The Reds got exactly the kind of finish they’ve been chasing all year Saturday afternoon in Toronto: a 5-1 win over the Blue Jays, a sharp response after another rough loss the day before, and a little bit of good feeling heading into the final day of the 2026 season.
What stood out first was how cleanly Cincinnati handled a bullpen game on the other side. The Reds took advantage early, reached base 12 times, and never let Toronto find any rhythm at the plate. That was enough to turn a frustrating season finale stretch into something at least a little more manageable.
Rhett Lowder set the tone on the mound. This was the kind of outing Reds fans have been waiting for since his call-up in 2024.
After missing all of 2025 and enduring an uneven 2026, Lowder delivered his best start since April 4. He worked six innings, allowed three hits, and didn’t give up a run.
The strikeout total was only two, but Toronto never made him pay for it. He had entered the game having allowed 21 earned runs over his previous 15.1 innings, so this was a major step in the right direction.
His season ERA will finish below 6.00, and the win was his seventh.
The offense gave him an early cushion thanks to Bleday, who launched his 24th homer of the season. It was another reminder that, even in a disappointing year, he supplied one of the few steady sources of production in the lineup.
He has now hit safely in six of his last ten games, with two home runs in that span. His final numbers may not jump off the page to a casual observer, but the impact was real: 58 RBIs, 42 extra base hits, and 60 runs scored.
For a team that spent most of the season searching for reliable bats, that mattered.
Hector Rodriguez added another bright spot. Since being called up on August 4, he’s brought a much-needed spark to a roster that has seen too many young players underperform.
His second hit of the day was a fifth-inning triple that drove in two insurance runs and helped put the game out of reach. It was his third straight multi-hit game, and over that stretch he has driven in five runs.
Given how unsettled the outfield has been over the past several seasons, he looks like someone who will be part of the Reds’ plans in 2027.
Cincinnati will try to finish the season with a series win on Sunday at 3:07 in Toronto.
In Other News...
Reds Just Sent An Early Offseason Message Fans Wont Ignore
A day after making a brief return to the majors, Julian Aguiar was on the move again, this time leaving the Reds organization on waivers and landing with the Cubs. The former Cincinnati pitching prospect had spent most of 2026 at Triple-A while working back from Tommy John surgery in 2024, and his recall in September at least hinted that the Reds still saw a useful arm worth keeping close.
Instead, Chicago moved quickly to claim him, adding a fresh option to its pitching depth for the stretch run. Aguiar cannot appear on the Cubs postseason roster because he was added after Sept. 1, but he can still be used in late-season games, which gives the division rival an immediate chance to see whether Cincinnati may have let an arm get away too soon. [Read more 🡒]
Reds Could Finally Handle One Offseason Decision Very Differently
The Reds have spent years working with a front office structure where the baseball staff has not always had the final say on baseball moves, but that dynamic appears to be changing. Bob Castellini has confirmed that Nick Krall and Brad Meador will be back in 2027, and he also said the clubs baseball leaders will be the ones making baseball decisions, a notable shift for a team that has at times been tied to ownership approval on certain trades.
For Cincinnati, the real significance may show up this winter if the club is willing to operate more like a Brewers-style organization and move pieces before they become harder to manage. That opens the door to a different kind of offseason, with names such as Emilio Pagn, Dane Myers and Tejay Antone all fitting into the kind of trade discussion the Reds have not always embraced. The question now is whether the front office finally has the freedom to act on that approach. [Read more 🡒]
Reds Future Dugout Plan Just Got A Lot More Real
A familiar name in the Reds dugout took on a bigger role against the Blue Jays when Terry Francona handed Mike Napoli the game-management duties for a night, a move that said plenty about how the club is thinking beyond the immediate stretch run. Napoli, who was just promoted to bench coach, has a rsum that already includes time as a player and coach under Francona, and that background makes him a natural fit to keep moving up the ladder in Cincinnati.
Francona still has a club option for 2028, but the longer-term picture around his future remains unsettled enough that the Reds are clearly keeping an eye on what comes next. Giving Napoli a chance to steer things in a live game was more than a symbolic gesture, it was another sign that the organization may already be testing the contours of a possible succession plan. [Read more 🡒]