The Cincinnati Reds were shut out to start the road trip out west on Friday night. Tonight they are back at it in Phoenix against the Arizona Diamondbacks and hoping to do a bit better and even up the series. First pitch this evening is scheduled for 8:10pm ET.
Starting Lineups
Cincinnati Reds | Arizona Diamondbacks |
| Elly De La Cruz – SS | Lars Nootbaar – LF |
| Sal Stewart – 1B | Corbin Carroll – RF |
| JJ Bleday – LF | Gabriel Moreno – C |
| Tyler Stephenson – C | Geraldo Perdomo – SS |
| Eugenio Suarez – DH | Nolan Arenado – DH |
| Matt McLain – 2B | Tim Tawa – 1B |
| Dane Myers – CF | Ildemaro Vargas – 2B |
| Hector Rodriguez – RF | Jose Fernandez – 3B |
| Ke’Bryan Hayes – 3B | Ryan Waldschmidt – CF |
| Rhett Lowder – RHP | Michael Soroka – RHP |
Starting Pitchers
| Pitcher | IP | ERA | WHIP | BB | K |
| Rhett Lowder | 101.0 | 5.17 | 1.49 | 42 | 82 |
| Michael Soroka | 92.0 | 2.93 | 1.11 | 21 | 88 |
| Links: Rhett Lowder’s Stats | Michael Soroka’s Stats | |||||
Rhett Lowder
The move back to the rotation got out to a lousy start in the 2nd half, but in the five starts since then Lowder has pitched well. Over that span he’s posted a 3.72 ERA while throwing 29.0 innings. His last time out was his worst start of the bunch as he gave up four runs in 6.2 innings to the Cardinals. Back on June 13th he faced the Diamondbacks in Cincinnati and allowed a run in 5.2 innings in what turned into a 2-1 Reds win.
The splits against Lowder this season have been noticeable. Right-handed hitters are hitting for a high average, but they aren’t walking and they aren’t hitting for any power. Lefties hit for a slightly lower average – but still good – but they are walking often and hitting for plenty of power when they do get their hits.
Splits
| Split | PA | H | 2B | 3B | HR | BB | K | AVG | OBP | SLG |
| RHH | 169 | 43 | 9 | 0 | 2 | 8 | 29 | .272 | .316 | .367 |
| LHH | 283 | 65 | 12 | 2 | 11 | 34 | 53 | .265 | .358 | .465 |
Pitch Usage
| 4-seam | 2-seam | Curve | Slider | Change | |
| Velo | 93.5 | 92.9 | 80.1 | 84.9 | 86.4 |
| Usage | 20% | 29% | 2% | 28% | 21% |
Michael Soroka
After missing nearly two months, Soroka returned to the mound for Arizona two weeks ago. He’s made two starts since then, throwing 4.1 shutout innings against Colorado and then giving up two runs in 5.2 innings to Atlanta. Back in June he allowed one run in 7.0 innings to the Reds in a game that Cincinnati won.
The splits against Soroka in 2026 are big. Righties aren’t hitting in any sort of way when facing him. And they are never walking, either. Left-handed hitters show a good average, but they are also not walking much and while they are hitting for more power than right-handed hitters they are not showing much power at all.
Splits
| Split | PA | H | 2B | 3B | HR | BB | K | AVG | OBP | SLG |
| RHH | 142 | 24 | 7 | 0 | 2 | 8 | 42 | .181 | .227 | .278 |
| LHH | 233 | 57 | 11 | 2 | 4 | 13 | 46 | .266 | .322 | .393 |
Pitch Usage
| 4-seam | 2-seam | Cutter | Curve | Change | |
| Velo | 93.6 | 93.4 | 89.0 | 80.7 | 85.8 |
| Usage | 33% | 10% | 12% | 32% | 13% |
When and Where
- Game time: 8:10pm ET
- Where: Chase Field
- Watch: Reds MLB Channel, Reds.tv (in-market), MLB.tv (out of market).
