REDS TURN WALKS INTO A RIOT

REDS TURN WALKS INTO A RIOT

CARDINALS LEAD TWICE, THEN WATCH CINCINNATI HANG SEVEN IN SEVENTH AS RIXEY OUTLASTS ST. LOUIS.

— For four innings Friday afternoon the Cardinals looked ready to put a stop to Cincinnati's winning spree.

Three innings later they were simply trying to stop the bleeding.

The Reds turned patience into profit, accepted every free pass handed to them, and rode a monstrous seven-run seventh inning to a 12-to-4 shellacking that left the Cardinals battered, frustrated, and searching for answers after their third straight defeat at Redland Field.

The cruel part was how promising the afternoon began.

The Cardinals jumped on Eppa Rixey immediately.

St. Louis pushed across a pair of first-inning tallies and grabbed a quick 2-to-1 advantage before many customers had settled into their seats. After two straight losses in Thursday's doubleheader, the Cardinals looked determined to change the direction of the series.

They added another run in the third.

At that point the Redbirds held a 3-to-1 lead and appeared firmly in command.

Flint Rhem's rough first inning from a week earlier seemed forgotten.

The Philadelphia disappointment felt distant.

Even the Cincinnati crowd had grown noticeably quieter.

Then the strike zone disappeared.

The Reds spent the rest of the afternoon doing what smart ball clubs do when pitchers lose command.

They waited.

And waited.

And waited some more.

By the time the game ended, Cincinnati had drawn thirteen walks.

Thirteen.

A club can survive a few free passes.

It cannot survive thirteen.

The Reds first began nibbling away during the fifth inning. Cincinnati pushed across a pair of runs and suddenly the Cardinal lead looked far less comfortable.

Another pair arrived in the sixth.

Just like that, the Cardinals found themselves trailing despite outhitting Cincinnati through much of the afternoon.

Still, the game remained within reach.

Then came the seventh.

And everything fell apart.

The Reds stormed through the inning like a runaway freight train. Walks opened the door. Additional walks widened it. Cincinnati mixed in timely safeties, aggressive baserunning, and enough pressure to keep the Cardinals permanently on their heels.

By the time the inning finally ended, seven Cincinnati runs had crossed the platter.

Seven.

One inning.

Ball game.

The collapse ruined what had actually been a competitive contest for most of the afternoon.

Hallahan absorbed much of the early punishment, but the real damage came later. Jesse Haines entered and failed to retire a batter. Eddie Dyer followed and found himself trapped in the middle of the Cincinnati avalanche, surrendering seven runs while the Reds batted nearly around the county before the Cardinals finally escaped.

The featured figure of the afternoon is not a Cardinal.

It is Eppa Rixey.

The veteran Cincinnati southpaw never looked particularly overpowering, but he did something the Cardinal staff could not.

He threw strikes.

While St. Louis handed away bases like campaign buttons, Rixey forced hitters to earn everything. He weathered the rough beginning, settled himself, and watched the Cardinals gradually beat themselves.

That is winning baseball.

The Cardinals collected enough offense to stay competitive.

They simply could not stop putting Reds aboard for free.

The standings make the defeat sting even worse.

Only a week ago St. Louis celebrated Hornsby Day, reached .500, and appeared ready to climb toward the first division. Since then the Reds have dragged them backward three straight times.

The Cardinals now enter the series finale desperate to avoid a four-game sweep.

The larger storyline is becoming impossible to ignore.

The pitching staff has talent.

It has power arms.

It has veterans.

But too often it also has wildness.

You cannot hand a contender thirteen free trips to first base and expect to survive.

The Reds certainly appreciated the generosity.

The Reds brought only nine bats to the park Friday. They discovered they didn't need any more because the Cardinals kept sending hitters to first without requiring swings.

Cardinal fans, here's today's question:

What is more dangerous to a pennant hopeful — weak hitting or wild pitching? After thirteen walks Friday, which problem worries you more about this Cardinal club?

— Mike Allen

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