Dane Myers, Reds carry momentum into center recreation of Cardinals collection

After his best day at the plate this season, Cincinnati center fielder Dane Myers will carry a mini hot streak into action Tuesday as the Reds host the St. Louis Cardinals for the middle contest of a five-game, four-day series.

The teams split a pair of one-run decisions in a Monday doubleheader.

Cincinnati pulled out the nightcap in dramatic fashion as Elly De La Cruz notched his first walk-off hit in the majors with a double as the Reds won 6-5 in 10 innings to snap a three-game losing streak.

Myers forced extra innings by slugging a pinch-hit homer with two outs in the ninth. He has five home runs in 89 games this year, including one in each of the Monday games. Myers started the Monday afternoon contest and went 2-for-4.

Myers is 10-for-30 in pinch-hit opportunities this season. That ties him with the Chicago Cubs’ Michael Conforto for most pinch hits in the majors, and Myers missed nearly three weeks recovering from a shoulder injury he sustained in late June.

Reds manager Terry Francona, a .244 pinch hitter during his major league career, said coming off the bench to hit is a challenge.

“He’s got at-bats under his belt lately, which really helps,” Francona said about Myers, who has made 22 of his 42 starts this year since coming off the injured list on July 17. “But … even early in the year when he was getting that one at-bat, he was always ready to hit. It’s a good trait.”

The Cardinals failed to hold a lead in the ninth inning of the nightcap as they saw their three-game winning streak end.

A key reason why St. Louis has stayed in postseason contention has been the recent performance of closer Riley O’Brien. He earned his National League-best 31st save in the Cardinals’ 2-1 win on Monday afternoon before sitting out the second game.

O’Brien, 31, has held opponents scoreless in each of his past 10 appearances, permitting just one hit and five walks while striking out 11 in 10 innings.

O’Brien, a former Red, is in his first full season as a closer. He missed most of the 2024 season with a right forearm injury, and he dealt with a sore right shoulder late last season. In spring training this year, he strained his right calf, keeping him from pitching for South Korea in the World Baseball Classic.

“There’s so much work that’s gone into him becoming the closer that he’s been this year,” Cardinals manager Oliver Marmol said. “You look at all the work in the offseason, the performance staff, the medical and everything. It’s just credit to the whole group, but we’re getting a really good version of him.”

The Tuesday game will feature a rematch of pitchers from the clubs’ July 26 matchup in St. Louis. Reds left-hander Andrew Abbott (6-7, 4.13 ERA) and Cardinals right-hander Kyle Leahy (9-4, 3.38) both went six innings. However, neither factored in the decision as Cincinnati won 5-3 in 10 innings.

Leahy, who is in his first season as a starter after working the past three in the bullpen, has thrown well over the last two months. In his past nine starts, the 29-year-old is 4-0 with a 1.52 ERA, 46 strikeouts and nine walks in 47 1/3 innings.

The Reds, though, have had some success against him. In 11 games vs. Cincinnati, Leahy has no decisions and a 6.12 ERA in 25 innings. His only three starts vs. the Reds have come this year, and he compiled a 6.00 ERA in those contests.

Abbott is 1-1 with a 6.19 ERA through three starts this month. In 10 lifetime starts against the Cardinals, he is 4-4 with a 3.83 ERA over 54 innings. The July 26 game was the only time he has faced St. Louis this year.

–Field Level Media