CINCINNATI – Just when it looked like the Reds were poised to add meaning to their most consequential series of the season this weekend, they instead finished their series vs. the Blue Jays in demoralizing fashion.
Toronto didn’t just hand the Reds a 13-9 loss in the finale to take the final two games of the series — both with double-digit run production — it pulled off a big comeback to boot. Cincinnati had a 5-0 lead in the second inning before the American League East-leading Blue Jays battled back using five home runs – including four against starting pitcher Zack Littell.
“It’s a game we have to win when the offense scores that many runs. We have got to be better than that, and that kind of starts with me,” said Littell, who gave up five runs and seven hits over 4 1/3 innings with one walk and six strikeouts.
The Reds (70-70), who have lost 10 of their last 13 games, remained five games behind the Mets for the final National League Wild Card spot. It was a missed opportunity to pick up a game on New York, which lost at Detroit. Meanwhile the Reds’ slide coincided with a resurgence by the Giants, who are now a game ahead of Cincinnati.
The Cardinals and Diamondbacks are also now a half-game behind the Reds.
Now the Reds will have to use Thursday’s off-day to regroup ahead of hosting the Mets for a make-or-break three-game series at Great American Ball Park. Even if Cincinnati sweeps, the best it can do is wind up two games back of the Mets by the end of the weekend.
“I wish we would have won tonight. We’re probably extremely fortunate that we get to play a team that’s in front of us,” manager Terry Francona said. “Saying that, we’ve got to beat them. But it’s our chance.”
Cincinnati opened the second half by taking two of three games from the Mets at Citi Field.
“It’s obviously a big series,” said designated hitter Gavin Lux, who scored two runs. “That’s a chance to be able to swing a full three games, and obviously it’s a good team. It’s a big opportunity for us to kind of get back into it. We’ve still got 22 games left. You can’t play up or play down, whether it’s the Mets or the White Sox. All these games are important.”
The Reds built the initial lead with a five-run second inning against Blue Jays starter Shane Bieber, while he threw 33 pitches. The big hits came from Jose Trevino, who delivered a two-run single through the middle with one out and the bases loaded. After Matt McLain hit an RBI single into center field, Noelvi Marte added a two-out, two-run double to right-center field.
However, the rally turned out not to be a knockout blow. And Bieber turned it around to retire 11 in a row and 12 of his final 13 batters.
George Springer got the comeback started with a two-out solo drive in the third inning and with two outs in the fourth, Daulton Varsho and Alejandro Kirk put together back-to-back homers.
In the fifth inning with one out, Littell gave up Addison Barger’s two-run homer to right field that made it a 5-5 game. Nick Martinez took over in relief, but Vladimir Guerrero Jr. followed Barger with the go-ahead homer to left field to give the Blue Jays the lead.
“Obviously just overall, I wasn’t very good,” Littell said. “I actually executed pitches early, didn’t necessarily think I started grooving everything. They put some good swings on some good pitches. It was a good offense, but I have to execute better in that spot.”
Although the Reds added one run in the seventh inning and three more in the eighth, Toronto remained relentless as the game turned into a goat rodeo of offense for the second straight night. The Blue Jays scored at least one run in each of the final four innings — including four in the eighth while batting around.
Now it’s on to the Mets. There’s no other choice.
“We’ve had some really tough losses since I’ve been here,” Littell said. “We show up the next day, and we put it on them, and the intensity doesn’t change. The attack … that these guys go out with doesn’t change regardless.
“We know it’s a big series. We know that the next two weeks are huge.”
