CINCINNATI (AP) — Noelvi Marté robbed Bryan Reynolds of a tying home run in the ninth inning, and the Cincinnati Reds beat the Pittsburgh Pirates 2-1 Thursday to move within a half-game of the New York Mets for the final NL wild card.
Nick Lodolo tied his career high with 12 strikeouts before leaving with a right groin injury in the seventh.
Marté and Gavin Lux drove in runs, and the Reds (81-78) were positioned to move in into the last wild card spot if the Mets lost at the Chicago Cubs later Thursday. Cincinnati has the tiebreaker over the Mets (81-77) and Arizona (80-78), which played the Los Angeles Dodgers.
Marté used his 6-foot-2 height when he jumped at the 8-foot right-field wall and reached back above the first-row of seats to catch Reynolds’ 348-foot drive for the second out o