When Espinal came to bat in the 11th with one out and a runner on third, the Reds were 0 for 11 with runners in scoring position. That was after they were 1-for-10 in Saturday’s 5-4 loss.
Espinal’s hit traveled all of 60 feet, bouncing off the body of pitcher Bryson Wilson, and free runner Rece Hinds scrampered home with the game-winning run, Espinal’s first career walk-off.
Espinal was batting for Noelvi Marte and manager David Bell said, “Nothing against Marte, but Espinal is exactly who you want in that spot. He has been so good the last couple of months and you know he is going to put the ball in play.”
India was on deck when Espinal walked to the plate and he told him, “Man, you’re going to win this game for us.” Said India, “I just knew he was going to do it.”
India was given Saturday off and was refreshed, contributing three hits, a sacrifice fly and a run scored.
On this day, his glove and arm at second base overshadowed his bat.
In the eighth, with the score 3-3, India did a Luke Skywalker imitation to leap high and snag a bullet train line drive smashed by William Contreras.
That bigger one, though, came in the 10th. The Brewers had free runner Andruw Montesario on third with one out. Brice Turang bounced one high to India’s left.
Once again he leaped to grab it on a high hop and threw a strike to catcher Tyler Stephenson. With the infield drawn in, the catcher is permitted to block home plate. Stephenson impeded Montesario’s trip to the plate and tagged him out, preserving the 3-3 tie.
Three Reds players came off the injured list to play Sunday — pitchers Brandon Williamson and Brent Suter, plus outfielder Jake Fraley. All made large contributions.
The victory stopped the Brewers from a four-game sweep. The only time that has happened to the Reds in Great American Ball Park was in August, 2003. And, of course, it was the Brewers who did it.
“We always play the Brewers like this, always close through the seventh and eighth innings,” said India during a post-game interview with Bally Sports Ohio.
With a playoffs out of the reach of reality, India said the team’s goal is still lofty, considering its 65-73 record.
“Our goal is to finish strong, get to .500 and go into the offseason with our heads held high.”
India’s praise of Espinal was as high as his leap to snag that line drive.
“He is one of the most pure hitters I’ve seen in a while,” he said. “He is such a great hitter and he doesn’t crumble in big situations. He loves those situations.”
When the day began, nobody knew who would start for the Reds and it was a surprise. It was left-hander Williamson, out all season with a shoulder problem. And he had made only one rehabilitation start at Triple-A Louisville.
But his presence was needed and he came through, 3 1/3 innings, two runs, four hits, no walks and four strikeouts.
“I had some nerves early, but I was pretty excited and hadn’t had nerves for a while,” said Williamson. “I settled in nice (1-2-3, all strikeouts in the second inning) and it was good for us to get a win.”
Of his surprise start, due to the depleted pitching staff, Williamson said, “I tried to do my job and get as many outs as I could. Hopefully I can do that every five days for a while.”
After Williamson left, former Brewer Jakob Janis, Suter and Alexis Diaz held Milwaukee to one run and one hit over the final 7 2/3 innings.
Junis provided 3 2/3 innings of one run and one-hit pitching. Suter, just off the injured list, added three perfect innings, nine up and nine down. And Diaz, hit hard in his previous two appearances, pitched a 1-2-3 11th.
The Reds faced Tobias Myers. On Aug. 12, he held the Reds to no runs on three hits with nine strikeouts during a game the Brewers won, 1-0, on a late-inning home run by Rhys Hoskins.
The Reds had three hits in the first off Myers on Sunday, but didn’t score. India led off the game with a single and was balked to second. For some strange reason, Elly De La Cruz tried to bunt and missed badly. India was trapped off second.
The Reds scored two in the second, an inning that began with Fraley at the plate for the first time after 10 days on the injured list. He ripped the first pitch he saw into the right field seats.
Amed Rosario singled, stole second, moved to third on a wild pickoff throw by Myers and scored on India’s sacrifice fly for a 2-0 lead.
Milwaukee scored a run in the third on three straight singles and a sacrifice fly by Blake Perkins.
The Brewers tied it 2-2 in the fourth when Willy Adames homered for the fourth straight day, his 20th career homer against the Reds. He isn’t even into double figures against any other team.
Milwaukee forged ahead, 3-2, in the fifth on a double by Joey Ortiz and a single by Brice Turang.
The Reds drew even in the fifth on India’s single, De La Cruz’s double and TJ Friedl’s sacrifice fly.
That’s the way it stayed until the 11th and the Reds had only two hits from the sixth until Espinal’s 60-foot game-winner in the 11th.
After his homer, the Reds finally silenced Adames. He flied deep to left, lined one to the wall that Friedl caught and made Milwaukee’s final out in the 11th, a pop out to first with the go-ahead run on third.
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