Padres String Hits Together To Torture Brady Singer

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Dateline: Cincinnati  

The San Diego Padres shutout the Reds for the 15th time this season and the fifth time in August in a 5-0 win.

The Reds had chances against the Padres starter Michael King in their first three at bats with characteristically nothing to show for it.

Hector Rodriguez singled to open the bottom of the first. Elly De La Cruz was the first victim of Jackson Merrill's larceny. Sal Stewart doubled with Rodriguez stopping at third. JJ Bleday hit a ball hard but Ty France gloved it on a Sunday hop and stepped on the bag as Rodriguez held. Tyler Stephenson struck out swinging. 

 In the second inning, Eugenio Suarez was hit by a pitch to open the frame. Matt McLain singled but TJ Friedl forced McLain at second. Edwin Arroyo and Rodriguez struck out with a man on third and one out. 

The Reds came into the game dead last in Major League Baseball with a .217 batting average with runners in scoring position. They were already 0-for-4 in three innings.

The Reds put two on with two outs after Merrill scaled the fence to rob Stewart of his 32nd home run. Suarez grounded out. 

Brady Singer gave up hits in the first two innings but they didn't move. 

The Padres ambushed Singer in the fourth. Six straight hits by Manny Machado, Ty France, Merrill, Xander Bogaerts, Dustin Harris and Luis Campusano had hits with Bogaerts stinging a two-run double.

"I just tried to keep it on the plate. I didn't want to walk anyone to make things work. I was hoping they would hit one to a fielder to get a double play but they put good swings on them," Singer said.

The Padres put two on with one out in the fifth on Machado's third hit of the game and France's second to put runners on first and third. 

"I think he went through that inning and he was probably catching too much of the plate," Terry Francona said. "They got where they were going first to third. We had holes open. They used the whole field. They went first to third and he couldn't make that one pitch to get out of it."

Julian Garcia relieved Singer who pitched 4 1/3 giving up 10 hits and four runs. He didn't walk anyone and struck out five.

Garcia struck out Merrill and Bogaerts to strand both inherited base runners.

Homeplate umpire Manny Gonzalez was removed from the game with heat exhaustion. The game was finished with three umpires.

Fernando Tatis Jr. doubled off Pierce Johnson in the seventh. France drove him in with his third single of the game. 

Lefthander Kyle Hart a Cincinnati native and Sycamore High School grad relieved King in the seventh inning.

Tony Santillan came in from the bullpen to start the eighth.

Elly De La Cruz OK Reds To Bring Back Brandon Williamson Six Starters For Five Turns

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Dateline: Cincinnati  

Elly De La Cruz is going to play with a strained quad. The Reds had him examined this morning. According to Terry Francona, the medical staff thinks it is mild enough that he can play through it.

"Elly is a throwback. He truly wants to play every inning of every game," Francona said. "We told him he had to promise to tell us if it got any worse. He has played through much worse. I think he'll be ok."

The Reds are also putting a governor on Chase Burns, who is scheduled to start on Saturday (090526). 

Brandon Williamson will be activated from the 60-day injured list once the rosters expand. Williamson had a really good spring after surgery and not pitching for 15 months but on April 30th after making six starts with left shoulder fatigue. He was 2-3 with a 6.11 ERA when he went down.

Coming out of spring training the Reds had Burns who had never pitched more than 109 innings. Rhett Lowder missed all of 2025. Hunter Greene only logged 107 innings and had a hint of bone chips in his elbow.

Terry Francona and the staff they would take six starting pitchers and monitor every one but Andrew Abbott and work horse Brady Singer.

"That was exactly our plan but it didn't work," Francona said. "We have six starters in a five-man rotation."

Chase Burns Has 15 Wins 15 Is The New 20?

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Dateline: Cincinnati  

The last time a Reds' rookie won 20 games, Tom Browning did it in 1985. The last time a Reds pitcher won 20 games, Johnny Cueto did it in 2014. Only one other pitcher won at least 20 games was Danny Jackson in 1988 when he won 23 games.

