DENVER (AP) — The Cincinnati Reds’ small margin for error hurt them in another tough loss.

Ryan Mattheus uncorked a wild pitch in the bottom of the ninth, allowing Charlie Blackmon to race home with the winning run in the Colorado Rockies’ 6-5 win over the Reds on Friday night.

Joey Votto homered among his three hits for the Reds, who were victimized by little mistakes in losing for the fifth time in seven games.

“We’re not to that point where we’re creating so much separation that we can play through a mistake,” manager Bryan Price said. “Close games, we have to play well.”

After Votto homered in the top of the ninth off closer John Axford (3-3) to tie the game at 5, Blackmon manufactured a run in the bottom of the inning.

He laid down a one-out bunt single and stole second. He initially was called out but a replay review showed second baseman Brandon Phillips, who fell as he caught catcher Tucker Barnhart’s throw on a hop, didn’t quite get the tag down before Blackmon slid into the bag. Colorado challenged and the call was reversed.

Blackmon moved to third on D.J. LeMahieu’s groundout, and with Troy Tulowitzki at the plate, reliever Ryan Mattheus (1-2) bounced a wild pitch that Barnhart couldn’t corral. Blackmon bolted home.

“There’s a lot of regrettable moments in tonight’s game,” Price said.

The loss was compounded after the Reds failed to open up a bigger lead in the eighth.

With the score tied at 3-all, pinch-hitter Skip Schumaker hit an RBI double off reliever LaTroy Hawkins and Barnhart advanced to third. Billy Hamilton tried to bunt on a squeeze play but fouled it into catcher Nick Hundley’s glove and Barnhart was out in a rundown.

Hamilton grounded out to end the inning.

The Rockies came right back in their half of the eighth. Carlos Gonzalez connected for his second homer of the game, this one off reliever J.J. Hoover, to even the score again. It was his first multihomer game of the season and the 11th of his career.

Nolan Arenado followed with a triple off the right field wall and scored on Ben Paulsen’s sacrifice fly.

It was the second consecutive blown save for Hoover.

“Tonight I felt I executed every pitch I could,” he said. “I felt like I had some of the best stuff I had this year. I was keeping the ball down, made a good pitch to CarGo, he just got it. It’s frustrating.”

Axford retired the first batter before Votto hit his 18th homer into the left-field bleachers. Axford, who blew a save for the third time this season, came back to fan Todd Frazier and Jay Bruce.

Held hitless by Anthony DeSclafani through the first four innings and trailing 3-0, the Rockies erupted for five hits in the fifth but got only two runs after starting pitcher Eddie Butler, trying to score from second on LeMahieu’s long base hit to the right field wall, stumbled and fell twice rounding third and was tagged out as he neared home. With runners at second and third, Tulowitzki popped out to end the inning.

Gonzalez also homered to lead off the bottom of the sixth, driving the first pitch from DeSclafani into the second deck above the right field wall to again tie the game.

EFFICIENT WORK

DeSclafani didn’t let Gonzalez’s home run hurt his rhythm. Despite giving up the solo blast, he needed just five pitches to get out of the sixth. He worked at least seven innings for the fifth time.

“It was a battle the last two innings,” he said. “I was trying to put up zeros. I felt like they were starting to hunt some fastballs and I just wanted to keep attacking and mix it up.”

TRAINER’S ROOM

Rockies: Struggling reliever Rex Brothers was optioned to Triple-A Albuquerque to make room for the reinstatement from the 15-day disabled list of OF Corey Dickerson (plantar fasciitis). Backup catcher Michael McKenry’s availability has been limited in the last few days because of a fluid buildup in his right knee.

UP NEXT

Reds: Since missing a start on May 24 because of a sore pitching elbow, RHP Johnny Cueto (6-6) has gone 3-2 with a 2.51 ERA.

Rockies: LHP Chris Rusin (3-3) will get a chance to build on his success at Coors Field, where he has gone 2-0 with a 3.24 ERA over four starts this season.

 

FRIDAY’S GAME

Rockies 6, Reds 5

Cincinnati AB R H BI BB SO Avg.

