The Cardinals took a loss and got a scare in Cincinnati on Tuesday. They fell to the Reds 6-5, as second baseman Mark Grudzielanek sprained an ankle. Luckily for the Cardinals’, he said he’ll be fine and expects to play Wednesday night.
Grudzielanek got tangled with Reds first baseman Javier Valentin while running out a grounder in the third. An errant throw led Valentin into Grudzielanek. The error allowed David Eckstein and So Taguchi to score. Later in the inning John Gall blasted a three-run homer to cap a five-run rally. It was the last time St. Louis scored.
Rich Aurilia, who hit a two-run homer in the first inning, tied the game at 5-5 with an RBI single in the fifth. Valentin gave Cincinnati the lead with an RBI single in the seventh.
Reliever Ray King, who allowed the go-ahead run, was charged with the loss in 1/3 of an inning.