Brady Singer had one of his worst starts as a Red as he allowed 10 hits and couldn’t get out of the 3rd inning as Miami jumped out to a 6-2 lead. The Marlins would hold on from there to grab a win and end Cincinnati’s 5-game winning streak.
| Final | R | H | E |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cincinnati Reds (8-4) | 4 | 9 | 2 |
| Miami Marlins (7-5) | 7 | 12 | 1 |
| W: Perez (1-1) L: Singer (0-1) SV: Petersen (1) | |||
| Statcast | Box Score | Game Thread | |||
The Reds didn’t waste much time on Wednesday. Elly De La Cruz walked with two outs in the top of the 1st, stole second base, and then he came in to score as he attempted to steal third base but Sal Stewart hit a chopper to third that ate up Graham Pauley and allowed De La Cruz to score easily. Stewart then did his part on the bases and stole second before scoring on a double by Eugenio Suarez.
That lead didn’t last long as Miami put together a rally of their own in the 1st as they pounded out four hits and were the beneficiary of an error on a pickoff attempt by Brady Singer. All of that added up to two runs as the home team tied the game up. The next inning the Marlins would do it again, getting RBI singles from Jakob Marsee and Xavier Edwards sandwiched around another error on Singer on a pickoff attempt, taking a 4-2 lead in the process.
In the third inning it was more of the same for the home team. After a leadoff single from Liam Hicks it was Griffin Conine cashing in and hitting a 2-run home run to extend their lead to 6-2. Another hit followed and that ended the day for Singer after having allowed 10 hits in just 2.2 innings. Sam Moll entered from the bullpen and got a grounder to end the inning.
Matt McLain was hit by the first pitch of the 5th inning. Eury Perez would wind up paying for that mistake later in the inning when Sal Stewart crushed a 2-run home run into the Marlins bullpen in left field to cut the Miami lead to 6-4.
Connor Phillips worked around two walks in the 6th inning to keep the Marlins off the board. He returned for the 7th inning and got an out on the first pitch he threw. Two pitches later he gave up a homer to Connor Norby as Miami extended their lead.
That’s where the game remained as the two teams headed into the 9th inning. Cincinnati had the bottom of their order due up and they needed to get at least three to keep the game going. The first two batters would reach, bringing the tying run to the plate but the next three batters couldn’t cash in as the Marlins picked up their first win of the series.
Key Moment of the Game
Griffin Conine’s 2-run home run in the 3rd inning that made it 6-2.
Notes Worth Noting
Sam Moll tossed 2.1 hitless innings after Brady Singer left the game. It was the longest outing of Moll’s career. He had previously recorded six outs on multiple occasions.
TJ Friedl had three hits in the game. Both Sal Stewart and Eugenio Suarez had two hits in the game.
Up Next for the Cincinnati Reds
Cincinnati Reds vs Miami Marlins
Thursday April 9th, 12:10pm ET
Rhett Lowder (1-0, 1.64 ERA) vs Max Meyer (0-0, 4.66 ERA)
Hayes is now under .100. Time to replace him in the starting lineup with Lowe. Bring him off the bench as a late inning defensive replacement. Suarez and Stewart can rotate at 3B/DH. Steer, Benson and Marte should rotate in LF and RF to try to give all 3 consistent ABs. Myers should also get a couple of starts per week in CF. Gotta find more production at the bottom of the order.
Hayes will always be a questionable signing for the price they’re paying. Great defense, no doubt. But he’s an objectively terrible hitter that likely isn’t going to improve as he ages.
Same with Trevino…2 head scratchers to me. Course neither move was as bad as Jeimer….so you have that going for ya
Agree with you on KBH, he hits like a pitcher.
Marte should be sent down and replaced with RH.
Benson is a LH bat and is needed.
I am wondering why Hinds hasn’t played for 2 days. He needs to come up if he is ok. This team has too many easy outs right now. Sure hope Lowder is on tomorrow.
Family emergency.
The last pitch looked low, but had no challanges left…..so basically the call was wrong. Why is the MLB even messing around with the challange system….Just have every pitch called by auto (ump in earpiece told automatically ball/strike-you know that this is coming anyway) That way you don’t have to try to decide when to use your challanges and when not to, plus there are no stoppages in play for the stupid fake ball to come on the screen to tell you: ball or strike
I agree.
I tend to agree as well.
But then I don’t.
I just find somehow that this challenge system has only piqued my interest even more with this game that I love. Just adds another element of strategy to the already chess-like game of baseball IMO. Especially since the universal DH took away so much managerial strategy.
Well you can’t win them all. Singer rough start. Stewart looks like a legitimate #3 hitter! Reds are blessed to have him.
