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Dateline: 1,209 Kilometers from the Gulf of Mexico
The Chicago White Sox scored four runs in the 10th inning with two outs and sent the Reds to its fifth extra inning loss. 5-1.
The run starved Reds continued to waste good pitching and are 0-5 in extra inning games. The White Sox won their first in three tries. They have given up leads, 15 times in their 42 games.
Andrew Abbott allowed one earned run in six innings and dropped his earned run average to 2.10. He didn't walk a batter, gave up four hits and struck out seven.
The only run scored for the White Sox came on a bloop double by Miguel Vargas that magically fell among four players with a sliding collision between TJ Friedl and Elly De La Cruz. Friedl who was hit by a pitch on the left forearm in the top of the third left the game after the fourth inning.
Rookie Edgar Quero followed with an RBI single.
"We were really mixing and matching Stepho called a good game. They are still a good hitting team. We tried to keep them off balance."
"I couldn't really see the ball, where it hit," Abbott said. "At that moment I'm not worried about the hit. I'm worried about my teammates."
The play was costly for another reason. Friedl hit his other arm on his dive by hitting De La Cruz.
"I have cleat marks all up and down by my thigh," Friedl said. "It was a good thing he was wearing molded spikes instead of metal."
"They infielders are taught to go after the ball until someone calls them off. I was calling Elly off but he couldn't hear me. I think I waited too long and called right before we started our slides."
X-rays were negative but Friedl will have an MRI in the morning.
The Reds scoring draught carried into the ninth inning even though they put the leadoff hitter on base in three consecutive innings.
Elly De La Cruz broke the shutout with his seventh home run of the season coming off a 3-2 offering by Steven Wilson.
Jonathon Cannon followed the opener, Brandon Eisert with six scoreless innings on four hits and no walks. He struck out six.
The Reds ran themselves out of two scoring chances. Spencer Steer was on third base with one out and the infield in. Matt McLain hit a high chop that Cannon fielded with Steer halfway between third and home. Cannon slipped but recovered and threw Steer out at trying to get back to third.
"It was a play that we weren't going on contact," Francona said. "But if they see something, they can go. He just got caught when he didn't go right away, he didn't know if the ball was going over the pitcher's head. He got caught in no man's land."
Connor Joe hit a one out double. Benson walked but on ball four Joe was caught stealing third.
"Connor was trying to make something happen. By his own admission he said I tried to make something happen and I shouldn't have."
Graham Ashcraft relieved Abbott and was greeted with a double by Andrew Vaughn. Lenyn Sosa singled Vaughn to third with no outs. Ashcraft struck out Tim Elko. Josh Rojas hit a one hopper to Steer at first. The first baseman stepped on first and threw Vaughn out at home.
Emilio Pagan pitched a scoreless ninth but the home run pressed him into duty for a second inning.
Baldwin was the ghost runner. Elko grounded out to Santiago Espinal at third. Pagan struck out Rojas and had a 3-2 count on pinch-hitter Matt Thaiss and walked him. Chase Meidroth hit a high two strike pitch for a go ahead single. Vargas put the game out of reach with his third home run of the season.
"It was a big ask (of Pagan) to send him out there. He didn't have a lot of pitches in the ninth but it was still a big ask," Terry Francona said. "As excited as we were to see Elly's home run, we were feeling it in our bullpen. We had a couple guys not available. We had one guy emergency."
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