Dateline: Cincinnati
Sal Stewart's amazing rookie season exploded in front of his closet rival for Rookie of the Year with a three-run home run that the Reds used to take a 5-4 win to even the series at two games apiece with the St. Louis Cardinals.
The Reds went through the bottom of the fifth inning with four lonely singles in the last 14 innings, after being shut out on three singles on Tuesday. Matt Liberatore, the Cardinals' starter, struck out the side in the fourth and two more in the fifth.
"There was a lot of frustration, you know," Stewart said. "We haven't been playing the way we're capable of, starting with myself. It was exciting putting some runs on the board."
Stewart erased the frustration.
"One Sal is a really good hitter. I know he relishes those opportunities," Terry Francona said. "I'm thankful he does because up to that point we really had nothing going. It was like the last couple days, I mean McLain swung it and that was really all we had. Elly hit the line drive they couldn't quite get. Sal had a beautiful swing. We hung on for dear life."
Matt McLain doubled off the base of the left field wall in the sixth. Elly De La Cruz lined a single off the glove of JJ Wetherholt, who is another candidate for Rookie of the Year, into right field. McLain had to hold to make sure it wasn't caught. Sal Stewart hit a 2-1 pitch 422 ft off the base of the batter's eye in center field for his 27th home run and collected RBI's 92,93 and 94 to take over the Major League lead from Burleson.
Chase Burns retired the first seven Cardinal batters he faced. Blaze Jordan got an infield single that bounced off Eugenio Suarez glove and fielded by De La Cruz in short left field but he had no play.
Wetherholt doubled to the gap in right centerfield. Dane Myers played it off the wall and threw to De La Cruz, who relayed the ball home in plenty of time to get Jordan for the third out.
The Cardinals got to Burns in the fourth inning. Alec Burleson walked and moved up on a wild pitch. With two outs Nathan Church singled through the hole at shortstop to score Burleson. Masyn Winn walked to send Church to second. Bryan Torres singled to right to plate Church.
The Reds didn't get a base runner until number nine hitter, Matt McLain singled to center. Cardinals' starter, Matt Liberatore, struck out De La Cruz.
It took Burns, who was trying to earn his 15th win against two losses, off the hook.
He pitched five innings, allowed two runs on six hits and two walks. He struck out six. Burns has pitched at least five innings in each of his 24 starts. He has allowed two runs or fewer in 20 of them.
"I try to do that every time, six innings, five innings," Burns said. "I was just trying to make good pitches. I was almost out of gas."
He threw 104 pitches.
"His pitch count was really high," Francona said. "They (Cardinals) did a really good job. They made him work really hard. That's probably the last thing I wanted him to do was throw 100 in five innings. That's tough. The kid competes like crazy. He got through that which was huge."
Brock Burke walked two Cardinals in the seventh inning but stranded them. Luis Mey walked one but struck out three in the eighth inning.
The Reds added insurance in a steady drizzle in the bottom of the eighth against Justin Bruihl.
Jose Trevino singled up the middle. He went to second on a wild pitch. McLain bunted to third, Jordan bobbled it then threw it down the first base line. Trevino trotted home. McLain stole second and went to third on De La Cruz deep fly to center. Stewart was walked intentionally. Dane Myers laid down a squeeze bunt that scored McLain and no one covered first. Suarez walked to load the bases. Defensive specialist Ke'Bryan Hayes ran for Suarez. Tyler Stephenson took the count full but was called out on strikes.
Jose Pagan survived some drama in the top of the ninth. He hit Wetherholt with a pitch, leading off the inning. Pagan retired Ivan Herrera on a routine fly to center. Burleson hit a smash that Stewart knocked down, he recovered to step on the bag to finish Burleson. Jordan Walker hit his 25th home run to make it a one-run game. It gave him 90 RBI on the season, two behind Burleson's team-leading 92. Jose Fermin brought on the drama with a double to left field. He went to third on a wild pitch as the count went full to Masyn Winn. Win hit a slow roller to Pagan, who had mud caked on his spikes. Pagan threw him out to earn his 15th save of the season.
He has nine saves and three wins in his last 12 appearances.
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