The Reds turn the Cubs series around with another ninth inning comeback

For eight innings on Saturday night, the Cincinnati Reds couldn’t score a run against a pitcher who has spent most of the season as the Chicago Cubs’ long reliever.

Cubs right-hander Javier Assad pitched eight shutout innings at Great American Ball Park on Saturday. The Reds committed three terrible base running mistakes, and it looked like they were wasting a game in the biggest series of the season.

Then with the Reds trailing by one run in the bottom of the ninth inning, Reds designated hitter Jake Fraley doubled. He started a rally and began a chain reaction of events that kept the Reds in the playoff picture.

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The Reds ended up beating the Cubs, 2-1, with a comeback that felt more unlikely than any Reds comeback all season.

“Jake has three doubles in two days,” Reds center fielder TJ Friedl said. “Who would expect that from a guy with a broken foot? That’s pretty obvious, how big he is to our lineup. Tonight, in the bottom of the ninth, when we needed it most, he came up big.”

The Reds finished the day tied with the San Francisco Giants and the Arizona Diamondbacks for the third wild card spot. The Reds are in the middle of their final series of the season against a team that they’re chasing in the wild card race, and the Reds are acknowledging the high stakes of this series against the Cubs.

Since Fraley delayed surgery on his toe and is playing through a stress fracture, he has only been able to start as the designated hitter. He labors around the bases as he pushes through pain. Fraley said that he’s playing through the pain because he sees a chance to help a “special team” down the stretch in the playoff chase.

Fraley came off the injured list on Friday, and he has immediately provided a spark.

“Every time we can keep him out there for another day, it helps our team win,” Reds manager David Bell said. “When the injury originally came up and he got more information about it, the reason he was motivated to come back was the type of season we were having and how much he cares about his teammates. He thought that he could push himself through it and be a part of a special season. That’s who Jake is.”

After Fraley reached second base, new Reds outfielder Harrison Bader entered the game as the pinch-runner. For Bader’s entire seven-year big league career, he has been an every day player. The Reds claimed him off waivers on Thursday, and they’ve asked him to start against left-handed pitching and provide depth as a defender and a base runner late in games.

It’s a new role for Bader, but he has already impressed his new manager with how he has handled it. “It’s an incredible attitude,” Bell said.

Bader started warming up in the fifth inning for a potential pinch-running opportunity. He got his chance in the ninth, and Bader immediately swiped third base.

“Maybe the key to the inning was Harrison Bader, knowing how the rest of the game went, and stepping up and having a huge stolen base when you absolutely need it the most,” Bell said. “If you get thrown out there, we’re talking about a different game here. That’s what it takes. That’s why we’ll continue to be aggressive.”

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Friedl was at the plate when Bader entered the game at second. Friedl said that he was “100%” going to bunt. Then he saw Bader racing for third base and pulled his bat back. Because Bader was on third base, Friedl got to take a normal at-bat, and he drew a walk. The out that the Reds saved ended up being the difference in the inning.

After Friedl’s walk, second baseman Spencer Steer got hit by a pitch. Then, Reds shortstop Elly De La Cruz had the most high-leverage at-bat of his young career. One day after he struck out four times in a game and a few minutes after he committed a near game-changing error, De La Cruz smoked a 111 mph single off the bat, and it scored Bader from third.

“That was such a big at-bat for him,” Friedl said.

“I knew that it was an important at-bat right there, but it didn’t mean that I was going to lose focus on the task at hand,” De La Cruz said via interpreter Jorge Merlos. “We just go up there with the same mentality every time and try to get the victory at the end of the day.”

In the top of the ninth inning, De La Cruz dropped an easy catch at shortstop and failed to turn a double play. The rookie shrugged that mistake off, hit one of the hardest line drives of the entire Reds season and tied the score at 1 in the bottom of the ninth.

“It’s amazing how that spot comes back up and you get another opportunity,” Bell said. “Usually, the outcome is based on how you thought about it right after it happened. (Elly) is tough, he’s strong and he has confidence. It’s nice for him to experience what can happen when you handle it the right way.”

After De La Cruz’s hit, Reds left fielder Nick Martini popped out with the bases loaded to record the first out of the inning. Up next, new Reds outfielder Hunter Renfroe got his first chance to be a hero in a Reds uniform.

Renfroe still doesn’t have a hit in his three games as a Red, but he’s a proven veteran hitter with more experience in a playoff race than anyone on the Reds’ active roster. The Reds claimed him because they were confident in his ability to hit for power and provide some consistency in a struggling lineup.

Renfroe is a bigger corner outfielder who’s known for his power and his arm strength, but Renfroe’s speed sealed the win for the Reds.

With one out and the bases loaded, Renfroe hit a ground ball to Cubs shortstop Dansby Swanson's right. Swanson dove, fielded the ball and threw to second to start a double play, but Renfroe beat the throw to first base. That allowed Friedl to score the game-winning run.

“There are times you have to break your speed out and times you don’t,” Renfroe said. “I don’t steal a lot of bases because I can score from first base if the ball is hit in the gap. I don’t want to push the envelope a bit too much. But my speed is there when it needs to be. I feel like my speed comes out pretty good. It’s there.”

On Saturday, the Reds lost starting pitcher Graham Ashcraft to the injured list. Hunter Greene, Ben Lively and Brandon Williamson are all out with COVID. In the Reds’ final series against a team that they’re chasing in the playoff race, they’ve been scrambling to fill out their pitching staff.

The Reds’ rotation is filled with players who were recently in Double-A. Fraley, Friedl and Steer were the Reds’ only starters on Saturday who were on the big league roster on Opening Day. The roster keeps changing due to injuries and a COVID outbreak, but the Reds are still in the playoff race.

“Everyone still has the same energy going into every game,” De La Cruz said. “Sure, there’s a whole bunch of new players that have had to adapt to our team. But it’s the same vibe every time that we go out there.”

This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: The Reds turn the Cubs series around with another 9th inning comeback