Even though it wasn’t so visible at the time on Monday night after a thrilling comeback win over the Cubs in the 13th inning, there was a downside lurking for the Reds from that game.
It was a depleted bullpen that became exposed when extra innings came once again on Tuesday. Hence, lefty Manny Parra found himself getting a second inning of work in the 10th inning that he normally wouldn’t get. Parra gave up two runs and four hits in the Reds’ 4-2 loss to the Cubs, and Darwin Barney’s solo homer was the go-ahead run.
“We had to stick with Manny. Manny was our only guy,” Reds manager Dusty Baker said. “Ordinarily, he wouldn’t have been out there that second time. He threw a great [ninth] inning before. He made a mistake on Barney. He was trying to go outside and came inside on the home run.”
Trailing 2-1 in the bottom of the ninth, the Reds rallied as Cubs starter Carlos Villanueva attempted to pitch a complete game. Shin-Soo Choo reached for the third time on the night with a leadoff walk and went to second base on a Zack Cozart sacrifice bunt.
Chicago called on Carlos Marmol to face Joey Votto, who was 1-for-15 with nine strikeouts lifetime against the right-hander — including a strikeout on Monday. Votto won this battle, as his single through the middle scored Choo with the tying run. Marmol would walk two more batters to load the bases with two outs, but he escaped to force extras.
“You can’t get ’em all. I wish we could battle like that every inning,” Frazier said. “It was tough. It’s one of those things that when you get runners on and don’t get many opportunities, you have to do something with it. I had an opportunity to drive a run in or get on base with one out [in the seventh] and got a double play turned on me.”
Parra returned for the 10th and after getting the first out, his 2-1 offering to Barney was pulled to left field for a homer.
“I think it was good for us,” said Barney, who is batting .148 this season. “Obviously, it was nice to get an RBI. No one was in scoring position — I’m probably like 0-for-1,000 in that situation. It feels good to contribute on that side of the field for sure.”
Pinch-hitter Julio Borbon bounced a ball in front of the plate for a base hit and went to second base as catcher Corky Miller’s throw hit the runner’s back for an error. Borbon stole third base and scored on Dave Sappelt’s single into center field before Starlin Castro walked.
In limited action for the Reds, Parra hasn’t fared well at all. In six appearances, he has an 8.10 ERA with 15 hits and three walks over 6 2/3 innings. He was signed to a one-year, $1 million contract in January and made the club out of camp despite a shaky Spring Training. His roster spot could be tenuous as an opening will be needed when fellow lefty Sean Marshall is activated from the disabled list, which could likely happen later this week.
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