Dane Myers' drop vs. Cardinals is the gut punch that could finally end Reds' playoff hopes

The Cincinnati Reds entered the ninth inning of Thursday's series finale against the St. Louis Cardinals with a 5-4 lead. But a dropped fly ball in the outfield led to disaster.

With two outs in the ninth inning and runners on second and third, a routine fly ball to the outfield off the bat of Cardinals' rookie JJ Wetherholt looked like it would end the game. Instead, Dane Myers dropped what would've been the final out of the game and St. Louis took a 6-5 lead.

With the Reds' spirits deflated (and some more bad defense sprinkled in), the Cardinals went on to plate four more runs and bat around in the inning. By the time St. Louis reliever George Soriano took the ball in the ninth inning, he had a comfortable 10-5 advantage.

The loss dropped the Reds to 61-67 on the season, and Cincinnati is now seven games back of the final NL Wild Card spot with just 34 games left to play. While the Reds' playoff odds had dwindled to less than 1% in recent weeks, Thursday's loss to the Cardinals feels like the final nail in the coffin.

Dane Myers' drop sums up the Reds' lost season

I really don't know what Myers was thinking in the moment. Though Myers and TJ Friedl were in the area and both men were calling the other off, that's the left fielder's ball all day, every day. And if you want to make the age-old argument that the centerfield has priority, then he darn well better make sure to secure that ball in his glove.

For his part, Myers has been a tremendous addition to the Reds roster this season. With Friedl struggling, the former Miami Marlins outfielder has found regular time in center. He hit two home runs during Monday's double header against St. Louis, including a pinch-hit homer that helped Cincinnati win Game 2 of the double-dip.

But on Thursday the hero became the goat — not the good kind — and the Reds' ninth-inning rally fell short. Cincinnati lost by the final score of 10-9.

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