Yohel Pozo’s RBI single drove in the game-winning run in the bottom of the 11th inning as the St. Louis Cardinals pulled off a 6-5 comeback victory against the visiting Cincinnati Reds on Saturday.
Pozo’s two-out hit off rookie reliever Chase Petty (0-3) drove in Jordan Walker, who pinch-ran for automatic runner Willson Contreras as St. Louis won its fifth straight.
Reliever Phil Maton (1-2) tossed a scoreless top of the 11th for the win. Starter Sonny Gray gave up one run on five hits, walked two and struck out five in five innings.
The Reds, who used eight pitchers in a bullpen game, have lost three straight.
After St. Louis pulled within one in the eighth, Nolan Arenado tied it 5-5 in the ninth with a home run into the left field seats.
Trailing by a run in the seventh, the Reds rallied to pull ahead against reliever Steven Matz. Pinch hitter Connor Joe drew a leadoff walk, and Matt McLain, who went 3-for-5, connected for a ground-rule double down the left field line. Joe came around to tie it 2-2 when Gavin Lux grounded out to first.
Elly De La Cruz then stepped up and blasted a first-pitch changeup 435 feet over the center field wall for his 17th home run of the season and a 4-2 Cincinnati lead.
The visitors added another in the eighth to make it 5-2 when Spencer Steer tripled and scored on Will Benson’s sacrifice fly.
St. Louis narrowed it to 5-4 in the bottom half. Victor Scott II and Brendan Donovan each singled, then scored on consecutive singles by Masyn Winn and Alec Burleson, respectively.
Burleson extended his hit streak to nine to give the Cardinals a 2-0 lead in the first. After Winn drew a walk, Burleson belted a sinker into the St. Louis bullpen in right field.
The Reds cut the deficit in half in the third. McLain led off with a single to center to push his hitting streak to nine and advanced to third on TJ Friedl’s ensuing base hit. McLain then scored when Lux grounded into a 6-4-3 double play.
–Field Level Media
