By Hal McCoy
Even when Sal Stewart sits as a spectator for nine innings in a 100° dugout, he finds a way to win a baseball game for the Cincinnati Reds.
For the first time after 103 straight starts this season, Stewart was given the day off. . .for nine innings.
But with the score tied in the 10th inning, manager Tito Francona sent Stewart up to pinch-hit and he cracked a run-scoring single to break the tie.
It is obvious that derring-do is in Stewart’s DNA. He is so full of positive energy one could plug a microwave oven into him.
As a result, the Reds beat the St. Louis Cardinals, 5-3, in 10 innings to complete a 6-3 road trip to three cities in three time zones.
The Reds took two of three in Colorado (Mountain), two of three in Seattle (Pacific) and two of three in St. Louis (Central).
And perhaps it was another Stewart statement in the Rookie of the Year argument, although Stewart would never say it.
For the series, St. Louis rookkie JJ Wetherholt was 0 for 10 with five strikeouts and three walks. Stewart was 4 for 9 with one strikeout and two RBI.
After Stewart’s single gave the Reds a 3-2 lead, the Reds had runners on third and second with two outs.
Eugenio Suarez, 0 for 8 with six strikeouts, was due up next, but St. Louis manager Oliver Marmol elected to intentionally walk him.
That was the tried and not always true methodology of a manager wanting a left-handed pitcher to face a left-handed batter.
The pitcher was southpaw Justin Bruihl and the batter was left-handed Nathaniel Lowe, 1 for 17 at the time against left-handed pitchers.
Lowe poked a two-run single the opposite way to left field for a 5-2 lead, a big hit when the Cardinals scored a run in the bottom of the 10th.
“It’s just excting and I don’t care what’s really happen so far this season and or what the match-up is,” said Lowe, who had his first three-hit day. “I’m just confident no matter who is out there and thankfully I got a good pitch to hit.”
On a day in Busch Stadium III when the heat index was 112° and theromemeters registered 120° on the field, the two starting pitchers showed the toughness of jungle mercenaries.
Cincinnati’s Andrew Abbott changed soaked uniforms three times, top and bottom, while holding the Cardinals to two runs and three hits over six innings.
He was forced to pitch around four walks but escaped like a stallion kicking down a corral gate.
St. Louis starter Kyle Leahy was just as rugged, also pitching six difficult innings, holding the Reds to an identical two runs on six hits.
His previous high in strikeouts was eight, set against the Reds last year. On this day he struck out nine.
The Cardinals took a 1-0 lead in the second on a double off the wall by Alec Burleson, a single by Masyn Winn and a sacrifice fly by Jose Fermin.
Elly De La Cruz tied it in the third with a home run to left field, his 18th home run and eighth opposite field homer.
The Cardinals took a 2-1 lead in the bottom of the third on Jose Herrera’s homer, then Cincinnati’s Ke’Bryan Hayes drilled his third home in the fifth inning, his first since early May, tying it 2-2.
And that’s the way it stood — 2-2 from the fifth through the ninth. After the Hayes homer, St. Louis pitchers retired 14 of the next 15 Reds.
Meanwhile, Abbott walked the first two Cardinals in the fourth, but Blaze Jordan lined into an inning-ending double play.
Abbott walked the leadoff hitter in the third and Wetherholt reach on first baseman Lowe’s error, putting two on with no outs.
Once again the Reds turned an inning-ending double play, this one started by third baseman Hayes after he made a stupendous stop on his knees on a screamer hit by Herrera.
Abbott, though, gutted it out and pitched a 1-2-3 sixth and his last pitch was his 100th.
“That was balmy out there,” said Francona about the furnace-like heat. “Remind me, next time it’s cold not to complain.”
He certainly had no complaints about Abbott.
“Abbott stayed out there for six and pitched around some walks (four) and an error at first,” said Francona. “But he got a couple of double plays, a gutty performance. And then our bullpen pieced it together.”
Abbott certainly felt as if he wa pitching in thermal undewear.
“All our guys went through it, so I’m not special to it, our guys played nine (10) innings through it,” he said about the heat. “But, yeah, it definitely took it out of me. The last two inninings I was clawing, just trying to lay it all out.
“I didn’t have a single ounce of dry spot on me,” he said. “I kept trying to dry my hands. You just learn and adjust on the fly.”
The bullpen of Pierce Johnson, TeJay Antone and Brock Burke held the Cardinals scoreless for three innings on two hits.
After Stewart’s hit gave the Reds a 3-2 lead and Lowe’s hit made it 5-2, closer Emilio Pagan warmed up but told Francona his fastball didn’t feel right.
So Francona went with rookie Julian Garcia and he gave up a run-scoring single in the 10th to Alec Burleson. And the Cardinals had two on with one out, the potential tying runs,
Garcia struck out Masyn Winn and Jose Fermin flied to left and Garcia had his first major league save.
“Pagan is just fine,” said Francona. “I give the kid credit. He said he wasn’t feeling right, his fastball wasn’t coming out very good. He’s fine, he’s healthy, he is just a team guy.”
Of more concern is Spencer Steer. He swung and missed a pitch in the fifth inning and felt pain in his right wrist and had to leave the game.
“The concern is that he doesn’t say anything,” said Francona. “He got hit in the ribs in Seattle and didn’t say anything. He never says anything. He didn’t fight me to come out of this game and that makes me nervous.”
