Losses from blown leads will hurt. Losses in the late innings will sting. Losses this late in the season of a pennant race will smart.
How about a loss from a blown lead in the late innings, late in the season of a pennant race — against the National League Central-rival Cardinals? That’s exactly what came in the Reds’ 8-6 loss to St. Louis on Monday night at Busch Stadium, with the anvil to the head delivered by an Allen Craig grand slam off J.J. Hoover in the seventh inning.
That’s a shooting pain that will leave the Reds throbbing for a little while, at least until Tuesday evening, when the two teams play again.
“It’s devastating when you see the ball go over the fence,” Reds manager Dusty Baker said of the homer that did his team in.
In the seventh, Reds starter Mike Leake allowed leadoff batter David Freese to start the rally with a single to left field, and Carlos Beltran delivered a one-out, pinch-hit double to left-center field. Third-base coach Jose Oquendo conservatively held Freese from scoring, and with the Cardinals entering leading the Majors with a .327 on-base percentage, it became clear why.
“This one hurts a little bit,” said Leake, who was charged with five runs over 6 1/3 innings. “Especially when you get one pitch away from coming out of there that inning with a lead and locking it down with our bullpen. We had a chance and couldn’t take advantage of it.”
Lefty Manny Parra replaced Leake and issued a walk to lefty-hitting Matt Carpenter that loaded the bases. Jon Jay followed with a routine slow grounder to first base. Joey Votto touched the bag and headed for the dugout thinking he had three outs. Although a bad miscue on Votto’s part, one which he acknowledged postgame, it was unlikely there was any chance at an inning-ending double play.
Hoover replaced Parra to face Matt Holliday, who worked a 3-2 count before drawing a walk on a very close pitch to load the bases.
“That last pitch was close,” Hoover said. “I think it could have went either way. Unfortunately, I walked him.”
The next pitch was even more unfortunate.
On a first-pitch fastball, Craig hit an opposite-field drive to right field for the grand slam. He is now 6-for-7 with 15 RBIs in two-out, bases-loaded situations this season and has a Major League-best .452 average with runners in scoring position overall.
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