Full of Schatz

Sal Stewart Is the Most Outstanding Rookie In The National League

2026-10-28T08:12:38.258-04:00

Dateline: Cincinnati

Sal Stewart was recognized by his peers as the Most Outstanding National League Rookie in the Players Choice Award by the Major League Players Association.

Stewart led all rookies in MLB with 112 RBI, third best among all big league players. He was third in home runs with 32 behind Munataka Murakami (35) and Kazuma Okamoto (33). He hit .263, playing all 162 games, 15th among rookies. He was 16th with a .330 on-base-percentage. He was seventh in slugging percentage with a .475 mark, contributing 25 doubles, also seventh among all rookies. Stewart stole 15 bases good for ninth among rookies.

He played 117 games at first base, 45 at third base, eight at second base. Stewart committed four errors in 939 chances.

Stewart, a native of Miami, Florida will turn 23 on December 7, 2026. He was selected by the Reds out of Westminster Christian School in the first round of 2022, the 32nd overall choice.

Kevin McGonigle was the Most Outstanding Rookie in the American League. He was the 37th pick in the 2023 draft out of Monsignor Bonner and Archbishop Prendergast High School in Drexel Hill, Pennsylvania. He was 22 on August 18th, 2026.

The shortstop, third baseman, played in 156 games with a slash line was .278/.376/.430 with 28 doubles, five triples, 18 home runs and 72 RBI. McGonigle stole 12 bases.

The New York Yankees Cam Schlittler is the American League’s Most Outstanding Pitcher. Jacob Msiorowski of the Milwaukee Brewers is the Most Outstanding National League Pitcher.

Other winners are Pete Crow-Armstrong was picked as Overall Player of the Year and Most Outstanding National League Players.

Yordan Alvarez of the Houston Astros was the Most Outstanding American League Player and Comeback Player of Year while Zach Wheeler won the National League Comeback Player of the Year.

David Cone was awarded the Curt Flood award for advancing players rights.

Baltimore Orioles pitcher Chris Bassitt won the Marvin Miller Award for the current player advancing players rights.

Jake Burger of the Texas Rangers was name Philanthropist of the Year for creating opportunities for the children and their families of Downs Syndrome.

Christian Yelich of the Milwaukee Brewers, Mathew Boyd of the Chicago Cubs, Paul Skenes of the Pittsburgh Pirates, New York Yankees pitcher Carlos Rondon, and Hunter Greene of the Reds.

All of those players were awarded $10,000 for their charities. Burger's cause will get an additional $25,000 from the Players Associations Player's Trust.

May Day Help An Old Man Be Productive

2026-10-27T19:07:06.302-04:00

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Help Gary Keep Baseball Fans Informed

I am a cancer survivor and freelance sportswriter who has dedicated years to covering the Cincinnati Reds. Until recently, I wrote monthly for the Reds Report, a publication for Reds fans. Unfortunately, the publication went bankrupt in December. My goal is to fill the void for those subscribers and others who enjoy daily coverage of the Reds and other Cincinnati based sports at home and on the road.

Despite these challenges, I remain committed to providing daily reports for Reds fans on my blog, www.fullofschatz.blogspot.com. As a credentialed member of the media, access is free. I ask anyone to contribute to expenses to continue coverage that is decreasing every day as outlets cut costs and eliminate staff.

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Your support will help keep the Reds community informed and engaged.

1990 Reds Champion Player Todd Benzinger Dies

2026-10-22T18:08:30.284-04:00

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Dateline: Cincinnati

On October 20, 1990, Todd Benzinger backed up and called for a pop fly off the bat of Carney Lansford as Randy Myers finished the Red's, 2-1 win over the Oakland Athletics.

Benzinger was born in Dayton, Kentucky directly across the river from downtown Cincinnati on February 11, 1963. He graduated from New Richmond High School on the north bank of the river.

He passed away at the age of 63 this morning (102126).

The switch hitting firstbaseman/outfielder was drafted in the fourth round of the 1981 draft by the Boston Red Sox. He broke in with Boston in 1987. The Reds sent Nick Esasky and Rob Murphy to the Red Sox for Benzinger, Jeff Sellers and minor leaguer, Luis Vazquez in December 1988.

Benzinger played three seasons with the Reds from 1989-91 and was a key contributor during the 1990 wire-to-wire championship season.

He played in 1,230 games for the Reds, hitting .241 with 45 doubles, seven triples, 23 home runs and 133 RBI with the Reds.

The Reds traded Benzinger to the Kansas City Royals on July 11, 1991 for Carmello Martinez. He finished his career on May 14, 1995 at the age of 32.

Benzinger played in 924 games with a career .257 average with 135 doubles, 18 triples, 66 home runs and 376 RBI.

Benzinger managed in the Reds' system at High A Dayton from in 2009 and 2010. He coached high school basketball in the Cincinnati area. He coached the girl's team at Loveland High School from 2006 through 2008.

He also particpated in football and basketball at New Richmond High School.

20 Game Winners 20 Game Losers

2026-09-28T23:58:58.699-04:00

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Dateline: Cincinnati

There hasn't been a pitcher to win 20 games in Major League Baseball since, 2023.

There are eight pitchers in 2026, who won 15 or more games.

Sonny Gray, a former Reds' hurler won 18 for the Boston Red Sox. Christopher Sanchez won 18 games for the Philadelphia Phillies.

Next on the list are 16 game winners, Eduardo Rodriguez of the Arizona Diamondbacks, Jacob Misiorowski of the Milwaukee Brewers and Drew Rasmussen of the Tampa Bay Rays.

At 15 wins another former Reds pitcher, Nick Martinez won 15 for the Tampa Bay Rays, Foster Griffin of the Cleveland Guardians and Chase Burns of the Reds.

Of these eight pitchers only Burns and Rodriguez are not in the playoffs.

Since starting pitchers make fewer starts than players did in the not too distance past. They also are not pitching deep into games.

Mackenzie Gore of the Washington Nationals made the most starts at 34. Next Sandy Alcantara of the Miami Marlins, Tanner Bibee of the Guardians, Aaron Nola of the Phillies, Cam Schlitter of the New York Yankees and Sanchez of the Phillies made as many as 33 starts.

Of the 15-game or more game winners Gray at 18-5 and Burns at 15-3 made fewer than 30 starts with Burns earning the highest winning percentage at 833.

Only three pitchers pitched 200 or more innings, which used to get starters paid for taking mileage off the bullpens arms. Alcantara led with 214 innings. Sanchez pitched 207 and Michael Wacha of the Kansas City Royals logged 200 2/3 innings.

Since the use of pitchers changed so much the 15 win threshold is equivalent to the ancient 20 win standard for comparison.

If 15 wins are the equivalent to 20 wins, what about 15 losses.

Three pitchers did that.

Shane Baz of the Baltimore Orioles, Tanner Bibee of the Guardians and the Reds Brady Singer all lost 15 decisions. Singer and former Red Michael Lorenzen tied for the most runs allowed at 102.

Singer made 31 starts and pitched 157 innings. He allowed 32 home runs, fifth in baseball. Singer walked 62 and hit 15 batters. His WHIP was 1.59.

Losses though are more subject to the team's offense. Singer had quality starts in 10 of his 31 but was just 3-2 with seven no decisions. In nine of his 16 losses the Reds scored two runs or fewer.

Burns was 2-3 when the Reds scored two runs or fewer. He was 13-0 when the Reds scored three runs or more.

Future Hall Of Fame Pitcher Ends Reds Season

2026-09-28T01:15:13.090-04:00

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Dateline: Cincinnati

It may have been three time Cy Young Award winner, Max Scherzer's last start in his career was a 5-1 win for the Toronto Blue Jays on the last day of the season.

Scherzer man handled the Reds for seven innings, allowing one run on six hits and one walk. He struck out seven.

He finished the season with a 4-9 record and a 5.74 ERA. For his 19 year career, he was 225-126 with a 3.29 ERA in 492 starts that included five shutouts. He pitched for seven teams and ended with 3,557 strikeouts if this is indeed his last start in a career his last strikeout victim was Juan Brito.

The Reds scored one run in the third inning on a double by Oswaldo Cabrera and a single by Carlos Jorge.

The Blue Jays scored two in the second inning against Reds starter, Brandon Williamson, who finished the season after a two-year bout with injuries.

Davis Schneider walked and Brandon Valenzuela hit his ninth home run. They scored two more in the third.

George Springer doubled and Brett Bateman singled. Kazuma Okamoto walked to load the bases. Charles McAdoo hit a sacrifice fly and after a wild pitch, Schneider grounded out to score another run.

Williamson pitched three innings, allowing four runs on four hits and three walks. He struck out three.

Williamson finished the season with a 5-5 record and a 5.30 ERA in 12 appearances, nine starts.

Zach McCambley pitched two scoreless innings for the Reds. Luis Mey pitched a scoreless inning. Carson Spiers finished the season after coming back late from surgery. He allowed McAdoo's third home run to cap the scoring.

The Reds finished dead last in the National League Central Division with a 75-87 record after being 20-11 on April 30.

An eight game losing streak followed and the team never recovered.

There were positives.

Chase Burns was 15-3 on the season with a 2.86 ERA in 29 starts.

Elly De La Cruz set career highs with a slash line of .283/.365/.515 and an OPS of .880. He hits 30 home runs, stole 30 bases and drove in 79 runs. He missed 25 games with a strained quad.

Sal Stewart put together a fantastic rookie season. He finished with .263/.330/.457 and a .787 OPS. He hit 32 home runs and drove in 111 RBI the first Reds rookie to drive in over 100 runs since Jim Greengrass in 1953. He was third in all of baseball in RBI behind Alec Burleson's 116 and Pete Alonso's 113. He played all 162 games.

Rhett Lowder Best Start Ends The Season Strong

2026-09-26T17:55:46.499-04:00

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Dateline: Cincinnati

Rhett Lowder turned in his best performance of the season as the Reds defeated the Toronto Blue Jays, 5-1

Lowder finished the season with a 28 appearances, 26 starts. He fashioned a seven and 12 record with his first win since August 28. His ERA ended at 5.74. He pitched a total of 133 1/3 inning, the most of any level. He pitched 120 innings at Wake Forest University in 2023. In pro baseball, the most he's pitched was 108 2/3 innings in 2024.

JJ Bleday opened the scoring with his 24th home run, leading off the second inning. The home run off Trey Yesavage extended Bleday's career-high to 24 home runs and he collected his 200th career RBI. He needs two RBI to match his career high of 60 set in 2024 as a member of the Athletics.

The Reds added to the lead against Spencer Miles.

Matt McLain walked. Carlos Jorge bunted for a base hit. Elly De La Cruz lined out to Ernie Clement at second base but Jorge was able to get back safely. McLain and Jorge pulled off a double steal. Sal Stewart hit a hard ground ball to shortstop, Andres Gimenez, who booted the ball. McLain scored but Stewart was denied an RBI. Eugenio Suarez doubled to plate Jorge.

Toronto's John Klein was the victim of an error by Sean Keys at first base.

Bleday walked with two outs on an unsuccessful umpire challenge of ball four by Kirk. Tyler Stephenson hit a slow ground ball to first base. Keys was in front of the bag but bobbled it. Stephenson stepped around him to reach on the error. Rodriguez tripled off the top of the left field wall to put the Reds up, 5-0.

Lowder left after the sixth inning. He matched his best start of the season with six innings of shutout baseball on three hits. He walked the first two batters of the game but none after that. He struck out two. Lowder had a similar outing against the Texas Rangers on April 4.

Connor Phillips gave up a run in the seventh on a walk and a hit.

Graham Ashcraft pitched a scoreless eighth.

Tejay Antone pitched a scoreless ninth inning. After three "Tommy John" surgeries, Antone hasn't allowed a run over his last 13 appearances covering 11 1/3 innings. With one game left he has 58 appearances and 55 innings all far exceeding his career totals. He missed two complete seasons, 2022 and 2025.

Elly De La Cruz Joins Club Reds Lose In Foreign Trade

2026-09-26T15:09:56.688-04:00

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Dateline: Cincinnati

Elly De La Cruz stole third base in a four-run rally that gave the Reds a three-run advantage that the Toronto Blue Jays eventually overcame to post a 6-5 win on Friday (092526).

De La Cruz is a member of the Reds 30-30 club a combination of speed and power with 30 home runs and 30 stolen bases. The other members in reverse order Brandon Phillips, Barry Larkin and Eric Davis.

The Reds fell behind with Nick Lodolo on the mound when the Blue Jays jumped out to a 2-0 lead with Alejandro Kirk and Kazuma Okamoto landing RBI doubles.

Lodolo settled in and shut down the Blue Jays after that.

It allowed the Reds to come back starting with Eugenio Suarez' 26th home run against Jose Soriano.

De La Cruz and company went to work in the third inning.

Newcomer, Oswaldo Cabrera singled to start the inning. Carlos Jorge bunted for a base hit. De La Cruz doubled them both home. He joined the club by stealing third base for his 30th stolen base of the season. Sal Stewart singled to drive in his 111th run of the season, third in MLB behind Alex Burleson's 115 and Pete Alonso's 113. Suarez singled to send Stewart to third. Hector Rodriguez hit into a force play that allowed Stewart to score.

Lodolo finished five innings but was relieved by Luis Mey after he hit Nathan Lukes with a pitch to start the sixth. Mey finished the scoreless innings to allow Lodolo to end his season on a high note.

Lodolo allowed two runs on seven hits and two walks. He struck out three. For the season Lodolo fought off blisters to make 21 starts. He was 3-6 with a 4.97 ERA. He pitched 108 2/3 innings far behind the 156 2/3 innings from 2025.

Mey ran into trouble in the seventh.

He walked Andres Gimenez and Kirk to start the inning. Vladimir Guerrero Jr. singled to score Gimenez. George Springer on an error by Cabrera at shortstop to load the bases with no outs.

Pierce Johnson replaced Mey.

Okamoto tied the game with a double. Lukes put the Blue Jays ahead with a single.

The Reds were shut out after the third inning to take the loss.

Elly De La Cruz Hits Milestone Home Run Carlos Jorge Drills First ML Homer Down Braves

2026-09-25T01:34:13.783-04:00

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Dateline: Cincinnati

Carlos Jorge drilled his first big league homer against former Reds ace Tyler Mahle. Elly De La Cruz hit his 30th of the season and Hector Rodriguez hit his sixth of the season to down the Atlanta Braves 7-6.

The win over Atlanta gives the Los Angeles Dodgers a first round bye and the Brave must play either the Philadelphia Phillies or the Arizona Diamondbacks in the NLDS.

