INSTANT REACTION: Noelvi Marte Walks Off Blue Jays in Three-Run, Ninth-Inning Rally

CINCINNATI — After Emilio Pagan had allowed two home runs in the top of the ninth that flipped a 2-1 Reds lead to a 4-2 deficit, the rally Reds picked him up in the bottom of the ninth.

Noelvi Marte slapped a single to left with one out and a full count to score Matt McLain and TJ Friedl and give the Reds a thrilling 5-4 win over the Toronto Blue Jays Monday afternoon.

The Reds rallied against two Blue Jays relief pitchers in the bottom of the ninth, culminating with Friedl’s RBI double and Marte’s walk-off single.

With the win, the Reds move to 70-68 on the season. The New York Mets led 10-8 in the top of the ninth at the time this story was published, and the Reds entered Monday afternoon trailing by four games for the third NL Wild Card.

Ke’Bryan Hayes and Matt McLain both singled to put runners on first and second with one out in the bottom of the ninth, setting the stage for Friedl and Marte to play heroes and give the Reds a much-needed win.

Emilio Pagan Blows The Save In The Ninth

Of course, Monday’s heroics wouldn’t have happened without the Reds making it interesting in the ninth inning.

Pagan has been mostly solid this season, but he has been shaky throughout the second half of the regular-season. That shakiness reared its ugly head in the top of the ninth on Monday, with Pagan allowing two home runs that turned a Reds 2-1 lead to a 4-2 deficit.

The Reds closer position went through a major change earlier in the regular season when Alexis Diaz struggled without warning and was eventually DFA’ed. Pagan held his own after taking over the role, but he has not been able to replicate his first half success since the All-Star Break.

There are only 24 games remaining this season, and the Reds need to figure out if they should keep Pagan at closer or maybe move in a different direction. Monday’s game is the kind of game they have to win- which they did. But they need to find a way to start closing out games on the mound if they want any shot at running down the New York Mets.

Have A Debut Sal Stewart

Stewart was worth the wait, and not just for Reds fans. To see his dad balling his eyes out in the stands after his first Major League hit is what it’s all about. It’s important to remember that these are human beings putting in an incredible amount of work to their passions to make it to the Major Leagues, and it’s great to see when they have an incredible support system along the way.

The Reds No. 1 prospect singled in his first at-bat and then scored on Ke’Bryan Hayes’s two-run triple. He went 1-3 in his MLB debut, but the talent and personality are both there.

Huntere Greene With Strong Outing

This is what you want to see from Greene. He got roughed up in Los Angeles last week, but he bounced back nicely from that on Monday afternoon.

The Reds right-hander pitched 6 1/3 stellar innings and struck out seven Blue Jays hitters. He allowed just one earned run on five hits and one walk, throwing 61 of his 101 pitches for strikes.

That last part is key. Greene wasn’t incredibly efficient, but he was still able to get into the seventh inning. Being efficient has been a big talking point when it comes to Hunter Greene, and he can still be better at that. But pitching deep into the game Monday was good to see, and the Reds will need more of that in September.

Notes And Observations

Scoring Summary

Bottom 2nd
CIN: Ke’Bryan Hayes two-run triple (Reds lead 2-0)

Top 7th
TOR: Alejandro Kirk RBI single (Reds lead 2-1)

Top 9th
TOR: Bo Bichette two-run home-run (17) (Blue Jays lead 3-2)
TOR: Daulton Varsho solo home run (16) (Blue Jays lead 4-2)

Bottom 9th
CIN: TJ Friedl RBI double (Blue Jays lead 4-3)
CIN: Noelvi Marte walk-off two-run single (Reds win 5-4)

On Deck

The Reds and Blue Jays resume their series Tuesday night at Great American Ball Park.

Reds left-hander Nick Lodolo (8-7, 3.22 ERA) will start against Blue Jays right-hander José Berríos (9-5, 3.95 ERA).

First pitch is at 6:40 E.T. on FanDuel Sports Network Cincinnati and 700WLW.

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