Tommy Edman grand slam, blown 3-run lead send Reds to 7-4 loss to Cardinals

That’s 3 straight losses at the most important of times.

By Wick Terrell@wickterrell Jul 18, 2019, 10:30pm EDT

The Joe Nuxhall Memorial Honorary Star of the Game

No.

Eugenio Suarez went boom in the Bottom of the 1st, belting a 3-1 Dakota Hudson meatball into the seats in LF for a solo shot, giving the Cincinnati Reds an early 1-0 lead.
Tanner Roark helped himself with a leadoff double in the Bottom of the 3rd, and he scooted to 3B when Jesse Winker followed with a single. Joe Dan Votto then plated Roark with an RBI single that moved Winker up to 3B, and a deep sac fly to the wall in CF by Suarez brought Winker in to make it 3-0.
The St. Louis Cardinals finally got on the board in the Top of the 5th, and it came via a 2-run dinger off the LF foul pole off the bat of Paul DeJong one batter after Matt Wieters had dumped a single into RF. Reds led, 3-2.
Robert Stephenson took over for the Top of the 6th, and things went about as well as his pre-2019 career. He walked Dexter Fowler, and Fowler scooted all the way around to 3B on a single up the middle against the shift by Wieters. A Kolten Wong single plated Fowler to tie the game, and...well, just let it be known that whatever a ‘Tommy Edman’ is eventually clubbed a grand freakin’ slam into the CF seats to leave the Reds behind, 7-3, and end Bob Steve’s night.
The Reds did punch back a bit in the Bottom of the 6th, with Jose Iglesias doubling into the LF corner off reliever John Gant and later scoring on an RBI single into RF by Graterol. Reds trailed, 7-4, which is how things finished.

Source: FanGraphs

Tanner Roark’s night wasn’t his best, but it was plenty good enough for the Reds to get a win. His final line: 5 IP, 5 H, 2 ER, 2 BB, 6 K on 102 pitches.
It’ll be another 7:10 PM ET start when the Reds and Cards do battle on Friday at GABP, and it will feature Tyler Mahle on the mound for the Reds. Considering Alex Wood is potentially just days away from a return to the bigs, I’d say this is a very important start for a litany of reasons for Mahle on top of the fact that, y’know, the Reds just really need wins right now. Adam Wainwright will toe the rubber for the Birds.
Tunes.