitch is at 6:40 E.T. on FanDuel Sports Network Cincinnati and 700WLW.

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