- Listen: 700 WLW AM (Cincinnati area)
- Forecast: They play in a dome
News and Notes
Rehabbing Red
Brandon Williamson is making another rehab appearance tonight in Triple-A. The game began at 6:35pm ET in Indianapolis. This will be his 5th rehab game and 4th with Louisville. His last outing saw him progress to 3.2 innings and 63 pitches.
Division Standings
| Team | W | L | GB | Playoff Odds |
| Milwaukee | 80 | 49 | 0.0 | 100.0% |
| Chicago | 74 | 55 | 6.0 | 97.9% |
| St. Louis | 66 | 64 | 14.5 | 6.7% |
| Pittsburgh | 63 | 67 | 17.5 | 3.0% |
| Cincinnati | 61 | 68 | 19.0 | 0.0% |
| Playoff Odds via Fangraphs | ||||
First Wife has been sick all day. Had to postpone the T-Bones (sorry Melvin). Not even a rain out but definitely have to postpone.
We’ll see how much I can watch tonight. At least the start is a little earlier.
Will the Reds show any life tonight or just roll over like last night?
Rhett Lowder paints more than corners. https://www.mlb.com/news/rhett-lowder-love-for-drawing-players-weekend
Impressive stuff. Well done!
Went to bed with the Reds trailing 5-0. When I woke up and checked the final score, I thought maybe the Reds had forfeited the game 9-0! Just kidding!
Maybe the offense will show up tonight and score some runs! We can only hope so!
As much as I’d like to stay positive, Stewart having an amazing season and is my Reds Offensive MVP, Burns being my pitching MVP, this offense is so bad. I don’t see any real improvement. Tough to have any real enthusiasm. It would be one thing if a few young players had shown some growth hitting but it’s just not there.
Tyler takes two strikes then well.
I have reached the point that unless you know the player is coming back next year you drastically cut back their playing time = Suarez and Stephenson. When I coached High School basketball when we had a team that I didn’t think could compete in the post season the last month of the year we would play mostly under class man. Luckily for me and the team that didn’t happen that often.
Sounds like you are just trying to protect your legacy as a H.S. basketball coach.
Good swing and double by Elly, and JJ drives him in. Good start.
Some crazy things have happened here today. All’s well, and everyone is fine (dogs included), but I have been out of touch.
Is it correct that Toglia’s dislocated shoulder was “popped” back in, and he is not headed for the IL?
Thanks.
“They put it back in, and there’s some thought that he might be OK,” Francona said. “It seems hard to imagine, but they can’t get an MRI tomorrow like they need to, so it’s going to be kind of on how he feels.”
Toglia said he’s “optimistic” about his prognosis, adding that X-rays were negative.
Thanks. In other words, the org has thrown in the towel on the season.
Rally with two outs. Hector HBP. Hayes BB.
Ten pitch at bat by Hayes.
Moseying along here with a one-run lead after two.
Sal leading things off with a single in third.
Bleday is en fuego tonight. Tripled in a run. 2-0.
Triple to the notch … nicely done, JJ.
Lift one and bring him home, QB1.
Sac fly off the bat of TySteve. 3-0.
We have an early Cycle Watch out on JJ Bleday.
Got the hardest ones out of the way early. Would be fun to see.
Finally see the ‘May’ Bleday. What a lovely sight.
They moved him back up in the lineup, and he responded !
Baseball games seem to be getting longer again.
Quick and easy inning. Nice to see.
#97
Elly and Sal are competing to see who has the better batting average and Ops. Sal just took the lead with that single. Both have two hits on the day…
And our old friend, Zack Littel comes on to face Bleday …
The top of the lineup has awakened. Rejoice!
Zach Littell, ex-Red, has grabbed the baseball.
And with that Single, Bleday now just needs the homerun to complete the cycle…
97 ribeyes for Sal.
