ST. LOUIS – For the first six innings of Friday’s series opener at Busch Stadium, it appeared as though the Reds’ frustrations in St. Louis this season would reach new heights. Having been swept here on June 5-7, Cincinnati knew all too well the struggles of being handled on the road by a division rival, and they were at risk of frittering away an outstanding performance by starter Rhett Lowder.
And in stepped Geno.
Eugenio Suárez crushed a 1-0 slider from Cardinals reliever George Soriano to the concourse behind the visitors’ bullpen in the seventh inning, launching a two-run shot that flipped a one-run deficit to a one-run lead on the way to a 4-2 Reds victory.
The homer was the highlight, but the pitching was the story. Lowder retired the first nine hitters he faced and did not allow a hit until surrendering a two-out, two-run double to Blaze Jordan in the fifth. That double would be the only hit he allowed on the night, in addition to two walks and a hit-by-pitch.
Friday’s start was Lowder’s second in St. Louis this season, and the second in which he allowed just one hit. In June, however, his command betrayed him, and he walked five batters en route to throwing 70 pitches and completing just three innings. He needed just 42 to reach the same point in Friday’s contest, relying heavily on his sinker and slider to keep Cardinals hitters off balance and reaching.
Still, despite Lowder’s efforts, the Reds found themselves in need of a hero. It should come as no surprise that their champion arrived in the form of Suárez, whose homer was his 32nd go-ahead shot hit in the sixth inning or later since he made his MLB Debut in 2014, leading all hitters in that timespan. Friday’s shot lifted him out of a tie previously held with Nolan Arenado and Carlos Santana.