Reds’ comeback falls just short

Published 1:43 am Monday, July 25, 2016

Cincinnati Reds’ first baseman Jay Bruce connects for an RBI single in the third inning on Sunday against the Arizona Diamondbacks. The Reds lost a 9-8 slugfest to the Diamondbacks. (Courtesy of The Cincinnati Reds.com/Aaron Doster — The Associated Press)

Cincinnati Reds’ first baseman Jay Bruce connects for an RBI single in the third inning on Sunday against the Arizona Diamondbacks. The Reds lost a 9-8 slugfest to the Diamondbacks. (Courtesy of The Cincinnati Reds.com/Aaron Doster — The Associated Press)

CINCINNATI (AP) — What might be Jay Bruce’s last home run in Cincinnati as a Red wasn’t quite enough to put his team over the top.

The All-Star right fielder hit a three-run homer with nobody out in the ninth inning on Sunday against Arizona, but pitcher Tyler Clippard was able to regroup and get the final three outs as the Diamondbacks held off the Reds for a 9-8 win.

Bruce has been the subject of trade talks for more than a year as the Reds continue to rebuild.

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“It could have been my last home run at Great American Ball Park,” he said. “Also it might not have been. We’ll see. It was a good note.”

The Reds came from behind once to take a lead and again to tie the score, but they couldn’t polish off their third consecutive comeback win in the series.

“It’s been good this home stand,” manager Bryan Price said. “There was that big rally against their closer. (Zack) Cozart getting on base with the walk and on we go.

“Joey (Votto) given us the great at bat and Jay hitting the home run. It was a situation where we were a homer away from walking them off. That says a lot.”

Paul Goldschmidt’s solo home run in the fifth inning gave Arizona the lead for good. Yasmany Tomas chipped in a with a pair of solo home runs and Wellington Castillo had a three-run shot as Arizona ended a four-game losing streak and avoided a three-game sweep in Cincinnati for the first time since 2007.

Every Cincinnati starter except pitcher Brandon Finnegan had at least one hit off starter Zack Godley, helping the Reds come from behind twice.

Godley (3-1) became the first pitcher in franchise history to reach seven career wins as a starter in as few as 10 starts. He allowed 10 hits and five runs with two walks and three strikeouts. He also hit a batter.

Finnegan (5-8) failed for the fourth consecutive start to get past five innings. He allowed seven hits and six runs with two walk and three strikeouts.

Goldschmidt was 0-for-6 with four walks in the series before leading off the fifth with his 17th home run of the season to break a 5-all tie.

The teams combined for 13 hits and 10 runs in the first three innings, including Tomas’s one-out home run in the second on the first pitch he saw from Finnegan and Castillo’s opposite-field shot into the right field seats in the third.

Tomas hit Josh Smith’s first pitch of the eighth for his second homer of the game.

WILD GIFT

Brandon Drury gave Arizona a 7-5 lead when he scored from third base on Ross Ohlendorf’s wild pitch on which Jean Segura struck out. Segura reached first base, but he was caught stealing.

HOMER UNHAPPY

Reds LHP Brandon Finnegan moved into a tie with Washington RHP Max Scherzer for the National League lead in home runs allowed with 22 after giving up three to the Diamondbacks on Sunday

TRAINING ROOM

Diamondbacks: RHP Zack Greinke, who’s been on the disabled list since June 29 with a left oblique strain, threw 45 pitches during a bullpen session. His next step either will be a simulated game with the Diamondbacks or a minor league rehab game, manager Chip Hale said.

Reds: The game was delayed for a couple of minutes while a Reds trainer checked out catcher Ramon Cabrera after he took a Brandon Drury foul tip off his facemask. Cabrera stayed in the game.

UP NEXT

Diamondbacks: RHP Brandon Shipley, Arizona’s top pick and the 15th overall choice in the 2013 draft, is scheduled to make his major league debut on Monday in the opener of a four-game series at Milwaukee.

Reds: RHP Anthony DeSclafani tries to improve to 6-0 in nine starts as the Reds on Monday open a seven-day, six-game West Coast swing with the first of three games at San Francisco.

