How one walk changed the Cincinnati Reds momentum in a win over the Pirates

When the Cincinnati Reds were trailing by five runs with two outs in the bottom of the third inning on Monday, second baseman Jonathan India fouled off a sinker on the left edge of the strike zone. With a full count, India got a piece of what would have been strike three, and then he earned a walk when the next pitch landed outside the strike zone.

Without India’s walk, shortstop Kyle Farmer doesn’t get the chance to single on the seventh pitch of his at-bat. Then Nick Castellanos wouldn’t have got the chance to knock them both in with a double. And then first baseman Joey Votto wouldn’t have been able to get the Reds back in the game with his first of two homers on Monday against the Pittsburgh Pirates.

After trailing by five runs early in the game, the Reds beat the Pirates, 9-5, on Monday at Great American Ball Park. With the victory, the Reds remained three games back of the St. Louis Cardinals for the second NL Wild Card spot.

It was one of the Reds biggest comebacks of the season. As the Reds lost eight consecutive series heading into the game, they were waiting for at-bats like India’s that could get a run started.

“Comebacks are going to be a part (of it), are going to be necessary,” Votto said. “Not only in our record in the standings, but in games at times. It can be challenging when you're down runs early, but we're going to win as a unit.”

Votto finished 3-for-3 at the plate with two home runs. But after the game, Votto, Castellanos, Eugenio Suárez and David Bell all credited India’s walk for being the turning point in the game.

Through the first three innings, the Reds were on the ropes. Rookie starting pitcher Vladimir Gutierrez allowed back-to-back home runs in the top of the first inning. The Pirates jumped on his fastball, and Gutierrez never found a way to throw that pitch past the Pirates.

Then to open the third inning, Gutierrez walked the opposing pitcher on four straight fastballs. His start continued to snowball, allowing three more runs to cross the plate. Gutierrez got out of the inning with a double play, but he has failed to make it out of the fourth inning in four of his last five starts.

The Reds were in danger of losing for the third time in their last four games against the Pirates.

Then India walked. 

“It's a good reminder that it's not always the homer or the double,” Bell said. “We just immediately remember that, and those are so important, but it’s the at-bats leading up to it. India, Farmer, it all adds up. And it's all part of keeping a lineup going and scoring runs.”

After India's walk in the third inning, Castellanos drove India and Farmer in to cut the Reds deficit down to 5-2. Then Votto hit a two-run homer that made it a 5-4 game. The Reds couldn’t make a similar comeback in losses to the Los Angeles Dodgers on Saturday and Sunday, but in just one inning the Reds got right back into Monday’s game against the Pirates. 

“Once we got four runs quick, it’s a brand new baseball game,” Castellanos said. “Obviously, the atmosphere and everything is a bit different.

In the fifth inning, Votto tied the score with a 388-foot home run to center field. Bell gave Votto an off day on Sunday after Votto hit .216 over a 13-game stretch. Votto hit a pinch-hit home run on Sunday, and Bell said he noticed Votto looked refreshed and stronger at the plate against the Pirates.

On Monday, Votto led the charge with three RBI, and reached base in all five of his plate appearances. 

“We're not going to quit, you're not just going to fold,” Votto said. “There's none of that sort of perspective. But it was challenging for sure. That's how it's going to be. You're going to have to come back in games. It's the only chance we have.”

After Votto’s home run in the fifth, third baseman Eugenio Suárez homered on the very next at-bat. Suárez hit a changeup in the strike zone off the top of the left field wall, and he had a big smile on his face as his home run gave the Reds a 6-5 lead. The Reds added three more runs against the Pirates bullpen, and Cincinnati’s bullpen allowed one baserunner in 5 ⅔ innings. 

In a game where the Reds could have fallen behind in yet another series, they kept pace with the Cardinals in the playoff race.

“Everybody knows what’s at stake here,” Castellanos said. “Everybody knows what we’re playing for. Is wanting it more and having more of a sense of urgency, is that going to be more beneficial or more detrimental? It’s a delicate balance, baseball, right? So the only thing we can do is just prepare and win tomorrow. Whatever is going to happen is going to happen.”