CINCINNATI — A team trying to control its own destiny during a playoff push in the final week of the regular season can be akin to herding cats if it doesn’t win. Winning simplifies. Winning provides assurance. Losing makes things more complicated.
Despite a big night for Elly De La Cruz and a festive crowd itching for October baseball, the Reds’ time with command of the final National League Wild Card spot was short-lived as they were handed a 4-2 loss by the last-place Pirates on Tuesday before 29,847 fans at Great American Ball Park.
That loss ended Cincinnati’s five-game winning streak and with it, control of the race.
“We lost today. Tomorrow, we clean it up and we just come back with the same mentality,” said De La Cruz, who reached safely four times, while going 3-for-3 with a two-run home run and a walk.
The Reds (80-77) had moved into a tie with the Mets on Sunday and had the tiebreaker advantage in the NL Wild Card standings. But the Mets (81-76) defeated the Cubs at Wrigley Field on Tuesday to move ahead by one game again. Cincinnati also has the tiebreaker advantage over the Diamondbacks (79-77), who are 1 1/2 games back pending their Tuesday evening result against the Dodgers.
Five games remain in the regular season.
Brady Singer, who has been Cincinnati’s hottest starting pitcher down the stretch, ran into trouble with Pittsburghâ€s decisive four-run second inning. Three straight one-out hits provided the first two runs before a two-out opposite-field homer to left field by Oneil Cruz gave the Pirates a 4-0 lead.
“A lot of bad pitches, a lot of pitches in the middle of the plate, and they put good swings on them,” said Singer, who is 5-2 with a 2.49 ERA over his last eight starts.
The Reds responded to the outburst in the bottom of the second against Pirates starter Johan Oviedo. Spencer Steer led off with a four-pitch walk before the next batter, De La Cruz, clobbered a 1-2 Oviedo pitch for a two-run homer to right field that cut the deficit in half.
It gave De La Cruz a team-high-tying 21 homers. After hitting 18 homers in his first 79 games, he has only three long balls over his last 78 games. The good news? Two have come in the last four games.
De La Cruz entered the series opener batting .191 over his previous 19 games.
“If he wants to get hot, that would be really welcomed,” manager Terry Francona said.
De La Cruz also hit a single to center field in the fourth inning and lined a hard two-out single in the sixth inning. He also drew a four-pitch walk in the ninth.
“Iâ€ve been feeling good lately,” De La Cruz said.
The Reds were unable to capitalize offensively. After De La Cruz’s fourth-inning hit following another walk by Steer, Oviedo struck out Matt McLain and Will Benson to escape. Cincinnati also grounded into three double plays — one in each of the final three innings.
After Cruzâ€s homer, Singer gave up only a bloop single near the right-field foul line by Rafael Flores in the fifth inning and an infield single in the sixth inning by Spencer Horwitz. A 13-pitch duel with Nick Gonzales ended with a line out to third base, but finished Singer’s night after 5 1/3 innings. He allowed four runs on seven hits with no walks and three strikeouts.
“I just tried to get as deep in the game as I can, trying to make some quick pitches and limit the damage,” Singer said. “I obviously gave up four and didnâ€t want to give up any more.â€
Of course, the Pirates had no interest in helping the Reds get into the postseason.
“When you’re playing against a division opponent, you always want to win, especially [considering] they’ve got a chance to make the playoffs and would love to play spoiler. Guys are ready to roll,” Pirates manager Don Kelly said.
It doesn’t get easier for the Reds on Wednesday. Although they are sending ace Hunter Greene to the mound against Pittsburgh, he will be opposed by leading NL Cy Young contender Paul Skenes and his Major League-best 2.03 ERA.
In a 7-0 win over the Reds on Aug. 7, Skenes worked six innings with seven hits and eight strikeouts. Greene has a 2.74 ERA in 18 starts, and on April 13 vs. the Pirates, he pitched seven scoreless innings of two-hit ball with one walk and eight strikeouts for a 4-0 win.
“I wish our guy was going and then maybe this guyâ€s brother,” Francona said of Skenes.
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