Saturday’s Game Report: Cardinals 6, Reds 5 (11 innings)
By Rob Rains
As the Cardinals tried to score the one run they needed in extra innings to beat the Reds on Saturday, six players stepped up to the plate with the chance to be the hero.
It wasn’t until Yohel Pozo’s turn, with two outs in the 11th inning, that the Cardinals were able to celebrate a walk-off win at Busch Stadium.
Pozo, who entered the game to catch in the top of the 11th, delivered a two-out single to drive in Jordan Walker from second with the winning run and end a long, hot day of baseball.
Pozo’s hit came after the Cardinals loaded the bases in the 10th with nobody out and couldn’t score, and then had Nolan Gorman and Lars Nootbaar pop up to the infield in the 11th for the first two outs of that inning to set the stage for Pozo’s first career walk-off hit.
The win was the fifth in a row for the Cardinals, their sixth in their last seven games and their third in eight extra-inning games this season. It also was their first win of the season in a game they trailed after eight innings, having been 0-29 in those games prior to Saturday.
Here is how Saturday’s game broke down:
At the plate: The Cardinals trailed 5-2 when they came up to bat in the eighth inning and had only recorded two hits in the game, one a two-run, first-inning homer by Alec Burleson … Four consecutive singles with two outs produced two runs that cut the Reds lead to 5-4 but Willson Contreras struck out to end the inning and strand the potential tying and go-ahead runners … Nolan Arenado then tied the game with a leadoff homer in the ninth … With the bases loaded in the 10th, Masyn Winn and Burleson hit into force outs at the plate before Contrera struck out, the fourth time he went down on strikes in the game.
On the mound: Sonny Gray battled through the first five innings before turning a 2-1 lead over to the bullpen … The Reds took the lead with three runs in the seventh off Steven Matz, the big blow a two-run homer by Elly De La Cruz … A leadoff triple and sacrifice fly off Andre Granillo in the eighth increased the lead to 5-2 … Ryan Helsley worked the 10th inning, stranding the go-ahead runner on third, and Phil Maton did the same thing in the 11th, issuing one walk but striking out the other three batters.
Key stat: Since Busch Stadium 3 opened in 2006, the Cardinals are 102-59 against the Reds at home, their most wins against any opponent. They have 100 wins against the Pirates.
Worth noting: Burleson’s homer was his fifth career homer against a lefthanded pitcher and second this season … It was only the second first-inning home run for the Cardinals at home this season. Their other came from Noobaar on March 31 against the Angels.
Up next: The Cardinals will send Miles Mikolas to the mound on Sunday to try to complete a sweep of the three-game series. First pitch is scheduled for 1:15 p.m.
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