CINCINNATI -- For nearly two full games, the Reds seemingly had their hands full with the Rockies, despite their opponent owning baseball's worst record. The push to win manager Terry Francona wanted to see going into the All-Star break looked elusive at best.
When it counted the most on Saturday, Cincinnati found a way. First, Will Benson hit a game-tying RBI triple, then Noelvi Marte reached on an error that scored Benson for the 4-3 come-from-behind walk-off victory over Colorado at Great American Ball Park, splitting the first two games of the three-game series.
"It’s been slow for us to score runs, but when we show ourselves that we can continue to battle and battle and then we come back and win the game, it tells us we can build confidence in our team," Marte said via translator Tomas Vera. "It lets us know that, ‘Yes, we can do it. We can win again.'"
Cincinnati (49-47) is 0-for-15 with runners in scoring position over the last two games, including 0-for-11 in Friday's 3-2 series-opening defeat.
Yanquiel Fernández's RBI double in the seventh inning against starter Brady Singer opened a two-run lead for the Rockies. In the bottom of the seventh, Marte cut the deficit in half with a home run to left-center field -- his third in four games and second in two days -- on a 1-1 fastball from reliever Tyler Kinley.
“He threw two pitches that I knew he was going to throw to me and when I saw that, I said, ‘OK now he has to come in,’ and the result was good," Marte said.
The Reds' lineup hit into three double plays, including one to end the eighth inning. Closer Emilio Pagán pitched a scoreless top of the ninth, after working around a leadoff walk and a single to enable a comeback.
Spencer Steer led off with a single to left field against Rockies reliever Victor Vodnik. Next, Benson attacked a first-pitch fastball and watched for a few steps as it traveled to left-center field. He just missed a game-winning homer.
Fortunately, the ball took an odd carom off the wall and Benson hustled for a game-tying RBI triple.
“I thought I got it, especially with the wind. But probably [watched] it two or three steps too long," Benson said. “The minimum of what I needed to get was a triple. It worked out.”
That put the winning run 90 feet away with no outs.
"Will took a gorgeous swing," Francona said. "He might have watched it a little bit too long, which I don’t think is ever going to happen again. I pretty much guarantee that.”
Pinch-hitter Jake Fraley drew a walk to put runners on the corners for Marte. Fraley took second base on defensive indifference.
“The one gamble we took was letting Fraley run on the first pitch," Francona said. "They’re not going to throw through, but if Marte happens to hit a line drive, I’m going to have a hard time explaining that. Except that once he’s there, now we go on contact, so it gives us a free shot to go on contact."
With the infield playing in, Marte hit a grounder to second base. Orlando Arcia muffed the play for an error that let Benson come home as the Reds had their fourth walk-off win of the season.
“All I wanted was to just put the ball in play," Marte said. "You have to put the ball in play. I know I hit the ball hard. Then something could happen.”
Prone to errors, Marte is often taken out in the late innings and replaced by Santiago Espinal. Not on Saturday. Marte made two plays in the fifth inning to prevent a run. With runners on the corners and no outs, he got a grounder from Ryan Ritter and fired home to throw out Fernández. The rally ended on Tyler Freeman's grounder to third base. Marte touched the bag for the force and made a long throw to first base for the double play.
“He’s been working so hard," said Francona, who is one win shy of 2,000 for his career. "He doesn’t like coming out of games and I kind of like that."
Said Marte: "I know I can help the team and I can help the team in both areas -- defensively and offensively. All I have to do is keep working.”