Three runs in the ninth to tie, and three more in the 10th inning led the Cincinnati Reds to a 7-4 victory and a three-game sweep over the Minnesota Twins before 19,422 at Target Field in Minneapolis.
| Final | R | H | E |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cincinnati Reds (14-8) | 7 | 7 | 1 |
| Minnesota Twins (11-11) | 4 | 9 | 3 |
| W: Pagan (2-0) L: Acton (1-1) Sv: Ashcraft (1) | |||
| Statcast | Box Score | Game Thread | |||
TJ Friedl’s three-run double in the ninth inning rallied the Reds from a 3-1 deficit to a 4-3 lead. In extra innings, designated runner Elly De La Cruz scored on a batted ball that resulted in two errors by the Twins. That was followed by two insurance runs being plated by a Rece Hinds double. Graham Ashcraft earned his first-ever college or professional baseball in the bottom of the 10th.
Cincinnati’s 14-8 start has them one-half game ahead of 13-8 St. Louis in the National League Central Division, the only Major League Baseball division in which every team is over .500. Chicago and Pittsburgh, tied for fourth as this post goes live, are both 12-9. The Reds’ 8-2 road record is the best in Major League Baseball, and they have won five of their last six games. At 3-0 in extra innings, they have already won as many such games as they did all of last season, when they were 3-12.
The Offense
Cincinnati’s team batting line: 7-for-38 (.184), 7 walks drawn, and 14 strikeouts.
De La Cruz’s leadoff fourth-inning triple and Sal Stewart’s RBI groundout started the visitors’ scoring. Eugenio Suarez walked, but then Spencer Steer was called out on a taken pitch that looked clearly outside and should have been ball four. For some season, Steer did not challenge, and the inning then ended on Tyler Stephenson’s fly-out to right.
Again next inning, with Friedl at second with two out, Matt McLain was called out on a pitch clearly outside (according to my view of the strike zone box superimposed on the home-plate TV shot from the center field camera), but did not challenge.
In the seventh, two of Cincinnati’s first three batters reached on walks by Twins starter Bailey Ober, prompting Twins Manager Derek Shelton to summon former Red Taylor Rogers, a lefthander, to face Nathaniel Lowe, pinch-hitting for Ke’Bryan Hayes. Terry Francona responded by sending Dane Myers to the plate to hit for Lowe. Myers flied out to center, and Friedl then popped up for the third out.
In the ninth against rookie righthander Andrew Morris, Steer and Stephenson led off with singles to right. With one out, Myers walked to load the bases. Friedl then responded with a double to the right-center-field gap, scoring all three runners, to give the Reds their first lead of the game. It was his first extra-base hit of the year.
In the 10th, with De La Cruz at second at the designated runner with one out, Suarez grounded one to third base. Twins’ third baseman Tristan Gray booted it, allowing De La Cruz to advance to third, and then leftfielder Martin booted the ball again to allow De La Cruz to score and Suarez to reach second. Will Benson was walked intentionally to get to Hinds, who blistered one to the left-field corner to score two more.
Friedl’s two hits and three runs batted in led Reds hitters today in both categories.
The Pitching
Cincinnati pitchers’ combined pitching line: 10 innings, 9 hits allowed and 6 walks, with 5 strikeouts.
Minnesota scored a run in the bottom of the first inning off starter Brady Singer. Leadoff batter Byron Buxton hit a slow roller to third for an infield hit. Trying to record an out with a quick throw, Ke’Bryan Hayes threw one in the dirt, allowing Buxton to reach second. He eventually scored on a sacrifice fly by Victor Caratini.
The Twins then scored twice in the third on four consecutive one-out hits. Singer then pitched around two one-out hits in the fourth to hold Minnesota scoreless. The Twins helped by attempting to fool the Reds on a steal attempt, which was foiled. With runners on first and third, the runner at first broke for second. De La Cruz cut in front of the second-base bag to take Stephenson’s throw, then fired a short-hop BB back to Stephenson for the easy tag-out of Brooks Lee at home.
Singer finished strong, completing six innings on 104 pitches, allowing five hits and four walks, but retiring the final six hitters he faced.
Connor Phillips pitched a scoreless seventh. Kyle Nicolas allowed two soft-contact hits to open the eighth, but held Minnesota scoreless in his second straight impressive outing.
Emilio Pagan entered in the ninth for a save opportunity, and allowed a leadoff double to James Outman. But one out later, Austin Martin ripped a ground double down the left-field line to tie the game at 4-4.
In the 10th, Ashcraft walked Ryan Jeffers with two out, bringing Lee to the plate as the tying run. The game ended on a borderline pitch which was called a ball by home-plate umpire Hunter Wendelstedt. Catcher P.J. Higgins challenged the call, and the ABS replay showed a strike, which became strike three to Lee.
One fan’s thoughts
(Note: I wrote this before the late-inning comeback, and despite today’s late rally, I believe it is still valid.)
We’re all excited about the Reds’ best 22-game start since at least 2006. They clearly have the pitching that can take this team well into the post-season. But if this team is t0 have the chance to be a force in the post-season, there will need to be some changes in the lineup. And I don’t mean someone getting a day off once in awhile.
I’ve previously supported the idea of perhaps the best defensive infielder in baseball (Hayes) having a place in the lineup — but only when you have a robust-enough hitting attack to compensate for his lack of offensive punch. With this team as currently constituted, Hayes’ best role would be as a late-inning defensive replacement. In other words, he has very little value currently.
