Mahle went to full counts seven times and struck out five San Francisco Giants. But when Warren went to 3-and-2 on Evan Longoria, it didn’t pan out in the eighth inning. In fact, it was bye-bye ball game, bye-bye victory for Mahle.
Longoria drove a three-run home run to right field, his fourth home run in his last four games, lifting the Giants to an unlikely 6-4 victory
The Giants scored six runs in the eighth when it looked as if the Reds were en route to their fifth straight victory.
Mahle was in complete and total command all afternoon. He was painting a no-hitter entering the seventh inning, and not a balll had been hit hard. He struck out Longoria to open the seventh, his eighth strikeout. Brandon Crawford flied to right for the secnd out. Rookie Thairo Estrada ended Mahle’s no-hit bid with a double up the right center gap.
Despite the fact that was the first and only hit off Mahle, he was at the dreaded 104-pitch mark, so manager David Bell removed him.
Credit: Aaron Doster
Credit: Aaron Doster
Hunter Strickland came in and preserved the 2-0 lead by striking out Luis Gonzalez.Instead of sticking with Strickland, Bell brought in Jeff Hoffman for the eighth to protect the 2-0 lead and Mahle’s win.
He struck out the first hitter, then gave up a double to Tommy La Stella. He retired Mike Yastrzemski on a ground ball ... the second out.
That’s when Bell brought in Warren, and he went to one of those pesky 3-and-2 counts before walking Wilmer Flores. Joc Pederson bounced a single off shortstop Kyle Farmer’s glove as La Stella scored, cutting Cincinnati’s lead to 2-1.
That brought up Longoria for his full-count three-run homer. Warren remained in the game and issued a walk (on a full count, of course) and a double to Estrada.
That, finally, was enough. Warren faced five batters and retired none. Joel Kuhnel replaced him, and Luis Gonzalez drove his first pitch into the left field corner for a 6-2 lead.
Albert Almora crushed a two-run home run in the bottom of the ninth, bringing the Reds to within two runs, but it remained at two when the game ended.
The Reds built their slim 2-0 lead against San Francisco starter Alex Cobb, who pretty much matched Mahle pitch-for-pitch. He held the Reds to two runs and four hits over six innings, while walking two and striking out eight.
Cobb’s adventure with 3-and-2 pitches wasn’t as successful Mahle’s. Both runs scored off him came with the aid of full counts.
Cincinnati scored a run in the second when Brandon Drury opened the inning with an infield hit, Mike Moustakas walked on a full count and Almora singled.
The Reds pushed it to 2-0 in the sixth on a full count walk to Tyler Naquin and a two-out double to left center by Joey Votto.
They muffed a chance for another run in the seventh. Kyle Farmer led the inning with a triple, but he was thrown out at home on a ground ball to third baseman Longoria.
The Reds won the first two games of the series, and the Giants scored only three runs in the first 25 innings. And it looked as if they would lose for the eighth time in their last 10 games.
Longoria, though, came to the rescue as Warren did no rescuing for the Reds.
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