Wednesday’s Game Report: Reds 5, Cardinals 4
By Rob Rains
When the Cardinals intentionally walked Sal Stewart in the eighth inning on Wednesday night, it was two innings too late.
Stewart hit a misplaced pitch from Matthew Liberatore in the sixth inning for a three-run homer that carried the Reds to the win in Cincinnati.
Liberatore had shut out the Reds on one hit through the first five innings, but a double and single put two runners on base in front of Stewart, who hit his 27th homer of the season.
The homer by Stewart, who provides the main competition for the Cardinals’ JJ Wetherholt in the Rookie of the Year race, wiped out a 2-0 lead for the Cardinals.
The Reds did add two runs in the eighth, and that proved to be the difference in the game. Jordan Walker hit a two-out, two-run homer in the ninth, pulling the Cardinals within one run.
They got the tying run to third when Jose Fermin doubld and went to third on a wild pitch but he was stranded there.
Here is how Wednesday night’s game broke down:
At the plate: The Cardinals built the 2-0 lead in the fourth on RBI singles by Nathan Church and Bryan Torres, one inning af after Blaze Jordan was thrown out at the plate trying to score from first on a double by Wetherholt … Wetherholt led off the ninth with a walk and scored on Walker’s homer, increasing his RBI total to 90 … The Cardinals were 3-of-11 with runners in scoring position but left 11 runners on base.
On the mound: Liberatore retired 16 of the first 17 hitters he faced, with eight strikeouts, allowing only a two-out single by Matt McLain in the third … McLain doubled with one out in the sixth, followed by a single from Elly De La Cruz, and both scored on Stewart’s homer … The final two runs for the Reds came in the eighth off Justin Bruihl.
Worth noting: Joshua Baez did not start for the first time since joining the major-league team but entered the game as a pinch-hitter in the sixth and singled. He also walked in the eighth and stole his first two bases … Pitching for Springfield at Arkansas on Wednesday night, Liam Doyle allowed one run on one hit and two walks, striking out nine, in five innings … Illinois State University announced on Wednesday that former Cardinal Paul DeJong has been selected to the school’s Hall of Fame.
Up next: The Cardinals and Reds will close out the five-game series with a day game on Thursday. Michael McGreevy is the scheduled starter. The first pitch will be at 11:40 a.m. St. Louis time.
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