Dateline: Cincinnati
The Reds emergency starter did exactly what the Reds needed but the St. Louis Cardinals did just enough to post a 2-1 win. It put 4 1/2 games between themselves and the Reds for a potential Wild Card berth.
Kent Emanuel climbed a major league pitching mound for the first time since, 2024 and was not greeted well by the St. Louis Cardinals. It was his first big league start.
Rookie sensation Joshua Baez, who hit home runs in his first three Major League at bats on Saturday, was hit on his right foot with a pitch. Ivan Herrera walked. Emanuel struck out Jordan Walker but Alec Burleson drove them both in with a double into the right field corner. It put him into the MLB lead with 92 RBI.
"The way the game started, he hit the guy in the foot and it goes first and second before he can even breath. He gives up the double and hung in like, I'm very proud of him," Terry Francona said.
Cardinals' starter, Quinn Mathews, struck out the side in the bottom of the first.
Blaze Jordan tripled to dead center field to lead off the second inning. Emanual stranded Jordan at third. Everson Pereira grounded out to third with Jordan holding. Pedro Pages struck out looking an Baez lined out to center.
The Reds loaded the bases with one out. Eugenio Suarez was Mathews fourth straight strikeout victim. Dane Myers singled. Michael Toglia and Matt McLain walked. Noelvi Marte popped out foul to the first baseman and Ke'Bryan Hayes grounded out to third base.
"We made him throw a ton of pitches but only had a run to show for it," Terry Francona said. "We got him out. After that they went one inning with their pen and we weren't able to get anything going."
A double play allowed Emanuel to escape the third inning after Herrera walked and Burleson singled. Jose Fermin hit a ground ball right up the middle where, McLain is working in his 110th straight game without an error. He fielded the ball stepped on second and threw Fermin out to end the inning.
Emanuel stranded two more base runners in the fourth inning.
Dane Myers led off the bottom of the fourth inning with his fourth home run at the end of a nine pitch at bat. Emanuel survived a one-out double by Walker to complete five innings.
Luis Gastelum relieved Mathews for the Cardinals in the fifth inning.
Emanuel left after five innings. He allowed two runs on five hits, three walks and he hit a batter. He struck out four. The first two batters he faced scored but the Cardinals stranded six runners.
Luis Mey started the sixth inning. He struck out the side in the sixth. He got the first two outs in the seventh, when Hayes took a double away from Baez with a diving stop. He walked Herrera, the third time he walked in the game. Walker singled but Mey got Burleson to pop out to McLain at second.
Pierce Johnson pitched a quick eighth for Cincinnati.
Gastelum, Gordon Graceffo and Ryne Stanek shut down the Reds on one hit through the eighth. Stanek struck out Elly De La Cruz for the fourth time in the game. De La Cruz has two hits in his last 34 at bats.
"It is kind of telling on De La Cruz when he challenged that pitch, it got the whole plate. Sometimes, you kind of lose where you are. The ball he thinks is in, is a strike. He's just going through a tough time."
Sam Moll started the ninth for the Reds.
Former Reds' reliever, Riley O'Brien struck out the side to pick up his 31st save.
The Reds have lost three straight. They scored one run in the last two with both runs coming on solo home runs. The Reds struck out a total of 15 times.
Myers had two of the Reds' three hits.
"It is tough. It's part of the game. I think everybody in the clubhouse still has confidence that we can make a run," Myers said. "Obviously, we're kind of running out of time and we need a sense of urgency but we're still confident."
The Reds have 38 games left including the second game of this double header.
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