It’s getting late early for the 2026 Cincinnati Reds, who still sit at just 50-56 with less than a full week remaining before the August 3rd trade deadline. While the club is all but out of it and almost certain to be sellers any day now, they do deserve at least a bit of credit for not throwing up the white flag completely.
The Reds won each of their three road series as the season’s second half opened up, a 6-3 road trip that showed there’s still at least a bit of competent fight within them. They
also split yesterday’s doubleheader against the Cleveland Guardians, setting the stage for a fourth straight series victory if they can just pull another rabbit out of a hat tonight in Great American Ball Park.
Brady Singer will take the ball in a Reds uniform, perhaps for the final time. The free agent to-be has pitched alarmingly well over the last two months and given that and the back of his baseball card he’s going to be a coveted piece by most every team needing pitching depth who’s in the hunt for a playoff spot.
[SPOILER ALERT: That’s every good team in baseball not named ‘Seattle Mariners]
Lefty Joey Cantillo will get the start for the Guardians, and manager Terry Francona has tweaked his lineup to attack the southpaw. JJ Bleday will start on the bench, for instance, as the Reds will field perhaps the most punchless outfield and bottom of the order ever recorded in human history instead.
First pitch is set for 7:10 PM ET. Here’s how both clubs will line up to start:
