ST. LOUIS _ After more than a few innings of taking advantage of whatever the Cincinnati Reds were kind enough to give them as a boost for the offense, the Cardinals returned the favor in grand fashion.
Harrison Bader committed one of two errors in the sixth inning on the same play to shove the Reds toward a grand slam that would provide all the runs necessary for a 4-2 victory Friday night at Busch Stadium.
Matt Davidson launched a grand slam off Tyler Webb three batters after the errors to flip a two-run deficit into a two-run deficit.
Bader was initially given two errors on the play, but after the end of the game, a scorer's decision flipped the second error to Tommy Edman, who didn't make the catch on Bader's throw. That is why this description is different than the one you'll read below. The scoring was changed.
Either way, the errors were the appetizer.
A walk and a hit batter by lefty Genesis Cabrera loaded the bases and bounced him from the game. Webb came in with the bases loaded and for the second time this week allowed a home run that squandered a lead. Davidson tagged a 90-mph fastball.
Raisel Iglesias, who crumbled in the ninth Thursday, retired all three Cardinals he faced to secure the save.
Dakota Hudson had a strong, 4 2/3 scoreless innings.
The offense offered not much support, none without assistance.
Including their walk-off win Thursday night, the Cardinals scored five consecutive runs against the Reds with the benefit of Cincinnati's charity.
The Cardinals' three-run rally Thursday night and each of their runs Friday night were the byproducts of bases given them by the Reds. The Reds walked in a run with the bases loaded to give the Cardinals a 1-0 on Friday, and the Cardinals doubled that lead _ not with a hit but with three more walks and an RBI groundout.
It's only fitting they returned the favor.
Bader committed two errors on the same play to put an inning in motion for the Reds' rally.
Davidson's grand slam traveled 449 feet and cleared the bleachers beyond left field for the Reds' first runs of the game. His second career grand slam and his first as a pinch-hitter came off of Webb. But the damage was done before Webb entered the inning with the bases loaded.
Eugenio Suarez hit a ball to center field that Bader had a bead on. He jumped and reached for it _ and had it go off his glove and to the wall. Bader retrieved the ball and threw high, wild, and off target into the infield. Tommy Edman made a leap to try and get the ball, but it got away and Suarez got to third base.
Cabrera then helped the Reds backfill those bases with a walk and a hit batter to load the bases and leave Webb to figure it out.
In one swing, Davidson erased a two-run lead.
