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    Will Benson (Photo: Minda Haas Kuhlmann)
    Photo: Minda Haas Kuhlmann. License here.

    Cincinnati Reds vs Athletics – September 12, 2025

    Doug Gray 238

    The Cincinnati Reds enter the day just 1.5 games out of the third wild card spot. They are in Sacramento to begin a 3-game weekend series with the Athletics that is being played at a minor league stadium because their ownership has stepped on rake after rake after rake as he’s attempted to try and get a new stadium built over the last several years. Tonight’s first pitch is scheduled for 10:05pm ET.

    Starting Lineups

    Cincinnati Reds

    (Sacramento) Athletics

    TJ Friedl – CFNick Kurtz – 1B
    Gavin Lux – DHShea Langeliers – C
    Elly De La Cruz – SSBrent Rooker – DH
    Austin Hays – LFTyler Soderstrom – LF
    Tyler Stephenson – CJacob Wilson – SS
    Will Benson – RFLawrence Butler – CF
    Spencer Steer – 1BDarell Hernaiz – 3B
    Ke’Bryan Hayes – 3BJJ Bleday – RF
    Matt McLain – 2BZack Gelof – 2B
    Brady Singer – RHPJ.T. Ginn – RHP

    Starting Pitchers

    PitcherIPERAWHIPBBK
    Brady Singer149.13.981.2656145
    J.T. Ginn76.14.951.342386
    Links: Brady Singer’s Stats | J.T. Ginn’s Stats

    Brady Singer

    After having a poor start to begin the second half, Brady Singer has been outstanding. Over his last eight starts he’s got an ERA of 2.11 while throwing 47.0 innings and allowed just two home runs while striking out 52. In just two of those eight starts did he allow more than one run and the Reds have won seven of those eight games.

    The splits against Singer are big. Left-handed hitters have a higher average, which leads to a higher on-base percentage. But the big difference is in how much power they show as they show good power when they do get hits. Right-handed hitters don’t hit for average and when they do get hits, they don’t have a tendency to hit for power.

    Splits 

    SplitPAH2B3BHRBBKAVGOBPSLG
    RHH2705413232356.227.305.336
    LHH36178174113389.248.325.432

    Pitch Usage

    4-seam2-seamCutterSlider
    Velo91.592.287.982.2
    Usage10%41%11%38%

    J.T. Ginn

    The season has been split between starting and relieving for J.T. Ginn this year. After one appearance after the All-Star break as a reliever, he moved back into the rotation for the first time since May and has made nine starts since. His ERA in that time is 4.98 and he’s allowed eight home runs in nine games, covering 43.1 innings. In his last start he allowed one run in 5.0 innings against the Angels.

    The splits are huge against Ginn this year. Right-handed hitters are hitting for no average and they rarely walk while struggling to make any sort of contact. But lefties are hitting an MVP-caliber .345 and slugging .640 against him this season.

    Splits 

    SplitPAH2B3BHRBBKAVGOBPSLG
    RHH17131507854.193.240.354
    LHH1564812191532.345.417.640

    Pitch Usage 

    4-seamCutterSliderChange
    Velo93.692.286.388.5
    Usage53%12%25%10%

    When and Where

    • Game time: 10:05pm ET
    • Where: Sutter Health Park
    • Watch: FanDuel Sports Network, MLB.tv
    • Listen: 700WLW AM (Cincinnati area)
    • Forecast: 82°, sunny, 0% chance of rain

    News and Notes

    Manny Machado and Sal Stewart

    Over at The Athletic, C. Trent Rosecrans wrote about the relationship between Manny Machado and Sal Stewart. Subscription needed, but it’s a good read about Stewart and how it was clear early on that he was different from his peers.

    Going for a Championship

    Earlier tonight the Daytona Tortugas – the Reds Single-A minor league team – clinched their spot in the Florida State League Championship series by winning the final two games of a best-of-three series against the St. Lucie Mets in a 2-0 shutout. Chattanooga, who has also made the playoffs, will begin their playoff run next week as they still have a few regular season games remaining.

    Wild Card Standings

    With the division firmly out of reach, we are switching to the Wild Card standings for the rest of the season.

    TeamWLGBPlayoff Odds
    Chicago8363+7.599.9%
    San Diego8067+4.098.9%
    New York76710.077.4%
    Cincinnati74721.512.9%
    San Francisco74721.58.1%
    Playoff Odds via Fangraphs
    Previous Graham Ashcraft, Chase Burns activated by the Cincinnati Reds
    Next Wasted opportunities cost the Reds in a 3-0 loss to the Athletics
    Doug Gray
    Doug Gray has been covering Cincinnati Reds baseball since the 2006 season. Current bylines here, at Reds Minor Leagues, and Baseball America. Past bylines at The Athletic and a few other places I've forgotten and or cease to exist. Forever tired.

