McCoy: Reds fall to Blue Jays 13-9, lose more ground in NL Wild Card card

The Mets lost Wednesday afternoon, so the Reds remain five games behind. But the Giants won for the 10th time in 11 games and vaulted over the Reds, four games behind the Mets.

Now the Reds, needing a respirator, have two teams to catch.

When the Reds left Anaheim August 20, they trailed the Mets by one game. Since then, they have lost 10 of 13 and three straight series.

On Wednesday, they scored five runs in the second inning off Toronto starter Shane Bieber and Reds starter Zack Littell was rolling — two shutout innings, no hits, five strikeouts, protecting that 5-0 lead.

Then the Blue Jays rolled out the thunder. They hit four home runs off Littell and five for the night. One can only imagine what the Blue Jays would do if GABP was their home field.

Acquiring Littell was a curious move in the first place because he is home run prone, not something a team should want in Great American Small Park.

After the 5-0 deficit and two scoreless innings, the Blue Jays scored runs in all of the final seven innings — 1,2,3,1,1,4,1.

The Reds used five pitchers and all five gave up runs.

Credit: AP

Credit: AP

For the series, and the Reds actually won the first game, the Blue Jays scored 29 runs on 38 hits and walloped 11 home runs — the second most the Reds franchise has given up in a three-game series.

The Red scored 23 runs on 36 hits, but hit only two homers. And they scored nine runs in each of the two back-to-back losses, tying a Reds franchise record for scoring nine runs in back-to-back games and losing both.

Bieber was making just his third start of the season after coming off Tommy John surgery. Reds manager Tito Francona knows him well. Bieber pitched for him when Francona managed Cleveland and Bieber won 60 games for him and the 2020 American League Cy Young.

He pitched a 1-2-3 first inning. With two on and one out in the second, umpire Mark Wegner called a close 3-and-0 pitch to Ke’Bryan Hayes ball four.

Bieber was clearly agitated and the Reds quickly ripped four hits and scored five runs.

He settled down after that and retired 11 straight Reds while his teammates were playing Home Run Derby against Littell, who has given up an MLB-most 34 home runs.

Bieber issued a one-out walk to Gavin Lux in the sixth, the only runner to reach base against him after the second until he left after six innings.

Credit: AP

Credit: AP

“Like a lot of good pitchers. . .we did a really good job to put a five-spot up,” Francona told reporters after the game. “As they crept back into it you could see him start to find his footing.

“He got ‘em through six,” he added. “He’s got spin, he’s got unbelievable command of all his pitches. You have to respect three or four pitches. That can make it difficult.”

The Blue Jays began tracking down the Reds in the third inning when George Springer homered with two outs, his third of the series, a 417-footer and it was 5-1.

Toronto went back-to-back with two outs in the fourth, a 372-footer by Daulton Varsho, his third of the series, and a follow-up 416-footer by Alejandro Kirk and it was 5-3.

They went back-to-back again in the fifth, first a two-run 371-footer by Addison Barger to tie it, 5-5. Nick Martinez was summoned to replace Littell and his second pitch was a 398-footer by Vlad Guerrero Jr. and it was 6-5.

Credit: AP

Credit: AP

That added up to 1,979 feet worth of home runs and a 6-5 Toronto lead.

From there they used a velvet knife to inflict cuts with a barrage of singles and doubles, three runs off Lyon Richardson, two off Yosver Zulueta and one off Zach Maxwell.

What did Francona think of Littell’s performance?

“To start the game he had really good finish on his fastball, which sets up his splitter,” said Francona. “Then it was one, two (three, four homers). We just couldn’t keep them in the ball park and couldn’t keep them off the scoreboard.”

After an off day Thursday, the Reds host the New York Mets for three games needing a sweep to even think about the wild card.

“I wish we had won tonight,” said Francona. “We’re probably extremely fortunate that we get to play a team that is in front of us. Sayin’ that, we gotta beat ‘em, but it’s our chance.”

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