Andrew Heaney seemed to be rolling along through the first 2 1/3 innings of tonight's start against the Reds at Great American Ball Park. The veteran left-hander retired the first seven batters he faced, four of which were set down on strikes, before things began to unravel on him following a one-out double by Santiago Espinal in the third inning.
After Heaney allowed his first hit of the night and recorded the second out, he began to lose command while attempting to attack hitters inside. He hit TJFriedl with a 76 mph curveball on the second pitch of the at-bat and then fell behind 2-0 to BlakeDunn before hitting him with a 91 mph fastball to load the bases.
"The ball slipped out on the Friedl at-bat and then 2-0, just trying to get it in on (Dunn)," Heaney said. "Just a little too far in there."
The free bases allowed by Heaney ended up costing him in a big way one batter later. Elly De La Cruz, the one hitter in the Reds' lineup that does seem to instill a sense of fear and intimidation in opposing hitters, came to the plate and put together a strong at-bat, battling to turn a 1-2 count into a full count by refusing to swing at pitches off the plate. The sixth pitch he saw, he didn't miss:
That was a 3-2 fastball at the top of the zone that De La Cruz sent out to deep left for a grand slam, the second of his career. It changed the complexion of the game in an instant, and made Heaney pay for the two mistakes he made prior.
"I mean, 3-2, you try and make a pitch, guy's a good hitter, put a barrel on it. It's the other two at-bats before that pissed me off more," Heaney said. "Probably went to the well one too many times there (to Elly). Just trying to be competitive with something, and just kind of got beat to the spot. It happens."
Heaney walked two batters an inning later, but found a way to escape that situation unscathed. He went on to complete six innings, allowing the four earned runs on three hits with two walks and six strikeouts. But, as was the case with Bailey Falter in the series opener on Friday night, the damage was done thanks in large part to issues with command.
"The last two days, obviously me and Bailey didn't do a great job of getting in the zone and keeping the free ones off the bases," Heaney said. "That's more often than not going to come back and bite you."
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THE ASYLUM
José Negron
11:40 pm - 04.12.2025CincinnatiMound Visit: Free bases come at a cost to Heaney
Andrew Heaney seemed to be rolling along through the first 2 1/3 innings of tonight's start against the Reds at Great American Ball Park. The veteran left-hander retired the first seven batters he faced, four of which were set down on strikes, before things began to unravel on him following a one-out double by Santiago Espinal in the third inning.
After Heaney allowed his first hit of the night and recorded the second out, he began to lose command while attempting to attack hitters inside. He hit TJ Friedl with a 76 mph curveball on the second pitch of the at-bat and then fell behind 2-0 to Blake Dunn before hitting him with a 91 mph fastball to load the bases.
"The ball slipped out on the Friedl at-bat and then 2-0, just trying to get it in on (Dunn)," Heaney said. "Just a little too far in there."
The free bases allowed by Heaney ended up costing him in a big way one batter later. Elly De La Cruz, the one hitter in the Reds' lineup that does seem to instill a sense of fear and intimidation in opposing hitters, came to the plate and put together a strong at-bat, battling to turn a 1-2 count into a full count by refusing to swing at pitches off the plate. The sixth pitch he saw, he didn't miss:
That was a 3-2 fastball at the top of the zone that De La Cruz sent out to deep left for a grand slam, the second of his career. It changed the complexion of the game in an instant, and made Heaney pay for the two mistakes he made prior.
"I mean, 3-2, you try and make a pitch, guy's a good hitter, put a barrel on it. It's the other two at-bats before that pissed me off more," Heaney said. "Probably went to the well one too many times there (to Elly). Just trying to be competitive with something, and just kind of got beat to the spot. It happens."
Heaney walked two batters an inning later, but found a way to escape that situation unscathed. He went on to complete six innings, allowing the four earned runs on three hits with two walks and six strikeouts. But, as was the case with Bailey Falter in the series opener on Friday night, the damage was done thanks in large part to issues with command.
"The last two days, obviously me and Bailey didn't do a great job of getting in the zone and keeping the free ones off the bases," Heaney said. "That's more often than not going to come back and bite you."
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