Reds Bullpen Bombed As Cardinals Sidestep Sweep

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The Reds were going after a sweep. The Cardinals had other ideas.

The Central Division leaders took out a weekend's worth of frustration out on the Reds' bullpen in a 9-2 shelling of the division's cellar dwellers.

Todd Frazier connected off Michael Wacha who has beaten the Reds three times this season.  It was the 33rd home run of the season and eighth since the All-Star break.

Wacha, who issues 2.38 walks per nine innings, walked two and hit a batter in the fourth inning.  Tucker Barnhart extended the Reds' advantage with a sacrifice fly to make it 2-0.

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Raisell Iglesias allowed a single to Stephen Piscotty in the first inning but the Reds turned in an acrobatic 3-6-1 double play once the safe call at first was overturned.  Iglesias retired nine of the next 10 batters and didn;t give up a hit until  Jon Jay doubled one out into the fifth.  Kolten Wong singled over a leaping Joey Votto to put the suddenly punchless Cardinals on the scoreboard.  Wacha sacrificed Wong to second after both benches were warned after a pitch got too close to Wacha.  Matt Carpenter tied the game with a single.  Eugenio Suarez was caught in between flipping to Ivan De Jesus Jr. for the force and throwing to first to get Piscotty.  The throw was high and wide. Carpenter went to third.  Iglesias got Hayward to ground out to end the inning.

Reds pitching held the Cardinals to three runs total in the first three games.

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De Jesus Jr. was robbed by Hayward in the fifth.  Hayward timed his leap to take away De Jssus Jr.'s bid for his fifth home tun.  De Jesus was playing secondbase while Brandon Phillips was getting a day off.

Sam LeCure relieved Iglesias to start the sixth.  The Reds are closely monitoring Iglesias' innings as the season winds down.

LeCure walked Greg Garcia. Tommy Pham hit his second home run of the season to put the Cardinals ahead 4-2.  Jay doubled to send LeCure to the showers.  Brandon Finnegan, the key acquisition in the Jonny Cueto trade, entered to strike out Wong but he walked Wacha. Finnegan rebounded by getting Carpenter on a controversial called third strike.

Finnegan pitched 2/3 and inning with two strike outs.  Ryan Mattheus worked out of a bases loaded jam that was self induced.  Mattheus gave up a double to Hayward, muffed Yadier Molina's weak ground ball to the mound and walked Greg Garcia.

Jonathon Broxton came in relief for the Cardinals in the seventh inning.

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Billy Hamilton singled up the middle with one out. Molina caught him stealing for the first time after Hamilton stole 10 straight against him..

The Cardinals iced the game with five runs off Carlos Contreras and Josh Smith. Wong and Hayward doubled off Contreras who was charged with three runs. Matt Adams, fresh off the disabled list, hit a long home run off Josh Smith. It was his fifth.

Former Red Matt Belisle finished the game for the Cardinals.