CHICAGO – Inches gave the Reds an eighth-inning lead against the Cubs. In the ninth inning, inches helped take the lead away in painful fashion – figuratively and literally.
The result was a 5-4 walk-off defeat to Chicago on Monday night at Wrigley Field that sent the Reds to their fourth straight loss on the road trip and defeats in five of their past six games. The game ended on pinch-hitter Michael Conforto's solo home run against closer Emilio Pagán in the bottom of the ninth inning.
“Nothing has changed as far as our mindset as a team. We know we’re really good. We’ve played a lot of close ballgames and quite honestly, I haven’t held up my end of the bargain," said Pagán, who blew his third save in nine chances this season.
Cincinnati took a 4-3 lead into the ninth inning before Pagán threw a 1-2 splitter to first batter Pete Crow-Armstrong that was launched to the wall in right-center field. Center fielder Dane Myers made a leaping attempt into the bricks and ivy, but he narrowly missed the ball as he crashed into the wall and hit the ground.
Crow-Armstrong reached third base with a triple that immediately put the game in peril.
"That’s one I like to make for my pitchers. It’s a tough one not to make, but I’ll be better," Myers said.“I kind of alligator-armed it. I thought it was going to be higher off the wall and kind of getting ready to time my jump and I ended up a little lower than I thought.
"I knew brick was coming up, but given the situation, I’m not really worried about the brick. I’m trying to make the play.”
Crow-Armstrong, an All-Star center fielder, understands the perils of that area of the historic ballpark.
"It’s tough. He’s a really good center fielder, too," Crow-Armstrong said. "I think the hardest part for an opposing player coming here is not being used to the size and [not] having as much space to roam. In Cincy, it’s a pretty nice wall to run into, and Dane likes to do that and he’s really good at playing the ball off the wall. I guess sometimes it’s tough when you know there’s brick and all that."
"Obviously, it’s not a routine play. Not a play I expect someone to make for me," Pagán said. "I’ve got to make a better pitch in that spot. I’ve got him in a chase count. If I could do it over again, I’d probably throw a heater because I threw a really good split before it. [Crow-Armstrong] spit on it. Hard to execute two really good ones in a row."
With one out, Nico Hoerner hit a sacrifice fly to left field that scored Crow-Armstrong with the tying run. Pagán had a 3-2 count on Conforto when his fastball stayed up in the strike zone and was lifted into the center-field bleachers.
“Full count, you want to beat him in the zone," Pagán said. "Just too much toward the middle of the plate.”
Pagán, who hadn't appeared in a game since Thursday, displayed lower velocity in the days after suffering a tight right hamstring while notching a save on April 14. But he has bounced back recently and looked more like himself on the mound.
"As painful as today is, I feel like I’m getting really close to being who I can be," Pagán said. "I made two mistakes today, and they both got hit. Odds are in baseball that doesn’t happen every time. You get away with some, especially with good stuff, and I know I have good stuff. I will pitch better. I will be better.”
It was a 3-3 game when Cubs reliever Ben Brown opened the top of the eighth inning by walking leadoff batter Nathaniel Lowe. Blake Dunn, an outfielder who was recalled from Triple-A Louisville on Sunday for his speed and defense, promptly stole second base.
Spencer Steer followed with a single to left field, with the ball coming to left fielder Ian Happ on one hop. Third-base coach Willie Harris waved Dunn around third base as Happ fired an on-target throw to the plate that one-hopped catcher Carson Kelly.
Dunn slickly eluded Kelly's tag with his head-first slide and was able to touch the plate in the nick of time for the Reds to take a one-run lead. It was exactly the reason Dunn was brought up.
“I was really pleased to see him have the confidence to go there and then be able to score on a base hit," manager Terry Francona said. "Because that was not an easy one. Not a lot of guys will score there.”