“The expanded rosters are beneficial this time of year, but it is hard to get a matchup,” Reds manager Brysn Price pointed out. “They can burn a couple guys to get the right guy up there. It makes it easier to take a guy out that’s struggling.”
Stephens retired the first 10 batters he faced before the Cardinals reeled off five consecutive hits, capped by Yadier Molina’s three-run homer and Paul DeJong’s solo shot.
“Typically, it came down to execution,” Price said. “He got the first 10 guys out. He did a really nice job of pitching in, establishing inside and using his breaking ball and changeup. It seems the second time around he wasn’t making the same quality pitches.”
“I didn’t execute pitches,” Stephens said. “I was pounding the zone pretty much all night. Then I got behind on some counts and got into fastball counts and didn’t execute the pitch. I’m sure they made adjustments, but that’s baseball. I got behind and didn’t make good pitches.
“Later in the game, I didn’t get ahead in the count and just didn’t execute pitches. I wasn’t going to walk anyone. I didn’t want to give anything away. I didn’t execute pitches and they hurt me.”
Stephens will make his next scheduled start Sunday, Price promised.
Billy's back: The Reds activated center fielder Billy Hamilton from the 10-day disabled list, but he won't be immediately returning to the starting lineup. Hamilton went on the list Sept. 7 after fracturing his left thumb trying to bunt a day earlier.
“Today’s the first day he’s taking live batting practice on the field,” Price said. “We’ll have to see how his hand feels with the ball coming off the bat. He needs repetitions on the field and in the (batting) cage before we can start him in a game. He can be used as a pinch-runner and defensive player. I’m optimistic he’ll start before too long.”
Hamilton reportedly was upset that he wasn’t activated Tuesday, but Price pointed out that it’s the ballclub’s duty to try to make sure a returning player is as healthy as possible and has less risk of aggravating the injury.
“You can’t have a splint on Sunday and start on Tuesday after a day off,” Price said.
Heavy workload: Patrick Kivlehan made his second straight start at third base Wednesday in place of Eugenio Suarez, whose wife gave birth to the couple's first child. Kivlehan was 0-for-3 with a sacrifice fly and handled nine balls in play defensively with no problem against the Cardinals on Tuesday.
Bye-bye, Cards: Veteran right-hander Homer Bailey (5-8, 6.86 earned-run average) will make his 17th start, more than twice as many as the combined eight he made in 2015 and 2016, when he faces St. Louis in the finale of the three-game series and the last game between the two teams this season. Bailey is 6-16 with a 5.75 earned-run average in 22 career starts against the Cardinals. He set single-game career highs by allowing 10 earned runs in 3 1/3 innings of his last start against them, a 13-4 loss at St. Louis on August 6.
Bailey is scheduled to be opposed by Cardinals RHP Carlos Martinez (11-11, 3.57), whose performance against the Reds has been mixed throughout his career, including this season. Martinez is 5-3 with a 3.63 ERA in 18 career appearances, including seven starts, against the Reds. That includes 2-2 with a 2.93 ERA in nine games, four of them starts, at Great American Ball Park.
Martinez is 0-2 with a 7.15 ERA in two starts against the Reds this season, including a 4-2 loss in Cincinnati on June 5 when he allowed four hits and four runs with two walks and eight strikeouts in 6 1/3 innings.
The Reds stay home for a three-game interleague series with Boston, starting on Friday at 7:10 p.m.
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