Reds beat Padres in another low-scoring loss

CINCINNATI — The Midwestern summer got the best of Xander Bogaerts.

A ball spun off the end of a bat and then off Tyler Wade’s glove.

Too many pitches from Robert Suarez sailed toward the heart of the strike zone, and four of them were nowhere near it.

The Cincinnati Reds took advantage of these events in the ninth inning for a 3-2 walk-off victory on a hot and humid Sunday afternoon at Great American Ball Park.

But their three singles, Wade’s error and a walk made all the difference because the San Diego Padres went 0 for 13 with runners in scoring position.

“People are going to look to our bullpen today,” Gavin Sheets said. “But, like, that’s on the offense in that situation.”

Bogaerts, who gave the Padres a 1-0 lead with a home run in the fourth inning and doubled to help the Padres get back up 2-1 in the seventh inning, left the game in the ninth with what manager Mike Shildt called a “pretty severe” cramp in his left quad.

Wade pinch-hit for him and then remained in the game at third base. Jose Iglesias, who started at third while Manny Machado served as designated hitter Sunday, moved to shortstop.

This turned out to be significant when Elly De La Cruz, leading off the ninth inning, sent the 10th pitch off his at-bat in the air toward third base on a funky trajectory, spinning down and away from Wade. The fill-in fielder reached out and had the ball go off his glove, as De La Cruz ended up at first base.

Wade sat glumly staring into his locker until most teammates had begun to dress for the bus ride to the airport and flight to Philadelphia.

“No excuse,” he said. “I gotta catch that ball. No excuse. … It was a cue shot. But I make that play nine out of 10 times.”

Suarez, who entered the day as the major league saves leader with 23 but also with two losses in his previous six appearances, got the first out on a pop-up before walking Gavin Lux on four pitches.

The Reds tied the game on Spencer Steer’s single to center field, though a high throw at home by Jackson Merrill was probably the difference between a second out and the speedy De La Cruz scoring.

“I thought the line was perfect, the speed was perfect, just left it a little high,” Merrill said. “It just kept going up. If it was on target, he was out.”

After Jose Trevino singled to right field to load the bases, Will Benson came to the plate and lined a thigh-high changeup down the line that was a clear game-winner from the instant it left his bat.

The ending was arguably predictable from well before that.

A team that leaves so many of its runners on base often ends up paying for it.

But the Padres have pulled out so many low-scoring, close games that it has become just as easy to believe they will prevail in such contests.

It is true Sunday was the sixth time the Padres bullpen has given up a lead in the past 23 games it has been entrusted with one.

But they have been put in situation after situation in which they essentially have to be perfect.

“Again and again and again,” Shildt agreed.

During the 40-game stretch in which the bullpen has blown six of those 23 leads, Padres relievers have made 133 appearances. Almost exactly half (66) have come in games that were tied or were within one run, and 72% (94) have come in games in which the margin was two runs or less.

“We play a lot of close games, and we need to figure out a way to add on and have a little bit of margin for error with our pitching group,” Shildt said. “Great at-bats. A lot of traffic. Just couldn’t get the proverbial big hit or hits to break it open. Had a lot of chances. And on the (contrary), they were 4-for-8. They did their part and did it at the end where it mattered. So that was pretty much the key to the game.”

Sunday was the Padres’ 30th game in which they have scored two or fewer runs. Their 10 wins in those games are second-most in the major leagues. But that is obviously a tight rope they fall from quite a bit as well.

As has been the case plenty over the past month-and-a-half, especially, it did not have to be that way.

But the Padres did not score after Bogaerts led off the second with a double. They did not score after Luis Arraez doubled and Machado walked in the third. And they did not score after Sheets and Iglesias began the sixth inning with singles and Jake Cronenworth moved them up a base with a sacrifice bunt.

They did just enough in the seventh inning.

After Merrill popped out to start the inning, the Padres loaded the bases on a walk by Fernando Tatis Jr., Boagerts’ second double and an intentional walk issued to Sheets.

That brought up Iglesias, who hit a chopper to shortstop and beat out the relay to first to avoid a double play and allow Tatis to score the go-ahead run.

That lined up Adrian Morejón to be the winner after he relieved starter Stephen Kolek with two outs and two on in the sixth inning and allowed one of those runners to score before getting the third out.

That followed Kolek having gotten through 5 2/3 innings without allowing a run. The right-hander allowed three singles, struck out five and got nine groundouts.

Jeremiah Estrada and Jason Adam each pitched a scoreless inning to get it to the ninth.

Suarez’s work description begins with the requirement to work in close games.

“It’s just part of our job,” he said. “It’s whenever it’s necessary, whenever we’re called on we have to contribute.”

However, the guys who aren’t contributing in the most important times knew this one was also on them.

“I mean, to have that many opportunities, it was great on our part to get that many opportunities,” Sheets said. “But we just put our bullpen in a tough spot against a good lineup.”

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