ST. LOUIS, Mo. (WMDJ) — The Cincinnati Reds closed out a disappointing weekend series in St. Louis with a 5-3 loss to the Cardinals on Sunday afternoon.
Matt McLain provided nearly all of Cincinnati's offense, hitting a pair of solo home runs to give the Reds an early lead and later tie the game at 3-3 in the seventh inning. Tyler Stephenson also homered as Cincinnati built a 2-0 advantage through three innings.
The Cardinals responded in the fifth inning, using an RBI double from Jordan Walker and a two-run homer by Bryan Torres to take a 3-2 lead.
McLain's second home run of the day tied the game in the seventh, but the Cardinals broke through in the eighth. St. Louis scored the go-ahead run when a throwing error by reliever Sam Moll allowed José Fermín to cross the plate. Moments later, another Reds error helped bring home an insurance run to make it 5-3.
Cincinnati finished with 10 hits but went 0-for-8 with runners in scoring position and left seven runners on base.
The loss drops the Reds to 31-33 on the season and 2-12 against National League Central opponents. That's the worst record amongst all teams in the majors against teams inside the same division.
Cincinnati now heads to San Diego for a three-game series against the Padres before returning home Friday. First pitch Monday night from Petco Park is scheduled for 9:40 p.m., with the Inside Pitch pregame show beginning at 9:10 p.m. on WMDJ FM 100.1.
