TJ Friedl's bunt is a silver lining as Reds swept by Guardians

CLEVELAND — In the top of the seventh inning on Wednesday night, it made all of the sense in the world that center fielder TJ Friedl would lead it off with a bunt.

The Reds were down by two runs, and a bunt and a blast by No. 2 hitter Elly De La Cruz could have tied the score. The left-handed Friedl was facing a left-handed pitcher, and bunting has typically been his best tool in those matchups.

The only hang up was that the Cleveland Guardians were in the middle of a perfect game.

"There's no surprise," Friedl said. "Last year, I got a bunch of bunts off of lefties for hits. I'm playing the ball game. It's a 2-0 ballgame, and our offense wasn't doing much. For me, my job is to get on base for the guys behind me. That's what I do."

Friedl broke an unwritten rule, but he made the right move. Friedl broke up the perfect game, started a rally and scored the Reds’ first run of the game. The Reds later tied the score on an RBI single by second baseman Santiago Espinal, but Guardians star third baseman José Ramírez hit a go-ahead three-run homer in the bottom of the eighth against Reds reliever Emilio Pagán. The Guardians beat the Reds, 5-2.

Friedl said that if the Guardians' starting pitcher had been working on a perfect game in the seventh inning, then he probably wouldn't have bunted. But Wednesday was a bullpen game for the Guardians, and Friedl was playing to win.

"Any time a lefty is on the mound, I think anyone is well aware of what I'm trying to do," Friedl said. "I got a good bunt on a sinker down and in."

The fact Friedl even attempted the bunt was the most encouraging sign of the series in Cleveland.

For nearly the entire season, Friedl has backed away from bunting. Recently, he has looked a lot more like his chaos-creating self.

"It's good to see him back," Reds interim manager Freddie Benavides said. "He came back and his legs were banged up a bit. He had some little issues with the hamstring and the quad. The injuries. It's good to see him back. Whether it's the last week of the season, he feels strong and ready to go. Going into the offseason, he knows he's healthy."

Last year, Friedl was the best bunter in baseball and picked up 17 bunt hits. This year, he has four bunt hits.

He started this season on the injured list with a broken wrist. After returning in May, Friedl got hit by a pitch that broke his thumb that forced him to miss three more weeks.When Friedl returned in late May, bunting was the one aspect of his game where he was limited. It stung his thumb when he tried to lay down a bunt, so Friedl made it less of a part of his game.

Then, in late June, Friedl tweaked his hamstring and went on the injured list. When he returned one month later, he wasn’t at 100% and wasn’t as fast as he typically is.

Friedl didn’t admit it, but the multitude of injuries forced him to change his game. Friedl didn’t have the speed to consistently reach base on bunts, which was likely a reason why he tried them out less often. Instead, he relied more than ever on his power as he pulled the ball down the right field line.

Over the last week, Friedl is showing that his speed is closer to what it was last year. During the most recent homestand, Friedl showed great range as he tracked down a difficult catch in center field. He made a similar play on Wednesday. He also turned on the jets on his bunt on Wednesday to reach base.

Friedl then forced a throwing error on a pickoff attempt to advance to second. De La Cruz followed Friedl with an infield single, and Friedl scored on another throwing error.

"I feel like myself," Friedl said. "Running around in the outfield. On the bases. That bunt today. On the pickoff throw with a quick turn and go to second. Then on Elly's ground ball to stop and go. I feel really good with where I'm at. It feels good to be 100% back."

This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: TJ Friedl's bunt is a silver lining as Reds swept by Guardians