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 Frazier's grand slam in the 13th inning, his second homer of the
night, lifted the Cincinnati Reds to an 8-4 victory over the Detroit
Tigers in the opener of a two-game interleague series Wednesday
night at Great American Ball Park.
With two outs and the bases loaded in the 13th, Frazier launched
Joakim Soria's 1-2 pitch an estimated 411 feet to end the soggy
marathon.
"This game is crazy," Frazier said after fighting off shoulder
cramps and fatigue to belt the game-winner. "My body was toast. I
was done. To win it like that is something I'll never forget."
It was the second two-homer game for Frazier in as many nights.
"I don't know the last time somebody hit my curveball out of the
ballpark," Soria said. "I trust my pitch, and this thing happens.
He's hot."
Detroit (34-32) twice took the lead via homers, on first baseman
Miguel Cabrera's three-run home run in the sixth, then again on
pinch hitter Tyler Collins' solo shot in the eighth.
The unsung heroes for Cincinnati were in the relievers. Right-hander
Donovan Hand pitched three scoreless frames, and Burke Badenhop
(1-2) earned the victory after throwing one scoreless inning.
"What they did tonight was a really big lift for us," manager Bryan
Price said.
Ian Krol (1-1) took the loss after being charged with two runs in 1
1/3 innings.
After being retired easily in his first two at-bats, Cabrera stepped
to the plate in the sixth with two runners on and crushed Johnny
Cueto's 1-1 pitch an estimated 418 feet to right field.
Cabrera's 15th home run put Detroit ahead 3-2 and extended his RBI
streak to six games with Nos. 49, 50, and 51.
Immediately after Cabrera's homer, the rain came, delaying the game
for one hour and 14 minutes.
When play resumed, left-hander Manny Parra replaced Cueto, who
allowed three runs in 5 1/3 innings.
Detroit left-hander David Price was finished, too, after allowing
two runs in five innings with a walk and six strikeouts.
"The rain kind of got us," Tigers manager Brad Ausmus said. "The
rain comes and David Price is unavailable to go back out there. That
kind of stung a little bit."
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The Reds (30-35) tied the score 3-3 in the sixth on first baseman
Chris Dominguez's triple off Alex Wilson.
The Tigers regained the lead on Collins' second homer of the season
in the eighth. However, Reds right fielder Jay Bruce doubled and
scored the tying run in the bottom of the eighth when catcher Brayan
Pena's liner ricocheted off second base and into the outfield.
Pena went 4-for-6 with a double and an RBI.
That same combination nearly won the game for Cincinnati in the 10th
when Bruce singled and Pena doubled into the right field corner.
Bruce, though, was thrown out at home by second baseman Ian Kinsler
to end the inning.
Cincinnati went ahead 1-0 in the second when Bruce scored from third
on shortstop Eugenio Suarez's perfectly placed squeeze bunt.
Frazier clobbered a 3-1 pitch from Price into the right-center-field
stands in the fourth, making the score 2-0. Later, Frazier's
game-ending homer was his 22nd of the season, tied for second in the
major leagues.
"The excitement doesn't stop for this team," Frazier said. "We have
a lot of young guys on this team who are hungry."
NOTES: 3B Todd Frazier's walk-off grand slam was the Reds' first
since Ramon Santiago hit one Sept. 27, 2014. ... Frazier is the
first Reds player to have back-to-back multi-homer games since Barry
Larkin in 1991. ... The Tigers announced they agreed to terms with
RHP Beau Burrows, their first-round draft choice. ... Detroit
manager Brad Ausmus said C Alex Avila, who is on the disabled list
with a left knee injury, will throw to bases Thursday and catch a
bullpen session this weekend in New York. ... Reds 1B Joey Votto,
who had started 63 of 64 games, had a day off Wednesday. ...
Cincinnati hasn't decided on a starter for Saturday against Miami,
the spot vacated when RHP Jon Moscot went on the DL. ... Reds LF
Marlon Byrd began a two-game rehab stint with Double-A Pensacola on
Wednesday.
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