While Reds manager Bryan Price is running low on fresh-armed relievers, his bullpen is not running out of creative ways to deliver heartbreaking defeats on this road trip.
The struggling J.J. Hoover hit Jon Jay with the bases loaded in the bottom of the ninth, and that’s how the Cardinals walked off to hand the Reds a 5-4 defeat at Busch Stadium on Tuesday night.
“I just didn’t have any feel out there tonight. I just hate that I let the team down again,” Hoover told MLB.com.
He is now 1-10 after he lost his 10th straight decision. The 10 losses tie a club record for a reliever. The 10th straight set a club mark.
Back for the ninth inning after escaping a two-out jam in the eighth, Hoover walked leadoff batter Matt Holliday, gave up a Matt Adams lined single and walked Jhonny Peralta to load the bases with no outs.
On the first pitch to Jay, Hoover plunked him on the right leg to end it. On Sunday in Game 1 of a doubleheader, he surrendered a walk-off homer to the Rockies.
Tuesday’s walk-off loss was the Reds’ third in four games. The other came Sunday when relievers gave up five runs in the eighth inning in a 10-5 loss in Game 2 of the doubleheader.
In four games, totaling 10 2/3 innings, Reds relievers have allowed 19 runs (18 earned) on 26 hits. Asked about reinforcements being called up, Price conceded there weren’t many options other than what he already has.
“It’s not like we have guys in the system that are lighting up the opportunity radar in Triple-A kicking butt or in Double-A with us feeling organizationally that they are mature enough, ready enough or polished enough to come in and help,” Price said.
For the second straight game, Price did not have closer Aroldis Chapman available because of an achy left shoulder and Jonathan Broxton was being held back to close if the Reds took the lead.
“It’s a different style of losing, unfortunately, in the sense we’ve been playing more consistent offensively,” Price said. “We’ve taken advantage of some opportunities to score and we haven’t been able to shut the door.”
Against Cardinals starter John Lackey, the Reds took a 2-1 lead in the fourth when Todd Frazier hit a two-run homer to center field. It became a 4-1 lead in the sixth, when two Cardinals fielding errors led to Ryan Ludwick’s a two-run double to left field with one out.
“We just have to keep scoring. It’s the name of the game,” Frazier said. “You know, in the Majors Leagues, no lead is safe. We just have to keep attacking and attacking.”
Reds starter Alfredo Simon labored early on, needing 60 pitches to get through three innings and 92 pitches through five. While he did nice job of minimizing the damage in the one-run third, leaving the bases loaded, Simon’s inability to complete at least six innings would have consequences later. He finished with 109 pitches after 5 1/3 innings.
Click here to read more of this story.
About Marion Online Sports
