Reds stave off Cardinals' comeback attempt in 11-inning victory

CINCINNATI – Winning games against their National League Central rivals has been elusive for the Reds so far this season. Saturday's 7-6 victory in 11 innings over the Cardinals in Game 2 of a doubleheader was only Cincinnati's second intradivisional win in 12 games. They are 25-15 outside the division.

Taking the nightcap after an 8-1 Game 1 defeat required overcoming Tony Santillan blowing a two-run lead in the top of the ninth inning.

Against reliever Riley O'Brien with the score tied, PJ Higgins opened the bottom of the 11th with a sacrifice bunt that moved automatic runner Spencer Steer to third base. With five infielders playing in, Dane Myers drew a four-pitch walk before Blake Dunn's fielder's choice grounder to second base scored Steer just ahead of Masyn Wynn's throw to the plate with the winning run.

Pierce Johnson pitched two scoreless innings over the 10th and 11th to enable the Reds (27-25) to claim their third win over their last four games.

Reds starter Chase Petty – summoned from Triple-A Louisville as the 27th man for a spot start – gave up four runs and six hits over his five-plus innings with one walk and one strikeout.

Down 1-0 after the top of the second inning, the Reds' offense came to life in the bottom of the fifth against Cardinals starter Kyle Leahy. With two on and one out, Elly De La Cruz lifted Leahy's 0-1 fastball to left-center field for a three-run homer, his 12th of the season. After Sal Stewart successfully challenged a full-count strike call that would've ended the inning, he walked and Nathaniel Lowe hit a 1-1 changeup for a two-run homer to right-center field for a 5-1 Reds lead.

Petty, who had only thrown 53 pitches through five innings and appeared to be in command, opened the sixth inning by hitting Iván Herrera with his first pitch and giving up a first-pitch double to Alec Burleson. Petty had Jordan Walker in a 0-2 count before falling behind, 3-2, and then saw his sinker launched to left-center field for a three-run homer that made it a one-run game.

After Petty surrendered his first run on Wynn's sacrifice fly in the top of the second inning, there were two outs and two on when second baseman Matt McLain robbed Victor Scott II of an RBI hit by going up with a leaping catch. In the third inning, after a leadoff hit, De La Cruz went far to his left on a Herrera grounder to the hole and zipped a ball to McLain, who turned a pretty double play.

Pinch-hitter Steer scorched a leadoff double to left-center field, and after moving to third base on a sacrifice, scored on pinch-hitter Myers' RBI double to left-center field for a 6-4 Reds lead.

Santillan couldn't protect it in the ninth when his first batter – pinch hitter José Fermín – hit a leadoff homer to left field. After Scott walked, there were two outs when Burleson walked and Walker hit the game-tying RBI single on the ground through the left side.