The Cincinnati Reds opted not to shuffle their starting rotation heading into the final six games of the season despite Monday’s day-off, instead sticking with Brady Singer as their starter (and thereby
putting him on-track to be the only Reds starter to make two more starts before season’s end).
Whether or not Terry Francona was going to rue that decision became a hot topic early, unfortunately.
Singer was touched up by a patchwork Pittsburgh Pirates offense for 4 ER in the 2nd inning alone, setting the tone for a game in which the Reds offense outside of Elly De La Cruz stumbled, bumbled, and double-played its way into a critical 4-2 loss. Singer served up an opposite-field homer to Oneil Cruz as part of that devastating inning, and the air in a hopping Great American Ball Park never fully got pumped back up.
Elly, to his credit, looked as good as he has in months in an attempt. He launched a moonshot 2-run homer in the Bottom of the 2nd to halve the score, at the moment giving some hope that the rest of the Reds could find a way to climb their way back into the game. Sadly, though, even his 3 for 3 night (that included a walk) couldn’t be matched by the rest of the wet noodles in Cincinnati’s lineup, and the Reds – at the time the game ended – fell to 80-77, a half-game behind the New York Mets for the final NL Wild Card spot.
The Mets are currently tied with the Chicago Cubs at 6-6 after storming back from a 6-1 hole, a tide swing indicative of the relative karma around these fanbases on the evening.
Hunter Greene will go for Cincinnati tomorrow, which is a great thing. The problem is, though, that Paul Skenes will start for the Pirates as they look to steal a series so incredibly vital to the Reds. Whether or not Greene should have been moved up to face Pittsburgh tonight in a more ‘winnable’ game will be the obvious question, especially since it would have set him up to pitch in the season’s final regular season game (if need be), too.
As things stand after this game’s end, the Reds no longer control their own destiny, with the Mets now claiming that honor with five games remaining in the race for the playoffs.