Jorge opened the game with a home run like Juan Brito did on Wednesday (092326). Tracy Jones and Kal Daniels were the last two Reds to do that in back-to-back games in 1987.

The lead was obliterated in the bottom of the first against, Brady Singer, who closed a disappointing season. The Braves ambushed Singer for four runs in the bottom of the first.

Drake Baldwin opened with a single. Ronald Acuna Jr. belted Singer's pitch high off the wall. Rodriguez played the rebound to hold Acuna to a single. Matt Olson's fly out tied the game but the Braves were just getting started. Michael Harris Jr. doubled to the gap to give the Braves the lead. Mauricio Dubon singled. Ozzie Albies singled for a third run. Mike Yastrzemski walked to to load the bases. Austin Riley hit another sacrifice fly.

Rodriguez doubled with two outs and Matt McLain scored him with a single.

De La Cruz made it a one-run game with his career-high 30th home run. He needs on stolen base in Toronto to join. Barry Larkin, Brandon Phillips, and Eric Davis aire the only Reds to accomplish this in a season.

The Reds took the lead against Mahle on a two-run single by Eugenio Suarez later in the inning. Sal Stewart singled and Tyler Stephenson walked. JJ Bleday's checked swing grounder to the mound worked like a sacrifice bunt that setup Suarez' single.

Austin Riley hit his 19th home run against Singer. It was his second home run in the last two games.

Zach McCambley replaced Singer in the fourth.

Singer finished his season with a three-inning, five-run, seven hits, two walks with one strikeout. On the season Singer finished with a 6-15 record and a 5.85 ERA. The 15 losses are tied with the Cleveland Guardians, Tanner Bibee and the Baltimore Orioles, Shane Baz for the most losses. He pitched 157 innings, the fewest since 2022 when he pitched 151 1/3 innings.

McCambley gave up a run in 1 2/3 innings on an RBI single by Yastrzemski.

Connor Phillips entered the game with two outs and Yastrzemski on first. He walked Riley and number nine hitter, Sean Murphy. Baldwin lined out to Jorge in center.

AJ Smith-Shawver replaced Mahle. He hit Suarez with a pitch and Rodriguez drilled his home run 423 feet.

Brock Burke, extending his career-high 77th appearance. He gave up a double to Baldwin but retired Acuna and Olson to preserve the Reds' slim lead.

Emilio Pagan gave up a lead off single to Harris. Dubon bunted him to second. A wild pitch put the tying run on third base with one out. Pagan struck out Albies swinging and Yastrzemski flied out. It was Pagan's 25th save of the season. Since he returned from a hamstring injury on July 1, Pagan is 3-0 with 18 saves. He pitched 27 2/3 innings over 29 appearances with a 1.95 ERA. He walked just five batters in that span, while striking out 33.

Andrew Abbott Has Longest Outing But Reds Fall

2026-09-24T03:06:50.372-04:00

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Dateline: Cincinnati '

Andrew Abbott has not won a game since August 6, but he had the longest of his 32 starts against the Atlanta Braves. He had a pair of one-run leads but two pitches kept him off the winning ledger as the Atlanta Braves won in 10 innings, 3-2.

Juan Brito hit his third home run of the season leading off the game against Chris Sales.

Sales got stingy after that and struck out 10 batters, including Sal Stewart for his 200th of the season. It was the ninth season in which he struck out 200 or more batters. He was relieved after the strikeout in the sixth.

Matt Olson hit his 41st home run of the season to take Sale off the hook.

The Reds snatched the lead back against Robert Suarez. Matt McLain tripled to lead off the seventh and scored on Will Banfield's sacrifice fly.

Abbott gave the lead back in the seventh on Austin Riley's 18th home run to tie the game.

It was Abbott's last inning.

It was the end of the 2025 All-Star's longest start in a disappointing season. He pitched seven innings and allowed just the two runs on six hits and one walk. Abbott struck out six. He will finish the season with a 6-11 record with a 4.61 ERA. He lost his last four decisions.

Graham Ashcraft and Pierce Johnson pitched scoreless innings for the Reds.

Dylan Lee and former Red Raisel Iglesias pitched scoreless innings for the Braves to take the game into the 10th.

Last years bullpen participant Brent Suter, stranded the Reds ghost runner, McLain.

Luis Mey was assigned to extend the game another inning.

Pinch runner, DaShawn Keirsey Jr., started the 10th on second base. Ha-Seong Kim bunted Keirsey to third. Mey hit Drake Baldwin with a pitch. Mauricio Dubon topped a ball toward the mound. Mey couldn't field it cleanly and Keirsey scored the winning run.

Brandon Williamson White Washes Atlanta

2026-09-23T01:14:23.756-04:00

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Dateline: Cincinnati

Brandon Williamson pitched six scoreless innings and was followed by three Reds' relievers in tossing a 4-0 shutout of the National League East champion Atlanta Braves.

Williamson had not pitched in 15 months when he was one of the best pitchers the Reds had in spring training.

The Reds decided to go with six starters, knowing they would have to navigate surgery with Hunter Greene and weaning Chase Burns through his first full major league season. Nick Lodolo, Andrew Abbott, Rhett Lowder and Brady Singer were the others.

Williamson pitched six innings, allowing three hits, two of them infield hits. He didn't walk a batter and struck out two. The Reds turned in two double plays. He got seven of nine batters that put the ball in play for outs, on ground balls.

On Tuesday, Elly De La Cruz crushed his 29th home run and stole his 29th base. He added an RBI single. He is at a high point with a .288 batting average which is ranked 13th in Major League Baseball.

The Reds other two runs came off the bats of Dane Myers with his eighth home run in the sixth inning off Owen Murphy. Eugenio Suarez belted his 25th home run which came against Murphy in the eighth inning.

Suarez now has 350 home runs for his career.

Brock Burke, Tejay Antone, who turned in his 11th straight scoreless outing, with a scoreless eighth. He had two hits and a walk with two outs, the second was an infield hit by Drake Baldwin. Antone got slugger Matt Olson out with a pop up foul to Ke'Bryan Hayes at third base. Emilio Pagan pitched the ninth in a non save situation.

Tony Santillan May Have Surgery Connor Phillips Recalled TJ Friedl Stays In Organization

2026-09-23T00:46:15.220-04:00

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Dateline: Cincinnati

The Reds placed reliever Tony Santillan on the injured list with a labral tear in his left hip.

Santillan suffered through an injury riddled year with a left oblique strain. The two injuries limited Santillan to 44 games almost half of the 80 games he appeared in last season. This year Santillan, who may have surgery next week, had a 3-4 record with five saves. He had a 6.42 ERA. Last season he had a 1-5 record with seven saves and a 2.44 ERA.

Connor Phillips finished last season strong and made the team out of spring training. After initial success, he lost control of the strike zone and sent back to Triple A Louisville. In his first 13 appearances, Phillips had a 1-0 record, a save and two holds with a 1.93 ERA. It was downhill from there. Phillips pitched in 12 games and ended with a 5.03 ERA and walked 28 batters in 28 innings. He went to Louisville and appeared in 31 games with a 2-2 record and three saves and a 5.06 ERA.

"He has two plus pitches," manager Terry Francona said. "We just want to see him fill up the strike zone."

TJ Friedl cleared waivers and was assigned outright to Louisville.

Pete Crow-Armstrong Leads Cubs Fit To Be Tied

2026-09-20T17:45:17.820-04:00

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Dateline: Cincinnati

The bright side for the Reds on Sunday (092026) was the Chicago Cubs couldn't be the second team this week to douse the visiting clubhouse with Chamagne.

The Cubs came close.

They returned to Chicago with the knowledge that if the Arizona Diamondbacks lose to the New York Yankees this afternoon they clinch at least a tie for a playoff berth. A tie with Arizona guarantees them a spot in the postseason. The question to be decided this week against the Miami Marlins and the Boston Red Sox is where in the playoff seeding they will be.

Crow-Armstrong had three hits, scored three runs and hit his 45th home run of the season to tie Kyle Schwarber for the Major League lead in a 9-1 route of the reeling Reds in their last home game.

The Cubs got to Rhett Lowder for five runs in three innings. Lowder gave up six hits and three walks, including a bases loaded walk to Nico Hoerner.

"It was walks hits and not putting the ball where he wanted to," Terry Francona said. "

David Peterson started the game for the Cubs and allowed just three hits, including JJ Bleday's 23rd home run of the year.

The Reds got a scoreless inning from Luis Mey but a "feel good" story turned sour. Carson Spiers had an emotional return, coming back from "Tommy John" surgery a year ago. His triumphant return lasted one out before Michael Conforto belted his 15th home run of the year. Pedro Ramirez followed with a single. Spiers struck out Miguel Amaya but Crow-Armstrong hit his home run to extend the lead to 8-1.

Spiers settled in a bit by retiring six straight batters seven out of eight until Seiya Suzuki hit his 25th of the season that landed inside the batter's eye, 440 feet from home plate. Although Spiers struck out the last two batters he faced the game was out of reach.

"I know he was mad when he came out," Francona said. "I told him, to think about where he was. Even though he was throwing the ball real good in Triple A, his velocity was down a tick. You will pitch a couple more times and have a normal off season and get stronger."

The Reds managed four hits, including an infield single by Elly De La Cruz; singles by Matt McLain and Will Banfield.

The big downer for the Cubs is Alex Bregman was hit in the face with a foul ball off the bat of Michael Busch. Bregman was removed from the game and taken to the hospital. There were few details after the game.

The Reds fell to their lowest level of the season, 12 games below .500 with six left to play. They haven't had been down that many games since the end of the 2022 season in which they were 62-100.

Chase Burns Placed On Injured List Finished For Last Seven Games

2026-09-20T17:08:23.649-04:00

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Dateline: Cincinnati

The Reds placed Chase Burns on the 15-day injured list with a tight groin. He will miss the last seven games of the season.

The Reds designated TJ Friedl for assignment, meaning his days with the Reds are likely over.

Carson Spiers, who had surgery last August, was added to the Reds roster.

Burns made 29 starts in his first full season in the major leagues. He was 15-3 with a 2.86 ERA. He pitched 154 1/3 innings. He walked 56 and struck out 185.

"It's not how I wanted it to end but there was a lot of growth this season," Burns said. "We have no idea what's going to happen next year but to get to 154 from 109 is huge and sets me up for next year. It is a lot to put on your body. There was some pain here and there but It was good to go through it."

The Reds were concerned that Burns volume of innings would exceed his 109 1/3 from last season by too much. The Reds decided to piggy back Brandon Williamson over Burns' last three turns in which he was limited to three innings.

Burns felt his groin tighten on Friday (091826) against the Chicago Cubs.

"It didn't make sense to push him for a three-inning start," Terry Francona said. "He did a really good job and we got him to the point to where next year, no matter how he pitches, it's not going to be, we have to be cautioned with this."

Spiers had a long road back to the Reds. He made the team out of spring training to take the spot in the rotation while Andrew Abbott was getting over an injury.

"That was the other part," Francona said. "We wanted to find a way to get him here anyway. By everyone's account he does everything right. He was in Arizona and kind of led that group. He is a leader and a really good kid. We had good reports on him from Triple A."

Spiers spent most of the year in Arizona but was able to make four starts for Louisville. He pitched 20 1/3 innings with a 3.54 ERA.

"It was really good to get innings this year. That was my whole focus," Spiers said. "Throwing the ball well has just been awesome. It is emotional when you think back on those 12 months (He had "Tommy John" surgery August 13). I put in a ton of work, a ton of hours. I did everything I could the right way. I learned how to be a dad. We had a baby girl this off season. She was with me through the whole rehab process. As for pitching, I didn't change a whole lot but I did get to mess around with a few things. I worked on my sweeper."

"Honestly the toughest part was once you start throwing lives (BP) and getting into games but it is such a lengthy process. You have doctors protocol's that you have to follow. Once I started throwing and throwing well, It was hot in Arizona too, so I was like, get me out of here. I stuck with protocols and that was the toughest part."

It was difficult for Francona to let Friedl go despite the tough year he had.

"We had talked to TJ and Nick (Krall) walked him through how it was going to work," Francona said. "TJ has been gone two days. I don't know what is going to happen with him. It wasn't that were trying to get him out. I will always root for that kid as will a lot of people here."

Cubs Get Closer To Playoffs With Win Over Reds

2026-09-19T21:54:44.574-04:00

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Dateline: Cincinnati

Matthew Boyd ended a six-start losing streak, Dansby Swanson hit his first home run since coming off the injured list.

The Cubs inched closer to clinching a playoff berth with a 5-2 win over the Reds on Saturday.

The Cubs started the game in a tie with both the Phillies and Padres at 85-69. The Diamondbacks, the only other team in contention, are five games behind. Any combination of Cubs wins and Diamondbacks losses totaling two will ensure the Cubs playoff spot. The Cubs own the tie breaker with a 4-2 record head-to-head against Arizona, who play the Yankees later tonight.

The Cubs scored single runs in the second and fifth innings against Nick Lodolo (3-6).

Nico Hoerner led off the second with a double and scored on a sacrifice fly by Matt Shaw. Dansby Swanson singled to open the fifth and scored with two outs on a Seiya Suzuki single. Dansby Swanson had two hits, including his 19th home run off Zach McCambley in the ninth.

Hoerner and Suzuki had two hits for the Cubs.

The Reds challenged the Cubs defense after Mathew Boyd (9-5) allowed no hits through four innings. Eugenio Suarez walked to open the fifth. JJ Bleday hammered the Reds first hit to right field with Suarez hustling to third. Dansby Swanson's relay throw got away from Alex Bregman and Suarez scored. Ke'Bryan Hayes hitting .144 tied the game with a single.

Michael Busch hit his 20th home run in the sixth.

Boyd turned the game over to Daniel Palencia in the sixth. Boyd pitched five allowing two runs, one earned on two hits and two walks. He struck out four.

The Reds put two on with two out against Aaron Civale. Ryan Zeferjahn relieved Civale. He struck out Sal Stewart. Zeferjahn got two outs in the ninth. Ryan Rolison entered to pitch to Bleday with two outs. The Reds sent Oswaldo Cabrera to pinch hit. He was picked up by the Reds on waivers from the Yankees on Friday. Rollison turned in his third save.

Lodolo pitched seven innings for the second straight game, he allowed three runs on six hits. He walked two and had one strikeout.

The Cubs were 6-1 against the Phillies this season and won the season series, 5-1 against the Padres.

