The Reds arrive in Washington trying to keep their trip from turning into a clean Nationals sweep, but the series has already tilted hard the other way. Cincinnati came in riding a winning streak, only to watch Washington shut it down by taking the first two games of the three-game set. Sunday’s finale gets going early, with first pitch set for 12:15pm ET, and the game is available only on Peacock.
The matchup on the mound gives the game its shape. Cincinnati sends Brady Singer, while Washington counters with Brad Lord.
Singer’s season line shows a heavy workload: 113.2 innings, a 4.67 ERA, a 1.43 WHIP, 39 walks and 97 strikeouts. Lord has logged 59.0 innings with a 3.81 ERA, a 1.20 WHIP, 21 walks and 52 strikeouts.
Singer’s season has been a study in two different stretches. May was rough, as he dealt with a few ailments and injuries, but since June he has settled in.
Over his last 11 starts, he’s posted a 3.45 ERA and allowed just five home runs in 62.2 innings. He also faced Washington in May, when the Nationals tagged him for three runs, all on solo homers, in only 3.2 innings.
The splits against Singer have been unusual. Right-handed hitters have not hit for much average, but they’ve drawn walks at a decent clip and put the ball in play often, with solid power when they do connect. Lefties have done more damage in batting average and slugging, though they strike out much more and don’t walk often.
Singer’s pitch mix is built around the sinker and slider. He’s throwing the 2-seam at 48% and the slider at 42%, with a cutter at 7% and a 4-seam fastball at 3%. His listed velocities are 90.8 on the 4-seam, 91.4 on the 2-seam, 87.0 on the cutter and 82.2 on the slider.
Lord is making just his second start of the season. His first came on July 1, and he’s only three games removed from that outing because he spent much of July on the injured list before returning to the Nationals on August 5. He has worked multiple innings in many of his appearances this year, reaching 3.0 innings six times in 28 games.
The sample on Lord is still small, but the platoon split has been stark. Right-handed hitters have done very little against him. Lefties have had much more success, hitting for a strong average, drawing plenty of walks and producing solid power when they get their hits.
Lord’s pitch usage shows a more balanced mix than Singer’s. He’s using the 4-seam at 36%, the slider at 35%, the 2-seam at 23% and the change at 5%. His velocities are listed at 94.6 on the 4-seam, 94.4 on the 2-seam, 84.3 on the slider and 86.1 on the change.
The Reds’ lineup puts Elly De La Cruz at shortstop and includes Sal Stewart at first, JJ Bleday in left, Tyler Stephenson behind the plate, Eugenio Suarez at designated hitter, Hector Rodriguez in right, Dane Myers in center, Matt McLain at second and Ke’Bryan Hayes at third. Washington answers with CJ Abrams at short, Abimelec Ortiz at first, Jose Tena at DH, Daylen Lile in left, Dylan Crews in right, Jorbit Vivas at third, Nasim Nunez at second, Keibert Ruiz catching and Jacob Young in center.
One small note from the Reds’ system: Eric Becker, Cincinnati’s second-round pick this year and the only draft pick from the team currently playing in the minor leagues, homered last night for Dayton. It was his third professional game.
In the division picture, Milwaukee sits at 73-44, Chicago is 68-50, St. Louis is 58-59, Pittsburgh is 58-61 and Cincinnati is 56-60. The Reds’ playoff odds are listed at 1.2%.
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