CINCINNATI — The TV cameras spotted only a chair flying up in the air out of nowhere behind home plate umpire Hunter Wendelstedt.
Then, almost immediately, another camera angle caught David Bell assaulting a dugout chair, tossing it against a bat rack.
All of this because he had become sick and tired of another one of his players getting drilled on the hand by a pitch.
“We’ve had a lot of guys hit, and hit in the hand,” Bell said. “It wasn’t directed at any team or pitcher. It’s happened a lot. Never seen anything like it. (The chair) got the best of me that’s for sure.”
For a team that again scored fewer than three runs – for the 12th time in 24 games – an outburst could be just what the doctor ordered.
Now, the Reds will try to use the inspiration of their manager to string together consecutive wins for the first time in three weeks when they host the San Diego Padres Wednesday night.
David Bell threw a chair against the bat rack in the Cincinnati dugout in the second inning of Tuesday night’s 2-0 win over the Padres after Jake Fraley was knocked out of the game when hit by a Joe Musgrove pitch in the first inning.
Fraley is the fourth player in the last month to be hit on the hand by a pitch. Christian Encarnacion-Strand and TJ Friedl are already on the injured list after they were drilled on the hands.
X-rays on Fraley’s hand were negative, but his hand was swollen, with more tests set for Wednesday.
“I can’t really put a fault to it, I guess, other than it’s just the nature of the game,” Fraley said. “Obviously, it’s been multiple guys and multiple pitchers. There’s obviously a part of bad luck to it, but it’s just unfortunate.”
David Bell had a towel on his right hand and was flexing it in the dugout after throwing things around after being forced to take Jake Fraley out after 1 inning. pic.twitter.com/snXzmCDp8g
— Mike Petraglia (@Trags) May 21, 2024
Andrew Abbott, who threw seven shutout innings Tuesday, felt Bell’s outburst in the dugout was inspirational to a team that won for just the sixth time in 24 games.
“DB’s always been behind us,” Abbott said. “To show emotion like that just further makes that point. It should light a fire under us.”
Asked Andrew Abbott what David Bell’s dugout blowup meant to him and team. “DB’s always been behind us. To show emotion like that just further makes that point… It should light a fire under us.” pic.twitter.com/8MlPZXyYr1
— Mike Petraglia (@Trags) May 22, 2024
Wednesday night Cincinnati will be seeking back-to-back wins for the first time since beating Philadelphia April 23-24.
An inning after the Fraley injury, Cincinnati scored its first run on a play where it appeared another regular could be lost to injury.
After a walk to Jonathan India and a Will Benson single, Musgrove threw wildly on a pickoff throw to second base, allowing both runners to advance.
Jacob Hurtubise lifted a shallow fly to left fielder Jurickson Profar, who made an accurate throw home that easily beat India. But catcher Luis Campusano dropped the ball for an error, allowing India to score.
On the play, Campusano stepped on India left calf with his right foot, causing India to writhe in pain. India remained in the game, saving Bell the indignity of another tantrum.
David Bell on his second-inning throw down with a chair. “We’ve had a lot of guys hit, and hit in the hand. … it wasn’t directed at any team or pitcher. It’s happened a lot. Never seen anything like it.. the chair got the best of me that’s for sure.” Bell had his middle finger… pic.twitter.com/cCi2iUuZd6
— Mike Petraglia (@Trags) May 22, 2024
The Reds aren’t the only ones struggling to score.
The Padres were shutout for the second straight game, after losing 3-0 in the second game of Monday’s doubleheader in Atlanta and then generating just five singles Tuesday night, including four against Abbott.
“It just wasn’t consistent enough to be able to put anything together. And you can say that was some of our issue.” Padres manager Mike Shildt said. “But really, you know, this guy threw a pretty good ballgame.”
The Padres were playing their third game over two cities and 36 hours.
“We just had a long day, quick turnaround,” said Fernando Tatis Jr., who collected his 500th career hit with a first-inning single Tuesday. “Our bodies were not where we expected. But it’s part of it, and we need to take care of it.”
The Reds send right-hander Nick Martinez (1-2, 4.23) against his former team in the second game of the series. Martinez will be making his second straight start in place of Nick Lodolo, on the 15-day injured list with a strained left groin.
In his last start, Martinez allowed only one hit over five shutout innings and earned his first win with Cincinnati, a 7-2 decision over the Dodgers last Thursday.
Martinez will be making his third career start against San Diego and second this season. He was tagged for five runs – three earned – on six hits over five innings and took the loss in San Diego’s 6-4 win on April 30 at San Diego.