Reds Claim And Welcome Oswaldo Cabrera Send TJ Friedl To Louisville Spencer Steer Moved On List

2026-09-19T17:18:42.408-04:00

https://gofund.me/b67c71781

Dateline: Cincinnati

In the waning days of 2026 with the Reds mired in last place, they claimed Oswaldo Cabrera on waivers. He was designated for assignment by the New York Yankees.

Cabrera is 27 years old from Guernas, Venezuela.

Cabrera is a switch hitter who has played all three outfield positions and all four infield positions.

The 6' 200 pound, Cabrera has appeared in 304 games with the Yankees since 2022, hitting .243 with 34 doubles, a triple, 20 home runs and 95 RBI. Her had two at bats in the 2024 World Series as a teammate of Jose Trevino.

He broke his ankle on May 12 last season and suffered tendon damage. He missed the resto of the season. He appeared in three games with the Yankees this season. At Scranton Wilkes Barre, he appeared in 122 games, hitting .288 with 14 doubles, a triple, 19 home runs and 69 RBI. He stole 12 bases in 13 tries.

"I am excited since the first moment that I walked in this group made me feel in a family," Cabrera said. "This is something really beautiful. I feel like its the first day of a new school."

"I'm here to do my job and help the team win," Cabrera said. "That's all I have on my mind. Terry Francona didn't say too much about my role here. I've heard a lot of good things about him. I wanted to meet him in person. He gave me a beautiful welcome."

Cabrera felt pain in the beginning of the season.

"I was in a little bit of pain at the beginning of the season. I'm glad I was playing every single day. I was getting better with the great staff that we had there in (Scranton). Right now I fell 100 percent," Cabrera said. "It was tough. I was in pain every single day but I'm through it. A month ago, I didn't think much about it so it is not so bad."

Cabrera resides in Miami where he has worked out with the Reds Eugenio Suarez.

"My first year in pro ball when I was 16 years old. It was the first year he hit 20 home runs. We were working out in Miami together. It was so much fun. He made me feel like part of his family. We had some beautiful moments down there. Trevy (Jose Trevino) is my favorite teammate from the Yankees. Trevy is one of those guys you want to be around. He's the greatest human being."

"My favorite position is whatever the manager wants me to play that day," He finished.

Francona had a scouting report on him not only on the field but off the field as well.

"I had multiple messages, not that he's a good, that he's the best guy," Terry Francona said. "That makes you feel good. Trevy had already told us that anyway. I think it's a smart thing for us to do. Who knows what happens but he's a switch hitter, who can play multiple positions. He's a great kid. It doesn't seem any harm in trying it. I know there are probably people, poo pooing it. I think it makes sent to us."

The Reds had to make room for him by sending TJ Friedl to Louisville.

"That was the hard part," Francona said. "We spent some time with him. We talk about Cabrera being a wonderful kid. TJ is in that category. As hard as the year was for him. (91 games, .172 with six doubles, a triple, four home runs and just 20 runs scored.) He never once was not a fantastic teammate. I told him that three or four times. It is meaningful. If someone calls me about him, I will tell them the truth and I mean that in a good way. It would be hard for me to say what will happen, right now. Things have to play out. He had been here 10 years and he thanked Nick (Krall). We talked to him about a few things. He was TJ and I mean that in a complimentary way."

The Reds placed Spencer Steer on the 60-day injured list to put Cabrera on the 40-man roster.

The Reds sent Julian Aguiar back to Louisville and recalled Zach McCanbley from Triple A Louisville.

Julian Aguiar Rises To Get The Win Over Cubs

2026-09-19T15:28:00.099-04:00

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Dateline: Cincinnati

The Reds took the first game of the final three game series of the season defeating the Chicago Cubs, 6-4.

Julian Aguiar last pitched in the big leagues two years ago to the day on September 19 of 2024.

He was able to pitch three innings against the Chicago Cubs, allowing he gave up two runs on four hits and a walk. He struck out two.

Aguiar was on the mound when Jose Trevino drove in the winning runs in the sixth inning. Aguiar got credit for his third career win.

He was the losing pitcher in that game against Atlanta, giving up seven runs. He won his start on September 13, defeating the Minnesota Twins in a quality start with 6 1/3 innings, allowing three runs on three hits and two walks.

Aguiar was placed on the injured list with a strained UCL in his right elbow that required surgery. He didn't pitch at all in 2025 and started 16 minor league games this season. He had a 6.27 ERA for Louisville.

The Reds called him up to piggy back with Chase Burns, who they are trying to ease through his first full season by adjusting his workload. Brandon Williamson filled that role in three games but was pressed into two innings against the Dodgers on Thursday night.

The Reds placed Julian Garcia on the injured list with bone chips in his elbow.

Burns pitched his requisite three innings, allowing two runs on four hit, including a home run to Ian Happ. Aguiar gave up the two runs and the Reds trailed 4-3 going into the bottom of the sixth.

"He had a good change up. The last inning was his best inning," Terry Francona said. "He competed well which was good. The first two guys got on that had a chance to go in the wrong direction but he did ok. He got us to where we could use the bullpen."

Michael Conforto and Carson Kelly opened the sixth with singles. Aguiar struck out Dansby Swanson. He got top MVP candidate Pete Crow-Armstrong to pop up in the infield. Seiya Suzuki flied out to right.

Brock Burke, Tejay Antone and Emilio Pagan shut down the Cubs over the last three innings. Pagan earned his 24th save when Michael Busch was throw out stealing by Jose Trevino. He was ruled safe on the field but the Reds' challenge was successful.

The Reds scored three runs to regain the lead.

Sal Stewart put the Reds on top in the first inning on a sacrifice fly. It was the 110th RBI of the season.

Dodgers Clinch National League West On Reds Turf

2026-09-17T16:12:13.377-04:00

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Dateline: Cincinnati

Kyle Tucker lifted the Los Angeles Dodgers with four hits, including two doubles and a home run to an early advantage, leading to an 8-2 Division clinching win over the Reds.

The loss eliminated the San Diego Padres with their sixth win in seven games against the Reds. It also insured the Reds a losing season with it's 82nd loss on the year.

The Reds were 20-11 in the first quarter of the season before sliding to the current low of 11 games below .500.

Brady Singer walked Freddie Freeman, then fell behind Tucker 3-1. Tucker hit his 16th home run of the season.

The Dodgers added two more in the second inning. Freddie Freeman drove in a run with a sacrifice fly, that Dane Myers ran down in the left center field gap. Tucker doubled in the second run. Tucker finished with a second double in the eighth.

The Dodgers took the third inning off then bum rushed Singer in the fourth. The only out he recorded was Tommy Edman, who was picked off first after he was hit by a pitch. The next five batters reached base to end Singer's day. Freeman and Tucker singled. Teoscar Hernandez walked to load the bases. Max Muncy doubled home two runs and rookie, Josue De Paula, singled to score Hernandez.

Singer left and Luis Mey finished the fourth inning with no further damage.

"It looked like he was trying to get a little extra and couldn't command his pitches," Terry Francona said. "This is a bad team to play when you don't have command."

Singer has allowed six, eight and seven runs in his last three starts. He was the winning pitcher in one of those but lost six of his last seven decisions.

"I had a lot of walks and hard contact," Singer said. "I tried to get command going and stuff like that. I tried to get the command going and obviously I couldn't. I couldn't get the ball where I wanted. I tried to force some pitches. Matt Tracy (acting pitching coach) and I are working to figure something out. We're working on some mechanical stuff."