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    238 Responses

      1. Will NEVER forget that World Series! My late wife was 8-months pregnant with my youngest son who went on to be a star pitcher in high school!

    2. They could have been the Las Vegas Athletics of West Sacramento but they are cowards.

      1. *To the tune of the Fresh Prince of Bel Air*

        Oakland, California born and raised
        West Sacramento is where I spend most of my games

    3. Jeff Passan had this about an hour ago on the Mets (who now trail 6-3 in the 6th inning)

      “The New York Mets, losers of six straight, are down 6-0 and facing Jacob deGrom. Since starting 45-24 and owning the best record in MLB, the Mets are 31-47, better than only the Rockies, Twins and Nationals. This isn’t a collapse. It’s a disintegration.”

      2. “This isn’t an X. It’s a Y.” = don’t tell me Jeff Passan was ChatGPT all along!

    4. These A’s can hit well so the Reds pitching shouldn’t make many mistakes especially on Kurtz, Rooker, Soderstrom and the Reds killer club member Lawrence Butler…Hope the offense will be able to score runs enough to win this series…

    5. Look like we’re playing with house money again tonight. I say that a lot because the Mets really suck. It’s hard to keep As offense in check, so our offense needs to score some runs. 4 runs I ask, shall I receive? Go Reds!

    6. it’s interesting this Sutter Health Park is considered as pitcher-friendly triple-A ballpark in the Pacific coast league but at the major league level is hitter-friendly

      1. Big league hitters are stronger and hit more home runs.

        Baseball America wrote about this within the last week. The average and on-base percentage in the park is about the same for the Triple-A hitter and MLB hitters this season in the park. But in big league games there are more home runs hit.

    7. Jacob deGrom is apparently taking his frustrations out on his old team, the NY Mets! He’s completed 7 innings, throwing 88 pitches and allowing 3 earned runs!

    8. Come on Dodgers. If they and the Reds both win tonight, it’s a new WC race, tied with the Mets in the loss column. And the Reds simply need to win. That’s it. Show fans a inning streak, longer than any this year.

    9. Bay Area Reds fan here. Skipped practice to catch the 1990 World Series games back in the day! I don’t know why everyone is sleepy during west coast road trips. lol

    10. Rangers “clinging” to an 8-3 lead over the Mets in the 9th inning!

      Rangers are in a similar predicament as the Reds! They started the night 2 games behind Houston for the 3rd AL Wild Card spot!

    12. Final from New York! Mets lost their 7th game in a row! Ouch!

    13. Heaven knows it’s not uncommon for the Reds to fade as the season winds down, but the Mets are having a full breakdown.

      One benefit of playing on the west coast is that the Reds can take the field knowing the Mets lost. There should be some extra motivation. This is a big opportunity.

    15. LOLMets gonna Met. Know we just need the Reds to play the way they know they CAN! Go Reds!

    16. The A’s are actually worse at home. They are 30-42 in Sacramento and 37-38 on the road.

    17. Goes 1-2 on Lux and then throws three straight non-competitive balls. Don’t these people have scouts? Who’s Fabio?

    18. Reds missed an opportunity there to punch the A’s in the mouth with two on and no one out.

      Ginn at 24 pitches already though. Not sure what kinda pen the A’s have, but he’s not gonna go deep in this one.

    21. First 2 batters reach base and NO bunt. Need to score early and often! Just don’t get Tito’s apparent dislike of bunting runners into scoring position!

      1. The bunt is an excellent tool for that. Should be used more in our case.

    23. Cookie. Wind’s blowing out to center a bit, too, and there’s no upper deck. That thing flew.

    25. Credit Benson for continuing to run hard there. There are guys in this league that would loaf and assume an out.

    26. again, i ask. why has Benson been sitting so much on the bench since brought back up?

    27. I really don’t know what it takes to motivate this team! The Reds surely know that the Mets lost, and a win puts them 0.5 games out of the critical 3rd and final NL Wild Card spot! Plus, if we can get some help from the Dodgers in SF they can jump ahead of the Giants!

      This striking out (not ONCE but TWICE) with runners in scoring position game after game is maddening!

