Before the Cincinnati Reds exploded for seven runs in the bottom of the third inning, before Nick Castellanos hit his fifth homer of the season and before the Reds earned a 10-3 victory over Cleveland, there was Jeff Hoffman just trying to survive an inning.
Hoffman was in trouble in the top of the third inning. The bases were loaded after a single and two walks. Reliever Cionel Pérez began warming in the bullpen. The Reds were already down a run and couldn’t afford to have the game slip away so early.
Following a mound visit from pitching coach Derek Johnson, it was Hoffman vs.