Hinds got off to a great start at Louisville, but in his week back in the bigs, he’s shown that any pitcher who can throw a breaking pitch can retire him. Those of us who have been watching this team (and this sport) for some time have seen plenty of guys like this come and go. One who recently went was Christian Encarnacion-Strand. This year’s Reds have to create a batting order that can adequately support the efforts of a quality pitching staff. They can’t give Hinds a month to flail about. There are other outfielders at Louisville.
Nick Krall has to find some more bats. The team currently has three bats that can be counted upon: Stewart, De La Cruz and Suarez. The remainder are little to no challenge for major league pitchers with good stuff and control — which is the majority.
For those who would say, give these guys some time, it’s early. Take a look at the back of Friedl’s, McLain’s, Steer’s and Stephenson’s baseball cards. These guys are who their statistics say are. If one or more of them turns it around, that would be great. But to expect that to happen is a faulty approach.
Up Next for the Cincinnati Reds
Cincinnati Reds at Tampa Bay Rays
Monday, April 20, 6:40 p.m. ET
Rhett Lowder (2-1, 3.52 ERA) vs. TBA
Nice recap Tom
I always appreciate reading your “one fan’s thoughts”
Thank you, Lucius!
A sweep is always sweet, especially on the road.
And how about Hinds coming up clutch on offense and defense in extras? Hopefully that builds some confidence for him going forward.
Back-to-back amazing wins. Offense, late in the game or not, counts. Reds hitters battled adversity and came out on top. Singer just does what he does and kept us in it by delivering a quality start. Not always pretty but who cares when it results in wins.
Nice to see McLain, Friedl and Hinds contribute. Huge!
Great sweep and hopefully we ride this momentum forward!
Friedl with by far his best hit of the year and his only extra base hit so far. I was pleasantly surprised. Clutch. Good job.
Great to see two guys who needed big hits, friedl and hinds, get them today. Might help them both going forward.
The Reds needed that and so did TJ. So big!
No Bally & the free streaming is too slow. I guess they’re forcing me to pay for Mlb.tv or whatever. You pay all this money for a TV system and then they still force you to pay to watch your team. Thats ridiculous
Nice win though. Singer isn’t my favorite, but he hung in there. Twins don’t seem to have a closer and stranded 100 guys it seems, but the Reds still had to find a way and they did.
I don’t quite understand your issue here Indy. Bally hasn’t had games or even existed for several years. There’s no free streaming unless you are watching an illegal stream as MLB and ESPNs new deal eliminated the free game of the day. RedsTV or MLBTV whichever one you need based on where you live should give you access to the Reds games which you have always had to pay for whether it was through cable or satellite or MLBtv in the past.
Maybe I’m just confused. Help explain it better and I will try to point you in the right direction here.
I use channel 24 here in Cincinnati but I also have T-Mobile who has a deal with MLB and as a result I could get it for free this way too. It may be cheaper to switch to T-Mobile than to pay $100.
If you’re in Cincy your free subscription from T Mobile would have blackout games at home. You’d still have to pay the $99.99 at least that’s the way it is here in Indy..
Not just Cincy, but anywhere that’s the “Reds TV market”, which includes parts of 7 different states.
I saw that it was on Peacock so I sat down to watch it because I have Peacock and it was blacked out, whatever.
Try fubo. Works well!!
Yeah
We have DirectTV stream and it’s a good option. It’s not cheap but you get the Reds and a lot of other stuff.
While encouraged by the start, I agree that this isn’t sustainable with the entire OF hitting under 200 and the starting 3b hitting under 100.
Knuckled down and did it (with some help from the Twinkies). Sweeps are great anywhere, anytime.
I’m with you, Tom. Something has to give with the offense. The opportunity to set the tone is now. Plenty of NLC games coming and that won’t be an easy slate by anyone’s measure.
Today we celebrate the win. Monday through Wednesday, we shall see how we fare in Tampa Bay. Start hitting regularly and keep winning … that’s how you succeed.
Imagine this exact same team with David Bell as manager and tell me Tito isn’t making a positive difference.
Defense is better. Base-running is better. Grit is better.
Pitching was on way it’s way to be being better and that’s a huge credit to DJ.
But the rest is a reflection of Tito.
And of course the players have to perform. I’m not discounting that. But I am saying the manager’s handling of the players is having a positive impact.
I’ve been on the pro-Terry Francona bus all of last year, and of course still this year. There are only a few minds on this planet who know more about winning major league baseball games than him. The Reds are lucky to have him.
Terry Francona has a certain way of using players and putting together his lineups. I think that now a lot of the players (regulars and semi-regulars) kind of get the idea what their roles will be.
Terry is a also a very positive and personable manager. I think he is very approachable and talks to the players off the field and during the game in the dugout. They feel attached to him.
I think the players on the Reds played hard for David Bell, and they respected him, but he did not come across as a very affable and warm personality.
I think Tito is a terrific manager, and he clearly makes a difference. In fairness to David Bell, if he’d had the pitching Tito has–both starters and bullpen–his results would certainly have been better than they were.
I think one of the biggest differences between this team and past Reds’ teams since 2020 is that this team has a really good bullpen. Before, there were some individual pitchers that were good and effective, but there were usually weaknesses and holes. This one (2026) is pretty good.
I know people have a problem with Emile Pagan as closer, but he has usually gotten the job done. Today was his first appearance since his muscle pull and back on the mound. I just think he was just a little ragged.
