Reds C Tyler Stephenson HR vs Padres video
Cincinnati Reds catcher Tyler Stephenson was robbed of home run in the fourth but hit an upper deck shot in the 9th to lift the Reds over the Padres
SAN DIEGO – Robbed of a home run a few inches over the wall in the fourth inning, Cincinnati Reds catcher Tyler Stephenson assured nobody who didn’t have an upper-deck ticket was catching his line drive in the ninth off San Diego Padres All-Star closer Robert Suarez.
As quickly as Stephenson turned on that 2-1 fastball for the go-ahead home run, the Reds’ fading hopes for catching the playoff field got a jolt in a 4-2 win over the Padres that came one night after the Reds blew a 3-0 lead in an extra-inning loss.
The Reds’ third win in four games put them three games behind the New York Mets, who lost again to the Phillies, in the race for the final National League playoff spot, with 17 games to play.
The San Francisco Giants, who beat the Arizona Diamondbacks, moved to two games back of the Mets, just ahead of the Reds.
The battle for the third and final wild-card spot in the National League now looks like this (games remaining in parentheses):
New York Mets (17) – 76-99 — S. Fran. Giants (17) – 74-71 2 GBCincinnati Reds (17) – 73-72 3 GBAZ Diamondbacks (18) – 72-74 4.5 GBSt. Louis Cardinals (18) – 72-74 4.5 GB
“It’s great, but the job’s not done,” said rookie Sal Stewart, whose second home run of his career, off Michael King, gave the Reds a quick 1-0 lead in the first and came in front of his Miami pal and mentor, Manny Machado.
“We’ve got to go out there and win another game tomorrow,” Stewart said. “Tomorrow we’re on another mission.”
Machado smiled for his friend when Stewart’s ball cleared the wall, and the rookie gave the veteran the Shedeur Sanders Rolex-watch gesture as he rounded the bases.
“This is the game of baseball. You gotta be excited for stuff. So that’s pretty, pretty, pretty cool to watch,” said Machado, who has been hosting Stewart at his home this week. “He watches a lot of Padres games, so for him to come here and hit one in front of me, that was pretty cool. I know Michael didn’t love it too much, but that was cool.”
It didn’t look cool for the Reds for much of the late innings against the Padres formidable bullpen.
The Reds were just 2-for-26 with a walk against the Padres’ top-ranked bullpen in the majors in the first two games of this series until Stephenson’s shot.
Reds starter Zack Littell pitched well in a 94-pitch no-decision, allowing just two hits, against a team the former Giants pitcher has struggled with in 19 previous career starts.
“My days with the Giants, a lot of those guys were happy to see me on the mound,” Littell said. “Obviously, this is a big series and after (Monday) night a big game that we really needed to come away with. It was just nice to go out there and compete, and give the guys a chance, give Stevo a chance to get down there and do that.”
After the first hit Littell allowed, with one out in the first inning, he retired 11 straight batters to take a 2-0 lead into the bottom of the fifth.
But he issued his only walk of the start leading off the fifth, to Ramon Laureano, and Jackson Merrill followed with a run-scoring triple. After a hit batter, Jake Cronenworth lined a sacrifice fly to left, and the Reds lead was gone.
Littell retired the final five he faced, but it was just enough damage to turn the game into a battle of bullpens, which the Padres are better equipped to win than anyone in the game.
Solo home runs by rookie Sal Stewart with one out in the first and Will Benson with one out in the second staked the Reds to the early lead.
The Reds looked like they had a third homer the fourth inning until Padres right fielder Fernando Tatis Jr. leaped at the wall in right-center and reached over to rob Stephenson and the Reds of a 3-0 lead.
It was the second dramatic catch at the right field wall in the span of three innings Tuesday night. The first involved an injury scare for Benson, who appeared to drive the top of his right shoulder into the framework supporting a video advertising board in the process of robbing Jose Iglesias of an extra-base hit off the wall for the final out of the second inning.
Benson lay on the warning track in pain for a few minutes before leaving the field with a trainer. He remained in the game until being lifted for a pinch-hitter for the platoon advantage in the seventh inning.