Reds lose closer Emilio Pagán to injury, lose to Cubs in extra innings
The Cincinnati Reds were 3-0 in extra-inning games this season before losing Tuesday night to the Chicago Cubs at Wrigley Field.
CHICAGO – One night after shouldering the blame for a blown save that cost the Cincinnati Reds a heartbreaking loss , closer Emilio Pagán managed just one pitch in the ninth inning May 5 at Wrigley Field, then fell to the grass in pain, clutching his left hamstring. Pagán, who missed a couple games in mid-April for tightness in the same hamstring, was carted off the field on his way to joining four other key Reds pitchers on the injured list – turning a rainy, ugly, losing road trip into an especially painful one for a team was in first place when they opened the trip Friday in Pittsburgh. Rookie Jose Franco took over for Pagán in a 2-2 game and 1-0 count on Chicago Cubs second baseman Nico Hoerner, then followed with three straight balls to tag Pagán with the leadoff walk.
Despite another walk to Reds-killer Ian Happ in the inning, Franco escaped the short-notice jam by retiring $175 million Alex Bregman, $85 million Seiya Suzuki and $177 million Dansby Swanson to nudge the game to extra innings -– where the Reds lost in the 10th on a single bounced up the middle by Michael Busch that shortstop Elly De La Cruz couldn't handle. Final score: Cubs 3, Reds 2. It was their third consecutive one-run loss , dropping them to 12-3 in games decided by two or fewer runs.
Reds starter Andrew Abbott has lowered his ERA by nearly a point and a half in his last two starts since it stood at a season-high 6. 59 through six. Five days after beating the Rockies with six strong innings (two runs), he retired the first six Cubs he faced, eight of the first nine and took a 2-0 lead into the sixth before a two-out walk, single and another walk loaded the bases.
That ended Abbott's outing, which Connor Phillips kept scoreless by retiring Moises Ballesteros on a comebacker. But a one-out single by Pete Crow-Armstrong turned into a run when Crow-Armstrong stole second and scored on Bregman's single. Busch's solo home run to right off Tony Santillan with one out in the eighth tied it.