Phillips 2b 5 1 1 0 0 1 .278

Votto 1b 5 1 3 1 0 0 .302

Frazier 3b 4 1 1 1 1 1 .279

Bruce rf 5 0 1 0 0 1 .250

Byrd lf 3 2 1 0 1 0 .248

De Jesus Jr. ss 4 0 1 2 0 0 .253

Barnhart c 1 0 1 0 3 0 .269

DeSclafani p 3 0 0 0 0 3 .206

b-Schumaker ph 1 0 1 1 0 0 .223

Hoover p 0 0 0 0 0 0 —

Mattheus p 0 0 0 0 0 0 —

B.Hamilton cf 4 0 0 0 0 1 .223

Totals 35 5 10 5 5 7

 

Arizona AB R H BI BB SO Avg.

Blackmon cf 5 1 3 1 0 0 .296

LeMahieu 2b 4 0 1 0 1 1 .313

Tulowitzki ss 4 0 0 0 0 1 .309

Ca.Gonzalez rf 4 2 2 2 0 1 .261

Arenado 3b 4 1 1 0 0 0 .286

Dickerson lf 3 0 2 0 1 0 .308

1-B.Barnes pr-lf 0 0 0 0 0 0 .291

Paulsen 1b 3 1 0 1 0 1 .280

Hundley c 4 1 1 1 0 2 .306

E.Butler p 2 0 1 0 0 1 .056

Kahnle p 0 0 0 0 0 0 —

Logan p 0 0 0 0 0 0 —

a-Stubbs ph 1 0 0 0 0 0 .177

Hawkins p 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000

Axford p 0 0 0 0 0 0 —

c-Descalso ph 1 0 0 0 0 0 .204

Totals 35 6 11 5 2 7

Cincinnati 000 300 011 — 5 10 0

Colorado 000 021 021 — 6 11 0

 

Two outs when winning run scored.

a-flied out for Logan in the 7th. b-doubled for DeSclafani in the 8th. c-grounded out for Axford in the 9th.

1-ran for Dickerson in the 8th.

LOB—Cincinnati 8, Colorado 6. 2B—Phillips (11), Frazier (29), Bruce (21), De Jesus Jr. (4), Schumaker (11). 3B—Byrd (2), Arenado (4), Hundley (3). HR—Votto (18), off Axford; Ca.Gonzalez (15), off DeSclafani; Ca.Gonzalez (16), off Hoover. RBIs—Votto (46), Frazier (64), De Jesus Jr. 2 (12), Schumaker (9), Blackmon (43), Ca.Gonzalez 2 (41), Paulsen (22), Hundley (33). SB—Frazier (10), Blackmon (25). CS—Barnhart (1). SF—Paulsen.

Runners left in scoring position—Cincinnati 4 (DeSclafani 2, Bruce, B.Hamilton); Colorado 2 (Tulowitzki 2). RISP—Cincinnati 3 for 12; Colorado 4 for 6.

Runners moved up—Byrd, LeMahieu. GIDP—B.Hamilton.

DP—Colorado 1 (Tulowitzki, Paulsen).

 

Cincinati IP H R ER BB SO NP ERA

DeSclafani 7 7 3 3 2 5 100 3.98

Hoover BS, 3-4 1 3 2 2 0 2 21 2.08

Mattheus L, 1-2 2-3 1 1 1 0 0 9 4.28

Arizona IP H R ER BB SO NP ERA

E.Butler 6 6 3 3 3 3 88 4.77

Kahnle 2-3 1 0 0 1 2 21 3.48

Logan 1-3 0 0 0 0 0 2 4.85

Hawkins 1 2 1 1 1 0 19 3.63

Axford W, 3-3 1 1 1 1 0 2 18 3.38

Inherited runners-scored—Logan 2-0. IBB—off Hawkins (Barnhart), off E.Butler (Barnhart, Barnhart). WP—Mattheus.

Umpires—Home, Pat Hoberg; First, Bob Davidson; Second, Hunter Wendelstedt; Third, Marvin Hudson.

T—3:05. A—37,184 (50,398).