Scott Schebler’s home run gives Cincinnati Reds dramatic win

Scott Schebler regretted the bat flip just a bit and apologized to the St. Louis Cardinals, but he admitted these moments don’t come around too often. He got caught up in the moment, the biggest of his young career.

Schebler, on the same day he was promoted from Triple-A Louisville, hit an absolute rocket into the seats in right field in the ninth inning. The three-run walk-off home run against reliever Seung Hwan Oh gave the Cincinnati Reds a 7-5 victory and kept them on a hot streak on a day most fans were bemoaning the loss of Jay Bruce, who was traded to the New York Mets on Monday.

Schebler’s one-out home run, which came after singles by Joey Votto and Adam Duvall, traveled 410 feet and left the bat at 110 miles per hour.

“I didn’t know if it was going to stay fair, so I kind of stood there longer than I wanted to,” Schebler said. “It stayed fair. I got a good pitch to hit. That guy’s tough. I didn’t really see the first pitch too well to be honest. Then he threw me another fastball and another fastball, and I kind of adjusted. It was nice to see another fastball.”

Schebler had a walk-off hit against the Philadelphia Phillies in the second game of the season on April 6, but this one was special. The Reds plan to play him every day after trading Bruce, and he delivered in his first chance as a full-time starter. He went 3-for-5. It was his fifth big-league home run.

“That’s as good as it gets, right there,” Schebler said.

The Reds (43-62) can win their sixth straight series since the All-Star break if they beat the Cardinals on Wednesday or Thursday. They are 11-5 since the break.

The Reds took a 1-0 lead in the first. A double by Joey Votto, who went 4-for-4 with a walk,scored Billy Hamilton, who opened the game with a walk and and then stole his 36th base. Hamilton moved into a tie for second in the National League in stolen bases.

The Cardinals tied the game in the third. Starting pitcher Adam Wainwright hit a solo home run. It was the second home run of the season for Wainwright and the fourth hit by a pitcher against the Reds this season.

Tucker Barnhart put the Reds on top again with a home run in the fifth. It was his sixth home run of the season.

The Cardinals tied the game at 2-2 in the sixth. A two-out double by Jhonny Peralta scored Brandon Moss.

Reds starter Dan Straily got out of the sixth inning without any more damage. He allowed two earned runs on five hits in six innings. He struck out four and walked one, lowering his ERA to 3.80.

The first Reds reliever, Ross Ohlendorf, didn’t take long to give up the lead. Ross Ohlendorf gave up a home run to the first batter in the seventh, Jedd Gyorko. It was the 21st time a Reds reliever has given up a home run to the first batter he’s faced. That’s a new club record.

After the Reds grabbed the lead back in the seventh on a two-run home run by Adam Duvall, the second Reds reliever suffered the same fate as Ohlendorf. Blake Wood gave up a home run to Moss, the first batter of the eighth. Then Tommy Pham hit a home run to left to give the Cardinals a 5-4 lead.

About the Author