Cincinnati Reds Can’t Complete Sweep of Cardinals

33. 2. 61. . 9

W: Michael Wacha (16-5)

L: Sam LeCure (0-1)

Three out of four ain’t bad, right? The Cincinnati Reds were unable to complete a four-game sweep of the St. Louis Cardinals, dropping the series finale on Sunday, 4-2.

The Reds got on the board early against Cardinals starter Michael Wacha, who has dominated them (and pretty much everyone else) since coming to the major leagues. Todd Frazier started the scoring in the second with a solo home run, his 33rd of the season. Wacha gave up another in the fourth, loading the bases on two walks and a hit batter before giving up a sacrifice fly to Tucker Barnhart.

Raisel Iglesias couldn’t hold on to the two-run lead as the Cardinals came storming back in the fifth. Jon Jay doubled with one out and scored on a single by Kolten Wong. A sacrifice bunt moved Wong to second and he scored on a single by Matt Carpenter.

The rookie right-hander finished the fifth inning, but was removed afterward. Iglesias certainly showed improvement over his last start, giving up two runs on five hits and a walk while striking out three, but he wasn’t quite back in dominant form.

Wacha, on the other hand, settled in and kept the Reds offense at bay through the sixth inning. The Reds offense couldn’t crack the Cardinals’ bullpen either, picking up only one hit and a walk over the final three frames.

The Cardinals had little trouble figuring out the Reds bullpen, blowing the game wide open once Iglesias exited. Sam LeCure was called on to pitch the sixth and gave up a two-run home run to Tommy Pham, ultimately taking the loss.

Brandon Finnegan and Ryan Mattheus kept it a 4-2 game until the seventh inning, but it all fell apart from there. Carlos Contreras allowed a run on two doubles and a walk before he was removed for Josh Smith. But Smith provided little in the way of relief, allowing an RBI single, a two-run home run and a double to the first three batters he faced. Just like that, it was a 9-2 game and the sweep was officially out of reach.

Other Notes:

Collin Balester pitched a scoreless ninth, striking out one and walking one.
The Reds had an incredibly sloppy game in the field, committing three errors. Eugenio Suarez was charged with his 15th error of the year on an errant throw, while Iglesias and Mattheus also had defensive miscues.
For the first time in 11 career attempts, Billy Hamilton was caught stealing by Yadier Molina.

Up Next: The Reds head out on the road on Monday to take on the San Francisco Giants in AT&T Park. Keyvius Sampson will look to right the ship as he takes the mound, while Tim Hudson will oppose him. First pitch is set for 10:15 p.m. ET.

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