Dateline: Cincinnati
Dane Myers hit a pinch hit home run with two outs and the bases empty in the ninth inning to tie the game. Elly De La Cruz, who was in a 2-for-33 slump coming into the game singled home ghost runner Tyler Stephenson with the winning run in the 10th. The Reds avoided a double header sweep with a 6-5 win.
"It felt good to deliver when the team needed it the most," De La Cruz said. "It's not just me. It's all the guys that do a good job. It has been a couple tough days but we have to stay through it. I feel good there were just a couple bad days. It is always like that, good days, bad days, you just got to stay to it."
Myers has been playing regularly the second half of the season as TJ Friedl has struggled. Early in the season Myers came off the bench a lot and had nine pinch hits when he batted against Peter Strzelecki who was working his third inning. The home run tied him for the Major League lead with Michael Conforto of the Chicago Cubs with 10 pinch hits.
"You usually don't get to see a guy three innings in relief, so, seeing him kinda throw from inside the (batting) cage and getting some information from my teammates who have faced him, helped a lot. I was trying to get a good pitch to hit and I put a good swing on it."
"Maybe its a tick easier when you're playing more but it's still a tough job," Myers said. "I think pinch hitting has come from reps the previous years. I think I've grown a lot as a person and as a player. I'm just trusting myself and trusting that I'm prepared for the at bat and taking like I've had five already."
The Reds scored a run against old nemesis, Andre Pallante, in the first inning. De La Cruz, Sal Stewart and JJ Bleday singled with Bleday's landing just in front of a diving Nathan Church in center field. De La Cruz had to stop at third. Eugenio Suarez lined to Church to score De La Cruz. Michael Toglia lined to JJ Wetherholt at second base. A snap throw to Masyn Winn double up Stewart to end the inning.
Pallante made 21 appearances, 11 starts against the Reds in his career. He has an 8-4 record and a 2.18 ERA.
Ivan Herrera launched his 14th home run, leading off the fourth against Reds' starter, Rhett Lowder. Alec Burleson and Jordan Walker singled after the home run. Joshua Baez forced Walker at second. Winn was 1-for-20 coming to the plate but he punched an 0-2 pitch into right field to give the Cardinals a 2-1 lead.
Bleday and Suarez singled to open the bottom of the fourth but Pallante struck out Toglia and McLain. Hector Rodriguez hit a weak ground ball to first base and Pallante escaped.
Walker doubled to leadoff the sixth. He moved up to third when Baez flied to deep center. Church singled to make the score 3-1. Bryan Torres walked with two outs to put Church in scoring position. Blaze Jordan singled to score Church. Bleday's throw to the plate was cut off and Torres was tagged by McLain for the third out but the Cardinals led 4-1.
Bleday collected his third hit with one out in the sixth. Suarez went 2-for-2 with a single. Toglia doubled to right to close the gap, leaving runners on second and third with one out. McLain flied out to shallow left. Suarez chose not to run. Rodriguez, hitting .077 singled to tie the game. Rodriguez was thrown out when the throw by Baez was cut by Burleson.
The 10 hits off Pallante was the most they had in 22 appearances.
Lowder got the first two out in the seventh inning to tie his career-high with 6 2/3 innings pitched. He matched established the high on April 15 against the San Francisco Giants. He allowed four runs on eight hits and two walks. He struck out five.
"Rhett going into the seventh really helped a lot," Terry Francona said. "I don't think we've seen him at his best yet. I think his best is ahead of him. He knows how to pitch. You know he's coming off a year where he didn't pitch. He's had some inconsistencies. Like even in the first three innings, it was 50/50 strike, ball. That's a hard way for him to be successful. He still battled and got through it then he started throwing more strikes."
Brock Burke entered to face Burleson and struck him out. It is Burke's 63rd appearance.
Strzelecki replaced Pallante in the bottom of the seventh.
Walker singled for his third hit of the game. Burke struck out Baez and retired pinch hitter Jose Fermin on a fly out to center. Burke walked Winn and Walker stole third. Torres put the Cardinals ahead with a ground single to left. Jordan struck out to end the inning.
Suarez third hit of the game was a double off the third base bag with two outs. Noelvi Marte came in to run for Suarez. Toglia flied out to center.
Zach McCambley gave up an infield hit to JJ Wetherholt but held the score to give the Reds a chance to tie in the ninth.
Strzelecki struck out McLain and Rodriguez to start the ninth. Dane Myers pinch hit for Jose Trevino and hit his fifth home run and second of the day to tie the game. Tyler Stephenson pinch hit and flied out to send the game to extra innings.
"Even early in the year when he (Myers) was getting that one at bat, he was always ready to hit. That's a good trait," Francona said.
Emilio Pagan started the ninth with Walker on second as the ghost runner. Baez appeared to be hit by a pitch but the first base umpire, Edwin Moscoso ruled that he went around on a swing at the pitch. Pagan struck him out. Fermin walked. Winn was called out on a checked swing and Moscoso ejected manager Oliver Marmol from the game. Everson Pereira forced Fermin at second.
Stephenson was the ghost runner on second when De La Cruz shot a 3-2 pitch past Jordan at third to allow the catcher to score the winning run. It was the first time De La Cruz had ever delivered a walk off hit.
"It's about damn time," Stephenson chimed in when De La Cruz was asked about the hit.
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