McCoy: Another day, another walk-off win for Reds

Call them the Walk-off Wonders.

After not accessing a walk-off win in their first 77 games, the Cincinnati Reds grabbed their fourth walk-off victory this week, a 5-4 win in the 10th inning Saturday afternoon in Great American Ball Park.

After spotting the Tampa Bay Rays a run in the top of the 10th, the Reds plated two runs without making an out in the bottom of the inning.

The end came when Nick Senzel drove a line drive single to right field, and the fourth walk-off on-field celebration of the week commenced.

It all began on Sunday when the Reds walked-off the Atlanta Braves. Then they walked off the New York Mets. And Saturday’s was back-to-back walk-offs against the Rays.

Down 4-3 in the 10th against Calvin Faucher, the inning began with ghost runner Kyle Farmer on second. Matt Reynolds singled to right on a 0-2 pitch, sending Farmer to third.

With Donovan Solano at the plate, Faucher unleased a wild pitch and Farmer scored to tie the game. Solano singled to right field and Senzel put the exclamation point on it.

Almost lost in all the dramatics was the practically perfect pitching by Reds starter Hunter Greener

Greene put on a speedball pitching clinic and all it got him was a big ol’ hang with ‘em, a no-decision.

He deserved a victory.

Greene’s offensive support was non-existent and some late-game defensive lapses by first baseman Mike Moustakas led to a 3-0 deficit after seven innings.

Greene had his Linda Ronstadt fastball working — Blue Bayou, or in baseball vernacular, blew by you.

In six innings, he tied his career high with nine strikeouts and 38 of his fastballs were clocked at 100, 101 or 102 miles per hour, tying the total he threw early in the season in Dodger Stadium.

A walk on the wild side in the fifth cost him the only run he gave up. He walked Isaac Paredes and Ji-Man Choi on a pair of full counts.

Number nine hitter Francisco Mejia picked on the first pitch, a misplaced slider, and rolled it into right field for a run-scoring single and a 1-0 lead.

The Reds spent the early part of the afternoon stranding base runners — two in the first, three in the third, one in the fourth, one in the fifth and two in the sixth.

They had two on in the first, but Rays starting pitcher Drew Rasmussen struck out Tyler Stephenson, his first at bat in a month.

They had the bases loaded with one out in the third, but Tyler Naquin popped up and Stephenson lined to third.

They had a runner on second with one out in the fifth, but Tommy Pham and Naquin struck out.

They had a runner on second with no outs in the sixth, but Farmer grounded out, Moustakas struck out and Senzel grounded out.

Jonathan India led off the seventh with a single, but was forced at second by Brandon Drury before Rays relief pitcher Jason Adams struck out Pham and Naquin.

At that point, the Reds were 0 for 9 with runners in scoring position and left 10 runners standing on the bases.

A couple of fielding gaffes by first baseman Moustakas led to two Tampa Bay runs in the eighth.

Mejia grounded to first and pitcher Ian Gibaut was at the bag to take a throw. Moustakas, though, tried to beat Mejia to the base and was late.

Josh Lowe walked and Yu Chang nubbed a roller just to the right of the mound. Second baseman India fielded it, but nobody covered first because Moustakas chased the slow roller.

The Rays had the bases loaded via two infield hits that should have been outs. Harold Ramirez doubled over center fielder Senzel’s head for a two-run double and a 3-0 lead.

The Reds filled the bases with one out in the eighth against former teammate Brooks Raley. Stephenson and Farmer opened with back-to-back singles. Pinch-hitter Mark Reynolds flied to the warning track and Solano was hit by a pitch, loading the bases.

That was the end for Raley in favor of Colin Poche to face Senzel, Cincinnati’s one currently hot hitter. Poche fell behind 3-and-0 and walked him on a 3-and-1 pitch, forcing in the Reds’ first run.

Poche fell behind on India 3-and-1, but India fouled out to first base. Drury wasted no time. He picked on the first pitch and pulled his fourth hit of the game into left field, a two-run single to tie it, 3-3.

Hunter Strickland gave up a leadoff single to Kevin Kiermaier to open the ninth. Brett Phillips ran for him and stole second with two outs. But Josh Lowe flied to right.

The Rays scored a run off Strickland in the 10th, but The Walk-off Wonders did their thing in the bottom of the 10th.

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