He pitched Friday, green.
I knew that. David forgot.
Duhhhhhhh…..
Not sure why Stewart wasn’t protecting the line in the 9th. Might have saved having to go to extra innings.
Good game good series. Like to see Lowe in the lineup against rhp. Stewart at second against rhp at third against lhp
The first AB by hinds today made me want to throw up. He’d better cut that crap out for good.
To his credit, he got up off the mat…again…like he’s done so many times and worked a pretty good walk and a CLUTCH double (he has three walk off hits in AAA this year already.
Just when you think he’s down and out he comes back…stronger.
Giving up on him would not be a good idea.
I do wonder you put him in front of Elly if he would see better pitches?
Two games he has come through clutch in my opinion.
If he hits in the spot he’s in right now he’s really doing something because the pitchers have no reason to throw him anything good considering who’s hitting behind him. Until his spot in the order changes he needs to take more walks.
I don’t want to pick on Hayes. He tries hard. But Hinds did get his hit today when someone else was hitting behind him. Coincidence? Maybe.
Well, a tiring relief pitcher walked PJ Higgins in front of him, and then threw him 2 sliders in a row, the second one he nailed.
From what others have said, Rece Hinds is a pretty emotional baseball player. I think he was really fired up to do something.
“I think he was really fired up to do something.”
One problem he does not have is “getting fired up”. It’s pretty much the opposite that he has to control.
I agree about showing his emotions. He’d probably starve to death if he had to make a living playing poker.
And I think Tom mis-remembered the game, as he says the reliever walked Will Benson….
Benson pinch ran for Tyler Stephenson. With Stephenson out of the game, PJ Higgins came in to catch, and was batting at that spot in the line-up, ahead of Rece Hinds. Higgins was intentionally passed, before Rece hit his two-run double. The pitcher threw Rece two sliders in a row, and Hinds tagged the second one for a double into the left field gap.
“And I think Tom mis-remembered the game, as he says the reliever walked Will Benson”
Gameday says Benson was intentionally walked not that it’s a big deal one way or another. According to Gameday that pitcher (Acton) actually threw hinds four straight sliders all around 86 MPH. The first two were balls, the third a swinging strike, and the fourth one he nailed down the left field line with an EV of 101.7 MPH.
I noticed Hinds still has his #57 with the Reds other than his #23 with the bats. He changed it within the past couple of years as a way of showing a little levity. Hinds (Heinz) 57 Sauce. That’s good. He needs a little levity. 🙂
Move Elly to 2nd and put Hinds between Elly and Stewart. With Suarez at the 5 slot, pitching around Hinds would be tough.
Yes Benson pinch-ran for Stephenson and then Higgins went into catch. But it was Benson that was intentionally walked in the 10th. In fact, he nearly passed Suarez, who was just trotting in from third, on Hind’s double.
I was confused as to why Benson was at the plate at the time, but it must have been some creative substitutions on Francona’s part. The box score at the time didn’t catch it.
To be fair to Hinds, he had what, 13 at bats so far with the Reds in 2026. Give him a fair chance like they’ve given to McLain. Let’s see where Hinds is after a few hundred at bats. McLain has yet to consistently lay off of outside upper, middle or low pitches after what now, almost 950 MLB at bats. What’s fair is fair.
I think what Hinds has to learn, is that he might get one really hittable pitch in each at bat. He has to be ready.
I think in AAA, the pitchers (generally) do not have command of their off-speed pitches like they do in the majors (which is why they are in AAA ball!).
Earlier in the game, the starter (Ober) gave Hinds three “sweepers” (a curve?) in a row, and struck him out on three pitchers (the last seemed a foot outside). Maybe Rece was guessing he was going to get a fastball at last, yet got another off-speed pitch. That’s the difference between Spring Training/AAA level ball, and the Majors. Every guy that comes up has to face this issue. And the guys that succeed figure it out and understand more about pitch recognition.
Hinds has got to walk more to get better pitches. Having someone good hit behind him would help too, but only if he walked more.
“One fan” is dead on!
This is why I much prefer Doug’s writing to the hooey at MLB.com.
Doug didn’t write this. Tom Mitsoff did.
That’s what he said. He much prefers Tom and Doug’s writing to that “hooey!” at MLB.com. 🙂
What a sweet sweet sweepingseries for the Reds. Never expected a sweep. Also perhaps the breakthrough Hinds needed. A clutch xtra inning 2r db. Great!!!
Interesting write up Tom and I enjoy reading your thoughts on certain things as well.
I still say let’s see what happens. Friedl could be coming around. Hinds with back to back games of coming through big. Stephenson as well. Mclain is a mystery to me.
We know the reds arent gonna do anything big. Although the Bengals shocked the world lol….
Again great write up.
Good thing we keep winning because everyone else in the Central is too. Each NLC team is above .500.
Regarding Hinds, CES, and others that struggle to hit offspeed in the big leagues, after tearing up AAA…there are also guys that have been able to make the necessary adjustments, when given the chance, and had successful careers. These just don’t standout as much because the sustained success over many years overshadows the season or two of struggles early on.
I don’t want to be hard on Tom for his comments. By his own admission he hasn’t been able to watch any Bats games and hasn’t seen first hand the progress Hinds has made.
Hinds’ history shows he takes time to adjust to the next level. But it also shows that he does adjust.
In 2023, at AA, he scuffled for several months then took off.
