With a 3-2 lead, Diaz retired dangerous Rowdy Tellez on a first-pitch fly ball, then hit Brian De La Cruz with his first pitch.
Diaz was ahead of Grandal 1-and-2 when he threw a 94 mph fastball and Grandal turned on it as quickly as a sprinter out of the blocks.
But when the ball landed in the right-field seats, there was no sprint needed. He trotted around the bases after his seventh home run.
And why was it an “I told you” home run.
Grandal, a catcher was Cincinnati’s No. 1 draft pick in 2010. But in 2011 the Reds decided that Devin Mesoraco was their catcher of the future.
So the Reds made a controversial trade, a four-for-one deal. They sent Grandal, first baseman Yonder Alonso, pitcher Edinson Volquez and pitcher Brad Boxberger to San Diego for pitcher Mat Latos.
It was a bad deal. Latos was average at best and a clubhouse distraction. And Mesoraco didn’t work out, either, and has been out of baseball since 2018.
Meanwhile, Grandal, 35, is still at it, playing for his fifth team (San Diego, Los Angeles Dodgers, Milwaukee, Chicago White Sox.
When the ninth inning began, it looked as if the Reds were improve their awful 10-22 record in one-run games to 11-22. And it looked as if Pittsburgh’s equally awful one-run record would drop to 20-27. Instead it is Reds 10-23 and Pittsburgh 21-26.
The Pirates, who took three of the four games in the series, also beat the Reds by one run Friday night, 6-5.
With the Reds rotation in disarray due to injuries, Nick Martinez had to do something that starting pitchers did all the team in long ago times — pitch on three days of rest on the fourth day.
The modus operandi these days is a five-man rotation with four days between starts. But with Hunter Greene, Andrew Abbott, Graham Ashcraft and Brandon Williamson on the injured list. Martinez was thrust to the mound.
And his previous start four days ago in Toronto didn’t go well — 4 1/3 innings, six runs, six hits, three walks, three home runs.
His start Sunday wasn’t pretty, either. He pitched only three innings and gave up two runs and five hits.
The Pirates scored a run in the first on Isiah Kiner-Falfela’s single on which he took second when left fielder Spencer Steer bobbled the ball for an error.
He took third on Oneil Cruz’s single and scored on Joey Bart’s ground ball.
It became 2-0 in the third. The inning began when No. 9 hitter Michael A. Taylor ended a 0 for 17 slum with a single and took second when center fielder TJ Friedl bobbled the ball for an error. He scored on a single by Bryan De La Cruz.
After Martinez was lifted, Carson Spiers was magic for the Reds — four innings, no runs, three hits, holding the Pirates at 2-0
For the Reds, it was a matter of being patient, patient, patient — until they could get into Pittsburgh’s shaky bullpen.
They had to rid themselves of Pirates starter Luis Ortiz. He held them to no runs and four lhits over six innings.
The Reds, though, had a multitude of chances in five of Ortiz’s six innings. Their problem was they kept getting runners on base after two outs.
Ortiz’s first inning was a wild one. It looked as if he was aiming for human flesh instead of Grandal’s glove. He hit leadoff batter Jonathan India in the shoulder to open the game. And he hit Tyler Stephenson with one out.
But Friedl grounded out and Spencer Steer struck out.
Amed Rosario walked with two outs in the second and Noelvi Marte struck out. Stephenson doubled with two outs in the third and Friedl popped out. Dominic Smith singled with two outs in the fourth and Rosario flied to center.
Ortiz went 1-2-3 in the fifth, but Steer singled with two outs in the sixth and Santiago Espinal doubled, putting runners on third and second. Smith flied to left.
That was it for Ortiz and the Reds got what they wanted. Pittsburgh needed three pitchers to cover the seventh and the Reds scored three times to take a 3-2 lead.
With one out, Marte singled off Kyle Nicolas and India doubled. Jalen Beeks replaced Nicolas and Elly De La Cruz singled on his first pitch to score Marte and De La Cruz took second on an ill-advised throw home.
With first base open, Tyler Stephenson was walked intentionally to fill the bases. Friedl stunned the Pirates by dropping a bunt and beat it out as India scored the tying run.
Beeks then walked Steer on a full count, forcing in the go-ahead run, a 3-2 Reds lead. And they still had the bases loaded with one out. But Espinal flied to shallow right and Smith flied to center.
Another former Cincinnati original, Aroldis Chapman, pitched the ninth.
Chapman walked De La Cruz to open the inning then picked him off first base, the second time in the series De La Cruz was picked off first. Chapman then struck out Stephenson and Friedl.
Then it was time for Grandal’s grand finish.
The Reds, who are 7 1/2 games behind the Braves for the third and final wild-card berth in the National League, stranded 10 runners and were 1 for 7 with runners in scoring position. Smith left four runners in scoring position anchored on their bases.
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