      1. Its not motivation at all. Its talent. Reds need some veteran proven hitters. Too many kids with less tham 2500 big league at bats. All these kids Da La Cruz, Marte, Benson, Mclain, were all high strikeout players in minors. Why would it be any different at the big league level where pitching is 3 times better than anything at AA, and AAA minor league baseball.

    31. Reds hitters being far too passive. Not sure Hayes or Steer ever put wood on a pitch.

    33. Unbelievable – NO EXCUSE FOR THIS – NONE !!!!! Freaking squeeze or something … this is sickening

    34. The worst team at leaving a leadoff triple standing at third. Just the worst. All year long.

    35. A’s trying like mad to give the Reds opportunity after opportunity.

      Gotta be more aggressive in these ABs. That’s terrible.

    36. Two balls that should have been caught and we couldn’t take advantage. GOT to do better than that guys.

    37. Y’all act like you’ve never seen a sinker before. OK it’s a good one. Still.

      1. Like, the one that froze Hayes… didn’t he have a line drive single off Pivetta’s crazy spinning four seamer up near eye level the other day? Weird.

    38. Giants up 1-0 over the Dodgers in the first with a runner on second and one out.

    40. All season long. Tito has never had to manage a pre DH NL team. It shows.

    42. Oy Vey…

      Why can’t we have nice things? Why is it so dang hard to drive in runs? Jebus.

      I realize that these are questions that we’ve been asking all season but good grief…

      Had to revise my post and not use harsh words.

    44. Dude has nasty movement on his pitches almost to the point he don’t know where it’s going to land. Like a knuckleball movement. I wonder how many times the Reds have had a leadoff triple and that’s where he ends up.

    45. Singer has pitched well since the leadoff homer. Pitch count at a respectable 25.

    46. Unbelievable! 5 SOs! ALL with a runner in scoring position! I have suggested that the batting instructors/hitting coaches for the Reds be fired at the end of the season! Why wait! They should be fired tonight!

    51. For the love of all that is holy, could be please score? Pretty please? Asking for a friend.

    54. Brutal offensive baseball …. In NO WORLD
      Should Hays and Stephenson be batting 4th and 5th in this lineup ….

    55. Runner on 2nd with 0 out.
      Runner on 3rd with 0 out.
      Runner on 2nd with 1 out.

      Three straight innings and no runs to show for it. Against a guy with an era of nearly 5. Unbelievable.

    56. The Reds offense has been frustrating in this first 3 innings…They really should be score at least 2 runs …Bad at bats with RISP less than 2 outs…Hope it won’t hunt…

    57. Runner on 2nd with 0 out.
      Runner on 3rd with 0 out.
      Runner on 2nd with 1 out.

      Three straight innings and no runs to show for it. Against a guy with an era of nearly 5. Unbelievable

    58. You only get so many guys in scoring position. Way too many strike outs. So frustrating.

    59. 6 SOs, 0 for 7 with RISP and 5 men LOB thru 3 innings! I’ve seen enough! This old man values his sleep more than watching ML hitters fail to just put the ball in play!

    62. Crazy that the Reds first 4 hitters have nearly the exact same batting average. Lux, Friedl, and Hays all .264 and Elly .267. As of press time of course.

    63. I’ve always believed that “solos won’t kill us” is the right mentality for a pitcher in a park like this. This game is making me look dumb.

    65. A’s have a terrible bullpen so hopefully Singer can keep it at 2-0 until Ginn is out .

    68. I don’t know why the Reds usually struggle against these losing teams…

      1. He’s completely fallen apart. He seems to have what Phillips has before his bullpen move.

    70. Singer’s pitched fairly well. Unfortunately he made two big mistakes that cost him. The way the offense has played, this game would be over now if he had laid an egg. He’s kept the Reds in this one.

    71. And Singer WALKS a batter after being ahead in the count 0-2 to a .220 hitter! Of course he does!

    72. A’s got some mashers and their rookie shortstop is 2nd in Batting Average. They get some pitching , look out.

    75. GINN looks like he bought to be pitching in AA ball … doesn’t say a lot about Reds hitters does it .

    77. Ginn with a leg problem. Hope he recovers well and pitches again soon……against somebody else.

    80. I’d let Hays walk at the end of the season. There’s gotta be a better cleanup hitter out there.

      2. Yeah I wanted to extend him but his power fell off the map and I would rather try the you get guys at AAA if they can’t find a free agent or trade.

    81. Hays has been ugly tonight…Reds are unable to score …it’s incredible how they waste a chance after another…

    82. Loving the informal minor league/spring training atmosphere, juxtaposed with the heat of playoff race. The only problem is the Reds clutch hitting like minor leaguers in spring training, so far.

