ATLANTA — Brooks Conrad slowed up as he rounded first base, unsure if his drive had cleared the left-field wall to give the Braves an improbable victory. Then he saw Laynce Nix swat at his empty glove in frustration. The ball went over. Game over.
Conrad hit a pinch-hit grand slam Thursday to finish off a seven-run ninth inning that gave the Braves a 10-9 victory over the Reds, who fell out of first in the NL Central and can only hope the stunning loss doesn’t leave a hangover on their surprisingly strong start.
“It was a horrible ending,” said Reds manager Dusty Baker, who appeared close to breaking down after the game. “Boy, that was a tough one.”
Atlanta fell behind 8-0 against rookie sensation Mike Leake and was down 9-3 heading to the ninth. Four straight hits, including Nate McLouth’s two-run single, gave the Braves hope. A walk to David Ross loaded the bases with no outs, bringing the potential tying run to the plate.
Martin Prado hit a grounder to third that looked like a sure double play, but Miguel Cairo couldn’t get the ball out of his glove — Cincinnati’s fourth error of the game. Jason Heyward struck out against Arthur Rhodes, and Cincinnati turned to closer Francisco Cordero (1-3) for the last two outs. Instead, Conrad hit a drive that deflected off Nix’s glove as he reached over the top of the wall at the 380-foot sign.
“I thought I had it,” Nix said. “It just bounced out.”
