Given that Nick Lodolo excelled on such a high level last season, the spotlight has been aimed almost solely at the frustrating blister issues that he has dealt with all season. Most everyone will point to those as the reason why his numbers this year are pretty poor compared to what we know he can do, and that makes sense on the surface.
Right?
For whatever reason, it’s been buried a bit that Brady Singer dealt with blister issues at the tail end of spring training, too. And, if you look at how he started
the 2026 season, you’ll notice that he was pretty, pretty awful for a time. Blisters don’t just happen and heal, they get into your head in terms of what types of pitches you feel comfortable throwing, and that can completely alter the way you approach batters of all ilks from both sides of the plate.
If you can’t throw the pitch you want in the big spot, well, things can go awry in a hurry.
Whether or not Singer would pin his poor early form on that blister (and the time he took off to let it heal) we may never know. What we do know, though, is that he turned things around in a major way once June rolled around, and across his last 7 starts (38.2 IP) he’s pitched to a 2.79 ERA, 3.93 FIP, and struck out more than a batter per IP (40 K). That’s the Brady Singer the Reds traded Jonathan India for, that’s the Brady Singer who showed up down the stretch in 2025.
For the last place 2026 Reds, though, that Brady Singer might end up getting traded away sooner than later. That’s just what happens when you’re 9 games under .500 and he’s a pitcher who’ll be a free agent at season’s end.
It’s with that context that we get to watch Singer pitch tonight in Coors Field as the Reds open the second half of their season on the road against the Colorado Rockies. It’s about 94 degrees with humidity at a higher level than usual out here in Denver as monsoon season swells up from the south, and that’s the perfect scenario for some serious offense to erupt. So, it’s interesting that the Reds, who’d obviously like to showcase Singer as much as possible in pitcher-friendly environs in the event they end up having to be sellers, chose to roll with Singer at Coors as they stack their rotation out of the gate.
Nothing like sending out a guy who’d turned the corner to get blasted for 8 ER in 3 IP in the land where balls fly (in the precise circumstances where that will likely happen).
Anyway, if he spins a gem, it may actually expedite his departure from the Reds barring them turning this 9-game road trip into a miracle success story. As teams gear up for the trade deadline in just two and a half weeks, each additional start they can get out of an acquired starting pitcher stacks that much value on their shoulders, and another brilliant one from Singer might just be the catalyst the Reds need to make that call.
We’ll see what Brady can do on the field, first. Obviously, the Reds are still crossing their fingers, toes, eyes, etc. that they can somehow make a run at this thing, and the first step towards that happening falls on the right shoulder of their soon-to-be free agent. Maybe, just maybe, that makes him their soon-to-be traded righty if things don’t go perfect in a hurry.
Here’s how the Reds will line up behind Singer on Friday, with first pitch set for 8:40 PM ET.