    83. Padres 1st and 2nd with no outs and they failed to score. Add a little pressure and teams get tight.

    85. Reds can’t hit AGAIN! Brewers won and they continue to score runs…not sure how they do it. They get the offense needed. Reds just don’t seem to care about hitting, they get so obsessed about pitching, and just forget about hitting.

      1. I’ve said it before, the Brewers are just grinders. They find a way. Love watching them.

        1. Brewers are absolutely grinders. They execute all the fundamentals so well. I tip my cap to them because they’re not spending a ton and move on from pricey veterans yet still produce wins year in and year out.

      1. Agreed. He’s been quite good for about 2 months now. It’s a shame the offense behind him has given him 0 run support.

    88. A’s rank 28th in team ERA. Reds have just two hits and zero runs through five plus innings.

    90. Stewart should place first base rest of year starting … seen enough of Steer… great glove can’t hit a lick … use him at end of game for defensive replacement

    92. Back to back pitchers with 5+ era’s for the A’s and just no runs. Wild to me.

    94. Hayes, a strong glove no bat guy, has been the Reds best hitter since his arrival. A compliment to him. An indictment on all the rest.

        1. He’s made solid contact in his time with the Reds. Very pleasantly surprised. He’s a likable player too.

    97. MM gets 4 strikes on the one at-bat and 0-1 0-2 were both fastballs right down the middle. Nothing. 0-11 risp. Its unbelievable

    98. Reds being shutout by two guys sporting above 5.00 ERA combined…

    99. Starting to think Tito should just throw the starting 9 in a hat and pick what place in the order they hit. Lighten the mood a little.

    100. I don’t remember when was the last time McLain came through in a clutch situation…pitiful

      1. Opportunity is knocking again tonight. Are the Reds hitters listening? Hope so.

        1. Nope.Hard for me to get it after two big wins and a day off the way they look at the plate.

      1. He’s been healthy all year, makes all his starts, gives the Reds opportunities to win in most of his starts. He’s been a great pickup for the Reds.

    104. Yeah MM a sparkling .194 risp and 2 outs/risp .158…..but yet Tito never sits him

      1. I’ve not been enamored with Francona. Not sure why McLain has had the opportunities all season that he’s been afforded. Others would love the long leash he’s been given.

    105. The Mets are all but giving the Reds the last wildcard spot, but they just can’t seem to take it. They get so close but then stop hitting. RLN and all Reds fans are willing them to win winnable games… and they just break our hearts. The drama! Ha.

      There’s still time tonight but it sure doesn’t have the feeling of a come from behind win. Too many early chances squandered.

    106. Andujar is going to PH for Lux. If he gets on we’ll need a PR. Hope he does.

    108. Well , nothing is working tonight…a really frustrating game so far

    109. Padres got 2 hitted by a pitcher with a 6.60 ERA going in to the game. Baseball is crazy.

    110. THAT’S the disadvantage of having a PH who’s injured and can’t run. A DP waiting to happen.

    111. Tito has been too passive. Why not have a guy or two drop a bunt? Need to change your approach when what you are doing isn’t working.

    112. Okay, I’m now a convert to the “Hinds Now!” crowd.

      Motivated by their playoff chances, in a must-win game, they can’t seem to score any runs against a less than average Athletics team?

      And Singer gives them a winning start?

      This isn’t on Francona.

      It’s on the the Much-Less-Than-Great-Eight.

      2. From Doug’s minor league write up:

        “Rece Hinds continued to tear things up in September. His 2-hit night on Friday was his 7th multi-hit game out of 10 games during the month. He’s hitting a cool .475/.488/.750 in those 10 games.”

        For the year:

        .309/.367/.939

        1. If your pitching can hold a team to two runs, maybe stacking the “home run sweepstakes” and hoping somebody runs into a tater could be a strategy.

          The current one isn’t enough.

        2. He’s been terrific. Hinds has been amazing in AAA.

          Vilade with Louisville is .294/.379/.921 He’s been fun to watch.

    117. Burns took care of business just like I thought he could. Personally I’d have no problem pitching him with the game on the line.

    118. Anyone thinking that Burns might go the way of Chapman and Iglesias?

      What if he proves to be ‘lights out’ in relief?

      Is that tempting for 2026?

      It’s not like Chapman hasn’t made a ton of dinero in his career.

      1. Naw. He’ll go back to starting next year most likely. You never know though.

      2. No. You don’t relegate a talent like that to the bullpen until he proves he can’t start.

    120. The sixth time is the charm. Six lead off base runners, then K’s.

      Let’s break through, Reds.

