Will Benson ($3,300) played one game in the first month of the season due to a Jake Fraley injury and went 0-for-4. He spent the rest of the time in Triple-A. The Reds recalled him to the big leagues on May 9.
Since then, he’s been held hitless only once, racking up eight hits in 25 plate appearances. Sure, the strikeout rate is 31%, the BABIP is an elevated .357, and the ISO of .423 is obviously unsustainable.
But, but, but …
Benson has homered in three straight and we never know how long heaters last and when the regression fairies fly in.
Well, on Sunday, the regression fairies continued to be on vacation because Benson went yard twice to fuel the Reds to a 3-1 victory.
In the bottom of the fourth inning, Benson took a changeup for a ball on the first pitch. He then watched a 92 mph pitch cut in low-and-outside for a strike. Benson finally got the bat off the shoulder but missed on a slider low-and-inside. Luis L. Ortiz ($6,500) tried to double up with another slider, but left it over the heart of the plate. Result:
Two innings later, the Guardians went to the bullpen, but it didn’t matter. This time Benson swung at a first-pitch changeup but fouled it off. He watched a low-and-inside changeup flutter in for a strike on the next pitch. A slider away was thrown then:
The Reds travel to Pittsburgh for the start of a three-game set. Benson will try and make it five straight games with a home run. Mitch Keller, who has only allowed four home runs in 52 innings pitched this season, will be on the mound on Monday, May 19.
