Not worth the wait: Cincinnati Reds blow lead, lose suspended game to Red Sox

Yahoo

13 hours ago

BOSTON – The Cincinnati Reds' recent run of late-inning magic ran out in the middle game of a three-game series against the Red Sox – even after an extra day to locate the pixie dust.
In the resumption of the Tuesday, July 1, suspended game at Fenway Park, the Reds quickly took a lead 15 hours after the game was suspended but blew the slim margin in the sixth and then lost on a pair of eighth-inning Red Sox runs against Lyon Richardson in a 5-3 loss.
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RBI hits by Wilyer Abreu and Trevor Story put the Red Sox in position to play for a sweep in Wednesday night's regularly scheduled game.
Adding potential injury to insult, Spencer Steer, last week's NL Player of the Week, whose home run gave the Reds the lead, was hit on the hand by a pitch in the seventh and looked like a day-to-day game decision going forward.
'He's pretty puffy and already turning colors,' manager Terry Francona said shortly after the game.
Steer was back in the original lineup Wednesday night but scratched just before game time.
It was not immediately clear how severe the issue might be. The Reds called the injury a bruise.
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The team has a scheduled day off before opening a weekend series in Philadelphia.
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Jarren Duran slides past Reds second baseman Matt McLain with a double in the first inning Tuesday night.
The Reds, who have lost three of their last four games, have not been swept all season.
The suspended game was the Reds' second of the season. They beat the Diamondbacks at home in the other one four weeks ago.
Former Reds All-Star closer Aroldis Chapman got the final three outs for the Red Sox for his 15th save of the season. It was the 350th of his career.
The teams waited out a delay of more than an hour Tuesday night before resuming in the top of the fourth Wednesday afternoon.
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The Red Sox elected to use starter Brayan Bello for the restart in place of Tuesday's starter Richard Fitts. The Reds went with a bullpen day for the rest of the resumed game, starting with left-hander Sam Moll in place of Brady Singer.
It took all of three batters into the resumption of play for the Reds to take the lead, on a one-out walk by Gavin Lux followed by Steer's 10th home run of the season, a high fly just over the Green Monster in left.
That made it 3-2, which is where it stayed through Moll's two perfect innings of work (including four strikeouts).
'With Steer's swing, it gave us a chance,' manager Terry Francona said, 'and with Moll going two, and really crisp, it got us a little excited.'
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Abraham Toro's leadoff double against Moll's replacement, Scott Barlow, came within a fraction of an inch of being an out when shortstop Elly De La Cruz just missed making an over-the-shoulder catch as the ball caromed off his glove.
That led to the tying run when Toro advanced on a wild pitch and scored on a sacrifice fly.
(This story was updated to add a photo gallery.)
This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: Cincinnati Reds blow lead, lose suspended game to Red Sox at Fenway