        1. He hit it hard in the clutch. He’s our best hitter at the moment anyway.

      2. So sad when we are happy Hayes is batting with RISP. But is fairly true.

    125. It’s incredible how the Reds would lose this game after wasting so many chances to score but has been unable to bring in home a single run… Also they are wasting a good pitching so far

    126. A seeming crime that they kept Stewart down in AAA all through August when he was on absolute fire and the big league bats were snoozing the month away. (To save a few bucks on future eligibility possibly?) And a shame he’s not in nightly still.

      1. They basically don’t give anybody a chance that’s hitting in AAA …. Would rather roll
        With a crowd that gets double digit strikeouts in a nightly basis … I will say again , Krall/Meador stink as GMS … yes men to the max …

    127. Just cannot make consistent contact. During the off season some of these players must be replaced with players who have lower strike out rates. This is just painful to watch night after night.

    131. Lol Cortes wasn’t even in the lineup until someone got scratched. Guy comes in and smokes 2 homers.

    132. That’s all the A’s need , another home run … Cortes two-homer game is absurd…

    134. Well at least the Mets lost and Giants tied so far so this game is our Mulligan. Need to have Stewart and Hinds in the line up going forward so we can play long ball too in this stadium.

    135. Isn’t this the Reds MO? Hang tough with good teams. Suck us back in. Then underperform horribly against non contenders? Absolutely the worst, weakest hitting bunch of professional players. And now another solo shot probably buries us vs the “vaunted A’s.” (SI cover from ‘90 series) Maybe a 9h rally?

    137. Of consolation is that the Padres, Mets, Cardinals, and Diamondbacks have all lost tonight and the Giants are tied late with the Dodgers. If the Giants lose, the Reds wouldn’t lose ground to a team of any significance.

      1. If we actually do make it to the post season we’ll definitely be doing it the HARD way.

        1. Yeah, it will be more because what other teams didn’t do more than it will be what the Reds actually did.

        2. I get it. We’re cheering for the Reds to make the playoffs. But really, why? What do we expect to see then. Yeah. Get in and anything can happen. But seriously? If this Reda team gets in, what does it say about the state of baseball?

    138. Power plays and well we don’t seem as an organization to get that.Singles hitters that strike out a lot doesn’t work.Where is Marte and Sal?

    140. Let’s make the impossible possible. How about a GS? First let’s get in base.

    141. Watch some more Mclain… 12 strikeouts to a bunch of dudes with 5 plus ERAs

    143. Given what was on the line, this is quite possibly the most frustrating loss of the season.

    144. Giants with runners on first and third and one out in the bottom of the ninth of a tie game.

    145. 0-12 with RISP and 11 runners LOB. Been a weak point the whole season and showed again today.

    146. Mookie Betts with a bad throw and Freeman couldn’t pick it. Giants threatening.

    147. Change that to 14 strike out. Kind of reminds you of the last time we were in the playoffs in 2020 against the Braves except that was a great Braves team. Cannot put A’s in that same category.

    148. Well….that one is not going to go down as one of the best games of the year for our Reds. I’d almost rather play the Dodgers than one of these “lesser” teams.

    149. If the Reds do miss the playoffs by a game or so, they only have themselves to blame with loses like this one. Pitching did their part. Score some runs offense!

    150. That was just an absolute pathetic performance by the offense….strikeout after strikeout after strikeout

    151. One of the most frustrating games this year… They had a chance to close to a half game behind the Mets …It’s unacceptable the poor hitting with RISP of this team…pathetic, embarrassing, annoying…

    152. Left the comeback magic in SanDiego. The old demons, egg laying when there’s so much on the line, came back. SMH. Big let down. So disappointing.

    155. Hope Dodgers win in the 10th. Let’s flush this loss down thr toilet and win the last 2 games of the series. I feel good with Greene on the mound tomorrow.

    156. Playoff fever….catch it! Most pathetic hitting display they’ve had all year. When you’re about 70% sure they won’t score on a leadoff triple then thats a problem.
      They dumped Game 1 alot recently and won the series so we’ll see what happens, but I’m not the only one ready to hit the eject on baseball when football rolls around. I don’t want to be bored and I don’t want to kick the dog because these guys don’t know the strike zone. Absolutely pathetic

    158. No .regular s hitting .270. There isn’t a 20 honer guy on the roster. Francona deserves manager of the year votes for what he has done this year. The incompetence of the front office is hard to overcome. If the Reds do not get a real GM next year will be the same.

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