Dateline: Cincinnati
Sal Stewart has both struggled and dominated at different times in his first full season in the Major Leagues. Against the New York Mets, he carried the offense to send the Reds to a 5-3 win that clinches the first series win in the last five.
As of April 25, Stewart was hitting .303 with nine home runs and 29 RBI. Since then he was hitting .214 with four home runs and 14 RBI coming into the game with the Mets.
"I got a good pitch to hit and put a good swing on it," Stewart said. "Jesus Christ does things and sometimes I question him. I don't understand why because every thing he does is for my benefit. I enjoy the good things. I know how it felt when I was going bad. I didn't want that, you know, I would pray every night to give me the courage to go out there and keep competing."
The rookie leads the Reds with 14 home runs and 47 RBI. He leads all rookies with 27 extra base hits.
Brady Singer, who has also struggled, persevered and pitched the Reds to the victory with help from the bullpen.
The Reds jumped on Senga in the first inning. The Mets right hander was just activated from the injured list before the game. His best pitch has been named the "Ghost Ball" because it disappears from the strike zone.
The Reds made it disappear from Great American Ball Park in the first inning. Blake Dunn and JJ Bleday walked to open the game against the rusty rightie. Sal Stewart made a phantom of a 2-1 pitch, hitting it off the facade of the upper deck in left field for his team-leading 14th home run. Nathaniel Lowe lined a pitch to center that local Springboro High School alumnus made a exceptional diving catch to turn in the first out of the inning. Eugenio Suarez struck out but Spencer Steer ghosted another ball into the left field stands.
"Dunner had a really good at bat and Bleday always has a good at bat. Sal got a pitch he could drive," Francona said. "Sal knows he's a good hitter and that you don't get hits every day. Our message to him from spring training, we also know you're a good hitter. On days you don't get hits, help us win and he's taken to that."
Reds' starter Brady Singer retired the first six batters of the game but hit Brett Baty with a pitch, leading off the third. MJ Melendez beat out the relay on an attempted double play. Francisco Alvarez singled. Carson Benge flied out but Bo Bichette singled home Melendez. Juan Soto walked to load the bases but Jared Young popped to short.
"I felt like the command was good. The first two innings were good, but the third and fourth, there were a lot of free bags that drove the pitch count up. I was happy with the results but without the free bags, I could have gotten deeper in the game," Singer said.
Two walks and a hit batter, Baty for the second time, loaded the base again. Singer played Houdini and escaped for the second inning in a row.
The Reds added a run against Cionel Perez. Edwin Arroyo doubled for his first career extra base hit. Dunn bunted and beat it out for a hit. Stewart drove in his fourth run of the game with a line single to left.
Singer left the game after a scoreless fifth that ended with a slick double play turned in by Arroyo and McLain.
"He probably could have gone back out and he wanted to but you know what he had to work so hard in a couple of those innings, I thought that was good enough," Terry Francona said.
The Mets got close in the sixth. Marcus Semien singled and pinch hitter, Mark Vientos hit his eighth home run into the upper deck in left.
Tejay Antone walked the first two batters he faced in the eighth inning but retired the next three batters to strand them.
Tony Santillan, another player who has been heroic and vilified at different times this season, earned his fourth save of the season in eight chances. He struck out two in the ninth and the one base runner he allowed, Juan Soto, hit a bleeder to reach on an infield single.
Santillan followed a stellar 2025 season with 11 scoreless outings before being charged with three runs in against the Detroit Tigers in and a blown save on April 24. He had two more scoreless outings, then the struggles began. Santillan had 12 outings that netted three losses, four blown saves and a 13.50 ERA. He allowed seven home runs and six walks in 9 1/3 innings during the stretch.
But he has turned things around in his last six games, he has allowed no runs on four hits and saved two games.
"He is such a competitor and he cares so much, he's figuring it out," Terry Francona said.
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