April .158/.217/.303
May .247/.277/.472
June .378/.454/.793
July .289/.370/.605
Aug .273/.345/.525
Sept .286/.286/.571
In 2024, at AAA, he scuffled, adjusted, scuffled some more and adjusted some more, and scuffled again. Some adjustment, but not too much.
April .181/.245/.255
May .271/.380/.541
June .180/.221/.360
July .295/.358/.738
Aug .173/.244/.247
Also, in his 2024 ML time (51 plate appearances), his July mirrored his AAA production, but then he struggled mightily. Little adjustment.
July .316/.350/.868
Aug .000/.500/.000
Sept .000/.143/.000
His 2025 AAA numbers show him adjusting very well; his ML numbers (44 plate appearances) not at all. More failure to adjust, but, again, limited use and inconsistent use.
AAA .302/.359/.563
ML .116/.136/.279
In 2026, Hinds has sustained his AAA production and you can say he may have little left to prove there.
AAA .354/.475/.771
The question is whether he will adjust to ML pitching.
In some ways, his 2026 ML time is a test as much for the Reds as it is for Hinds. Given the Reds stated philosophy of ‘player development’, and given Hinds’ history of making adjustments, what will become of his current promotion? Will they stick with it, or will they junk it? I, for one, hope they put their money where their mouth is.
I did see something today that says, We’re gonna stick with it, when Tito let Hinds hit later in the game instead of pinch hitting Benson for him. And Hinds has shown twice in two games he has the ability to perform and make plays both offensively and defensively.
I think Francona might the right manager at the right time for one Rece Hinds.
@DaveCT> Thanks for the accounting of Hinds growth pattern. As a person who has watched him a lot on MiLB TV and often reviews his PA pitch by pitch charts on Gameday, I will add a couple of thoughts.
First off, Hinds saw a plethora of pitch types at AAA. Teams were no more willing to throw him standard four seamers in the strike zone at AAA than they are at MLB. He saw a lot of sweepers, curves, a variety of 2 seamers such as cutters, splitters, and sinkers along with change ups with very few of them centered either vertically of horizontally.
In 2025, his K rate was 25.9% and BB rate was 7.6%. When he was called up recently, his 2026 BB rate was just under 20% at 19.7%. His 2026 K rate was essentially the same as in 2025, coming in at 24.7%. The 2025 K rate of 25.9% was an improvement of over 11 percentage points over his 2024 AAA K rate. 2025 and 2026 represent a huge advance as he is chasing less out of the zone while making contact more on swings in the zone.
Obviously, the quality of breaking pitches is consistently better at MLB. However, just as with the Reds, other teams shuffle pitchers back and forth between AAA and MLB. So, itis fair to conclude that Hinds was seeing some portion of breaking pitches from some guys who have pitched with varying degree degrees of success at MLB.
As has been at least indirectly suggested elsewhere in this thread, I believe the major adjustment Hinds must now navigate is to being on his A game at every PA, don’t waste or throw away any PAs, and like he did on his hit Saturday, adjust his swing to the situation.
Jim, in 2026 at AAA, Hinds was seeing 33.8% four seam fastballs. But in the ML’s this year, that drops to 8.2% (!). He was seeing another 17.8% two seam fastballs at AAA but that drops 12.2% in the ML’s. That’s over 50% fastballs dropping to 20%. Seems word is out. Rece Hinds has his version of No Soup For You!
Throw in the velocity increasing from 94.5 to 97.4 with four seamers, sinker velocity staying about the same, and he is being outright challenged both higher velo and far more off speed pitching. Welcone back to the merciless pitching of MLB, kid.
He is going to have to sustain his improved AAA chase rate and contact rates. He is also going to need time to do it. And, by time, i’m not talking about another two weeks, or whatever (unless of course he is flailing blah blah blah caveats).
We need a RF. We need a RF who can hit and play defense. Marte may become that option, again. But right now, the leading candidate is Rece Hinds. Better yet, he is young, highly athletic, showing a knack for making plays, has upside, is homegrown and thus *controlled* for several years. Isn’t this what we have seen seeking?
There was a comment here last week of giving Hinds another week. I was, No, give him another two months. Let his athleticism and baseball chops play. At a minimum, you have his defense (keeping Myers in CF and giving you not one but two very good OFs), while keeping the possibility he will adjust, vs the likelihood the current backups may not. And, should Bleday hit his way to GABP, LF could use some help.
@Dave, and @Jim, 100% let’s just give Hinds time to prove who he is. I think he’ll work out, but if he doesn’t I won’t feel bad about him robbing AB’s from Steer or Benson in the OF.
I still think Hinds, and Marte will be 2 of our starting outfielders when the season ends.
I think it helps Hinds or anyone the team is biding time on that the team is winning.
For instance, Benson is being used as a typical 26th man. But Bleday is not going to be brought up for that role any more than Hinds was going to be brought up to sit.
“For instance, Benson is being used as a typical 26th man. But Bleday is not going to be brought up for that role”
I agree. Everyone contributed in some way this weekend so I don’t think anyone is going down soon. Wrong or right the Reds rarely do that.
@Jim, Bleday would be competing for an everyday role. I haven’t seen 3 quality starting OF yet this season.
Sorry, is Tom’s story today.
But I stand by the rest.
Nice recap, Tom. Wondering if that dust up with San Fran stoked a fire in these Reds?Plenty of baseball to be played, but I’ve got August 24 circled on my calendar.
