Todd Walker and third base coach Tim Foli react to Walker being tagged out trying to stretch a double into a triple. (Ernest Coleman photo) | ZOOM |

        Bob Boone likes to play the percentages. That is, he'd rather have a right-handed pitcher face a right-handed batter.

        So when Gabe White walked Tino Martinez in the eighth inning Friday night, he didn't hesitate to bring in Danny Graves to face Edgar Renteria.

        Renteria hit the first pitch from Graves out the opposite way to right to lift the St. Louis Cardinals to a 4-2 victory over the Reds before a crowd of 29,008 at Cinergy Field. It was the biggest crowd since Opening Day and the place was buzzing all night, but all were silent when Renteria's shot landed just inside the right-field foul pole.

        While the book says go with the right-right matchup, history says Boone might have been better off with White. The homer made Renteria 6-for-12 against Graves. He is 0-for-4 vs. White.

        “Sometimes those things work out,” Boone said. “Sometimes they don't. I was going with my best pitcher.”

        This game should not have come down to that play. The Reds couldn't get a runner in from third with one out in the fifth, and they only got one run out of a bases-loaded, no-out situation in the sixth. And Todd Walker was thrown out trying to stretch a double into a triple in the first.

        The loss snapped a three-game winning streak for the Reds.

        The Reds twice came back from a run down to tie it. They nearly tied in their half of the eighth. Aaron Boone hit out one to right field with Austin Kearns on, but it was about a foot foul.

        “Things haven't exactly been going my way lately,” Aaron Boone said. “It just tailed foul. Figures.”

        The kicker: The foul pole is five or six feet behind the wall.

        “If it's against the wall, it probably hits the foul pole,” Graves said, “and it's a two-run homer and a tie game.”

        “That's why they say it's game of inches,” Boone said.

Ruben Mateo slides into home just ahead of the ball. (Ernest Coleman photo) | ZOOM |

        Reds starter Jimmy Haynes allowed a run in the first. The Reds should have tied it in the first. Walker hit one off the 40-foot black wall in center. When the ball bounced away from center fielder Edmonds, Walker went for a triple. He was nailed by a strong throw from Edmonds. Barry Larkin followed with a single that would have score Walker.

        “Hindsight's 20-20,” Walker said. “Looking back, I should have stopped at second. But in that split second when I rounded second, I thought I could make it. That's one of the rules of base: Never make the first out at third.”

        The Reds were facing Jason Simontacchi, who was pitching his second big league game. Simontacchi, 28, played on the Italian Olympic team. As recently as three years ago, he was driving a tow truck. He didn't pitch like a truck driver Friday.

        He got out of a first-and-second, one-out threat in the fourth by getting Boone to hit into a double play. Boone drilled a ball but it was right at the third baseman.

        The Reds broke through in the fifth. Ruben Mateo, a late add because Sean Casey was scratched, singled. He scored when Jason LaRue doubled.

        Haynes sacrificed LaRue to third. But Walker struck out, and Simontacchi made a nice play behind the mound to get Larkin.

        The Cards took the lead back with a run in the sixth.

        The Reds chased Simontacchi in their half of the sixth. Juan Encarnacion led off with a double. Kearns was hit by a pitch. That was it for Simontacchi. The Cardinals brought in left-hander Mike Matthews to face Adam Dunn. Dunn walked.

        Right-hander Gene Stechschulte replaced Matthews. Boone took a called third strike. That made Boone hitless in his past 12 at-bats and 4-for-his-last-43.

        “It's been tough times for me personally,” Boone said. “But I felt like I had better at-bats tonight. It's tough, but I've got to get through it.”

Adam Dunn play QB and Austin Kearns snaps him the ball. Corky Miller defends. Dunn was a Texas Longhorns QB. (Ernest Coleman photo) | ZOOM |

        Casey was brought in to pinch-hit for Mateo. He smoked one to left-center. Edmonds ran it down, but it was deep enough to get Encarnacion home and tie it at 2.

        LaRue took a called third strike to end the inning.

        The missed opportunities looked huge later when Renteria took Graves out. The pitch to Renteria was about where Graves wanted it.

        “If he's going to beat me I want him to beat me the other way,” Graves said. “He's tough. He puts the bat on the ball. It was good pitch, just up a little. We got the sweet part of the bat of it.”

        Graves, true to the closer mentality was looking forward to today's game.

        “This isn't one we're going to dwell on,” Graves said. “It was a well-played game. We'll turn the page.”

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