CHICAGO – On Labor Day, the Reds continued to make their job a little harder as they struggled to get to the postseason.
With Monday’s 4-3 loss to the Cubs at Wrigley Field, Cincinnati has lost seven of its last nine games and nine of its last 13. For the first time since Aug. 19, the Reds (73-66) went fall in a full Parents back game for second place in the National League Wild League. San Diego was idle Monday.
“I know we played really well to get to this point in the season. Last week, there is another level of baseball we can play,” Reds coach David Bell said. “That’s why we’re in that position. Our players, all here, are doing everything they can to get back to this point as quickly as possible.”
As much as he wanted to, reliever Michael Lorenzen couldn’t get that last strike to a pair of hitters at the bottom of the eighth inning. In a 3-3 game and facing pitcher Cubs Alfonso Rivas to open, Lorenzen got it with a 1-2. Rivas struggled with four free throws and threw two throws to make the full count before reaching a single lead.
“This pitching batter can be just as important, especially at the end of the game as well,” Bell said.
A savage throw moved Rivas to second base. In a 0-2 throw, Frank Schwindel hit a simple RBI on the right field for the test.
For those batters, Lorenzen regretted not having the change as a pitcher. It was only the second time in 16 appearances that he allowed to run. Both times, the loss was taken away.
“I don’t normally throw my cutter twice, but since my change went from being my best throw to the worst surface throw on the planet, I couldn’t use it there. I have to find something else. I throw my cutter twice because it’s a contact throw, but it’s something that has been left out of me. Obviously, the execution wasn’t there. “
Reds starting pitcher Sonny Gray overcame the first hard inning to have a strong five-inning performance for no decision. Gray’s day began with the first base’s throwing error, Asdrúbal Cabrera, followed by a single and the victory of Ian Happ, who got the 3-0 after three batters.
Recovering well, Gray withdrew the next 11 batters in a row and his final 15 of 16, with six of his eight attacks.
“I felt like I had hit all the batters,” Bell said. “I know that’s not true. He dominated after the first inning.”
Gray threw just 66 pitches, but was lifted during the Cincinnati three-run rally to the top of the sixth inning against Cubs starter Justin Steele. Eugenio Suárez was hit by a throw to load the bases with no exits, and Cabrera was hit on the leg by a 0-2 throw from Steele to force the Reds ’first run.
Relief Code Heuer took over but his wild throw to Kyle Farmer scored Nick Castellanos. In something that proved critical moments later, Suárez did not try to advance and left the runners in first and second base.
“If Geno had moved up to third place, maybe Cabby would have moved up to second place,” Bell said. “It looked like Geno froze, he didn’t have a good read on the ball. For whatever reason, he didn’t get a good read. And that came out really great. That was our chance to get back into the game.”
With two outs, Max Schrock worked 1-2 to 3-2 before arriving with a double RBI on the left that scored Suarez and placed Cabrera in third base. With the match tied, Bell used Mike Moustakas to beat Gray. Moustakas came out on top.
“Once it was second and third place, there was still a chance to do some damage,” Bell said. “It was hard to take him because of his pitching form. But he really felt like this was our chance.”
The Reds went on to lose four straight games, including the undisputed ones like the Marlins and the Tigers. They also lost a recent series against the Cubs in two of the three games August 16-18 in Cincinnati.
“There’s a sense of urgency, of course, but we know we’re really good,” Lorenzen said. “We just show up and try to win every day. That’s all we’re doing.”
Taking advantage of a simpler schedule has been difficult to avoid.
“We believe we can win any team and any team. That’s why we’re in the position we are,” Bell said. “We’ve won the best teams. We’re talking about a weaker schedule. I think it’s pretty disrespectful to the other teams we’re playing. It’s also disrespectful to us where we’re going to end up, we’ve had to beat all the teams and overcome a lot of challenges and to beat the best teams on the road “.