Chase Burns has 15 wins in 26 starts.

For perspective, Browning made 38 starts in 1985 and pitched 261 1/3 innings. Jackson made 35 starts and pitched 260 2/3 innings. Cueto made 34 starts and pitched 243 2/3 innings.

There has not been a 20-game winner in baseball since Spencer Strider did it in 2023. Since 2016 there were five seasons, not counting 2020 that have gone without a 20-game winner.

Some reasons, the modern theory of five starter as opposed to four in the a by gone era. Starting pitchers most often work six innings or fewer and rely on the bullpen when they leave with a lead.

For Burns to have 18 decision (15-3) in 26 starts is an above average number of decisions. 

The breakdown for Burns. In 26 starts he has pitched at least five innings in 25 of them. Just recently in his August 24th start in San Francisco he pitched a season low 3 2/3 innings. He has pitched into the sixth inning in six starts including Sunday night's (083026) 5 2/3 innings against the Chicago Cubs. He pitched six innings 10 times. He pitched a season-high seven innings twice.

Burns has just eight no decisions. He has not been a victim of a blown save all year. He has allowed a season high five runs four times that resulted in the three losses and one no decision.

In one outing he allowed three runs over five innings, so it didn't count as a quality start. In every other start he has allowed two or fewer runs.

Hector Rodriguez And Tyler Stephenson Cancel Pete Crow-Armstrong

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Dateline: Cincinnati  

Pete Crow-Armstrong did it again.

As he did on Saturday, he greeted Reds starting pitcher, Chase Burns this time, with a long home run to lead off the bottom of the first inning.

This time instead of leading to a lopsidedly win, Hector Rodriguez hit a three-run home run and Tyler Stephenson cracked a two-run home run to allow the Reds to post a 7-5 win over the Chicago Cubs and take the series two games to one. 

 Burns allowed a run in the second inning too. Ian Happ, Nico Hoerner and Michael Conforto singled to produce the run. 

Shota Imanaga held the Reds quiet for three innings but he is a bad fit from the Cubs perspective against the Reds.

Most of the Reds offense comes from home runs. They are next to last in baseball with a team average of .228, rank 27th with an on-base-percentage of .307 and are dead last with a .218 average with runners in scoring position. However, they are fourth in baseball with 183 home runs.

Imanaga was tied for fourth in baseball with 31 home runs allowed and now is tied with Jeffrey Springs of the Athletics with 33 after the game.

That is where rookie Hector Rodriguez came in. Rodriguez hit 27 home runs in the International League with the Louisville Bats. He was called up by the Reds on August 3 and made his first appearance on August 4.

He struggled out of the gate. He doubled for his first hit on August 7. He was 1-for-9 after three games. After 11 days his average slipped to .083. Since then, Rodriguez is hitting .324. He had three home runs in the first eight games of the road trip, when he faced Imanaga with Eugenio Suarez and Matt McLain on base with two outs in the fourth. The rookie hit an 0-1 pitch into the right field bleachers for his fourth major league home run and 31st overall.

Fielding is behind Rodriguez hitting and that led to the Cubs tying the score against Burns with a unearned run.

Happ walked and Hoerner singled to start the bottom of the inning against Burns. Pedro Ramirez flied to Rodriguez in right. Happ tagged and Rodriguez throw got away from McLain and Happ scored.

The Reds offense assaulted Imanaga in the fifth. 

Dane Myers hit his sixth home run to lead off. Elly De La Cruz beat out an infield hit and felt tightness in his left quad. He stayed in but was pulled in the bottom of the seventh. He will be examined today (083126).

Stephenson hit his 14th home run to put the Reds up 6-3. Stephenson has now hit six of them in August.

Sal Stewart hit his 31st home run of the season off Trent Thornton. Stewart is now ninth on the MLB home run list ahead of Shohei Ohtani. He leads baseball with 105 RBI. To give perspective the Reds have 359 RBI as a team. Stewart has 29% of them.

He is seven home runs behind Frank Robinson’s Reds rookie record set in 1956. 