I feel kind of sorry for Hayes. I’m for giving him more time as there are a lot of even good hitters still off to terrible starts. I think I saw Cal Raleigh is hitting .143.
And in a sense, it doesn’t matter too much that Hayes doesn’t really hit batting 9th. You’re not expecting him to really be a part of the Offense hitting 9th.
But still, hitting, .097, pretty rough. I almost think if he didn’t have the contract he would potentially be out of MLB and in the Minors within the next few months. Kind of reminds me of Nick Senzel a little. Senzel hasn’t played in the Big Leagues since 2024.
I think of players like Luis Arrarez, Duran on the Red Sox, etc. maybe the Reds could trade for to increase the Offense, if the Giants and Red Sox do end up not being good and looking to make moves at the deadline.
“And in a sense, it doesn’t matter too much that Hayes doesn’t really hit batting 9th. You’re not expecting him to really be a part of the Offense hitting 9th”
Don’t you think that’s kind of like throwing out the DH and being at a disadvantage to other teams?
We still expect the ninth hitter to get on base because coming up after him are the better hitters that can move a base runner around and over the plate. There remains a very good reason for the ninth hitter to get on base.
I think that is the old way of NL thinking. Now a days with the DH the 9th spot can’t be a throw away anymore.
Friedl needs to keep up his scrunch down stance if it’s gonna work like this.
That’s what Cowboy says. 🙂
Long season. Can’t get too high or too low on things. Yeah, Singer hurled a clunker. It happens. Bullpen gave 5 innings of 1 run ball. That’s a positive. Singer’s baseball card says that he’s going to be a workhorse and give some quality starts by the time the season is over.
Friedl, Stewart, Suarez all with multiple hits. Again, a positive. Have to get some others to contribute offensively though. Refocus and win tomorrow’s game.
Would like to see Marte play every day for a week or so. Everyones whipping boy. Had a hustle hit last night and a hit tonight in the 9th. Played well last year except for September. 24 years old. Run with him for a bit.
Agree. Would give him more than a week though. Nobody but Stewart exactly tearing it up right now.
Marte needs extended playing time over Benson and Steer. Let’s not forget he’s only 24.
100% correct.We know all about Benson and Steer.Benson is a player that comes off the bench.Steer is playing out of position in left and is an average offensive player.Both have value but Marte’s ceiling is much higher.
Oh well.
Time to start another 5 game winning streak.
Very good job by the bullpen, particularly Moll. This was the Jose Franco game and they backed him up nicely.
Steer at least seems to be making hard contact, but having more than 2 of Hayes, Benson, Marte and Friedl in the lineup may not be doable for a few games. Let Lowe and Myers start a few, especially when Abbott/Burns/Lowder are pitching.
Most of them will come around, but mix it up until they do.
Unless someone goes on the IL, still looks like May 15 at the earliest to callup the hottest Bat from Louisville, be it Hinds, Bleday, Dunn, Hector or perhaps Arroyo.
Friedl had 3 hits tonight. Friedl will be alright, he has always hit (well, the last few years, if he’s not hurt), and will be fine if he doesn’t get worn down playing CF for 150 games.
Hayes stung the ball a couple of times in the last few days, but not any hits.
Benson, meh.
Marte, meh. Marte is young enough that he will still get some more chances, but I would swap out Marte for Hinds and Benson for Bleday.
I would give them one more week. Not waiting for the first of May, if I were king of the Reds.
Mostly agree, but KBH is a proven commodity like the Ford Pinto. It doesn’t function correctly. Not really a Steer or Friedl fan either, but Friedl does have a .392 obp for April. He’d be fine batting 8th or 9th I think. To be fair its entirely possible that Hinds is a AAAA player or Bleday, etc, but we need a spark somewhere. You can’t have 5-6 holes in your lineup every night
Good one
Cincy had 4 five-game winning streaks last season. They never won 6 games in a row.
Reds will face Max Meyer tomorrow. I remember Meyer striking out something like 14 Reds batters in his previous outing last season, throwing a nasty slider with a fastball combined. I’m not sure if he throws a knucle curve too.
Splitting the series is not bad but there is a chance to win the series if Lowder can hold the marlins hitters on…
Well, for all the gnashing of teeth, the Reds are tied for 1st place in the NL Central (8-4) with the Brewers, and have the second best winning record in the NL (only the Dodgers are better) and in all of baseball, only the Yankees are better than the Reds/Brewers.
Pitching wins games, hitting gets the fans in the seats…..well, winning does that too. Hopefully, the Reds can pull out a win tomorrow. Then they come home to play the Angels and the Giants. Both those teams have losing records. The Giants are in last place in the NL West.
“the Reds are tied for 1st place in the NL Central (8-4) with the Brewers, and have the second best winning record in the NL (only the Dodgers are better) and in all of baseball, only the Yankees are better than the Reds/Brewers.”
