By Hal McCoy
It looked as if, out of necesssity, the Pittsburgh Pirates were conceding Thursday night’s game even before it started.
But for eight innings, the Cincinnati Reds were having none of it.
Then in the ninth, they scored a 3-2 walkoff victory — not with a home run, not with a hit, not with a walk and not on an error.
They scored the winning run on a fielder’s choice when the Pirates botched a sure-fire inning-ending double play.
It was the only way the Reds were going to win this one. They were 1 for 15 with runners in scoring position, strikingo out six times in that situation.
In six of the first seven innings, they put their leadoff batter on base, but only one scored.
But a win is a win is a win and this is how it happened in the ninth against Pittsburgh closer Gregory Soto.
It began with Elly De La Cruz reversing a 97 miles an hour 116 miles an hour fastball into left field, a single that De La Cruz turned into a double with his speed afoot.
It was his third double of the night, all from the right side, to go with two stolen bases and a walk.
Sal Stewart was walked intentionally. JJ Bleday struck out. Tyler Stephenson coaxed a ulta-important walk to fill the bases.
That brough up Nathaniel Lowe, left versus left. He chopped one past the mound. With the infield drawn in, shortstop Jared Trillo fielded it in front of the second base bag.
That made his flip backward ackward and second baseman Brandon Lowe had trouble making the relay.
Remember the movie Major League when a limping Jake Taylor chugged down the first base line to beat a throw as the winning run scored?
That was Lowe, not a world-class sprinter or even a world-class walker. But he beat the throw as De La Cruz scored the winning run.
“Speed kills, whatever that means,” said Lowe.
When manager Tito Francona was asked what he was thinking when he saw Lowe chop the ball on the infield grass,vhe said, “Run faster.”
And why did it look as if the Pirates were conceding this game.
They are in the midst of 17 games in 17 days and their pitching is in shambles.
So manager Don Kelly started Johan Ramirez — his first major league start after 209 bullpen appearances.
He pitched two scoreless innings then Kelly went to a pair of relief pitchers just recently called up from the minors.
And sometimes one wonders what managers are thinking. His first replacement was left-hander Hunter Barco.
The last time he faced the Reds at the beginning of the season he gave up a home run to De La Cruz, a home run to Sal Stewart and a single to Eugenio Suarez. That was it — two homers, a single and take a shower.
Nevertheless, heentered Thursday’s game in the third inning with Kelly knowing he had to face De La Cruz and Stewart.
The first batter was Matt McLain, put back on the roster before the game off rehab. He was 0 for 13 before his injury, but he led the inning with a bloop single to right on a full count.
Barco had two strikes on De La Cruz and then he doubled to score McLain. He had two strikes on Stewart and he singled to right, scoring De La Cruz for his 80th RBI.
That gave Reds starter Rhett Lowder a 2-0 lead.
He held the Pirates scoreless until the fifth when Nick Gonzales doublede, took third on Endy Rodriguez’s single and scored on a sacrifice fly by Jacob Gonzalez.
The Pirates tied it, 2-2, when Brandon Lowe led the sixth with a first-pitch 402-foot home run to right on Lowder’s 77 miles an hour slider.
Lowder, though, was solid with a slippery slider — six innings, two runs, five hits, no walks and five strikeouts.
“I was executing it and keeping it down,” he said of his slider that befuddled the Buccos. “Usually when I’m getting it down under lefties, it’s pretty good.
“We were getting into advantage counts alot, which is what you want to do.”
Lowder set the tone in the first innings when he went 1-2-3 on nine pitches, eight strikes.
“That helps a ton,” he said. “Getting ahead, getting good counts early.”
Now about the Reds so-called offense, which struck out 12 more times. When Tyler Stephenson struck out in the first inning, he was the 1,000th Reds strikeout victim. The number now is 1,010, most in the majors.
De La Cruz walked to open the first and stole second, but that’s as far as he got.
Lowe opened the second with a double, but that’s as far as he got.
Dane Myers singled with one out in the fourth and reached third, but that’s as far as he got.
De La Cruz led the fifth with a double and two walks loaded the bases. But Lowe grounded out.
The first two Reds reached in the sixth, but Noelvi Marte and McLain both struck out and De La Cruz grounded out, the only time he didn’t reach base.
Of De La Cruz, Francona said, “Three doubles right-handed. Those were really good swings, nice and short to the ball.
“Like good baserunners, he smells it out of the box, always gives himself a chance (for the extra base),” he added. “With his speed and his strides, he puts himself in position to take advantage of all that.”
The Pirates had their chances, too. They loaded the bases with two outs in the seventh against Brock Burke before he struck out Brandon Lowe.
Reds closer Emilio Pagan pitched the ninth and gave up a two-out single to Jhostynxon Garcia before striking out Jake Mangum.
It was the Reds’ fifth walk-off win and Pittsburgh’s sixth loss. The Reds improved in one-run games to 13-12.
And the Reds are now 9-23 against National League Central teams to Pittsburgh’s 19-12.