Dodgers' starter Justin Wrobleski was removed after he retired all nine Reds' batters he face. The Dodgers are trying to milk him into the post season.

Blake Treinen inherited a 7-0 lead.

Singer was charged with seven runs on nine hits in 3 1/3 innings on nine hits, four walks and two hit batters. He had no strikeouts.

Blake Treinen struck out Myers and Elly De La Cruz but Sal Stewart hit his 32nd home run, driving in his 109th run. It was the Reds' first base runner.

Mey, Tony Santillan, Pierce Johnson and Brandon Williamson closed down the Dodgers offense until Miguel Rojas hit his fourth home run in the ninth. but Dodgers reliever Landon Knack picked up four innings before turning the keys over to Seth Halvorsen gave the Reds a token run in the ninth.

The use of Williamson changes the Reds plan for Chase Burns on Friday against the Chicago Cubs. The last two starts for Burns, the Reds had Williamson follow Burns in his starts.

"This will change that," Francona said. "We are about to meet and figure that out."

Stewart singled to raise his average to .271. Will Banfield, who replaced Tyler Stephenson, who left the game with a cramp, doubled just missing his first career home run. Juan Brito's ground out scored Stewart before Halvorsen struck out Matt McLain to clinch the division crown.

The Dodgers are 93-60 with nine games left. They have a four game lead over the Atlanta Braves for the first round playoff bye. They are two games behind the Milwaukee Brewers for the top record which would guarantee home field advantage at every level of the playoffs.

It is the 13th time in 14 seasons the Dodgers owned the division title in the NL West.

Reds Finally Beat Dodgers To Delay Their Celebration

2026-09-16T22:55:27.274-04:00

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Dateline: Cincinnati

The Reds delayed the Los Angeles Dodgers celebration with a 6-2 win. It was the Reds first win in the last 11 games, including the playoffs.

The Dodgers could celebrate later tonight if the Colorado Rockies defeat the San Diego Padres in a game in Denver.

Elly De La Cruz, Juan Brito and Sal Stewart combined to seven hits and four RBI.

Blake Snell, who pitched a no-hitter the last time he pitched at Great American Ball Park, left the game after one inning. He struck out Dane Myers on a challenged called strike three. Elly De La Cruz flied out routinely to center. Sal Stewart singled but Snell picke him off.

Snell left with left groin tightness.

The Dodgers dented the plate in the third inning on an RBI double by Will Smith after Mookie Betts second hit of the game.

De La Cruz put the Reds ahead with his 28th home run, a career high. It came off Seth Halvorsen in the third inning. Jose Trevino singled and was forced at second by Matt McLain, who was on base when De La Cruz hit the seventh home run of his career in his 25th game against the Dodgers. He has reached base in his last 23 games.

"Elly has balance and when you have good balance, it shrinks the strike zone a little bit. He leverages the ball so well when he's on balance and uses the whole field," Terry Francona said.

Andrew Abbott was short of qualifying for a win, when he walked five in 4 2/3 innings, including the first two batters of the fifth. The Dodgers had just three hits off Abbott but the walks caused manager Terry Francona to bring Julian Garcia to get out the Reds' main nightmare, Teoscar Hernandez with a pop up. Abbott struck out five.

Myers hit a home run off Bobby Miller with two outs in the fifth inning to give the Reds a two-run lead. It was Myers' seventh home run.

Miller and the Dodgers' catcher, Will Smith, are both University of Louisville graduates. Both were taken by the Dodgers in the first round. Smith in 2016 and Miller in 2020.

The Reds got to Garcia for a run in the sixth. With one out Kyle Tucker singled. Kike Hernandez dribbled an infield single and Garcia walked pinch hitter Alex Freeland to load the bases. Tommy Edman grounded out to Stewart at first and his only play was at first as Tucker scored. Tejay Antone came in to face Betts, who lined out to De La Cruz.

The Reds added a run against Miller. Stewart hit his second single and Tyler Stephenson was hit by a pitch. Juan Brito's third hit of the game was a duck snort in short right field to score Stewart.

"It feels great. I'm getting confidence from my teammates and the staff have said positive things to me," Brito said through interpreter Tomas Vera. "Hitting from the left side is. I had surgery last year that took a tendon from my left side. I wasn't able to do things from the left side but it hasn't happened this year."

Brito, a switch hitter is hitting .394 from the right side and .238 from the left side. He has hit two home runs since joining the Reds one from each side.

"Brito has a good short swing from the right side. It is a little longer from the left side," Francona said.

Brock Burke extended his career-high with his 74th appearance. He authored a scoreless inning. He gave up an inning opening hit to Smith but Reds' boogy man Teoscar Hernandez hit into a 6-4-3 double play.

Stewart's third hit of the game came off Jack Dreyer. It was a hard smash off the glove of Betts. It was Stewart's 108th RBI good for second in baseball and the first RBI in eight games. McLain started the inning with a double and stole third. Manager Dave Roberts elected to walk De La Cruz. Eugenio Suarez walked to load the bases. TJ Friedl singled to score De La Cruz but Tommy Edman threw Stewart out at home.

Graham Ashcraft pitched in the eighth for the Reds, walking two with two outs but escaped the inning.

Emilio Pagan gave up a leadoff single but struck out the heart of the Dodgers order, including Teoscar Hernandez, who came in hitting .600 against the Reds this season with three home runs.

Blake Snell Comes Back To The Scene Of The Crime

2026-09-16T18:45:18.557-04:00

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Dateline: Cincinnati

The last time lefthanded starter, Blake Snell, pitched at Great American Ball Park, the Reds left shaking their individual and collective heads.

On August 2, 2024, Snell pitched a no-hitter in a 3-0 win.

He was a member of the San Francisco Giants on that date and handled the Reds. He struck out Jonathan India, Elly De La Cruz and Spencer Steer to start the game. He walked three, including, Tyler Stephenson and TJ Friedl in the sixth inning and a double play prevented the Reds from ever getting a man of second base. Snell retired the last 13 Reds batters in order, striking out 11. He threw 114 pitches, 78 for strikes.

Andrew Abbott, who will start against Snell tonight (091626), was his mound opponent on that night.

Abbott pitched 4 1/3 innings, allowing two runs on seven hits.

Snell last pitched against the Reds in the first game of the National League Division Series, a 10-5 Dodgers win. He pitched seven innings, allowing two runs on seven hits and a walk. He struck out nine.

Yoshinobu Yamamoto Says No To Reds O Teoscar Hernandez Says Yes To Dodgers O

2026-09-15T21:48:57.258-04:00

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Dateline: Cincinnati

Yoshinobu Yamamoto beat the Reds 14-1 in his last start on September 9. Tuesday night (091526) He made the 4-0 win by his Los Angeles Dodgers win over the Reds look just as lopsided.

The Reds were shut out for the 17th time this season.

It was the the 10th win in a row for the Dodgers over the Reds, including the two-game playoff sweep from last season. The Reds dropped to a season-low 11 games under .500 at 70-81. The Reds will have to win all 11 games to break even on the season.

The Dodgers scored in the second inning against Reds' starter, Rhett Lowder. Max Muncy was hit with a pitch and scored when Tommy Edman and Hunter Feduccia singled.

If Teoscar Hernandez doesn't stop hitting Reds' pitchers, he will be on the most wanted poster in every post office in six counties. He hit another two-out, two-run home run off Reds' pitching over the last two games. It was his 15th home run of the season.