Yeah and I’m very happy for it.
I can also see the fast start going down the toilet real fast with this offense.
30th (Last) in Runs Scored
27th in BA
26th in OBP
28th in SLG
26th in OPS
I suggest we make some moves now before that happens. Worst case scenario send guys down, they play every day, and return in 10 days. They’re NOT playing every day right now. Bring guys up who are hot. If they don’t cut it. Send them back down. Much better than sitting around and waiting for the roof to collapse. What have we got to lose?
I’m with you, Melvin. Not buying into the wait till mid-May proposal. We stink on O.
Pointed out before, nor Steer neither Marte are the answers at the OF corners. Benson is a passable LH platoon side, good defense, arm and base running. Friedl and Meyers can fit the CF bill until someone else better is brought in. The KBH project will never be understood.
For the time being, I’d like to see the Red’s starting lineup with Friedl/Steer in left field, Meyer in centerfield, Suarez at third with KB Hayes for late inning defense, and Lowe as the DH. Hinds should come up in May and play, not ride the bench.
There is some truth in the numbers about the struggles of the Reds offensive in that if they want to become a serious contender they can’t survive with too many automatic outs in their lineup especially when they play 81 games in one of the top three hitters ballparks in the MLB.I said that they have to score 750 plus runs for the season to win the NL Central Division,if they can’t reach that team goal,the odds will be stacked against them in the long run.
12 games in relax
Nobody wants to hear this, but Ke’Bryan Hayes has a hard-hit percentage (40.7%) above the league average of 39.3%, and a higher exit velocity than league average. And he’s only struck out 3 times all season. His BABIP is a nigh impossible .107 through 33 PAs.
Hayes will never be confused with George Brett as a hitter, but he also isn’t nearly as bad as his batting average now suggests. 33 PAs is a tiny sample size.
While I don’t blame Chris Valaika for the numbers Hayes has put up, it’s now past time for hard questions needing to be answered about whether Valaika is competent. Has one single Reds’ hitter improved under Valaika? Several have fallen off the ledge, like Stephenson, Marte, McLain and now Benson. Others are stagnant, like Elly, Benson and Steer. Are they really going to let Valaika coach Sal Stewart and Elly? Why promote Rece Hinds, just to turn him loose on a hapless Chris Valaika? No hitter on the team is better now than he was before they hired Valaika, he of the lifetime .633 OPS.
I get it: Tito likes Valaika. But to paraphrase Mr. Potter in It’s a Wonderful Life, if you shoot pool with Tito Francona, you get a job for life.
I like the analysis on Hayes hard hit ball rate. We all want him to be hitting about .240 to be viable. All Valaika has to do is sit him down and look him in the eye and ask “Why are you hitting that ball straight into the hands of the other players? You have got to stop that from now on!” Be stern. 🙂
My understanding is that hitters don’t have much control–certainly not pinpoint control–of where the ball goes after they hit it. Hayes appears to be aiming to hit it up the middle, and usually succeeding, so maybe going oppo would serve him better. Of course the opposing pitcher has a lot to say about this, too. Only a few Reds are hitting well now, so the offensive implosion is not due to Hayes alone, and he, unlike some of the others, provides considerable value even when he isn’t hitting.
Good analysis OBE, and while I agree Hayes can’t possibly as bad as a hitter as he’s showed in early 2026, he’s still a really bad hitter. Just look at 2024 and 2025, most of which wasn’t with the Reds.
Interesting thoughts on Valaika.
I would like to know who Hinds worked with during the off season and what they did.
I watched him a lot last year via MiLBTV. I also reviewed many of his plate appearances on the Gameday pitch-to-pitch charts. Since day 1 of spring camp, right on through to date, he looks like a different and better hitter.
Time to bring him up.
More excited to start the season than I recall being in recent years. Losses are always a bit of a gut punch, but they will happen. This one was particularly UGLY!!!
Onward to today’s contest then back home for a few. Busy schedule, but I’ll have it up on the screen and muted.
At least no one said yet that they are done for the season. We are making progress.
I think that happened after the opening day loss.
Last season wan a terrble hitting season. This season is even worse. What the Reds need more than more good hitters is a better hitting coach. A manager with that kind of results would not only be on the hot seat but gone. We’ve got talent and they hit a roadblock almost every time they hit the majors.
Great to see Lowe and Myers in the starting lineup. Hope they have a productive day that leads some consecutive starts.
Done with ol’ streak killer Singer. Remember, in order to get rid of him the Royals agreed to take on double play machine Jonathan India; that speaks for itself. Reds need to go in a different direction when or if Lodolo returns.
That there’s some in-depth analysis, Brett.