Interesting,reds are hitting and Elly doing well as well as Bleday. Yet I thought they quit?? Hmmmm.
JJ Bleday singles to load things up. Cycle Watch is clearly on full alert now.
Half a game left to play … could happen.
2SF’s for Tyler … we’ll take that.
TySteve is trying to corner the market on sac flies. 5-0.
TySteve is clearly attempting to corner the market on sac flies. 5-0.
2nd Sac Fly of the day for Ty Steve … Reds now up 5-0 !
1-3 in the lineup getting it done. Nice to have some offense.
Bases loaded walk makes it 6-0.
Color me surprised on that challenge … but it worked and we get a BB-Flip RBI!!
With that walk to McLain bringing in another run, looks like Littell’s day is done… 6-0
But no, he’s still on the hill, facing Myers …
Good inning. Chased Soroka. Keep it up, Boyz.
Didn’t realize MLB is “robbing” us of the game tomorrow. I’ll find something else to occupy my time. Hopefully First Wife will be feeling better by then.
Lowder had enough time in that dugout to draw himself a portrait. A self portrait at that.
+50,000
I have to admit: I love that Arizona logo.
Bengals are punking the Bears 24-9 at the start of the fourth quarter.
It is a pre season game.
Arenado with a solo shot with 2 outs in the btm of the 4th … 6-1
Snakes get on the board 6-1, with the game heading into the 5th.
Nice seeing the players rebound after last nights game.
Lowder was near to lower his ERA under 5.00 but he surrendered a homer …
EDLC gets that home run back. 7-1.
Elly says, Hold my Beer ! And it’s gone …
That’s one way to get the run back … 😮
450 feet!!!
I think it would have gone further if not for hitting that overhang
WOW what a homerun by Elly… A triple away from cycle
Four Hundred Fifty feet. Whoa!
5 innings in and we’ve got a 2-way cycle race.
+10000
Elly distroyed in thousand pieces that ball …one piece went 450 ft
They are giving away bobbleheads and CYCLES.
That is the Elly we want. WOW
I do not want to jinx it, but so far the hitting coaches are doing very well.
Lowder is making me nervous.
Sorry for the 18 comment long screed on the element of “giving up” yesterday that brought out way too much venom. The fact that a demoralized, tired, and defeated team are in the process of reversing the 9-0 script of yesterday deserves some credit.
Lowder gives up a leadoff walk on 4 pitches followed by single… there’s still a threat from the D’backs.
He gets Moreno looking for the third out in the 5th… D’backs get one, 7-2
I think De La Cruz is one of the few 4-5 players fans across the league hope to specifically see play live during a season. That was a bomb.
This K to Moreno could be pivotal in this game…Lowder could escape limiting the damage to just 1 run
You know the way things went in the last series, we just can’t feel like we got this one, even with a 5 run lead…
Wow. An offensive explosion. Who saw that coming. Bleday & Elly have really been scuffling too
CYCLE CITY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
BLEDAY ! hit for the cycle! incredible…I didn’t expect that
Oh My!!!
Cycle nights are fun. Way to go JJ. Got that run back AGAIN.
90mph fastball right down broadway. Thank you Littell.
I think Littell is about to be looking for his forever home….or forever job because baseball player is about over. Maybe Korea or Mexican league or someplace
The top three in the lineup – Elly, Sal and JJ – are 9 for 12 with 5 XBHs.
Truly AWESOME ! (Did they leave Littell in the game just for this possibility ?) Well, it worked! Bleday just hit for the Cycle.
Reds players seem genuinely happy for each other in the dugout. That’s a nice thing to see.
Perhaps this game will stop “they quit” nonsense.
+100,000
It won’t stop Kevin, and you know it.
It’s the same 2-3 trolls…even they know who they are.
I say 5 or 6… lol….
and as per usual…they are silent, as long as the Reds are winning.
Yes they are indeed. Always happens too.
Time to thank Mr. Lowder, and roll someone else out there, it’s 8-4 in the 6th.
