Sal Stewart picked the perfect moment to deliver his loudest swing of the afternoon.
Down 3-2 in the top of the seventh on Wednesday in Seattle, Stewart launched a three-run home run the other way and turned the Reds’ day around in one crack of the bat. That blast gave Cincinnati a 5-3 lead it would not give back, and the Reds walked out with a series-clinching win over the Mariners.
It also gave the Reds something they had never done before in Seattle: win a series in the Emerald City. Coming off a series win against the Rockies, Cincinnati has now stacked back-to-back road series wins to open the second half of the season.
The victory pushed the Reds to 47-54. At the time of publication, they were six games behind the third National League Wild Card.
Stewart’s homer was his 21st of the season, and it brought his RBI total to 74. More than the numbers, it was the kind of at-bat that stands out because of when it happened.
Stewart stepped in with the game hanging in the balance and delivered the swing that flipped it. For a hitter trying to show he can come through in the biggest spots, that matters.
Brady Singer did his part, too, giving Cincinnati the kind of length it needs if Chase Burns is going to be on an innings limit. Terry Francona stayed with Singer deep into the game even after the right-hander had allowed three earned runs, and Singer rewarded that trust with 6 2/3 innings of work.
He gave up six hits, struck out six and walked only one Mariners hitter. He also kept the ball in the yard, and he needed 101 pitches to get through his outing, 69 of them strikes.
Singer has been on a strong run for a while now. Over his last eight starts, he has gone at least five innings in every outing but one.
He has also worked into or through the seventh inning four times in that span, including each of his last three starts. His July ERA sits at 2.33, following a 3.08 mark in June.
Whether that changes anything about his future remains to be seen, but there’s no question he has been pitching well.
The Reds now head to St. Louis to continue a nine-game road trip that began the second half. The Cardinals are in the middle of the National League Wild Card race, which gives Cincinnati another chance to make up ground.
Rhett Lowder will start Friday at 8:15 E.T. against Cardinals right-hander Dustin May. Hunter Greene is scheduled for Saturday at 7:15 E.T. against right-hander Andre Pallante, and Andrew Abbott will go Sunday at 2:15 E.T. opposite right-hander Kyle Leahy.
All three games can be seen on Reds.TV and heard on 700WLW.
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