Burns was working on his fourth scoreless inning in the sixth. De La Cruz booted Alex Bergman’s ground ball to start the inning. Happ singled but Burns struck out Howrner and Ramirez flied out. 

Manager Terry Francona brought in Brock Burke to face lefty Conforto. Cubs manager Craig Counsel countered with Tyrone Taylor to pinch hit. Taylor grounded out to De La Cruz to end the inning.

Burns pitched 5 2/3 innings, allowed three runs, two earned on six hits and a walk. He struck out seven and left with an ERA of 2.79 and a 15-3 record. 

He is one off the Major League pace for wins and ninth in ERA slightly ahead of former Red and MLB leading 16-game winner Sonny Gray.

Luis Mey gave up a run in the eighth.

Emilio Pagan got two quick out then gave up Crow-Armstrong’s 38th home run, giving him five against the Reds in the last two games of the series. He is two behind former Cub and Middletown HS grad, Kyle Schwarber.

Pagan finished the job getting Seiya Suzuki to fly out to Myers against the Ivy. This time Myers squeezed it to secure the game.

It was Pagan’s 19th save and third in a row. In his last 16 appearances he has three wins and 12 saves.

Pete Crow-Armstrong Ambushed Scalped Reds

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Dateline: Cincinnati  

Pete Crow-Armstrong ambushed Andrew Abbott with a home run to lead off the game and was just getting started in a 17-5 Chicago Cubs mauling of Reds pitching. 

Seiya Suzuki singled as an encore and Alex Bregman hit his 20th home run and the Reds were behind 3-0 before Abbott recorded an out.

Eugenio Suarez got the Reds close in the second inning with his 20th home run of the season Tyler Stephenson on base off Kevin Gausman. It was Suarez’ 17th home run at Wrigley Field.

Crow-Armstrong hit a two-run home run in his second at bat in his second at bat.

 Elly De La Cruz made a wild throw that allowed a run to score depriving PCA of another RBI.

De La Cruz walked in the third in time to score on Sal Stewart’s 30th home run that increased his Major League Baseball best RBI total to 104.

Abbott’s nightmare continued in the fourth.  Crow-Armstrong single to end Abbott’s day at three-plus innings.

He allowed seven runs on eight hits and two walks. He managed one strikeout.

PCA scored when Suzuki and Bregman singled against Julian Garcia.

The Reds stayed close enough when JJ Bleday scored De La Cruz with a sacrifice fly in the fifth.

Carson Kelly’s ninth home run with two on against Garcia continued the massacre of the worn out Reds’ bullpen.

While the Reds lumber began to slumber against the Cubs’ bullpen. The Cubs’ bats remained hot.

Tony Santillan was the next victim in the seventh. Walks to Pedro Ramirez and Kelly set up Crow-Armstrong for his 37th home run to give him a career-high with three home runs and six RBI. Nico Hoerner capped the inning with a run scoring single.

The Reds turned up the jugular by sending Jose Trevino out to pitch the eighth. It was his fifth emergency effort. He had four by May 8 and this was his first since.

Tyrone Taylor singled. Kelly doubled for his fourth RBI. Crow-Armstrong came up smiling and eye-balling a four home run game. He lined a foul that narrowly missed giving him a career-high fifth hit. But it gave him another swing for the record. It was on his mind when he hit the ball off the handle that plopped in front of Stewart. Suzuki finished off the Reds with his 23rd home run. 

Stewart has already set the Reds rookie record for RBI besting Jim Greengrass in 1953. He has a chance to for the club home run record of 38 by Hall of Famer, Frank Robinson in 1956. 

Reds Outblast Cubs With Four Home Runs

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Dateline: Cincinnati  

The Reds blasted four home runs to out slug the Chicago Cubs 10-8 at Wrigley Field.

It was the second game in a row that the Reds, season long, slumping offense scored 10 runs and they needed every one of them.

Tyler Stephenson capped a five run inning with a three-run home run. Sal Stewart belted his 29th and the duo of Jose Trevino and TJ Friedl one each.

