{"id":25455,"date":"2025-05-14T05:11:11","date_gmt":"2025-05-14T05:11:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/25455\/"},"modified":"2025-05-14T05:11:11","modified_gmt":"2025-05-14T05:11:11","slug":"reds-collapse-again-in-extra-innings-fall-to-13-win-white-sox","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/25455\/","title":{"rendered":"Reds collapse again in extra innings, fall to 13-Win White Sox"},"content":{"rendered":"

And to make it worse, even though they get a ghost runner on second base to start extra innings, the Reds have not scored a single run in extra innings \u2014 zero, zip, nada.<\/p>\n

The White Sox, 3-and-17 on the road when the night began, scored four runs in the 10th off Emilio Pagan, including a knife-stabbing three-run home run by Miguel Vargas.<\/p>\n

To get shut out is blushing, but to get shut out by the White Sox is red-faced embarrassing.<\/p>\n

ExploreMcCoy: Pete Rose deserves place in Hall of Fame<\/a><\/p>\n

And for eight innings, it looked as though the Reds would suffer their MLB leading eighth shutout.<\/p>\n

The White Sox led, 1-0, entering the bottom of the ninth, certainly thinking about their negative history in save situations.<\/p>\n

They had blown 15 leads this season and the man they sent to the mound, Steve Wilson, had blown six of his seven save opportunities.<\/p>\n

And then it happened. The first batter in the ninth was Elly De La Cruz, 7 for 48 with only two extra base hits.<\/p>\n

On a 2-and-2 pitch, De La Cruz nearly knocked down the right field stands with a 435-foot home run to tie it, 1-1.<\/p>\n

Had the momentum shifted? Closer Emilio Pagan pitched a scoreless ninth. He hadn\u2019t pitch two innings all season, but with an overused and depleted bullpen, manager Tito Francona asked him to pitch the 10th.<\/p>\n

\"Cincinnati<\/p>\n

Credit: AP<\/p>\n

\"icon<\/p>\n

Credit: AP<\/p>\n

\u201cIt was a big ask,\u201d said Francona. \u201cAs excited as you are about Elly getting the big home run, we were feeling it in our bullpen with a couple of guys not available and we had one guy have an emergency.<\/p>\n

\u201cHis first inning was not a terrible amount of pitches, but it\u2019s still a big ask,\u201d he added.<\/p>\n

And his ask was not answered.<\/p>\n

Pagan retired the first two, then walked pinch-hitter Matt Thriss on a full count, the first walk of the night taken by the White Sox.<\/p>\n

Chase Meidroth then singled, scoring ghost runner Brooks Baldwin for a 2-1 Chicago lead. Pagan\u2019s next pitch, his 32nd, was drilled over the left field wall by Vargas and it was 5-1.<\/p>\n

Wasted was another pitching jewel by Andrew Abbott. He pitched six innings and gave up one run, four hits, struck out seven and walked nobody.<\/p>\n

In six of his last seven starts he has given up one or fewer runs and his record remains 2-and-0 with a 2.10 earned run average.<\/p>\n

ExploreReds owner thanks MLB Commissioner for Rose decision<\/a><\/p>\n

The Reds, though, did nothing against Brandon Eisert and Jonathan Connor. Eisert was the opener and pitched a 1-2-3 first. Connor pitched the next six and gave up no runs, four hits, no walks and struck out six.<\/p>\n

The Reds finished 0 for 10 with runners in scoring position and had their leadoff hitters on base in the fourth, fifth and sixth innings, but didn\u2019t score.<\/p>\n

The Reds contributed to their misery with more fundamental mistakes, a trait they\u2019ve displayed most of the 20-and-23 season.<\/p>\n

Spencer Steer opened the fifth with a double and took third on a ground ball to second by Gavin Lux.<\/p>\n

Matt McLain, dropped from second to eighth in the batting order, chopped one high to the right side of the mound. Steer started home, then stopped.<\/p>\n

\"Chicago<\/p>\n

Credit: AP<\/p>\n

\"icon<\/p>\n

Credit: AP<\/p>\n

When pitcher Connor slipped and fell after catching the high bounce, Steer took a couple of steps homeward, then stopped.<\/p>\n

He tried to get back to third, but Connor threw him out.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe were not going on contact, but if the runner sees something, he can go,\u201d said Francona. \u201cHe just got caught when he didn\u2019t go right away. He probably thought the ball was going over the pitcher\u2019s head and got caught in no-man\u2019s land.\u201d<\/p>\n

Connor Joe doubled with one out in the seventh. On a 3-and-2 count on Will Benson, Joe foolishly tried to steal third. The pitch was ball four, but catcher Edgar Quero threw Joe out at third.<\/p>\n

\"Cincinnati<\/p>\n

Credit: AP<\/p>\n

\"icon<\/p>\n

Credit: AP<\/p>\n

Francona was not apoplectic about the faux pas.<\/p>\n

Of Joe\u2019s theft attempt, Francona said, \u201cHe\u2019s just trying to make something happen. By his own admission, he said, \u2018I tried to make something happen and I shouldn\u2019t have.\u2019 I get it.\u201d<\/p>\n

Chicago\u2019s only run before the 10th was in the fourth and it was costly on the scoreboard and in the trainer\u2019s room.<\/p>\n

Vargas led the fourth with a blooper to shallow center. Shortstop Elly De La Cruz ran out and center fielder TJ Friedl ran in. They collided and the ball fell for a double.<\/p>\n

ExploreIt\u2019s Pete Rose week at Great American Ball Park: Remembering the legendary Hit King<\/a><\/p>\n

Quero followed with a single to right, scoring Vargas for the 1-0 Chicago lead. Friedl, who was hit on the left forearm with a pitch in the third that raised a blue bruise, suffered a twisted right wrist on the collision with De La Cruz left the game.<\/p>\n

Asked if De La Cruz should have veered away, Francona said, \u201cShoot, man, that\u2019s a play that the only player who makes that play is Elly. And he damn did there, too.\u201d<\/p>\n

So the Reds have lost eight of 10 and runs are scarce.<\/p>\n

Francona was asked how to address the funk and he said, \u201cYou know what? When it\u2019s not the easiest to believe, you have to believe. I know if I came in and started throwing stuff, I don\u2019t know if I\u2019d really want to play for me.<\/p>\n

\u201cI just try to put people in positions where I think they can succeed.\u201d<\/p>\n

So far, success is just a rumor.<\/p>\n

NEXT GAME<\/p>\n

Who: Chicago White Sox at Cincinnati Reds<\/p>\n

When: 7:14 p.m.<\/p>\n

TV: FanDuel Sports<\/p>\n

Radio: 1410-AM<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"And to make it worse, even though they get a ghost runner on second base to start extra…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":25456,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2400],"tags":[537,5,535,50,4259,6095,4,557,536,185,10554],"class_list":{"0":"post-25455","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-cincinnati-reds","8":"tag-athletics","9":"tag-baseball","10":"tag-cincinnati","11":"tag-cincinnati-reds","12":"tag-cincinnatireds","13":"tag-mens-sports","14":"tag-mlb","15":"tag-professional-baseball","16":"tag-reds","17":"tag-sports","18":"tag-white-sox-reds-baseball"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/channels.im\/@mlb\/114504471983287871","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/25455","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=25455"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/25455\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/25456"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=25455"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=25455"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=25455"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}