SUNDAY’S GAME

Diamondbacks 9, Reds 8

Arizona AB R H BI BB SO Avg.

Segura ss 4 0 2 0 1 1 .316

Gosselin 2b 5 1 3 1 0 1 .273

Goldschmidt 1b 4 2 1 1 1 0 .289

Weeks lf 4 1 2 1 0 0 .243

Burgos p 0 0 0 0 0 0 —

Barrett p 0 0 0 0 0 0 —

b-Freeman ph 1 0 0 0 0 0 .000

Clippard p 0 0 0 0 0 0 —

Castillo c 4 1 1 3 1 0 .258

Owings cf 5 0 0 0 0 1 .277

Drury 3b 4 1 1 0 0 0 .264

Tomas rf 4 3 3 2 0 0 .259

Godley p 2 0 0 0 0 2 .125

Curtis p 0 0 0 0 0 0 —

Bourn lf 1 0 0 0 0 0 .269

Totals 38 9 13 8 3 5

 

Cincinnati AB R H BI BB SO Avg.

Hamilton cf 5 1 2 0 0 2 .254

Peraza ss 3 1 1 0 0 0 .253

Smith p 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000

c-Cozart ph 0 1 0 0 1 0 .265

Votto 1b 3 1 1 0 2 0 .276

Bruce rf 4 3 2 4 1 1 .269

Duvall lf 5 0 1 2 0 1 .245

Phillips 2b 4 1 2 0 1 0 .263

De Jesus 3b-ss 5 0 1 1 0 1 .237

Cabrera c 4 0 1 1 1 1 .265

Finnegan p 2 0 0 0 0 0 .135

Ohlendorf p 0 0 0 0 0 0 —

a-Waldrop ph 1 0 0 0 0 1 .263

Suarez 3b 1 0 0 0 0 1 .232

Totals 37 8 11 8 6 8

 

Arizona 113 012 010 = 9 13 0

Cincinnati 203 000 003 = 8 11 1

 

a-struck out for Ohlendorf in the 6th. b-grounded out for Barrett in the 9th. c-walked for Smith in the 9th.

E-De Jesus (3). LOB-Arizona 6, Cincinnati 9. 2B-Gosselin (8). HR-Tomas (14), off Finnegan; Castillo (11), off Finnegan; Goldschmidt (17), off Finnegan; Tomas (15), off Smith; Bruce (21), off Clippard. RBIs-Gosselin (8), Goldschmidt (63), Weeks (14), Castillo 3 (34), Tomas 2 (36), Bruce 4 (73), Duvall 2 (66), De Jesus (14), Cabrera (7). SB-Hamilton (32), Bruce (4). CS-Segura 2 (7). S-Godley.

Runners left in scoring position-Arizona 2 (Goldschmidt, Owings); Cincinnati 5 (Bruce 3, De Jesus, Finnegan). RISP-Arizona 3 for 8; Cincinnati 5 for 12.

Runners moved up-Goldschmidt, Peraza, Votto 2. LIDP-Duvall. GIDP-Goldschmidt.

DP-Arizona 1 (Segura, Gosselin); Cincinnati 1 (Suarez, Phillips, Votto).

 

Arizona IP H R ER BB SO NP ERA

Godley W, 3-1 5 2-3 10 5 5 2 3 88 5.88

Curtis H, 1 1-3 0 0 0 1 1 12 4.85

Burgos H, 2 1 0 0 0 0 0 15 4.32

Barrett 1 0 0 0 0 1 18 2.80

Clippard 1 1 3 3 3 3 32 4.17

 

Cincinnati IP H R ER BB SO NP ERA

Finnegan L, 5-8 5 7 6 6 2 3 87 4.93

Ohlendorf 1 3 2 2 0 1 20 4.37

Smith 3 3 1 1 1 1 45 4.67

 

Inherited runners-scored-Curtis 2-0. HBP-Godley (Peraza). WP-Ohlendorf. PB-Castillo (4).

Umpires-Home, Sam Holbrook; First, Gerry Davis; Second, Carlos Torres; Third, Rob Drake.

T-3:32. A-25,304 (42,319).