Each game goes by and you think Reds cant win or come back yet they do. We’re seeing a combination of youth and vets and starters and relievers and bench guys and hybrid guys and every day guys and they are figuring out how to win. Tito and DJ are really helping this team win close games.
This is fun at 14-8. Hunter and Lodolo have to be wanting to be a part of this.
Go Reds!
It’s really amazing that pitching in general has been our strong suit leading us to this best opening of a season since 2006, and our number 1, and 2 Greene, and Lodolo haven’t been available to play.
I must be developing vertical dyslexia. The standings show Reds in first and Brewers in last.
I have heard that issue has been going around lately. Something about Hawkins, Indiana and something called The Upside Down.
Yes and it’s infected College Football also, with Indiana as National Champs
And it has infected college basketball also with Miami U. at Oxford, a traditional football school in the Mid-American Conference, winning 30 plus basketball games in a row this season.
What an awesome comeback win this one was. I was for sure the game was over and done with. I am glad the Reds had more confidence in themselves than I did! What was a bit of a frustrating game became a whole lot of fun in the last 45 minutes of it. First place is way better than the other places.
Doug, Tom, or Ashley always do a great job here! Great Win by the Reds again. The Fighting Francona’s refuse to lose! Good pitching again. Just really wondering if the ABS system was available years ago (when the technology was available), how many games would have been changed, the momentum changed, ect…
The MLB teams really need more challenges both for the batters and pitchers, and for if a player is out or safe on the bases (like they are doing now), and I would add challenges for check swings, for both he did not check his swing and he did check his swing. Especially in the postseason, games can change, momentum can change, by allowing all these challenges to the umpires.
It depends on how far back you go, but “We” have been tracking pitches since late in 2007, but for all of MLB since 2008. And if we just assume that Trackman (which was used at the time, but is not used anymore in MLB) was correct, it would have changed a lot since then.
Baseball America had a story in spring training showing just how much wider the zone was when we first started getting that information and how by and large umpires are really, really good now. Think about all of the challenges we’ve seen – most of them are right or wrong by an inch or less. Think about how small that actually is.
Here’s a link to the Baseball America article: https://www.baseballamerica.com/stories/mlb-umpires-have-gotten-much-better-at-calling-balls-strikes/
It’s worth a read.
The problem is that more challenges will make the games longer. They are long enough right now.
Challenges take 10-15 seconds, maximum. Add 4 xtra challenges for each team,2 minutes. If the challenges are overturned 4 times, that’s another 2 minutes. Small price to pay for better strike zone.
If we want to shorten games, make the commercial breaks between innings shorter. (Like that would ever happen)
Ball and strike challenges are quick. Challenges of base running calls or checked swings require analysis of instant replay. Those often take several minutes.
I still say the number of ABS challenges for pitches should be flighted by umpire. The historically lowest 25% of rated umpires based on prior year stats should have 5 challenges per game the next 25% should have 4, etc. More challenges for players in games with
Historically poor umps makes the timing of challenge usage less strategic, but improves the accuracy of balls and strikes.
wendelstedt was a big part of the problem for Reds hitters today. Giving the pitcher an extra 2 inches on the outside part of the plate makes it easier to throw strikes down the middle as the hitters are leaning out to defend the outside. Props to Ober for capitalizing on it.
Good write-up, Tom. I do think one statement was a bit overly expansive, though: the backs of Friedl’s, Steer’s and Stephenson’s baseball cards do not show that their stats this year are who they are. They are also showing signs of breaking out of their current doldrums. Even McLain may be. I’m a fan of defense and a fan of Hayes, but I agree that he should not be starting regularly, regardless of his contradictory underlying stats.
I might note that the back of their cards are still better than what they are currently producing…I’d take the back of their card for now.
Might not work but I’d try Hinds in the 4-Hole right behind Elly.They won’t throw as many breaking balls of worrying about Elly stealing, or possibly behind Friedl or Myers.
I would put him in the four hole too but I can see why others may not like it. That’s where he hit in AAA and was among the league leaders in RBI. As you said he would get better pitches to hit. Move Friedl down and two, three and four up one spot each. I believe the lineup would flow much better. Not likely too happen anytime soon though.
This team is playing so much better fundamentally. Last year was kinda same as previous years,however this year has Francona written all over it. Guys hustle, throw to right base and minimal erros. Base running looks so much better 22 games in.
Makes me wonder if Marte had a attitude and is why he is in triple A?.
Marte played CF today for the Bats, and is batting .294 right now, 5 hits in 17 AB’s, with 2 doubles (no homers). So I guess he can hit AAA level pitching.
Pitch recognition. He was probably getting a steady diet of breaking balls at his AB’s. Like most young guys, he has to figure out which pitches to lay off of that he can’t hit and are not strikes, though they might look like a strike out of the pitcher’s hand. Baseball is pretty easy for us fans watching it.
One of the guys to keep at least one eye on is Michael Chavis. Originally a 1st round pick by the Red Sox, he has been a lifetime minor leaguer. Now 30, he is having a pretty good year at AAA, and did last year with Oklahoma City in the PCL. He plays 3rd base. Who needs a better hitting 3rd baseman? The Reds do. He is not on the 40 man, but that could change, of course.
Not sure if Marte has an attitude problem as much as ‘situation awareness’ problem. That is something I don’t Francona can tolerate.
Great job by Higgins! He’s one of the best at ABS. Great rallies! Only 3 hits going into the 9th inning. Man, how long is the leash for Hayes. Late inning defensive replacement with spot starts. Lowe should be more of a full time player with this current roster. Bleday 2 run homer enough for Bats to squeeze a 2-1 victory. A move to the Reds after the road trip?
