CHICAGO – Any last hopes the Cincinnati Reds had of making the playoffs ended at 10:40 p.m. Tuesday when the St. Louis Cardinals won their franchise-record 17th consecutive game.
Twenty-one minutes later, the Reds went down with a 7-1 loss to the Chicago White Sox at Guaranteed Rate Field.
"From day one of spring training, we had one goal: That’s first to get to the postseason and win a championship," Reds manager David Bell said. "All along we believed it was going to happen. Of course, it is a tough night."
The Reds entered Tuesday with an elimination number of 1, meaning they needed to win their final five regular-season games and they needed the Cardinals to lose their final six games to force a Game 163 tiebreaker.
St. Louis didn't cooperate as the Reds hoped and playing in their own must-win game, the Reds never bounced back from an early deficit. The Reds managed four hits against White Sox pitching and had only two runners touch third base.
"You've got to play good baseball like they did," Eugenio Suárez said of the Cardinals. "Winning 17 in a row is amazing. Good for them and congratulations to them, because they did it."
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It was a September collapse for the Reds, who dropped eight consecutive series and went nearly three weeks without winning back-to-back games.
The Cardinals haven't lost a game since a 6-4 win against the Reds on Sept. 11, sweeping series against the New York Mets, San Diego Padres, Milwaukee Brewers and Chicago Cubs. The Reds were a half-game behind the Padres for the second wild-card spot on Sept. 11 – and held a two-game lead over the Cardinals – and they plummeted 8½ games over the next 17 days.
"We did struggle for a few weeks, there is no question," Bell said, "and it came at a time that was really important. I think there are multiple reasons, but I’m not there yet. The season is not over for us. I haven’t taken the time to completely reflect on what we could’ve done better, but I will absolutely do that because we’re going to be in that position again and we’re going to get through it and come out on top the next time."
The Reds haven’t made the postseason in a full season since 2013 and they haven’t won a playoff series since 1995. The Reds earned a playoff spot after last year’s 60-game season, which included an expanded playoff field, but they were swept in the Wild Card Series by the Atlanta Braves without scoring a run for 22 innings.
"You have to tip your cap to the Cardinals right now," Bell said. "It’s pretty amazing what they’re doing right now. That’s just out of respect for what they’ve done. It’s incredible. That’s the situation we’re in right now and I can’t wait until we have another opportunity to get to the postseason."
Ultimately, the Reds failed to create some separation between themselves and other wild-card contenders when they lost 13 of 19 games after sweeping the Miami Marlins from Aug. 19-22.
It was a missed opportunity to bury the Cardinals before they rose from the ashes. The Cardinals, who were only two games above .500 before their winning streak, own the league's longest winning streak since Cleveland took 22 in a row in 2017.
"Baseball is like that," Suárez said. "We come here to play hard every time. Even with the not good results, we always play hard. That's all that matters for us."
Little went right for the Reds on Tuesday at a time when they needed everything to break their way.
White Sox outfielder Leury García received a standing ovation from the crowd of 25,242 when he attempted to score on an inside-the-park homer in the fourth inning, thrown out at the plate on a strong relay throw from shortstop Kyle Farmer. It was the rare time a player was cheered for making an out.
Two pitches later, Gavin Sheets hit a solo homer to right field and the fans were back on their feet and shouting.
Reds starter Riley O’Brien, making his Major League debut, recorded only four outs before Bell turned to the bullpen. O’Brien allowed two hits and two walks in one trip through the White Sox lineup. The problem was those two hits traveled a combined 838 feet, solo homers from Luis Robert and Yoán Moncada.
"His start fell on a night where we were in a position where we had to win the game," Bell said, "and we also had a full bullpen of rested relievers that have been with us all year, proven themselves and deserved an opportunity to pitch in a game like tonight when we had to win. It’s as simple as that for Riley."
Suárez continued his solid September with a solo homer to center field in the fifth inning, cutting the score to 3-1. He made the most of his at-bat after a ball barely rolled foul down the third-base line and he was rewarded with his 30th homer of the season.
The White Sox, however, never stopped scoring. Michael Lorenzen surrendered two runs in the sixth inning on three hits and two walks. Robert added a 445-foot, two-run homer off Amir Garrett in the eighth for his third career multi-homer game.
"We learned from this year what we can do," Suárez said. "We know we can make the postseason. We did it last year and this year we were close. Take the good moments and take the good things about the team and come ready next year to make the playoffs."
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