ST. LOUIS – As much as Eugenio Suárez has struggled at the plate this season, there is one big reason why his name is still in the lineup every day.
He has game-changing power.
Moved out of the leadoff spot for the first time in 10 games, Suárez hammered a go-ahead, two-run homer in the sixth inning to propel the Cincinnati Reds to a 5-2 win against the St. Louis Cardinals at Busch Stadium.
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The Reds, who moved within two games of .500, have won three games in a row for the first time since their six-game winning streak in the first week of the season. They’ll aim for the first four-game sweep in St. Louis since 1990 on Sunday.
The Reds, who were at risk of falling deep into fourth place in the NL Central, have simply outplayed the Cardinals this weekend. St. Louis, like it has in the previous two games, added some drama in the ninth inning with two hits off closer Lucas Sims, but the Reds survived for another win after Shogo Akiyama made a sliding catch for the final out.
Suárez is still batting .160, but he’s tied for fifth in the National League with 13 homers. If he can ever run into a hot streak, well, the Reds lineup starts to look a lot more dangerous. Suárez pulled a 98-mph fastball into the Reds’ bullpen beyond the left-field wall and Amir Garrett ran past the homer like he was going to try a barehanded catch.
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It doesn’t hurt that the guy who replaced Suárez at the top of the lineup is red-hot, either. Jonathan India reached base in his first three plate appearances and homered in the third inning.
As soon as India connected on a changeup down the heart of the plate in a 0-2 count, Cardinals starter Johan Oviedo crouched and yelled at himself in frustration. There was no question where it headed, traveling 419 feet into the left field stands for a game-tying homer.
It was India’s second home run of the series and he’s rivaling Jesse Winker and Nick Castellanos for the hottest hitter in the Reds lineup.
India reached base in eight consecutive plate appearances before a sixth-inning groundout.
The Reds took a one-run lead in the top of the fourth inning due to Tyler Naquin’s hustle. Naquin hit a ground ball through the right side of the infield and never broke stride as he sprinted to second base to stretch it into a double.
Naquin was rewarded for his hustle two pitches later. Tucker Barnhart hit a single up the middle and Naquin beat a throw to the plate for a 2-1 lead. The Reds haven’t been a great team on the basepaths this season, but Naquin simply stole a run with his aggressiveness.
Mahle lost his 14 1/3-inning scoreless streak in the first inning, but he matched a career-high with seven innings pitched for the fifth time.
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He went straight after Cardinals hitters with his fastball and slider. He had six strikeouts through the first three innings and only two balls out of the infield. The Cardinals scored in the first inning when Tommy Edman hit a leadoff double into the left-center gap and Nolan Arenado poked a 0-2 slider into right field for a two-out RBI single.
Mahle punched his right hand into his glove when he saw Edman score. Then he retired the next seven batters.
In the fourth inning, Paul Goldschmidt hit a leadoff triple when Castellanos came up empty on a diving catch and the ball rolled past him. Arenado followed with a game-tying RBI single to right field and the Cardinals loaded the bases with one out after a double and a walk.
Mahle recovered against the bottom of the lineup, striking out Edmundo Sosa and inducing a flyout to strand three runners. In seven innings, Mahle permitted two runs on five hits and one walk. He struck out eight. He retired the final 11 batters he faced.
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