About 30 million dollars long unfortunately. I never paid much attention to Hayes in Pittsburgh but I get the feeling his reach isn’t what it once was,especially going to his right. That could be a result of chronic back issues that have shortened up his flexibility.
I don’t know the algorithm for calculating runs saved. Does it account for range also? Shifts also make him cover more ground on the left side too.
I do wonder how Ryne Sandburg (RIP) for instance would score out today if it does account for range. He caught everything hit at him. Not left or right of him, but directly at him.
Higgins has a great skill set with ABS. Could Trevino but a trade possibility. Don’t think they would lose much and might pick up a prospect and save some money to acquire something at the deadline.
Tom, you say:
Take a look at the back of Friedl’s, McLain’s, Steer’s and Stephenson’s baseball cards. These guys are who their statistics say are.”
Going by OPS+the back of their baseball cards (with the exception of McLain) say that they’re average MLB hitters. Not to mention that getting an OPS+ of 103 from your catcher is a plus.
IMHO you’re finding fault with the wrong guys.
Let’s give Rece Hinds another month of a chance.
Marte is in his age 24 year and has 756 PA with OPS+ of 83
Hinds is in his age 25 year and has 109 PA with OPS+ of 77
There’s really not *that* much daylight between these two, other than Hinds’ lack of MLB plate appearances so far. It doesn’t make sense to yo-yo those two about. But neither one is a sure thing to best the other.
The guy who is the biggest worry to me is McLain. If he doesn’t hit this year you absolutely have to move on from him. It’s his age 26 year.
Good to see Friedl and Hinds joining the party along with EDLC, Suarez and Stewart. Still due is McLain, I hope he’ll make it. Case apart is KBH, now 3-52, maybe it’s time to call off that project.
nice to see some offensively challenged players coming through in big moments!
@Tom M,
Friedl’s baseball card says OPS+ 102 and OBP .340.
He’s at 12 and .267.
He is not what his baseball card say he is and expecting him to turn it around is not a “faulty approach.”
Tom absolutely nailed it. No question.
ATH provided data to back up his claim.
Where’s your data to contradict it?
All this talk about the offense. What about the work of our bullpen? Yep, Pagan blew the save, but so what? I’m sure Tito made a mental note of it. The other guys were all great, however, and Ashcraft came in and blistered them. Pagan gets the well-earned “W,” of course. Graham with his first Save. Our pitching rocks!
(Great article, Tom. Agree about the O, but some of those guys finally found a spark today. Like everyone else has mentioned, let’s hope it carries forward.)
Pagán will work himself out of the closers role . Phillips , Ashcraft and Santillan have already passed him from my view.
Pagan has saved 6 of 8 games this year.
He saved 32 of 38 last year.
He gets more of a leash than 22 games.
Reds should have had Stewart protecting the line in the 9th.
This is another unexpected win actually. This sweep has similarities to the Rangers one. That should be a really breakingheart series for the Twins.
Reading the “one’s fan thoughts” section I agree with Tom and I would say the Reds look really bad when they lose and they don’t look so good when they win so far this season…Every game a bad feeling exists especially when they fall in a hole and trail in the score…that is because the poor offense shown despite they have found the way to score to win the games…At 14-8 , I’m very glad for the results but this team has to be improved for being much better offensively…
I am gonna say it. They are 14-8. That is all.
Have a good night.
+10,000
+1 more, that makes 10,001
+9,000.
https://www.baseball-reference.com/boxes/NYN/NYN197305020.shtml OTD in 1973.
Reds beat Tom Seaver in his prime. Ross Grimsley and Pedro Borbon shut down the NYM offense, Dave Concepcion had 3 of 7 hits by Reds, who hit 3 HR on the day.
The 1973 Reds had a good fielding 3B (Menke) who wasn’t hitting much. They had a struggling OF (Tolan) who had been a good hitter the past few years. Key SP Gary Nolan and Roger Nelson were battling arm injuries. C Bench was hitting under .200 BA as defending NL MVP (obviously offseason back surgery was hurting his output).
I wonder if Reds’ fans in 1973 were thinking “On this date in 1920…..”
Well, it was pretty early in the year and the Redlegs had just been upended by the Pittsburgh Parrots 2-1, knocking the reigning World Series champs out of first place. It would be a frustrating season for the Pat Morans, proper spelling noted here.
https://www.baseball-reference.com/boxes/CIN/CIN192005110.shtml the 1920 Reds were also 14-8 after 22 games that season. HOF OF Edd Roush led the way. Other Reds stars that season were 1B Jake Daubert, 3B Heinie Groh, and SP Hod Eller.
Nobody whining about too many walks or poor hitting by 3B.
Nice to sweep Shelton after all the problems Reds had with Pirates.
Santillan with the save yesterday, Ashcraft today. Could this be the early stages of the changing of the guard for the closer role? If there are 2-3 run save opportunities, I’d give Phillips or Burke some chances too. The more relievers can close, the better it will be as we progress through this long season. We should have multiple options in case of injuries to the back end of the bullpen. It’s hard to trust our options Mey and Maxwell in Louisville to come up and be effective.
Terry francona is pulling all the right levers. Nice going Redlegs, let’s keep it going!
I love this recap Tom because you not only provided a recap, which I don’t really need since I watched the game, but you provided opinions on where to go going forward.
