The Cincinnati Reds answered their shutout loss from Tuesday with a 5-4 win over the St. Louis Cardinals on Wednesday, and Sal Stewart supplied the swing that changed everything.
Chase Burns set the tone on the mound, even if he wasn’t at his sharpest. The Reds’ ace, who picked up his first major league win on March 30 of this year, came in with a 14-2 record and a 2.47 ERA.
Against a Cardinals lineup that made him work, Burns still gave Cincinnati what it needed: five innings, six hits, two earned runs, two walks and eight strikeouts. He threw 104 pitches, but he kept the Reds in position to win.
Then Stewart took over the night.
His sixth-inning three-run homer was the difference-maker, breaking open a game that had been slow to build. Before that blast, Cincinnati had just three hits.
Stewart also became the third fastest Cincinnati Red since 1920 to reach 100 RBIs in his career, a mark that underlined just how big his season has been. With Stewart and Cardinals rookie JJ Wetherholt facing off in this series, the matchup gave voters another look at two of the National League’s top first-year players.
The Reds carried a 5-2 lead into the ninth, and Emilio Pagan was tasked with closing it out. Things got shaky fast.
Pagan hit Wetherholt to open the inning, then got Ivan Herrera to fly out to TJ Friedl and saw Alec Burleson ground out to first. With two outs, Jordan Walker launched a home run to make it 5-4.
Jose Fermin followed with a double and moved up on a Pagan wild pitch, but Masyn Winn grounded out to Pagan to end it and seal the Cincinnati win.
The series wraps up Thursday afternoon with the fifth and final game. Brady Singer will start for the Reds, while Michael McGreevy goes for St.
Louis. Cincinnati will be looking to take the series and send the Cardinals home with a loss.
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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 🡒]
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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
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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 🡒]