He has hit safely against the Reds in 23 straight games. He is now 30-for-81 (.370) lifetime. He has 9-for-13 with three home runs this season in just five games.

Lowder pitched five innings, allowing three runs on five hits, two walks and two hit batters. He struck out four and escaped two innings inducing double play ground balls.

"He threw a lot of pitches. It's a shame. He had a nice three or four pitch inning then it's a walk and a home run." Terry Francona said. "I told him I thought he threw better the last inning and there will be times, I will send him back out there but people forget he didn't pitch a lot of innings last year. His velocity was up a tick."

Julian Garcia took over for the Reds in the sixth inning.

Alex Freeland hit a "Tommy Helms" wall scraper for his fourth home run of the season in the seventh inning. Pierce Johnson wasn't hit hard but it was just inside the foul pole and just where the left field wall bend eight feet toward the foul line.

Tommy Helms famously hit the Reds' first home run at Riverfront Stadium on a ball that just clipped the foul pole.

The Reds third double play was extremely unusual. First of all Graham Ashcraft struck out Teoscar Hernandez which was rare enough. With Kyle Tucker, who walked for the second time. Max Muncy hit a slow ground ball to Juan Brito at third base. Brito was on the infield grass when he made the throw. Sal Stewart took the throw. Tucker saw that third base was undefended and took off for it. Elly De La Cruz took off after him and Stewart hit him on the run, like he was Joe Burrow. De La Cruz dived and applied the tag on the sliding Tucker for the rare 5-6-3 double play.

"I wish Ashcraft or (Will) Banfield would have covered third but it was a great play," Francona said.

Yamamoto pitched seven innings for the second straight start against the Reds. In Los Angeles in his last start on September 9, Yamamoto allowed a home run of 444' feet to De La Cruz. He walked Carlos Jorge and De La Cruz the first two batters of the game but retired 20 of the last 21 batters he faced. De La Cruz doubled in the third inning then put down the last 13 batters.

"You know when I talk about our pitchers, you have to respect a couple of pitches with him, you have to respect five," Francona said.

The Reds last gasp was against Tanner Scott. Pinch hitter Dane Myers walked De La Cruz singled for his second hit to put his average at .286.

Scott struck out Stewart, pinch hitter Jose Trevino and Eugenio Suarez to finish the game.

Tarik Skubal Shuts Down Reds Dodgers Clinch Playoffs

2026-09-14T21:58:02.828-04:00

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Dateline: Cincinnati

Tarik Skubal, who joined the Los Angeles Dodgers on August 2, shutout the Reds for seven innings. The Dodgers posted a 4-1 win.

It is the ninth straight win over the Reds, including two playoff games last season. The Dodgers swept the Reds last week September 7,8,9.

The Dodgers clinched a playoff spot for a record 14th straight year.

Kyle Tucker smashed his 15th home run of the season leading off the second inning. It was the 18th allowed by Nick Lodolo, who grew up in Southern California as a Los Angeles Angels fan.

Teoscar Hernandez hit .779 (7-for-) against the Reds last week in Los Angeles with a triple and a home run. Lodolo got the first two batters in the top of the fourth but walked Tucker. Hernandez hit the 14th home run of the season to put the Dodgers up 3-0.

Teoscar Hernandez walked and stole second as Max Muncy struck out for the second out but Kike Hernandez singled to put the Dodgers ahead, 4-0.

Lodolo pitched seven innings and left trailing 4-0. He only allowed three hits but two were home runs. He walked four and two of them scored. He allowed three runs with two outs and struck out four.

"He gave up three hits but two of them left the ballpark," Terry Francona said. "We just fell behind the wrong guy (Skubal). That's a very good hitting team and we knew that."

Luis Mey relieved Lodolo in the eighth inning.

"Lodolo is very competitive," Francona said. "I don't think you get to this level without being that way."

It was a season-high seven innings.

"I think I made some good pitches early in the count," Lodolo said. "I felt like I had better count control. It allowed me to go deeper there. Obviously, free bases there. That's a really good team. I don't worry about who is on the other side on the mound. You have to worry about doing your job. He (Skubal) is one of the best pitchers in the game, if not the best."

Skubal turned the game over to Alex Vesia in the eighth. Skubal shutout the Reds on three hits, all singles, and a walk. He struck out nine.

Tony Santillan held the Dodgers in the eighth.

The Reds avoided a 17th white wash when Elly De La Cruz hit a monstrous home run against Evan Phillips in the ninth.

It extended De La Cruz career-high to 27 on the season. He has six of them in September with a .284 batting average on the season. If it holds over the Reds last 12 games, it will also be a career high.

His home run is estimated at 457' and appeared to leave the border of the ballpark grounds.

"It didn't tie the game or anything but it was impressive. Maybe I'll pick it up on the way home," quipped Francona, who lives in Newport, Kentucky.

Reds Return From Long And Winding Road

2026-09-14T09:33:49.029-04:00

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Dateline: Cincinnati

The Reds odyssey ended on a positive note with a 4-3 win over the Milwaukee Brewers.

It snapped the Reds five-game losing streak and the Brewers five-game winning streak.

Chase Burns started the game. The Reds have put a governor on him to keep his number of innings down. He was scheduled to work three innings with Brandon Williamson taking over.

Burns gave up two hits and three walks while striking out five. Joe Ortiz hit his ninth home run of the season with Christian Yelich on base off Burns.

The Reds had little success against Brewers starter, Robert Gasser until Elly De La Cruz singled to start the sixth. Brewers manager Pat Murphy brought in Antonio Senzatela. Sal Stewart greeted him with a single. Eugenio Suarez blasted his 24th home run of the season to put the Reds on top.

Williamson allowed two hits in four innings but one of them was Jake Bauer’s team leading 26th home run to tie the game.

The Reds made Williamson the winner with a run in the eighth. The Reds pulled a rerun of the sixth. De La Cruz and Stewart singled against Abner Uribe. Suarez popped out to catcher Gary Sanchez in foul territory. Tyler Stephenson, as he’s done all year delivered De La Cruz with a long fly to right.

Brock Burke in his 73rd appearance had mixed results and perhaps a slight case of the yips. Cooper Pratt singled to center. Sal Frelick bunted. Brock fielded it and threw low and away to Stewart at first. The throw pulled Stewart off the base. The Brewers seemed to be in business. The dangerous Jackson Chourio lined a 1-1 pitch up the middle. Burke plucked out of the air and threw to second. That throw was low and away but Juan Brito, the slick fielding rookie scooped it with his foot on the bag to retire Pratt. Jose Trevino caught Frelick stealing with new Reds killer Brice Turang batting.

Emilio Pagan came in to close. Turang singled to start the drama. Pagan struck out Sanchez looking. Bauers hit a ball off the handle which acted like a knuckleball. It twisted and darted toward De La Cruz who got a glove on it to knock it down. He recovered the fumble and flipped to Brito to replace Turang, the Brewers leading base stealer with Bauer. It forced Murphy to summon David Hamilton as a pinch runner. Yelich hit a fly down the left field line. Defensive replacement TJ Friedl made a sliding catch in foul ground to hand Pagan his 23rd save.

The Reds are 70-79 heading into a grinding home stand with four games against the defending World Champion Los Angeles Dodgers and three more against current Wild Card leaders in the Chicago Cubs. The Red will be eliminated mathematically with a combination of two losses by two wins by the third wild card entry the San Diego Padres.

