Sunday, June 9, 2013 - At Great American Ballpark: In a nationally televised game on ESPN's Sunday Night Baseball, the Cardinals and Cincinnati Reds were dead-even after nine innings - all tied at four runs apiece. By the time the Cardinals completed their half of the tenth-inning, the Reds were simply dead.
Not many extra-inning games are decided by as many as seven runs (11-4 final score) - and not many pitchers making their major league debut enter a game with the bases loaded, only to have the first pitch they throw in that situation travel about 450 feet in the other direction. That was all part of the fun for the Redbirds, as they tore into Reds pitching like Louie Anderson at an all-you-can-eat buffet. Simply put, the Cardinals had quite a feast tonight - and the main course was Cincinnati pitching.
Lance Lynn started this game for St Louis (6 IP - 5 H - 4 R - 3 BB - 6 SO) - then four Cardinal relievers held the Reds scoreless over the final four innings - with Trevor Rosenthal's well-timed two perfect innings of work earning the rookie his first major league win.
For the Reds, starter Bronson Arroyo allowed just two runs in six innings of work, but the bullpen failed to preserve a 4-2 sixth-inning Cincinnati lead, which ultimately sent the game into one-inning's worth of ERA-inflating overtime - for the home team, that is.
Offensively, the big blow came off the bat of Matt Holliday - a tenth-inning grand slam - on the first pitch ever thrown in a big league game by some kid named Curtis Partch. But that was just the icing on the Cardinals' cake. St Louis had already sent eight men to the plate - scoring three runs - before Holliday's parting shot.
Allan Craig's lead-off walk started the festivities off Reds reliever, J.J. Hoover. One out later, David Freese grounded a single to right - then Daniel Descalso began the run-scoring barrage with a double to plate Craig. An intentional walk to Jon Jay loaded the bases for pinch hitter Pete Kozma - who struck out.
With two out, Matt Carpenter's two-run double (1 RBI previously) essentially put the game out of reach. A walk to Carlos Beltran (HR, 2 RBI previously) ended Hoover's night - although he was still responsible for the three runners on base - who later scored on Holliday's ESPN-broadcast grand salami.
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