The pre-game stat sheets showed the last-place Astros to be eliminated from postseason play and 40 1/2 games behind the first-place Reds in the National League Central.
They also showed that Reds closer Aroldis Chapman the owner of a club-record 27 consecutive saves.
Guess what? None of that mattered by the end of a 5-3 Reds loss to the Astros. The best closer in the NL was bested for three runs in the top of the ninth by the league’s youngest lineup, one that also has the lowest team batting average.
Chapman, who gave up four hits including Matt Dominguez’s three-run home run, hadn’t blown a save since a June 24 loss against the Twins.
“That shows nobody’s perfect. He’s been as near prefect as anybody the last few months,” said Reds manager Dusty Baker, whose team is trying to lock up the division with 23 games remaining.
The top of the ninth began with all the usual trappings of a normal Chapman appearance. The crowd of 23,785 fans at Great American Ball Park was on its feet when the Cuban lefty crossed the threshold of the bullpen door. First batter Chris Snyder popped out weakly to catcher Dioner Navarro for the first out.
On a 1-1 count, Tyler Greene followed by hitting a 96 mph fastball for a soft single into right field. Pinch-hitter J.D. Martinez fouled off a 1-2 fastball and later a 2-2 fastball. On the next pitch, Martinez blooped a single into no-man’s land in shallow center field.
On a 0-1 pitch, a 98-mph fastball, Dominguez launched a drive into the left-field seats.
“I wasn’t trying to do too much,” Dominguez said. “Everybody knows how good he is. I just happened to put a bat on it and it just happened to go out of the park. Good win for us.”
In 63 games, Chapman is now 5-5 with a 1.61 ERA. Between his last blown save and Friday’s he had a 0.29 ERA with only one earned run allowed over 30 2/3 innings.
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