Cincinnati Reds drop marathon game to Minnesota Twins, extend losing streak to five games

MINNEAPOLIS – The Cincinnati Reds keep finding painful ways to lose games on their road trip.

They couldn't hold onto a two-run lead in the 10th inning. They left 13 runners on base, including the bases loaded in the 12th inning. They failed to capitalize on their bullpen pitching five scoreless innings before Monday's game went into extras. 

In a marathon that lasted five hours and 14 minutes, the longest Major League Baseball game this year, it all added up to a 7-5 loss to the Minnesota Twins at Target Field. Miguel Sanó provided the heroics with a walk-off, two-run homer against Heath Hembree in the 12th inning.

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The painful part for the Reds is everything it took to reach extra innings. The Reds stranded the bases loaded in the eighth and ninth innings. They committed two outs on the basepaths, including one that ruined a chance at two runners in scoring position with one out in the top of the ninth. Starting pitcher Tyler Mahle lasted only four innings.

"We fought, what was it, 12 innings?" said Ryan Hendrix, who pitched 1 2/3 scoreless innings. "It always sucks losing in extras, but I believe in the team. I know we’re going to bounce back."

The bullpen pitched five scoreless innings until Sean Doolittle was roughed up in the 10th inning. That two-run lead – Nick Castellanos hit an RBI single and scored on a sacrifice fly – was gone in three batters. Luis Arraez hit an RBI double, advanced to third on a single and scored on a sacrifice fly. 

Lucas Sims stranded the bases loaded in the bottom of the ninth inning after giving up a pair of one-out singles and an intentional walk. He struck out Ryan Jeffers on a full-count fastball that painted the outside corner and ended the inning with a groundout.

Reds manager David Bell said Sims wasn't available to pitch a second inning Monday.

"All of these guys are at different points of their rest and season," Bell said. "Sometimes, we go into a game where guys are available for one-plus, sometimes multiple innings. A lot of times, it’s one max or come into a game, get out of an inning and they’re done. Lucas, in his case tonight, he was good for one inning.”

The Reds, who had won six consecutive extra-inning games, didn't score a run in their final two innings. It was just the second and third time that the Reds didn't score the ghost runner from second base in their 15 extra innings. 

Hendrix entered after Doolittle and retired all five batters he faced between the 10th and 11th innings. Hembree was the last man out of the bullpen and his task was navigating the top of the Twins lineup with a runner on base in a tie game. 

With one out in the 12th inning, Sanó hammered his 402-foot, walk-off homer on the game's 438th pitch. Teammates showered Sanó with water and placed an empty bubble gum bucket on his head.

"It was a pretty incredible day overall with the tribute before the game to Mike (Bell) and the way that the game played out," Twins manager Rocco Baldelli said. "This was beyond a roller coaster."

The Reds have lost five consecutive games and dropped their record below .500 once again. They assured themselves a losing road trip after sweeping Milwaukee in their first three games. 

It was one of those games that ran through all the emotions. The Reds loaded the bases with two walks in the 12th inning but couldn't deliver a hit against Matt Shoemaker, a reliever who entered with a 7.57 ERA. 

In the ninth inning, Shogo Akiyama hit a pinch-hit single with one out against lefty closer Taylor Rogers. Jonathan India followed with a double into the right-center gap in a seven-pitch at-bat, but India was out at second base after his headfirst slide took him past the bag. 

Rogers struck out Jesse Winker to strand Akiyama at third base as the crowd of 17,530 erupted. India reached base four times and was thrown out on the basepaths twice.

The Twins had moments where they did everything except score, leaving 18 runners on base. In the eighth inning, Alex Kirilloff opened the frame with a bloop single that dropped in shallow right field between shifted infielders.

No time was called on the field after the bloop single. As the next hitter walked toward the batter's box and infielders walked back to their positions, Kirilloff advanced to second base. A free base on a major mental gaffe in a tie game. 

Despite two runners in scoring position and one out, Amir Garrett pitched out of it with a strikeout and a comebacker to the mound, which he deflected with his foot. 

“We’ve seen Lucas be able to do that before, just be able to pitch out situations like that," Bell said. "Your back is against the wall and he kept making pitches. Same with Amir. Ryan Hendrix was great. That’s fun to watch when guys are able to keep that going and make pitches like that. What a game."

Trailing by three runs in the fourth inning, the Reds erased it with two swings in the span of six pitches with back-to-back homers from Eugenio Suárez and Aristides Aquino. It was the fourth set of back-to-back homers by the Reds this season.

Tyler Mahle needed 38 pitches to navigate the second inning. It cost him a deeper start, yielding three runs on five hits and three walks in four innings. 

The Reds used nine pitchers in Monday's marathon, the most they've used in a game since Oct. 1, 2010.