Bats' Senzel breaks cold spell with big night

Amid questions of how ready he is for the Major Leagues and when he'll get there, Nick Senzel shook off an 0-for-7 slump to deliver his best offensive performance of the season on Friday night.
The top Reds prospect went 3-for-4 with a homer, a walk, three RBIs and two runs scored to pace Triple-A Louisville to a 9-6 win at Toledo.

Gameday box score
Stepping in against Ryan Carpenter with a runner on in the opening inning, Senzel smoked his second dinger of the year -- and first off a left-handed pitcher -- drilling the 13th offering of the at-bat over the fence in left-center field.

The 22-year-old infielder added an RBI single on a line drive to left on the first pitch he saw from right-hander Mark Montgomery in the sixth, then lined another base hit up the middle off Zac Reininger in the eighth.
Coming off a season in which he put up a .321/.391/.514 slash line with 14 homers, 40 doubles and 14 steals in 119 games between Class A Advanced Daytona and Double-A Pensacola, Senzel ranks as MLB.com's No. 7 overall prospect. Friday's three-hit game was his first of the season and boosted his average to .261. He's struck out 17 times in as many games and has been held hitless six times.

Senzel also has remained in the International League as the Yankees' Gleyber Torres and the Braves' Ronald Acuña Jr. have been summoned to The Show over the last week, although the University of Tennessee product came into pro ball with advanced skills as a 2016 first-round Draft pick. A natural third baseman, Senzel has played 10 games at second base this year but was manning the hot corner on Friday.
"Certainly, necessity will create certain things," Reds interim manager Jim Riggleman told MLB.com on Wednesday. "Assuming everyone's healthy and all that, it gives you a chance to let the people dealing with it to make the decision."
Jackson Stephens (1-1) earned the win, allowing five runs -- one earned -- on four hits and three walks while striking out five over 5 1/3 innings. Reds No. 28 prospect Tanner Rainey picked up his second save with 1 2/3 perfect innings, punching out the side in the ninth.
Tenth-ranked Tigers prospectChristin Stewart was 3-for-4 for the Mud Hens, plating three and falling a homer shy of the cycle. In his last game, the power-hitting outfielder was 4-for-5 with a long ball against Pawtucket on Tuesday.