The Cincinnati Reds had the game in hand in the ninth inning Thursday night. They had a 5-4 lead over the St. Louis Cardinals, two outs on the board, and one routine fly ball away from escaping the series finale with a win.
Then it slipped away.
Rookie JJ Wetherholt sent up a harmless-looking fly ball with runners on second and third, and it appeared destined to be the last out. Instead, Dane Myers dropped it in the outfield, the Cardinals grabbed a 6-5 lead, and everything unraveled from there.
What followed was the kind of inning that turns a bad night into a brutal one. Cincinnati’s defense unraveled further, St.
Louis kept pouring it on, and the Cardinals added four more runs while batting around. By the time George Soriano came on in the ninth, St.
Louis was sitting on a 10-5 cushion.
The collapse left the Reds at 61-67, now seven games behind the final NL Wild Card spot with 34 games remaining. Their playoff odds had already sunk below 1% in recent weeks, but this one felt like the last blow.
It also put Myers at the center of the mess, even though he has been one of Cincinnati’s better additions this season. With TJ Friedl struggling, Myers has taken on regular center-field duty, and he had delivered just days earlier with a strong showing in Monday’s doubleheader against St.
Louis. He hit two home runs that day, including a pinch-hit shot that helped the Reds win Game 2.
This time, though, the moment belonged to the Cardinals. Myers’ misplay flipped the game, and Cincinnati’s ninth-inning rally ended in a 10-9 loss.
In Other News...
Reds Bullpen Churn Continues As Another New Arm Already Disappears
The Reds bullpen shuffle keeps rolling, and one of the newer additions is already out of the picture. Cincinnati brought in former Padres right-hander Ron Marinaccio to help stabilize the relief mix, but his time with the club was brief, as he was designated for assignment after only a handful of outings. It was the kind of quick turnaround that has become familiar for a pen that has seen a steady churn of arms trying to find a foothold.
Marinaccios departure leaves the Reds back at square one in that spot, with the roster spot opening as quickly as it was filled. Former Padres pitcher Matt Waldron is in a similar position with Toronto after being designated for assignment following four appearances, a reminder of how fragile these bullpen stops can be. For Cincinnati, the larger issue is not just losing a reliever, but doing so before there was any real chance to see whether the fit could last. [Read more 🡒]
Jeff Brantley Just Fired Up The Sal Stewart Rookie Debate
The National League Rookie of the Year conversation has become one of the more interesting late-season debates for the Reds, and Sal Stewart has put himself right in the middle of it. Cincinnatis rookie has been compared constantly with Cardinals infielder JJ Wetherholt, with the argument splitting along familiar lines: Stewarts bat versus Wetherholts work on the other side of the ball. It is the kind of race that invites strong opinions, especially when one of the voices weighing in happens to be on the Reds broadcast.
Jeff Brantley made his stance clear during a recent game broadcast, favoring Stewarts offensive production over Wetherholts defensive profile and adding another layer to a discussion that already has Reds fans talking. The debate has only grown louder as the season has gone on, with commentators and viewers trying to figure out whether the award should reward the more complete overall player or the one bringing the bigger impact at the plate. [Read more 🡒]
TJ Friedl Has Become A Real Reds Offseason Problem
TJ Friedl entered the 2026 season as one of the more established pieces in Cincinnatis outfield, but the year has gone sideways in a hurry. After a far more productive 2025, his bat has backed up sharply, with less contact and far less pop than the Reds expected from him, and the club already tried sending him to Triple-A Louisville in an effort to help him find something closer to his old form.
Instead, the situation has only deepened the Reds winter dilemma. Friedl is no longer a simple lineup puzzle, because the organization has younger outfielders pushing for chances and more flexibility if it decides to move on from him, which means his place on the roster is suddenly tied to a much bigger offseason decision than anyone would have imagined a year ago. [Read more 🡒]