Two-way player Lorenzen leads Reds to Seattle

Move over, Shohei Ohtani.

Baseball has got another two-way phenomenon.

Cincinnati Reds reliever Michael Lorenzen has shown in the past week he can do a lot more than pitch. He might get another chance to show his hitting prowess when the Reds open a three-game series against the Mariners at Seattle on Tuesday.

On Sunday, Lorenzen's pinch-hit double in the bottom of the ninth inning scored the winning run in a 4-3 victory against the Arizona Diamondbacks.

"That's special. I call him 'Super Michael,' because he does a lot," Reds third baseman Eugenio Suarez, who added two home runs against the Diamondbacks, told MLB.com. "He's a super athletic guy. He can pitch really good and he's a good hitter. To see him, it's fun. He battled and it's tough coming from the bench. He won't do it every time, (but) he did it today. It's impressive."

Speaking of impressive: Last Wednesday in an 8-5 victory against Philadelphia, Lorenzen became the only player other than Babe Ruth to earn the victory, hit a home run and play in the field in the same game -- he moved from the mound to center field.

"It's been a ton of fun," Lorenzen told MLB.com. "I'm super grateful for the opportunity that [manager] David Bell has given me. The coaching staff has been pulling for me, and just the help they've given me with the preparation and stuff. It's just a perfect situation for me."

Lorenzen, who has a 3.13 ERA in 67 relief appearances, is batting .333 (7-for-21) with a home run and five RBIs.

"Now he's getting an opportunity to contribute as a position player, and not in just any situation, but an opportunity to win the game," Bell said after Sunday's victory.

The right-handed hitting Lorenzen might get another chance Tuesday, as the Mariners are scheduled to start rookie left-hander Justus Sheffield (0-1, 5.51 ERA), who will be facing Cincinnati for the first time. Sheffield is coming off his best outing, pitching five scoreless innings against the Chicago Cubs in which he allowed five hits and struck out seven. Sheffield left with a 1-0 lead in a game Seattle eventually lost 5-1.

The Reds are set to start right-hander Trevor Bauer (10-12, 4.60 ERA), who has struggled since being acquired from the Cleveland Indians prior to the July 31 trade deadline. Bauer is 1-4 with the Reds, dropping his past four decisions. Bauer beat the Mariners on April 15, allowing one run on five hits in 6 2/3 innings and striking out eight in a 6-4 Indians victory. He's 2-4 with a 4.17 ERA in nine career appearances against Seattle.

The Mariners will just be happy to get the heck out of Houston.

Seattle went 0-10 at the Astros' Minute Maid Park this season and suffered a 21-1 defeat Sunday, the most-lopsided loss in franchise history.

"We got hammered," said Mariners manager Scott Servais, whose team has dropped six in a row to fall a season-worst 28 games under .500. "What can you say?"

Seattle's only hit was a solo homer by Shed Long, one of four rookies in the starting lineup.

"You take it and learn from it," Long told MLB.com. "You have good days and then you have learning days."

--Field Level Media