Reds' lead vanishes amid HBP, balk, walk-off

Following a shaky first week of the season, Reds closer Raisel Iglesias appeared back on track. Entering Thursday, he retired the last 16 batters he faced, with eight strikeouts.

But that streak ended in a conflagration on the mound vs. the Cardinals. Iglesias suffered his first blown save of 2020, losing a two-run lead to be on the hook for a 5-4 Cincinnati loss at Busch Stadium.

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“It’s tough. This is a tough one to swallow, for sure,” said Reds starting pitcher Sonny Gray, who was in line for the victory after he admittedly labored through a six-inning, two-run performance.

The Reds’ bullpen has taken its lumps in 2020, but the outcome Thursday fell squarely on Iglesias. After Gray departed, Lucas Sims was brilliant with three strikeouts over 1 2/3 perfect innings and Amir Garrett struck out his lone batter to end the eighth.

In part because of three postponed games after a Reds player tested positive for COVID-19, Iglesias hadn’t appeared in a game since Aug. 11.

Trouble started when Iglesias -- with a 4-2 lead -- hit leadoff batter Brad Miller on the foot with his very first pitch to open the bottom of the ninth. Tyler O’Neill followed with a walk that put the tying run on first base. Manager David Bell had reliever Nate Jones start warming up in the bullpen.

The question became how much time could Bell give Iglesias to rebound?

“Right from the beginning, I could tell he wasn’t completely sharp,” Bell said. “And to his credit, he kind of bounced back and was throwing strikes. As long as he was throwing strikes, I was OK with it.”

Dexter Fowler attempted a sacrifice bunt but fouled off the first pitch. He later singled on a 3-2 pitch to load the bases with no outs. Then Yadier Molina chopped a ball near the mound off the glove of the leaping Iglesias, and it went for an RBI single that left everybody safe.

“That ball that hits off of Iggy’s glove -- that’s just a reaction play,” Gray said. “It’s, ‘Aw, man.’ It’s one of those things that didn’t go our way. It’s hard to not touch that ball. And it just spiraled out of control for us.

“Iggy has done great. He’s been such a huge part of the ninth inning for us and has done an incredible job. Tonight was just one of those nights that didn’t go our way there at the end.”

The tying run came in when Iglesias was called for a balk while facing Dylan Carlson. Iglesias struck out Carlson, and Bell summoned Jones in search of a ground ball as Kolten Wong stepped up. Right fielder Nick Castellanos was brought in as a fifth infielder, leaving Shogo Akiyama and Travis Jankowski as a two-man outfield.

“We did think we could get a ground ball with Wong,” Bell said. “You take a chance there. With a ground ball, you do have a chance to get the guy at the plate [more] than if a fly ball is hit. So at that point in the game, you’re just taking a shot, really. Your back’s up against the wall.”

It was no use. Wong lifted a fly ball for a single that ended the game in walk-off fashion.

“Just wanted to stay short and barrel the ball up, and I knew if I barrel the ball up, it’s going to be hard for those guys to get Dex at home,” Wong said.

Cincinnati’s bullpen is 2-5 with a 6.17 ERA that’s ranked 28th out of 30 MLB clubs. Iglesias is 1-2 with a 7.71 ERA in seven appearances overall. As the 10-13 Reds near the Aug. 31 Trade Deadline, addressing the bullpen could be the needed move.

“Raisel is going to be fine,” Bell said. “He’s going to bounce back from this. He did everything he could to stay ready during this break.”

Gray pitched six innings and allowed two runs, four hits and four walks. His sixth strikeout helped him surpass Jim Maloney (1966) and Johnny Cueto (2014) for most strikeouts by a Reds pitcher through his first six games of the season. Gray has 51 strikeouts this season.

The Reds gave Gray a 4-2 lead through three innings against Adam Wainwright. But Wainwright retired his final 15 batters in a row. When the Reds had the bases loaded in the top of the ninth against Seth Elledge, they came up empty.

“That’s why it’s so important to add on those runs,” Bell said. “That would have made the difference tonight.”