Rece Hinds – The 2026 version of Rece Hinds is much better than the lost 2025 version. I love that he is playing every day. Give him 2 more weeks and see where we are at.
Friedl – Hopefully today is the start of the turn around.
McLain – He sucks thus far but he is getting on base. He gets another month in my eyes.
JJ Bleday – I felt he should have made the team out of ST instead of Marte. But he didn’t. The way the team is playing right now he doesn’t get called up for games next week. That means if they keep him in Louisville for an additional 13 days after next weekend they gain a year of control. I call him up after the games of May 10.
I think Bleday will prove to be an asset. I am still thinking there is a chance Hinds will be an asset. Also I am holding out hope for Stepenson, Friedl and McLain to turn it around. If they do then these 5 plus Stewart, Elly and Suarez make a strong 8.
If not then the Reds need to do something come June 1. No need to wait until the end of July.
I agree with you completely on Bleday now that I’ve done my homework on him. He’s like Hinds in that its far from a guarantee that he’ll make it, but who is he competing with?
JJ Bleday 2024-25 with the A’s: 879 at-bats with 98 extra base hits (34 HRs)
TJ Friedl 2024-25 : 876 at-bats with 57 extra base hits (27 HRs)
And thats with Bleday playing 2024 in the Oakland Colosseum. Yeah TJ walked alot more, but he’s not a good defensive CFer anymore. Bleday’s numbers crush Benson and Myers as well. I don’t get it? Friedl and Steer are both in a constant battle to be average as MLB OF and shouldn’t a potential playoff contender need more then that?
Agree. Did you ever see a fan base thirst for “average” to the degree that many current Reds fans do?
Currently, Friedl and Steer both have a career OPS+ of 101. Steer hasn’t been above water (100 OPS+) for a season since 2023, with a combined OPS+ of 96 for 2024-25. Friedl eeked out a 102 OPS+ in 2025 but was at 98 OPS+ for 2024-25.
I empathize with a guy who can’t do what he used to do because of an injury or multiple injuries. However, empathy does not make the guy capable of turning back the clock on the field.
Gotta give Hinds more time to prove himself at this level. He had a big day today. His late double was huge obviously. Way too early to think about sending him down. He stays and he plays. At least another 2 weeks as another poster has said.
As far as Friedl is concerned maybe the big hit today will get him going. I know he’s showing his ge but I for one am not giving up on him yet. Same w mcLain
At first I thought you were disagreeing with me. But then you repeated pretty much exactly what I typed so I am a bit confused.
I gotta give a shoutout to the Minnesota dugout staff for trying a double steal and getting a guy roasted at home plate. I gotta admire them for leaving a reliever in to get his head handed to him.
Yes, I think the Reds are currently doing what previous teams did not do — they are not squandering opportunities but are, instead, actually helping create opportunities.
Singer doesn’t get enough credit for today’s game.
Agree re Singer, along with the rest of the pitchers. Sure, Pagan dished up a run, but overall the pen gave up only one.
Springtime in Minnesota–snow on the ground when we woke up in the morning, baseball in the afternoon and it was actually rather pleasant in the stadium. ????
Super fun win—our little group of Reds fans behind the dugout were going crazy when TJ and Rece delivered.
Good vibes only today!
Still snow on the ground here, Sultan. Might make it above freezing today, might not.
My mission in the last years of my life is to either change the dimensions in gabp or move the reds to another stadium with larger dimensions.
Friedl’s double in the 9th would have been a routine fly out in gabp…. game over.
I was driving by the old Hamilton county fair grounds on vine street in Carthage. Perfect place for a field withhuge dimensions. Plenty of old abandoned factories and lots for parking. Would really lift up a struggling area economically. A home field where the reds could actually score more than 2 runs. ..
Just saying
What a great start! Without their top 2 starters. It almost feels like they are stealing games. Big clutch moments for almost everyone on the roster at one time or another. Looks like NL Central could be a monster (Pirates are not the same old Pirates). Hitting will, hopefully, come around. Seems every win has been a nail biter.
“Nick Krall has to find some more bats. The team currently has three bats that can be counted upon: Stewart, De La Cruz and Suarez. The remainder are little to no challenge for major league pitchers with good stuff and control — which is the majority.”
This is mostly on Krall, but not completely. Tito has done a fantastic job managing the pitching staff – both starters and bullpen. But with our offense being so inept to start 2026, I don’t understand his resistance to sitting Hayes and giving Lowe a chance against righties. Lowe has been above average offensively 5 of the last 6 years. He’s currently our 4th best hitter on the team, going be OPS. Against righties, it’s way past time to bench Hayes, start Lowe, and then bring in Hayes late game if we have a lead.
Besides the use of Hayes, I’m loving this 2026 Reds team. Pitching has been unbelievably good. And we have some above-average pitching reinforcements that will be joining (rejoining) the Reds later in the year. We just need to find a way to improve the offense. Go Reds!!
I wonder how this board would react if we were sitting Hayes, sent McLain to AAA, benched Friedl and Steer, sat Stephenson and were 8-14?
Winning sure does cover up a lot of dings in the fender.
But as any winning team will say in retrospect, it was the journey not the trophy that made the season special. This is the journey, picking up for the guys scuffling, being more excited for a Friedl double in the gap than another Sally Long Balls homer, watching the youngins like Phillips come in and walk the first batter before being unhitable.
