Reds triumph over Rockies on Winker's 13th-inning, walk-off homer
CINCINNATI (AP) -- One out away from their second sweep at Great American Ball Park, the Rockies let another one slip away. The late-inning losses are piling up and wearing them down.
Jesse Winker hit a two-run homer in the 13th inning, completing the Cincinnati Reds' late rally to a 7-5 victory on Thursday that averted a sweep by Colorado.
The Rockies blew a lead with two outs in the ninth and lost for the fifth time in seven games. They've relinquished leads leads in all of the five losses, with the bullpen melting down repeatedly.
"We're going through a very difficult time right now with a few guys, for sure," manager Bud Black said. "We're addressing this on a daily basis. We've just got to get to the point where guys are returning to a track-record performance, and right now it's not happening."
Left-hander Chris Rusin (0-2) hit Joey Votto with a pitch to open the 13th. Winker connected on his first game-ending homer , finishing the longest game for both teams this season. His teammates were waiting at home to celebrate his second homer of the season.
"That's the best scene, coming around third and seeing that," Winker said. "It felt great."
Dylan Floro (2-1) allowed a pair of singles over three innings. He batted in the 12th and grounded out.
Left-hander Tyler Anderson gave up a pair of runs while going seven innings for only the second time this season, leaving with a 5-2 advantage before Colorado's bullpen helped Cincinnati rally.
The Reds loaded the bases off Mike Dunn with no outs in the eighth, helped by two walks.
"I blew it for the guys today," said Dunn, whose ERA rose to 9.00. "I couldn't even get a guy out, so I'd better figure it out quickly."
Scott Oberg replaced Dunn and limited Cincinnati to a pair of runs with the help of Carlos Gonzalez. The right fielder's throw to the plate that nailed Eugenio Suarez, who tried to score the tying run from second on Winker's single.
Wade Davis then blew a save in the ninth for only the third time this season. Pitching on the third straight day, Davis hit a batter, gave up Jose Peraza's single and threw a wild pitch. With two outs, Davis threw another wild pitch to Scott Schebler that tied it 5-5. He then fanned Schebler.
The Rockies got three runs in five innings off Tyler Mahle, including Anderson's squeeze bunt that made it 3-1 in the fourth.
EXTRA, EXTRA ...
The Rockies are 3-2 in extra innings. The Reds are 4-2.
NOT-SO-WILD THING
It was only the third time in Davis' 333 career appearances that he threw two wild pitches in an outing. The others were June 9, 2017, against the Padres, and June 3, 2018, against the Dodgers.
TAKE A BOW
With a Reds runner on second base in the fifth inning, five-time Gold Glove third baseman Nolan Arenado dove to get Alex Blandino's grounder down the line, and then threw from his knee to get the final out of the inning.
PINCH HITTER
Reds reliever Michael Lorenzen had a pinch-hit single in the fifth while batting for Mahle, the first pinch hit by a Reds pitcher since Lorenzen homered off Pittsburgh's Adam Morgan on April 6, 2017.
TRAINER'S ROOM
Rockies: Catcher Tony Wolters was hit by pitches twice and was shaken up after he slid hard into Alex Blandino on a forceout play in the fourth inning. Wolters was visited by a trainer before he left the field. He finished the game.
Reds: Homer Bailey will make a rehab start in a minor league game within the next four or five days. Manager Jim Riggleman said Thursday he could return to the rotation when he's recovered from a sore left knee. The Reds thought about moving Bailey to the bullpen because of his poor showings -- 1-7 with a 6.68 ERA -- but instead put him on the 10-day DL.
UP NEXT
Rockies: Return home to start a series against Arizona. German Marquez (4-5) is 0-3 in his career against the Diamondbacks with a 3.79 ERA.
Reds: Matt Harvey makes his sixth start for the Reds -- he's 1-2 with a 4.44 ERA since Cincinnati got him in a trade with the Mets. The Reds open a three-game home series against the Cardinals, who have won the last 11 games between the teams.
