It was a night when both teams’ bullpens had spells of not getting the job done. But the messy battle of relievers was ultimately claimed by the Braves with a 5-4 victory over the Reds in 11 innings, with Ender Inciarte’s sacrifice fly being the difference.
In the top of the 11th, Nick Markakis hit a leadoff single against Tony Cingrani, who worked a scoreless 10th for Cincinnati. Blake Wood took over and allowed Jeff Francoeur’s single that put runners on the corners. Inciarte hit a fly ball to center field and Markakis scored the go-ahead run — just the third inherited runner to cross the plate on Wood this season. Francoeur was thrown out by Billy Hamilton for the double play trying to advance to second base, but the damage was already done.
Flamethrowing right-hander Mauricio Cabrera earned the win when he pitched the final 1 2/3 innings for Atlanta with one infield hit in the 11th that left the tying run stranded.
“[Cabrera] just keep pitching those stressful innings, and it doesn’t bother him a bit,” Braves manager Brian Snitker said. “The expression never changes. He just keeps throwing, he keeps pitching. I’ve been very impressed with his makeup, his mound presence, the way he goes about it, and he’s going to get better and better.”
Braves closer Jim Johnson could not lock down a 4-2 advantage in the bottom of the ninth, as the Reds scored twice. Eugenio Suarez’s leadoff single and a bloop double by Ramon Cabrera led to one run when pinch-hitter Tucker Barnhart hit an RBI groundout to shortstop. The tying run followed, on Zack Cozart’s RBI single down the left-field line, before he was thrown out trying for a double. Hamilton followed with an infield single but was caught stealing with Joey Votto batting to send the game into extras.
It was a 2-2 game when the Reds bullpen’s season-high scoreless streak of 13 innings was snapped by Gordon Beckham’s two-run home run in the seventh off of Michael Lorenzen. It was the first homer allowed by Cincinnati’s bullpen since July 4, ending its longest homerless streak of the season but adding to its Major League lead with 67 home runs allowed.
Click here to read more of this story.
About Marion Online Sports
