The Cincinnati Reds picked apart the Cardinals’ bullpen Saturday as they stomped St. Louis, 9-1.
The Reds, who were the first team eliminated from winning their division, already had a 4-1 lead in the eighth inning when they faced Jerome Williams. The 34-year-old relief pitcher had an outing to forget as he walked four, gave up three hits, and allowed five earned runs in one inning of work.
St. Louis drew first blood with Jedd Gyorko’s first-inning solo home run, but it turned out to be the Cardinals’ only run of the game. Reds shortstop Zack Cozart tied the game in the third inning with an RBI double, and the club took the lead when Billy Hamilton reached home on a passed ball in the fifth. St. Louis relievers Miguel Socolovich and Dean Kiekhefer were each responsible for one earned run.
Cardinals starter Jaime García only allowed two earned runs in his six innings of work, but got tagged with his 11th loss of the season.
The Cardinals are 70-64. There’s always the next game!
Correction: This article originally stated that the Reds were the first team to be eliminated from the postseason when they were actually the first team to be eliminated from winning their division. The post has been corrected. The Cardinals still lost their 64th game.