Reds On The Highway To Hell

2026-09-13T12:21:31.721-04:00

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Dateline: Cincinnati

Holy home run Batman.

The Reds media pointed to September at the beginning of the season by looking at this month at the start of the season.

The Reds started with the San Diego Padres visiting Great Canadian (by Mark Carney's provincial edict) Ball Park. Followed by six games against the Milwaukee Brewers, seven against the defending World Champion, Los Angeles Dodgers, six against leading playoff contender Chicago Cubs and after all that NL East leader the Atlanta Braves and to top it off the defending WS runner up, the Toronto Blue Jays.

The Reds held their own at GABP (GCBP in Canada) by winning two out of three against San Diego and Milwaukee. Then they hit the road.

They were swept by the Dodgers with the last game a 14-1 embarrassment in which on of the Reds few bright spots, Elly De La Cruz set a new career home run high at 26 with his fifth straight game featuring one of his home runs.

The tragic number is found in the Reds starting trio the last three games. Rhett Lowder allowed seven runs in the Dodgers' debacle, Andrew Abbott gave up eight runs, seven earned in the 20-0 Brewers win on football Friday in Cincinnati, the 16th white wash the Reds suffered. Last night Brady Singer was touched for eight runs in the Brewers 13-9 win on Saturday (091226).

Jose Trevino pitched three innings, appearing in two straight games. He now has pitched in more games seven than Hunter Greene, five.

The Brewers are a topic of concern among pundits because the have only hit 144 home runs but they have hit five against the Reds in the last two games, including two in new Reds' killer, Garrett Mitchell, who had four hits on Saturday. Never mind they have a low home run totals but lead baseball with 93 wins.

Since, Brewers manager, Pat Murphy took over for the 2024 season, the club set franchise win records over the last two seasons. With 93 wins with 13 games remaining, the Brewers need to win five of them to set another win record. They need to go 7-6 to win 100 games for the first time in franchise history.

The Reds are third in baseball with 198 home run which accounts for an inordinate amount of the team's total run tally. The Reds are a season low 10 games under .500 at 69-79.

Reds ace Chase Burns is 15-3 and starting against LHP Robert Gasser 4-5 on the hill for the Brewers.

Burns will likely be followed by recovering lefty Brandon Williamson as the Reds put a governor on Burns' work load to close out the season.

Tarik Skubal Pitches Dodgers To Win

2026-09-09T00:48:23.533-04:00

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Dateline: Cincinnati

Tarik Skubal pitched into the eighth inning in his seventh start for the Los Angeles Dodgers to hold the Reds for a slim 3-2 win.

It was the Dodgers sixth straight win over all and the 10th straight win over the Reds in Dodger Stadium, including two playoff games last season. It also ended the Reds streak at three for winning a series.

Will Smith started the scoring against Nick Lodolo with a home run on a 3-2 pitch in the first inning. It was Smith's seventh home run and ended a nine pitch at bat.

The Dodgers used Lodolo's loss of command to add a run in the second inning. Teoscar Hernandez continued to be a nightmare for the Reds and pitching carefully, Lodolo walked him to start the inning. Miguel Rojas flied out and Alex Call struck out but another Reds' tormentor singled to center. Lodolo walked Enrique Hernandez walked. He hit Tommy Edman to force in the run.

Dane Myers singled with two out in the third. Elly De La Cruz crushed a Tarik Skubal's first pitch 444 ft, the longest home run at Dodger's Stadium this year. It was the 25th of the season to tie De La Cruz' career high. It was the fourth game in a row the De La Cruz hit a home run.

De La Cruz arm saved kept the game tied when Teoscar Hernanez hit a sinking line drive to center. Myers dived for it and it got past him. JJ Bleday chased it down at the wall and threw a relay to De La Cruz. From mid center he threw out Hernandez at the plate with plenty of room to spare.

Lodolo pitched into the fifth inning.

Mookie Betts walked with one out. Smith was hit by a pitch. Freddie Freeman was called out on strikes on a successful challenge by Jose Trevino for the second out but Teoscar Hernandez second hit of the game scored Betts to put the Dodgers ahead.

Skubal allowed two more hits and two walks through seven innings. Skubal retired Rodriguez on a ground out, then was replaced by Edgardo Henriquez. De La Cruz doubled with two outs to bring the Major League leader in RBI, Sal Stewart, to the plate. He struck out looking on a successful challenge by Smith.

Tanner Scott issued a leadoff walk to Tyler Stephenson in the ninth and pinch runner Carlos Jorge stole second, his first career steal, but Scott struck out Eugenio Suarez and Bleday looking before Trevino grounded to short to end the game.

Teoscar Hernandez reached base four times with three hits and a walk. He came into the game hitting .324 against the Reds with three home run.

De La Cruz has reached base at least twice in 12 straight games.

Reds Defense And Untimely Walks Gift Dodgers A Win

2026-09-07T23:52:25.812-04:00

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Dateline: Cincinnati

The Reds defense let the Reds down in an unlikely way as the Los Angeles Dodgers posted a 6-3 win.

The Reds started the scoring when Elly De La Cruz blasted his 24th home run of the season.

After that Dodgers’ starter Emmet Sheehan retired 14 straight batters.

Reds starter Chase Burns pitched just three innings as the Reds are piggy backing his starts with Brandon Williamson.

Burns allowed just a walk in three innings. He struck out five including Shohei Ohtani the last batter he faced.

The Dodgers got a pair of gift runs in the fifth against Williamson. Teoscar Hernandez single for the Dodgers’ first hit. Williamson got two outs and was 0-2 to Alex Call but hit him in the back foot. Pinch hitter Miguel Rojas hit a slow ground ball to Ke’Bryan Hayes at third base. Hayes who was reactivated from the injured list after a groin injury, threw low and two runs scored.

The Reds chased Sheehan in the sixth inning. Carlos Jorge singled for his first major league hit. Fellow rookie Hector Rodriguez singled to put runners on the corner with one out. De La Cruz was Sheehan’s 10th strikeout but he walked Sal Stewart to load the bases. Left hander Alex Vesia relieved Sheehan and struck out JJ Bleday to end the threat.

Williamson walked Freddie Freeman and Max Muncy in front of Hernandez’ 13th home run of the season for a 5-1 lead.

Eugenio Suarez homered against Seth Halverson in the seventh inning. It is Suarez’ 22nd home run of the season and 211th as a Red passing Ken Griffey Jr for ninth on the Reds list.

The Reds chipped away in the eighth against Vesia. Rodriguez second single of the game opened the inning. De La Cruz singled him to third. MLB’s RBI leader with 107 struck out. Pinch hitter Dane Myers, who had 11 pinch hits in the year, grounded out to third to score a run after De La Cruz stole second.

The Dodgers loaded the bases in the bottom of the eighth. Tommy Edman reached on Hayes’ second error of the game. It was just the fourth time he’s had a multi error game. Muncy doubled and Hernandez was intentionally walked to load the bases with no outs. Kyle Tucker hit a slow ground ball to De La Cruz who charged it and threw off balance to get the force at home. Tejay Atone relieved Williamson. Pinch hitter, Will Smith, hit a fly to center deep enough to score the Didgers’ sixth run.

Williamson pitched 4 1/3 innings, allowing six runs, three earned on three hits. He four walks and one intentional walk. He struck out four.