Cardinals Extend Reds' Sorrow On Friday The 13th

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The Reds battled back from one bad inning but the results were a predictable 5-3 loss to the St. Louis Cardinals.

Tyler Mahle allowed a solo home run to Arch Enemy Yadier Molina going into the sixth inning after pitching an error infused fifth inning with no damage.

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Jose Martinez opened the fifth with a clean single.  Cliff Pennington threw a potential double play ball hit by Molina away for an error.  The next batter hit another potential double play ball that Pennington couldn't handle on the short hop.  Mahle got Kolten Wong to pop out to shortstop Jose Peraza in foul territory.  Opposing pitcher Luke Weaver hit into the "third" double play ball of the inning.  This time Peraza and Scooter Gennett turned it to escape the inning

The Reds got their first hit off Weaver in the bottom of the inning.  Devin Mesoraco's infield hit survived a replay review.

The Reds were still in the game.

Mahle was out there in the sixth.

Fowler reached the first row of the rightfield seats for his second home run of the season.  Tommy Pham singled and stopped at third on Matt Carpenter's double.  Macel Ozuna singled home one run.  Martinez moved the runners with a ground out.  Molina drove in his second and third runs of the game with a single to left.  Kevin Quackenbush got the last two outs of the inning.

"Pham fights off a pitch and gets it into the outfield, then Carpenter got a pitch he could pull into the corner," Bryan Price said.  "You have to pitch well against them.  They hit good pitches and your mistakes.  We were in a position where we couldn't give up any more runs.  We had to shrink the infield.  We have to avoid the big inning. The bullpen did a nice job, keeping us in the game."

Mahle had an otherwise nice start ruined.

"They hit some good pitches that hurt me," Mahle said.

"Tyler pitched really, really well," Mesoraco said.  "They are a veteran lineup.  They made adjustments."

The Reds got to Weaver in the seventh.  Gennett singled.  Mesoraco lined a home run to left that just cleared the wall.   Matt Bowman took over for Weaver and got the Reds out in the seventh after, allowing Alex Blandino's first Major League hit.

The Reds got closer in the eighth.  Billy Hamilton worked his second walk of the game.  Peraza bunted for a hit but got a sacrifice with Hamilton moving up.  Joey Votto drove in his fourth run of the season with a line single to left but Votto was picked off with Mesoraco at the plate to end the threat.

Bud Norris relieved Dominic Leone, who picked off Votto and didn't pitch to a batter.

Norris struck out Mesoraco swinging on a 3-2 pitch.  Adam Duvall fistted a single to right.  Phillip Ervin walked to put the tying runs on base.  Blandino struck out swinging. Tucker Barnhart pinch hit for Wandy Peralta.  Barnhart was caught looking at strike three.

"We're just not playing well right now.  We have to start playing better," Mesoraco said.