By Hal McCoy
Something had to give in a game involving two teams reaching for a dangling rope.
The Cincinnati Reds carried the burden of eight losses in their last 10 games into Petco Park Monday night.
The San Diego Padres, though were worse — 11 losses in their last 13 games.
So it took a novel way for the Reds to kick away a 6-2 loss to the Padres.
The game turned because the Reds acted as if they’d never heard of nor had ever seen a bunt.
They botched not one, not two, but three Padres bunts, all three in a row, that turned a 2-1 lead into a 3-2 deficit in the seventh inning.
Andrew Abbott pitched six nearly flawless innings — one run and two hits with one of the hits a home run by number nine hitter Freddy Fermin, hitting .142 and fresh off an 0 for 30 skid.
Abbott had 93 pitches through six and after the inning Reds manager Tito Francona asked how he felt about going out for the seventh and Abbott gave him a thumbs up.
After all, he had retired the last 10 batters he faced.
It didn’t work. The Padres first hitter, Xander Bogaerts, doubled. And the second batter, Gavin Sheets, whom Abbott had struck out twice, poked a game-tying double down the left field line.
That was it for Abbott. He left with the score tied, 2-2, with no outs and a runner on second.
“I thought Abbott pitched really well,” said Francona. “He gave up the solo homer (to Fermin) on a breaking ball. I thought he definitely deserved to go back out.”
Abbott deserived to go back out, but Francona also knew what happens when he goes to his bullpen and it happened again.
Francona brought in Tejay Antone to face Jase Bowen. A bunt to get the go-ahead runner over to third was obvious.
And Bowen bunted. Antone and first baseman Sal Stewart collided trying to pick it up. Bowen was safe at first and Sheets advanced to third.
Next up was Samad Taylor, an accomplished bunter who had 47 successful sacrifice bunts during his career. He shortened to bunt four times before finally pushing one up the first base line.
Stewart charged and tried to scoop it barehanded and dropped it as Sheets scored the go-ahead run, a 3-2 lead.
Next up was Fermin and he, too, bunted. Antone picked it up and dropped it, an error.
“On the first bunt, we were trying to be ultra-aggressive. Sal got every aggressive and I don’t know if Tejay makes the player anyway,” said Francona
“On the one to Sal (that he fumbled trying to scoop it home), that was his only play. If he makes it he has a chance to get him out,” said Francona.
“Then the last one, the play just kind of sped up on Tejay,” he added.
Neverthelss, on all three bunts the Reds reacted as if the Padres had done something illegal.
Then Zach McCambrey pitched the eighth and base hits fell like purple rain — three runs and four hits to put the game away, 6-2.
Not that the add-on runs mattered.
After giving up the lead in the seventh, the Reds had to face arguably the best bullpen in baseball.
The Reds last seven outs were strikeouts. Jason Adam struck out three in the eighth and baseball’s best closer, Mason Miller, struck out the side in the ninth.
Miller’s fastball averages 101 miles an hour. He struck out Blake Dunn with a 102 miles an hour fastball for the second out and ended the game with a 103 miles an hour fastball to JJ Bleday.
Fermin’s third-inning home run gave the Padres a 1-0 lead that stood until the fifth.
Edwin Arroyo opened the inning with a single. Arroyo broke for second as Blake Dunn struck out. Dunn was called for interferring on catcher Fermin’s throw and both Dunn and Arroyo were ruled out.
But with two outs and nobody on, Bleday doubled and scored on Sal Stewart’s single to tie it, 1-1.
The Reds took a 2-1 lead in the sixth when Noelvi Marte opened the inning with a single and stole second.
He took third after Samad Taylor leaped above the wall to rob Matt McLain of a home run. Marte scored the go-ahead run on Arroyo’s deep sacrifice fly to center.
Taylor was a dagger all night. McLain was on third with one out in the second when Arroyo lofted a shallow fly to left. McLain tagged and Taylor threw him out from here to Mission Bay.
McLain, who hit two homers in Sunday’s loss in St. Louis, had a single, double and the near homer, showing that he is a good hitter when he remembers it.
And Taylor drove in three runs, one on his seventh inning bunt and two on a ninth-inning single.
Amazingly, the top four batters in San Diego’s batting order was 1 for 16. But the bottom five had nine hits and scored all six runs and drove in all six runs.
In addition to the defensive lapses and the bulpen bust, the Reds were 1 for 7 with runners in scoring position while the Padres were 5 for 9.