Reds With Pinch-Hit…
By Hal McCoy
Even when Sal Stewart sits as a spectator for nine innings in a 100° dugout, he finds a way to win a baseball game for the Cincinnati Reds.
For the first time after 103 straight starts this season, Stewart was given the day off. . .for nine innings.
But with the score tied in the 10th inning, manager Tito Francona sent Stewart up to pinch-hit and he cracked a run-scoring single to break the tie.
It is obvious that derring-do is in Stewart’s DNA. He is so full of positive energy one could plug a microwave oven into him.
As a result, the Reds beat the St. Louis Cardinals, 5-3, in 10 innings to complete a 6-3 road trip to three cities in three time zones.
The Reds took two of three in Colorado (Mountain), two of three in Seattle (Pacific) and two of three in St. Louis (Central).
And perhaps it was another Stewart statement in the Rookie of the Year argument, although Stewart would never say it.
For the series, St. Louis rookkie JJ Wetherholt was 0 for 10 with five strikeouts and three walks. Stewart was 4 for 9 with one strikeout and two RBI.
After Stewart’s single gave the Reds a 3-2 lead, the Reds had runners on third and second with two outs.
Eugenio Suarez, 0 for 8 with six strikeouts, was due up next, but St. Louis manager Oliver Marmol elected to intentionally walk him.
That was the tried and not always true methodology of a manager wanting a left-handed pitcher to face a left-handed batter.
The pitcher was southpaw Justin Bruihl and the batter was left-handed Nathaniel Lowe, 1 for 17 at the time against left-handed pitchers.
Lowe poked a two-run single the opposite way to left field for a 5-2 lead, a big hit when the Cardinals scored a run in the bottom of the 10th.
“It’s just excting and I don’t care what’s really happen so far this season and or what the match-up is,” said Lowe, who had his first three-hit day. “I’m just confident no matter who is out there and thankfully I got a good pitch to hit.”
On a day in Busch Stadium III when the heat index was 112° and theromemeters registered 120° on the field, the two starting pitchers showed the toughness of jungle mercenaries.
Cincinnati’s Andrew Abbott changed soaked uniforms three times, top and bottom, while holding the Cardinals to two runs and three hits over six innings.
He was forced to pitch around four walks but escaped like a stallion kicking down a corral gate.
St. Louis starter Kyle Leahy was just as rugged, also pitching six difficult innings, holding the Reds to an identical two runs on six hits.
His previous high in strikeouts was eight, set against the Reds last year. On this day he struck out nine.
The Cardinals took a 1-0 lead in the second on a double off the wall by Alec Burleson, a single by Masyn Winn and a sacrifice fly by Jose Fermin.
Elly De La Cruz tied it in the third with a home run to left field, his 18th home run and eighth opposite field homer.
The Cardinals took a 2-1 lead in the bottom of the third on Jose Herrera’s homer, then Cincinnati’s Ke’Bryan Hayes drilled his third home in the fifth inning, his first since early May, tying it 2-2.
And that’s the way it stood — 2-2 from the fifth through the ninth. After the Hayes homer, St. Louis pitchers retired 14 of the next 15 Reds.
Meanwhile, Abbott walked the first two Cardinals in the fourth, but Blaze Jordan lined into an inning-ending double play.
Abbott walked the leadoff hitter in the third and Wetherholt reach on first baseman Lowe’s error, putting two on with no outs.
Once again the Reds turned an inning-ending double play, this one started by third baseman Hayes after he made a stupendous stop on his knees on a screamer hit by Herrera.
Abbott, though, gutted it out and pitched a 1-2-3 sixth and his last pitch was his 100th.
“That was balmy out there,” said Francona about the furnace-like heat. “Remind me, next time it’s cold not to complain.”
He certainly had no complaints about Abbott.
“Abbott stayed out there for six and pitched around some walks (four) and an error at first,” said Francona. “But he got a couple of double plays, a gutty performance. And then our bullpen pieced it together.”
Abbott certainly felt as if he wa pitching in thermal undewear.
“All our guys went through it, so I’m not special to it, our guys played nine (10) innings through it,” he said about the heat. “But, yeah, it definitely took it out of me. The last two inninings I was clawing, just trying to lay it all out.
“I didn’t have a single ounce of dry spot on me,” he said. “I kept trying to dry my hands. You just learn and adjust on the fly.”
The bullpen of Pierce Johnson, TeJay Antone and Brock Burke held the Cardinals scoreless for three innings on two hits.
After Stewart’s hit gave the Reds a 3-2 lead and Lowe’s hit made it 5-2, closer Emilio Pagan warmed up but told Francona his fastball didn’t feel right.
So Francona went with rookie Julian Garcia and he gave up a run-scoring single in the 10th to Alec Burleson. And the Cardinals had two on with one out, the potential tying runs,
Garcia struck out Masyn Winn and Jose Fermin flied to left and Garcia had his first major league save.
“Pagan is just fine,” said Francona. “I give the kid credit. He said he wasn’t feeling right, his fastball wasn’t coming out very good. He’s fine, he’s healthy, he is just a team guy.”
Of more concern is Spencer Steer. He swung and missed a pitch in the fifth inning and felt pain in his right wrist and had to leave the game.
“The concern is that he doesn’t say anything,” said Francona. “He got hit in the ribs in Seattle and didn’t say anything. He never says anything. He didn’t fight me to come out of this game and that makes me nervous.”