The man of multiple deliveries, Johnny Cueto of the Cincinnati Reds (36-41) pitched his way to a 2-1 victory over the Minnesota Twins (41-37) in Wednesday afternoon's series finale at Great American Ballpark.

Cueto (W: 5-5, 2.84 ERA) pitched eight very solid innings of one-run ball, allowing only four hits while walking one and striking out eight. He also had a hit in three at bats with a seventh-inning single but was thrown out at third on a sacrifice bunt attempt. For a moment, it appeared that Cueto had injured himself as he lunged for the bag, but he shook it off and continued to dominate Twins hitters for one more inning.

Aroldis Chapman (S: 16) finished it off with a perfect ninth inning that included one strikeout. Chapman has now struck out 60 hitters in 34 1/3 innings pitched.

The Reds scored single runs in the third and fifth innings. In the third, Joey Votto drove in Brandon Phillips with a sacrifice fly. Phillips got in just ahead of the tag as Shane Robinson fired a laser to the plate. Phillips led off the inning with a double.

In the fifth, with Billy Hamilton on second and Phillips on first following two walks, Votto drew a walk of his own. Twins catcher Chris Hermann, not realizing the pitch was ball four, fired to third and threw the ball into left field. The speedy Hamilton scored without a play (video).

Hamilton later used his speed defensively to make an incredible diving catch to end the game (video). 

The Twins scored their lone run in the top of the top of the sixth when Eddie Rosario brought home Brian Dozier with an RBI groundout. 

Trevor May (4-7, 4.37) pitched a solid game himself. He allowed two runs on six hits, walked three, and struck out six in 6 2/3 innings. He got little offensive support in suffering the tough-luck loss.

On Thursday, the Twins continue their road trip with a four-game series against the A.L. Central division-leading Kansas City Royals. Cincinnati has Thursday off but returns home Friday to host the Milwaukee Brewers over the weekend.

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About the author
Raymond Bureau
Raymond became a baseball fan at a very young age. He played baseball through high school and soon after became a varsity coach. He is now the P.A. announcer at his high school where he teaches. Raymond previously produced radio sports talk shows and hosted a weekly MLB radio call-in show. His favorite teams are the Chicago Cubs and New York Yankees. Raymond is a devoted husband, father, and Christ follower. His life verses are Philippians 4:13, John 14:6, and Isaiah 41:10.