Balls are flying tonight.
I think me leaving Bleday out of my little list of who I thought could be a starter for the Reds next year motivated him to prove me wrong obviously! Awesome accomplishment at any level, amazing when players do it at the MLB level.
Take the credit … we’ll gladly give it to you tonight.
Yep … Stewart’s work with Napoli is paying off.
6 good innings and a QS for Lowder (1 run was unearned). I do believe we’ll take that. Perhaps Mey for 2 innings tonight (as long as he’s effective)?
Is he warming up? I am now on gameday. Not watching.
They need to re-examine giving an error to catchers on interference like that.
I’m convinced a batter could purposely draw that call every at bat if they tried.
Mey. Santillan. Burke. Pagan. They should have enough bullpen to reach the finish line.
What ? Gopher ball Littell just gave up another one, to HRod this time !
Hector!!!
1st MLB HR connection
Good for Rodriguez!!! I was on his case at one time. My impatientness
Alright Hector!!! First MLB home run!!!
EDLC should have kept running all the way to third. =)
+3B
I think that once he would have !
2 hits for the cycle in one game … outrageous.
Hahaha hah
First homer in the big leagues by H-Rod!!….I expect to see a lot of them…
Hector’s was a bomb.
Lowder reminds me of a mix between Bronson Arroyo and Brady Singer.
There were people here wanting to pick up Littell when he was DFA’d by one of the worst pitching teams in MLB.
So the D’backs did ? He closed out the year a couple years ago for the Reds. His propensity for Homerun balls, especially at GABP, found him wanting.
EDLC picks up his 4th hit of the day, followed by another one from Sal… What a day it is !
I just tuned in. Who are these guys and where have they been? And Bleday has cycled?
Yes in his first four ab’s
Lol
Just robbed of another XBH
After tonight the Reds just need to put the previous part of the season behind them and go into each game from here on confident they can win any game anytime. If not the postseason then end this one on a positive note something to carry into next season.
.500 would be a good goal.
Might be tough if Burns gets shut down.
The first 4 batters have done it all!! Plus Homer by Rodriguez and Mclain rbi walk. LOL.
It just took the Reds some time to adjust to the time change.
Offense showing up tonight!
Luis Mey on for the Redlegs.
A night of firsts for our Redlegs. Makes all the difference in the world here at RLN. I know it doesn’t mean much in terms of 2026, but it’s the kind of win we all need right now.
Truly does, makes for a enjoyable comments/talking.
Elly needs a triple for his cycle!!!
Take a bow, Mr. Mey.
Two well hit singles and 2 K’s, yes, well done by Mey to hold down the fort.
Cincinnati has scored in 5 innings in a row. Is that a first in 2026?
scored in 7 of 8 as well
I know it is small sample of Mey this last go around. In saying that, he and Garcia have to be bullpen pieces next year?
The Reds have scored in five consecutive innings. Is that a first for 2026?
I have no idea what is going on with my posts.
Make that 6 innings in a row as Matt goes yard.
6 straight innings as McLain touches them all.
McLain adds to the homerun parade in the 8th … You can’t make this stuff up !
This one off Santana
Okay. Time to shut the posts down. Congratulations to the team in Red.
Rodriguez is an interesting hitter. Hoping Francona lets him play a lot more the rest of the season.
No cycle for Elly, but a fine night regardless. What a game.
El Tigre makes his return in the bottom of the 8th…
A little rusty it appears, with 2 walks and a run scored. 11-5 going into the 9th.
Lowder’s been solid/good for his last 6 starts.
Stewart .307 in his last 114 at bats. Didn’t realize he was hitting that well for average for such a sustained amount of time recently.
The Reds are content to let it slide in the 9th … one more at bat for the D’backs.
And This One Belongs To The Reds !
That was satisfying. Looks like I’m off baseball until Wednesday, friends. Great spending the evening with y’all.