 The Cubs started the scoring against Rhett Lowder in the first inning. Seiya Suzuki and Alex Bregman doubled. 

The Cubs extended the lead on Michael Busch’s 17th home run with a man on in the third.

The Reds got one back in the fourth JJ Bleday singled and took second on a wild pitch. Hector Rodriguez scored him with a single. Stewart touched David Peterson with his 29th home run and 101st RBI to make it a one run game.

Trevino tied the game with a home run against Trent Thornton, his fourth of the season.

Stewart put the Reds ahead in the sixth with an infield single after a walk to Hector Rodriguez and a single by Elly De La Cruz. Tyler Stephenson crushed his 13th home run to give the Reds a 7-3 lead. 

De La Cruz shot a two run single through the hole at short to put the Reds up 9-3, the same deficit the Reds erased in the ninth inning on Wednesday (082626) to beat the San Francisco Giants.

This time the Reds had to sweat out a Cubs’ comeback.

Luis Mey pitched a 1-2-3 seventh and retired the first two batters in the eighth but he walked number nine hitter, Carson Kelly. A wild pitch sent him to second but Pete Crow-Armstrong singled to center with Kelly holding third. Suzuki singled to make it 9-4. Brock Burke entered and walked Busch. He struck out Bregman looking.

Tejay Antone started the bottom of the eighth. Ian Happ and Nico Hoerner singled. Rookie Pedro Ramirez hit his fourth home run to cut the lead to two.

Sam Moll replaced Antone. Pinch hitter Matt Shaw doubled off the glove of defensive replacement, Friedl’s glove. Moll retired Kelly and Crow-Armstrong but Suzuki hit his second double to earn his second RBI. Busch grounded out softly to Eugenio Suarez at third base.

Daniel Palencia took over for the Cubs in the top of the ninth. He quickly struck out Matt McLain and Trevino.

Friedl stepped up with one hit, a bunt single, since July 17 in 34 at bats. He hit a foul ball out of Wrigley just foul, took a ball and launched his fourth home run of the season to pad the lead for closer, Emilio Pagan. 

Friedl has more bunt singles, five, than home runs.

Pagan set the Cubs down on seven pitches for his 18th save.

Ke’Bryan Hayes Out Edwin Arroyo In

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Dateline: Cincinnati  

Ke’Bryan Hayes was placed on the 10-day injured list with a strained left groin.

Edwin Arroyo was recalled from Triple A Louisville.

 Hayes has shown some offensive life lately, hitting two home runs in August. He was hitting .241 in the last 13 games. 

Arroyo played 44 games in his first tour, hitting two .244 with three doubles and a triple.

Arroyo is hitting .309 in 72 games with 13 doubles, five triples, 15 home runs and 43 RBI. In his last seven games is hitting .261.

Reds Sink In The Bay But Wait

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Dateline: Cincinnati  

The Reds fell to a season low 10 games under .500 with a 9-3 loss against the woeful San Francisco Giants in a three game sweep.

But wait for the first time since Smokey Burgess off Freddy Rodriguez hit three run home run at Wrigley Field, the Reds next destination, have the Reds won a game when trailing by six runs going into the ninth.

Another Rodriguez, Hector hit his second home run of the game that sparked a seven run rally.

 Elly De La Cruz single against Spencer Bivens was his third hit of the game. Sal Stewart and JJ Bleday walked. Bleday got a strike three overturned on appeal. Eugenio Suarez belted a grand slam off Dylan Smith. It is Suarez 19th homer of the season. It was his 10th of his career and second of the season.

The Reds weren’t finished. 

Dane Myers beat out an infield hit and went to second on a throwing error. Matt McLain’s intent was to bunt the tying run to third but he beat it out for a hit. He stole second. Jose Trevino drove in his second run of the game with a sacrifice fly. McLain moved to third with one out carrying the go ahead run. Tyler Stephenson lined a single to left to put the Reds up 10-9.

Jose Pagan nailed the lid shut for his 17th save.

