Unlucky 13th: Reds lose to Braves in longest postseason game in franchise history

Game 2 of the best-of-three series starts at 12:08 p.m. Thursday. That game time is subject to change.

The Reds failed to score after getting runners to the corners with no outs in the first and got another chance in the 12th. Aristides Aquino singled to lead off the inning and advanced to third on a single by Jesse Winker. Kyle Farmer, Tucker Barnhart and then Freddy Galvis struck out.

In the 13th, the Reds had the bases loaded with one out but failed to score when Aquino and pinch hitter Jose Garcia struck out. The Reds left 13 runners on base and out-hit the Braves 11-6.

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It was the first playoff game since a game between the Baltimore Orioles and Cleveland Indians in 1997 to go to extra innings scoreless and the first postseason game in baseball history to go to the 12th inning without a run.

This was the 14th extra-inning postseason game in Reds history. They lost the first two games of the National League Division Series in 1995 to the Braves in extra innings.

The Reds lost on a walkoff hit in the postseason for the first time since Carlton Fisk, of the Boston Red Sox, hit a home run to beat them in Game 6 of the 1975 World Series. The Reds have not won an extra-inning playoff game since beating the Oakland A’s on Joe Oliver’s hit in Game 2 of the 1990 World Series.

The Reds failed to capitalize on a strong scoring opportunity in the first. Nick Senzel and Nick Castellanos opened the game with back-to-back singles. With runners at first and third and no outs, Joey Votto grounded out. Then Eugenio Suarez lined out, and Mike Moustakas grounded out to end the inning.

Trevor Bauer got out of a jam in the second inning when Ozzie Albies reached on an error by Votto. With Albies at second base and one out, Bauer struck out former Red Adam Duvall and then Dansby Swanson.

That started a streak of five straight strikeouts for Bauer, who struck out the side in the third inning.

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Bauer stranded runners at first and second in the fourth when he struck out Duvall to end the inning. He faced a more dangerous situation in the sixth when Ronald Acuna Jr. doubled to lead off the inning and advanced to third with one out. Bauer then got a pop out and strikeout to end the inning.

Earlier in the sixth, Reds missed a big chance when Castellanos was thrown out at third trying to advance two bases on a single to left by Votto. An inning later, the Reds had Aristides Aquino at third with two outs, but he was caught in a rundown between third and home. Aquino took off for home when Kyle Farmer was caught in his own rundown after pulling up short on a steal of second.

“It was so bad you can’t even tell what he was trying to do," ESPN analyst Alex Rodriguez said of Aquino on the broadcast.

Bauer left the game with the bases empty and two outs in the eighth. He threw 103 pitches and struck out 12, including former Red Adam Duvall three times. He set a Reds postseason record with his 11th strikeout, passing Homer Bailey for most strikeouts in a single game.

Bailey struck out 10 San Francisco Giants batters in Game 3 of the National League Division Series in 2012 at Great American Ball Park.

Pitching against baseball’s best offense, Bauer also became the first pitcher in baseball history to strike out at least 12 batters without walking a batter or allowing a run in a playoff game.

Braves starter Max Fried allowed six hits in seven innings.

Raisel Iglesias relieved Bauer in the eighth and got an inning-ending strikeout. He then struck out the side after a leadoff walk in the ninth.

Lucas Sims took the mound for the Reds in the 10th and walked the leadoff batter. He then got a groundout, groundout and strikeout to strand the runner at second.

After the Reds went down in order in the eighth, ninth and 10th, they loaded the bases with two outs in the 11th. Mike Moustakas then struck out on three pitches.

Michael Lorenzen, the fourth Reds pitcher, allowed one hit in two innings of working, pitching a scoreless 11th and 12th.