Suarez plates Cozart in 9th as Reds edge Cards

[September 03, 2016]   CINCINNATI -- A big weekend for Cincinnati Reds third baseman Eugenio Suarez got off to a flying start Friday night.

Suarez singled home Zack Cozart with the winning run in the bottom of the ninth inning, lifting Cincinnati to a 3-2 victory over the St. Louis Cardinals in the opener of a three-game series at Great American Ball Park.

Suarez went 2-for-4 with a walk, RBI and stolen base. On Saturday, the first 25,000 fans receive a Suarez bobblehead.

"I got two hits, walk-off and stolen base, that's good for me," Suarez said, smiling. "and tomorrow bobblehead."

After failing to cash in on bases-loaded situations in the seventh and eighth innings, the Reds had them loaded again with one out in the ninth against Cardinals closer Seung Hwan Oh with the scored tied 2-2.

Suarez grounded an 0-1 pitch past a drawn-in infield and into center field for the winning hit.

"My first career walk-off, man I feel great," Suarez said. "I knew this moment would come to me soon, but today I got the opportunity. I just looked for a good pitch to hit in the middle."

Raisel Iglesias (2-1) earned the victory for Cincinnati. Oh (4-3) took the loss.

"We kept getting in trouble," St. Louis manager Mike Matheny said. "When you're going to load the bases in the seventh, eighth and ninth of a tie game, it's hard to get out of that."

Cincinnati (56-77) won despite leaving 14 runners on base and going 4-for-13 with runners in scoring position.

Yadier Molina and Randall Grichuk homered for the Cardinals (70-63), who lead the New York Mets by two games for the second wild card spot in the National League.

It was the second ninth-inning meltdown for Oh at Great American Ball Park. On Aug. 2, he allowed Scott Schebler's three-run, walk-off homer in a 7-5 loss.

Friday night, Oh lamented a leadoff walk to Zack Cozart who later jogged home from third on Suarez's hit.

"Especially in a tie situation, you don't want to give the leadoff hitter a walk," Oh said, via a translator.

Reds center fielder Billy Hamilton went 2-for-4 with a walk and three stolen bases Friday, tying his career-high of 57.

Cardinals right-hander Alex Reyes made his second career start and pitched in and out of trouble in the first five innings Friday.

The Reds finally broke through against him in the sixth to tie the score.

Cozart singled to snap an 0-for-17 skid and Brandon Phillips followed with a double. A sacrifice fly by Adam Duvall and RBI single by Scott Schebler made it 2-2.

"I made good pitches," Reyes said. "It wasn't that hard of contact. The balls were just well-placed."

Reyes allowed two runs on six hits with two walks and seven strikeouts in six innings.

Reds starter Anthony DeSclafani, coming off his first career complete game Saturday, retired the first four batters he faced before Molina launched his sixth home run of the season into the right-center field stands to put the Cardinals ahead 1-0 in the second.

The Cardinals extended their franchise record homer streak to 21 straight games.

"Been here for a long time watching them," said manager Bryan Price of the Cardinals. "(Matt) Carpenter, Molina, several other guys give us a lot of trouble."

Cincinnati kept the pressure on Reyes in the early innings.

Hamilton reached base in each of his first two plate appearances and each time stole a base. In the first, Hamilton was retired in a rundown between third and home, and in the third, he was left stranded at second.

The Reds had runners in scoring position in three of the first four innings but did not score.

Grichuk led off the fifth with his 20th home run to make it 2-0.

The Reds, though, rallied to earn DeSclafani a no-decision after he allowed two runs in seven innings over 96 pitches.

"I got through seven, but I don't really know how," DeSclafani said. "I didn't feel super crisp. I won't say I felt great mechanically. I knew I was going to grind it out."

NOTES: St. Louis reinstated 1B Matt Adams from the disabled list after he missed 19 games with right shoulder inflammation. ... Cardinals manager Mike Matheny said RHP Mike Leake began a throwing program and could return by next week. Leake is on the disabled list with shingles. ... Reds 1B Joey Votto was out of the lineup Friday with a stiff neck. ... Cincinnati recalled LHP Cody Reed, RHP Keyvius Sampson and RHP Robert Stephenson from Triple-A Louisville, selected the contract of LHP Wandy Peralta from Louisville and designated OF Kyle Waldrop for assignment.

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