Reds Learning To Make Comebacks

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For the first two months of the season when the Reds were down a run or two the game was over.

At some point in time the squad began to believe they could come back from deficits.  The Reds erased a 5-0 Chicago Cub lead in the second game of the doubleheader on Tuesday.  They came back from a 5-1 lead on Friday night that ignited the fireworks crowd.

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"If that was your first baseball game, you were hooked after that," Bryan Price said.  "You could try to reproduce it but may never be able to."

There were so many plays that went into the comeback some seem big and others in significant at the time.

Curtis Partch, who was 0-2 for his career, made what was predetermined to be his only game to give the Reds' regular bullpen time to recouperate.

The big right-hander walked the bases loaded but escaped without giving up a run.

"A 37-pitch inning without giving up a run was impressive," said Pittsburgh manager Clint Hurdle, who brought Ike Davis in to pinch hit against Partch.  "Davis was 4-for-8 with the bases loaded. He's the kind of guy where a walk usually comes into play during the at-bat."

Davis hit two grand slams against the Reds with two different teams.  He hit one to win a game off J.J. Hoover while he was a member of the Mets on April 5 and on April 21 off Mike Leake after he was traded to the Pirates.
Partch struck him out and it set the stage for the Reds to make an improbable comeback.
With two outs against All-Star left-handed reliever Tony Watson, Devin Mesoraco hit his 16th home run.  Ryan Ludwick blooped a single that fell between three Pirate fielders.  Ramon Santiago's single up the middle barely eluded Neil Walker and Brayan Pena fouled off a pitch that barely made it to the safety of the stands with Davis, Walker and outfielder Gregory Polanco within a foot of the ball.

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When the Reds were struggling at least one of those three events were caught, now they are going the Reds way.
Price believes that the Reds new mentality is to try to chip away at an opponents lead.
"We've found out that every run is important," Price said.  "If we get one here and another there the add up.  We now have the confidence that we've done it before."
"It is one of those fascinating things about the baseball season that's hard to explain," Price said. "Coming back against the Cubs was big for us.  Just finding ways to grind out runs, I think we weren't able to appreciate the value of a single run.  It means that you get one, then two runs the next thing you know, you're in a two run game and you can manage that.  In a couple games you can find a way to beat a closer or a setup guy.  When you're down 5-1 and you don't do anything.  You get to a point where you don't feel like you can do it.  I think you have to do it to understand that you can do it.  Ludwick hits the soft hit into the outfield, then Heisey hits a line drive, then Santiago, then Pena and you say to yourself, "where did this come from?" Then all after Mesoraco hits a two-out homer that's usually a rally killer.  That was such a memorable game. If that was truly your first baseball game, now you're hooked, you're addicted.  It was so exciting."


Is it a game the Reds can build on?


"I think you can build on both good and bad games.  We had the loss to Toronto when we had an 8-0 lead and the next thing you know they rolled on us.  That could have been one of those games that led to a lot of negative thoughts but we didn't let that happen," Price said.  "But winning gets you to anticipate winning."