The Reds didn’t take the ribbon off the package until the ninth inning, a walk-off 4-3 victory. And, of course, the winning run scored on an error as Colorado lost its 73rd game against 22 wins.
The situation in the ninth inning Saturday was the same as it was Friday night.
Both games, the Reds trailed, 3-2, and were facing Victor Vodnik. On Friday, the Reds put two men on but Vodnik struck out the side.
This time he recorded no outs. Spencer Steer picked on Vodnik’s first pitch and singled. Will Benson picked on Vodnik’s first pitch and tripled up the left center gap to tie it, 3-3.
Pinch-hitter Jake Fraley, just off the injured list, walked and that brought up Noelvi Marte.
In the seventh inning, Marte homered for the third time in his last four games, a homer that drew the Reds to within 3-2.
No home run this time. He hit a hard ground ball to second base and Orlando Arcia, in haste to field it and throw home, booted it for an error as Benson head-firsted it across home plate for the walk-off win.
“You always feel better when you start with a runner on base and nobody out,” Reds manager Tito Francona told reporters after the game. “And Will (Benson) took a gorgeous swing. He might have watched a bit too long, which I don’t think will ever happen again. I can pretty much guarantee that.”
Benson admired his hit, believing it might be a homer, but saved face and grace by turning on the burners to reach third.
Credit: AP
Credit: AP
After walking, Fraley took second without a throw and Francona said, “Now we go on contact. It gives us two chances to go on contact.”
Marte made certain they only needed one chance, “And they bobbled it,” said Francona.
“All I wanted was to put the ball in play,” said Marte through translator Tomas Vera. “You have to put the ball in play and I knew I hit the ball hard. I knew if I hit the ball hard, something might happen.”
The Reds are 4-4 in walk-off decisions, 11-12 in one-run games and it was their 20th comeback win. And Colorado? The Rockies are 1-5 in walk-off games, 10-16 in one-run games and have blown leads 29 times.
And how did the Rockies try their hardest to give it away?
They put their leadoff batter on base in five innings. Twice they had a runner on third with no outs and didn’t score. They were 0 for 10 with runners in scoring position and struck out 11 times.
The Reds scored a run in the first. With runners on third and second with one out, Austin Hays lifted a sacrifice fly, minor retribution for his 0 for 5 Friday — a double play, four strikeouts and eight runners stranded.
Reds starter Brady Singer gave up a leadoff infield single to rookie Yanquiel Fernandez to open the third. Rookie Ryan Ritter, batting ninth, crushed his first major league home run to give the Rockies a 2-1 lead.
From there Singer overpopulated the bases and got away with it every time.
Credit: AP
Credit: AP
Hunter Goodman tripled to open the fourth. Singer struck out the next three on his way to nine strikeouts for his 6 1/3 innings. One of his fourth-inning whiffs was Michael Toglia, his MLB-leading 114th.
It was more dire in the fifth when Fernandez singled and took third on Orlando Arcia’s single...third and first with no outs.
Ritter grounded hard to third. Instead of going for a double play, third baseman Noelvi Marte zipped a throw home to wipe out Fernandez. The Reds then turned an inning-ending double play on Tyler Freeman.
Marte has had difficulty with throwing errors this season and Francona routinely takes him out late in games to improve the defense.
“He has been working so hard,” said Francona. “He doesn’t like coming out of games. And I kinda like that. He’s moving his feet. Even DJ (pitching coach Derek Johnson) went out there and worked with him. And I give the kid credit for listening.”
Said Marte, through Vera, “Work, work, work. Every day I go work with (bench coach) Freddie Benavides. I keep working because I know I can help the team in both areas, offense and defense. All I have to do is keep working.”
It was expected the Reds would feast on Colorado starter Bradley Blalock. He was making his first start since May 10. He began the season with the Rockies and faced the Reds in mid-April and gave up six runs and seven hits in an 8-1 loss.
In his last start before a demotion to Triple-A, he gave up 12 runs, 13 hits and three homers in 3 2/3 innings during a 21-0 loss to San Diego. Before his recall for Saturday’s start, he was 1-3 with an 8.32 earned run average for the Triple-A Albuquerque Isotopes.
Credit: AP
Credit: AP
The Reds, though, were stifled by him on one run and six hits over 5 2/3 innings. Any time they got something going they hit into double plays — three of them.
But for the Reds, it was all is well that ends with a game-ending error, enabling them to tie the series at a game apiece. And it gives them a chance to give Francona his 2,000th career managerial win Sunday, the last game before the All-Star break.
NEXT GAME
Who: Colorado at Cincinnati
When: 1:40 p.m.
TV: FanDuel Sports
Radio: 1410-AM, 700-AM
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