Prior to the uprising. The Reds managed three run. Trevino singled home a run in the second after a McLain sacrifice. Rodriguez hit his second home run of the year in the third. Stewart hit a sacrifice fly to become the first Reds’rookie to drive in 100 runs since Jim Greengrass did it in 1953.

The Reds had struggled all series with a Giants’ bullpen that was over used. The first two games of the series Giants starting pitchers left early with injuries, leaving the bullpen to cover 14 innings. They did so effectively but were on fumes against the Reds Wednesday.

The Reds were shutout in the first game and carried a zero into the ninth inning on Tuesday (082526). Stewart hit his 28th home run to end a 23 inning drought. It was Stewart’s 99th RBI.

The Giants, who were mostly made up of Triple A Sacramento River Cats, hit a pair of two-run home runs off Nick Lodolo. 

Jonah Cox hit one in the second inning. It erased the Reds early one run lead. Rafael Devers hit his 28th of the season and third of the series with a man on in the fourth.

Lodolo allowed four runs in four-plus innings.

Julian Garcia surrendered number nine hitter Shea Whitcombs third home run of the year to give the Giants a 6-2 lead.

Tony Santillan kicking off the rust in his second appearance after missing time with a strained left oblique, gave up a bases loaded double with two outs in the bottom of the eighth to Drew Gilbert, who was a double machine in the series. Santillan picked up a win just as Joe Nuxhall did against the Cubs on that day in 1958.

Chase Burns Falls In Short Outing

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Dateline: Cincinnati  

The San Francisco Giants scored five run with the first 11 batters and coasted to a 5-0 win to start the three game series.

Chase Burns had a rough start.

The first four Giants’ batters got hits. Drew Gilbert led off the game with a ground rule double. Rafael Devers singled him to third. Jung Hoo Lee singled to plate Gilbert. Turner Hill doubled off the right field wall. JJ Bleday played the carom and relayed to Matt McLain who threw Lee out at the plate after Devers scored. Drew Cavanaugh and Nate Furman struck out.

 Burns got the first two batters in the second inning. Christian Koss singled. Gilbert, who played with Burns at the University of Tennessee, hit his second double. Devers followed with his 27th home run to put the Giants up, 5-0.

Gilbert and Burns played at Tennessee for Giants manager, Tony Vitello.

Giants starter Carson Whisenhunt had to leave the game with two outs and two on in the third inning, favoring his left elbow.

Jason Foley took over to face Dane Myers, who struck out.

Grant McCray tripled to lead off the fourth inning. Koss hit a dribbler to Burns who knocked it down. Koss reached first as McCray held third. Gilbert hit a ground ball to McLain who was drawn in. He fielded the ball close enough to Koss to reach out and tag him. McLain looked the runner back to third and had enough time to flip to Sal Stewart for a double play. 

Terry Francona chose to relieve Burns with Sam Moll who retired Devers with a ground out.

Burns allowed a career high nine hits in 3 2/3 innings. His five runs allowed raised his season ERA to 2.77. He walked one and struck out five. 

It was the fourth time Burns allowed a season-high five runs in his shortest start of the year.

The Giants used four more relievers to complete the Reds 14th white wash of the season. The Reds had five hits all singles. 

Former Red Reiver Sanmartin, Ryan Walker, Carson Seymour and Dylan Smith allowed three hits and a walk.

The Reds bullpen, Moll, Julian Garcia and Emilio Pagan who needed an inning of work allowed just a single the rest of the game.

The Reds Michael Toglia will have surgery to repair a torn right labrum and will miss the rest of the season.

Michael Toglia To IL

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Dateline: Cincinnati  

The Reds placed Michael Toglia on the 10-day injured list with a dislocated right shoulder.

Toglia injured the shoulder making a diving catch in the first inning in Friday(082126) against the Arizona Diamondbacks.

 The Reds recalled switch hitting infielder/outfielder Ivan Johnson from Triple A Louisville.

Toglia had three hits, two doubles in 26 at bats. He played in 10 games.

Johnson has played in 12 games with the Reds and has a single in 12 at bats.

He is hitting .255 in 71 games at Louisville with eight doubles and 11 home runs.