Joey Votto did what the Cardinals could not in the ninth inning Wednesday night, when the Reds' veteran first baseman laced an RBI single to right-center field in the Cardinals’ 4-3 walk-off loss at Great American Ball Park.
Closer Giovanny Gallegos walked two with one out and got into an 0-2 count against Votto, but Votto got hold of a slider to help the Reds avoid a sweep in Cincinnati.
In the top of the ninth inning, the Cardinals had a chance to give Gallegos a save opportunity instead of a tie game to hold. Brad Miller -- who started the Cards’ scoring in the second with his third home run in the past two games -- singled to lead off the ninth, and Paul DeJong walked a batter later. Yadier Molina moved them over with a sacrifice bunt, opening first base for lefty reliever Rasiel Iglesias to intentionally walk Matt Carpenter to load the bases.
Manager Mike Shildt did not go to switch-hitter Dylan Carlson to get the left-right matchup against Iglesias, instead sticking with outfielders Tyler O'Neill and Lane Thomas at the bottom of the order. Shildt spoke pregame about how he wanted his young outfielders to show ways they could “help win a ballgame,” especially as their playing time in the outfield likely will increase after the Cardinals put veteran outfielder Dexter Fowler on the injured list.
The ninth inning presented a way that O’Neill or Thomas -- or both -- could help win. In eight pitches (five strikes), Iglesias struck out both of them swinging. O’Neill, who doubled and scored a run in the fifth inning, swung through a slider and then missed Iglesias’ only mistake by fouling off a fastball down the middle. Then O’Neill chased on a 96-mph elevated fastball. Thomas took two called strikes and two balls before swinging through a 98-mph fastball near the top of the zone.
“I think Tyler missed his mistake," Shildt said. "He got one over the middle and fouled it off. You have to put that ball in play there. ... Give the guys opportunities, that’s what you find out. Those guys are going to have to learn to face those kinds of guys if they’re going to be everyday players.”
The Cardinals' main outfielders -- O’Neill, Thomas, Carlson and Harrison Bader -- are hitting under .200 and trying to become a mainstay in the lineup. Utility man Tommy Edman will see more time in the outfield as the club searches for production, but there are two other spots to fill. So that group of outfielders will get chances, and if someone seizes an opportunity, they’ll get the chance to run with it.
What Shildt has tried to convey to that group is that the five don’t need to get a hit every time they’re up to bat, but the team does need to see consistent and productive at-bats: longer at-bats, working walks, putting the ball in play. There’s a balance between needing to produce to play while also not fixating so much on the box score that it affects production.
“It’s the hardest thing we do as hitters,” Miller said. “It’s something I battle every day, still. Obviously it’s a performance-based game, and that’s what we’re trying to do. We’re trying to perform, but I think the trap is obviously [that] focusing on the results doesn’t necessarily lead to them.”
The Cardinals still took two of three from the Reds in an offensive-heavy series as St. Louis broke out the bats while the pitching held Cincinnati at bay. Rookie starter Johan Oviedo made his first non-doubleheader start and allowed three runs in 4 2/3 innings, and the Cards' bullpen didn’t allow a Reds hit until Votto’s walk-off knock.
“We definitely pitched and played well enough to win,” Shildt said. “Consistent at-bats throughout. We’re a really good offensive team. Everybody understands what we’re doing and how we’re doing it. And we’re only going to continue to get better.”
Now, the Cards will reset with the first of two September off-days on Thursday before heading to Wrigley Field on Friday to begin a five-game, four-day series against the Cubs. A fantasy football draft led by Adam Wainwright is in the works for the off-day as St. Louis finds ways to keep busy while following COVID-19 protocols.
“I think everybody will take the chance to mentally and physically reset, especially in this crazy stretch we have and have a nice off-day to prepare to play like 60 games in the next month, month and a half,” Miller said. “Especially with the schedule, the games just keep coming. It’s rolling. So any sort of built-in mental break is huge.”