Reds secure series win after 6-run comeback

CINCINNATI -- Entering his fifth at-bat on Tuesday, Reds second baseman Jonathan India was 0-for-4 with two strikeouts, and he was none too pleased about it. Yet all that was out of his mind in the eighth inning against reliever Ian Kennedy.

"You can’t really dwell on at-bats. It’s the next one, think about the next one. I did. Our whole team did," India said.

It was India's two-run single lined to center field that capped a six-run rally in the eighth inning for a 7-6 victory over Texas at Great American Ball Park. Cincinnati was down 6-0 going into the seventh inning and scored seven unanswered runs.

“Thank God, huh?” a relieved India said.

The outcome was similar to Monday's, when the Reds battled back from down 5-1 in the third inning and came away with a 7-6 walk-off win.

“The last two nights, their starters have put us at bay for the majority of the game. When the game flips to the bullpen, we’ve been able to find some openings," said Nick Senzel, who was 3-for-4. "Those are the moments to take advantage of. The game is not over until it’s over. Keep putting pressure on them. We’ve talked as a group of applying the pressure. Early in the game, we have not done a great job of that. It seems like the last two nights, we’ve done it the hard way at the end."

It was 6-0 in the seventh inning when the Reds finally got to Rangers starter Martín Pérez with three straight singles, including an RBI hit by Senzel to left field to score Henry Ramos.

Against Texas lefty Cole Ragans in the eighth, a Ramos one-out liner off the pitcher’s glove scored Stuart Fairchild, and Senzel's two-out single to left field scored Tyler Stephenson before Jose Barrero drew a four-pitch walk.

Then came a little chess match.

With lefty TJ Friedl due up, manager David Bell summoned righty hitter Wil Myers to pinch-hit, even though he was scratched from the original starting lineup with neck spasms. Rangers manager Bruce Bochy called on the right-handed Kennedy from the bullpen.

That's when Bell countered with another lefty hitter, Jake Fraley, to pinch-hit for Myers. Fraley was in a 3-for-38 slump over his past 12 games.

"We knew that it could turn out like that," Bell said. "We trust our guys, and certainly Jake has been working hard, and I just trusted him in that situation."

Kennedy threw eight pitches to Fraley, all fastballs, in a great duel. In a 3-2 count, Fraley fouled off back-to-back pitches before lifting a bloop double to short left field for two more runs to make it a one-run game.

"It was a tough at-bat. Kennedy has a really good fastball. It’s a very heavy fastball. It has a lot of carry to it, so it’s hard to stay on top of it. Hence all the foul balls," Fraley said. "He kept going with the fastballs, and I was able to put it in a spot where there was nobody there."

Next was India, who lined another fastball into center field for the game winner.

Including the back-to-back wins where they scored 14 runs and the preceding six-game losing streak where they totaled only six, the Reds have not hit a home run in eight games, the club’s longest homerless streak since July 1992.

"It's a fun way to play the game, there's no question," Bell said. "Every at-bat has played a part in it."

"Especially here, this is a home run park," India said. "Not many of us are hitting homers. We’ll see in a month or two where we’re at. We’re a bunch of gritty guys that just want to get on base, hit doubles, hit the ball hard all over the park, play the game the right way and win ballgames."

Such comebacks aren't possible without good bullpen work. After starter Luke Weaver gave up six earned runs, including three homers, Reds relievers Derek Law, Reiver Sanmartin and closer Alexis Díaz worked 3 1/3 scoreless innings.

Cincinnati's bullpen has a 2.04 ERA over its past 13 games.

"When you're down … if you can keep the other team right there and give your offense a chance just to kind of try to claw back into it, momentum plays a factor," Bell said.

Said India: "We never give up, no matter what the score is. It’s just special to see a team come together like that and prevail at the end.”