It is not that long ago that any team could have had Santillan. The last few years, lots of comments about Ashcraft. Sam Moll has had a few paragraphs….
These guys are all pulling for each other. Tito consistently says he likes his guys which he would say if he was managing Folsom Prison, but Tito was retired and it was this right situation, Krall and all that brought him back.
I read all these comments first thing and throughout the day from Portland where we met Pete Rose at a Pete Ward baseball clinic in 1971. Since then, I do my part and read the box scores daily, watch the games when on WTBS or WGN and now MLB. Hit a series when I can.
This one (season) is a joy made better by Doug and his team (Tom is such a great closer) and Stock, MK, the Duke. Seems like DaveCT was brought in by trade for MauiRed, but I am sure Oldtimer has the line on that one. Sultan, Indy, CI3J, the box scores and write ups are so much more fun today on the iPad than taking the sports page into stall #3 at work…
+10000000
I didn’t expect this. It’s nice to call it a day with a Red’s sweep. On to Tampa in the mid 80’s from chilly Minneapolis. The Rays are a tough team who’ve recently been on a win streak.
Tom I was very surprised with your comments about Friedl & Stephenson. I have very little doubt they will turn it around and will be key members of the club. I believe also in Steer but to a lesser degree. I’m very worried about McLain though but still willing to give him a bit more time. To give up on Hinds after 5 games is totally ridiculous. He needs at least a third of the season (54 starts) will minimal non-starts mixed in. Bat him down in the order until it’s a no-brainer to move him up. I am glad that you’ve seen the light on Hayes though it took you more than 54 games.
Tom I was very surprised with your comments about Friedl & Stephenson. I have very little doubt they will turn it around and will be key members of the club. I believe also in Steer but to a lesser degree. I’m very worried about McLain though but still willing to give him a bit more time. To give up on Hinds after 5 games is totally ridiculous. He needs at least a third of the season (54 starts) will minimal non-starts mixed in. Bat him down in the order until it’s a no-brainer to move him up. I am glad that you’ve seen the light on Hayes though it took you more than 54 games.
Hard to know why exactly Francona is a better manager than Bell, except Bell was hired with the promise to make decisions based on analytics, which he tried to do, and probably stuck with no matter what, assuming he was applying them correctly. I think Francona just has a better gut feel for the game and his players capabilities. Now, I think Francona gives certain people a lot of rope, others not so much. And has taken responsibility for maybe giving some a little too much (keeping McLain batting 2nd last year too long, letting EDLC play injured, etc.). It’ll be interesting to see how much rope he gives Friedl and McLain this year.
For one thing, Francona has far more years of experience than did Bell. Tito’s record the first few years he managed was similar to Bell’s, as I recall.
Have to say Suarez is surprising me so far and not for his HR prowess.
Couple good observations @still a red.
Yes, Stewart should’ve been hugging the line – can’t give up a double in that situation.
Eugenio is taking what pitchers are giving him and adjusting his swing to the count/situation. Brantley has pointed that out a couple times now.
As for a manager’s importance – it’s huge. Many claim that professionals play for themselves and don’t need the motivation of the manager. That’s a load of horse-hockey. Every professional organization, sports or otherwise, is made of difference makers and the Reds are lucky to have Tito. David Bell is an accomplished baseball man, but Terry Francona is a hall of fame manager. His impact is/will be felt up/down the organization and on the field.
One component to being a qualified pro athlete is learning at an early age to work with/play with teammates, follow instructions and aim for the team victory. They all learn that.
As well, their “independent thinking” trait is turned off pretty early. The ones who play outside the team game get good numbers but the team typically is shallow — and the athlete ends up being one of those “He was the best our small town ever had. Shame he didn’t make it to the top.”
Yeah, coaching matters. Players who don’t respect their manager will drag the team down, and the manager will pay for that. I recall talking to Bill Gullickson back during the 1981 strike (Gully did pitch for the Reds but was with the Expos at the time). He told me that players lose confidence in their manager, and it’s easy to tell when that’s happening.
Great sweep for our Redlegs! I was in Chicago Airport and saw we were down in the 9th and thought it was over. I arrived at home to learn that we’d come back & swept the Twinkies! The Reds have quietly put together a solid team that plays smart & hard. NL Central is shaping up to be a real battlefield. Shout out to the pitching staff for keeping us in games with some timely offense & solid defense… let’s hope we stay focused/healthy, as the months ahead will test to see if our Reds are built for the long haul. Love the approach & fight in our guys!
The Reds needed a miracle.
Then TJ Friedl stepped to the plate. And silence fell over the crowd like something really big that falls over something less really big.
It wasn’t as if the world came to a stop. It was as if the entire galaxy wound itself into a twisted ball of silent tension. Like something that gets twisted into a ball-like orb of quiet anticipation. Like every living person on this spinning, churning, yearning rock hurling through space took a breath and held it.
Then the man they call TJ Friedl launched not just a hit but a stone with a message scratched into it:
This one belongs to the Reds.
(Sorry. I thought this game deserved AI-style overwrought drivel. Because it wasn’t just a game. It was a song in umpty -ump time. And the whole world sang along.?)
+10,000
Announced LU for today’s game
T. Friedl
M. McLain
E. De La Cruz
S. Stewart
E. Suarez
S. Steer
T. Stephenson
R. Hinds
K. Hayes
P.s i always take a look on espn prediictors, and I don’t remember they has Reds as favorites, in any game this year, any.
It seems they are not taling inti account the “Tito’s factor”
*taking into account