REDS POSTCAST: Cincinnati Reds HALT Momentum With EMBARRASSING Loss to Athletics in Sacramento

REDS POSTCAST: Cincinnati Reds HALT Momentum With EMBARRASSING Loss to Athletics in Sacramento

[Music] This is the Reds post cast, your instant game reaction for the Cincinnati Reds, part of the Locked On Network, your team every day. [Music] Good. Uh, whatever it is, Reds fans, and welcome to another edition of the Locked on Reds podcast brought to you by Locked on Reds and the Locked On Network, your team every day. I’m Tim Daniel. I am unfortunately a lifelong Reds fan. I’ve been podcasting about this team for 5 years at publications such as Late Night Reds and The Riverfront. And if you stayed up late with me tonight here on the East Coast, I want to thank you for spending some time with me as we discuss the Cincinnati Reds beating the Cincinnati Reds three to nothing tonight in Sacramento. If you’re checking my show for the first time, welcome. We are so happy to have you. Please be sure to hit that notification button so you can only get my show after each and every sing like a not even 20 of these left. Or you can then you can also get Jeff and Steve Monday through Friday on Locked on Reds as well. This episode is brought to you by FanDuel. Right now, new customers can get just $5 bet just $5. And if your bet wins, you’ll get $300 in bonus bets across the app. Download the app today. Well, on today’s show, we’re going to talk about the fact that the Reds beat the Reds again. Um, we’re going to talk about some Tito decisions here because some of the decisions she made down the line of this game, I don’t really understand. Um, we’re going to decide to those. And you know what? If there’s one good thing to talk about today, it’s Brady Singer. Well, TJ Fredo, I guess, too. All that and a whole lot more. And I’m sure you guys have some really interesting takes to get to as well. Let’s get started. This is what you’ll be talking about. So, I know the scoreboard says Athletics three reds nothing, and I know that that’s what’s going to go down the record books, but tonight was, I think, fair to say, the most frustrating loss of 2025. And the 73 losses the Cincinnati Reds have so far this season, this is up there with them because it reminds you of the White Sox series. It reminds you of the two Marlin series. It reminds you of the National Series. It reminds you of the Cardinal series that they’ve dropped. It reminds you of the fact that they just could never ever ever take advantage of opportunity right in front of them. And tonight, opportunity was served them on a platter. The A’s were literally begging them to take this game, and they just kept finding ways to not. Let’s just kind of dive through it. 14 strikeouts as a team tonight. 0 of 12 with runners in scoring position. You would think one of those pops through, 11 runners left on base. That’s insanity. And I mean, they were like literally like so I think it was five or six they had the they had their leader runner get on. That’s uh pretty awful. And it was also the fact that they literally just could not get there are times when you’re like, “Okay, they just didn’t get the big hit.” And you’re like, “Okay, you can move forward with that.” This was not one of them. Oh, William brings up more. The Pirates, the Braves. Yeah. Um the Braves one in Atlanta, that four game set is really looking pretty rough right now. Um and there’s just a lot of just kind of conversations here that I don’t quite understand. Um, but which is just really aggravating is the fact that this is a situation where, like we said, this wasn’t just the fact that all those other series are frustrating because if the Reds just won those series and did their job, we don’t even have to have this thing where we’re watching right now. We’re like watching the lead more than anything. So, if you lose tonight to the Athletics, you go, “Ah, you probably shouldn’t have lost them, but you can before because you probably have a wild card lead because you beat the teams you’re supposed to beat.” And they did not. Um, and tonight just to lose to an A’s team who uh are dropping fl foul balls just like giving like, you know, giving you extra chances at at at bats. Um, are also just kind of like, you know, their pitching staff is walking you just as many times. The Reds had five walks tonight on top of the six hits and they couldn’t get anything done. It’s just so freaking frustrating. I’m not allowed to curse on this show, so I’m doing my best not to. And that also for us, we’re staying up late to watch them play like crap to play like this here on the East Coast. Like, this is just so unacceptable because of where we are in the season. What’s on the line? You know, if you win this game, you’re a half game behind the Mets who are also just trying to get the National League wild card away. Neither of these teams want that. These teams want the wild card. I’m I’m convinced. I feel like they just kind of like rolling with it and just like we’ll see what happens. But neither of them are exactly dying to get it. And of course, you know, the Giants are the team that’s like trying to win a lot. And God only knows what happens when the Giants are in the playoffs. The Giants right now one to one in the bottom of the 10th and they have the winning run on third base with one out. So things aren’t looking that ideal there for the Reds. Um just an all-around irritating ball game and one that this has gota they got to get that one back. They cannot lose this series to the Athletics, especially because they’re about to go to St. Louis, who is also not good, but for some reason the Reds have had, you know, trouble my whole life beating the Cardinals. Um, so let’s see how the rest of the series goes, but not a promising start. And coming off that San Diego series where you got those two huge games, uh, you torpedo, once again, you get in your own way and you torpedo your momentum. And no one ruins their own momentum like the Cincinnati Reds do. And some of that has to do with managerial decision- making, such as when the game’s on the line and you’re seeing your guys constantly struggle, why are Noel Marte and South Stewart and maybe more other decisions we can go to not getting at bats. So, we’re going to dive into those and more right after this. You’ve probably seen a million ads for hair growth products and thought, “Sure, like that actually works.” There are so many products out there, it’s hard to know which ones are actually going to do anything. That’s why you should give Neutrifull a closer look. 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So, I guess there’s some craziness going on in the Giants and Dodgers game right now, uh, that I won’t see until we get done with the show. But I also want to shout out all of our everydayers who are here through the good and the bad and the late uh, as we discuss the Reds with a crappy crappy loss tonight to the athletics. The Athletics are so bad they don’t have a city. Let’s just kind of call that what it is. Um, I’m just kidding, but not really. Uh, let’s get to the turning point tonight’s game. Time to reveal where the game was won or lost. It’s the turning point. So, I know a lot of people will say, you know, Lawrence Butler hits the solo shot in the first inning for the A’s, and that’s the way the turning point, but I’m going to go with something that’s the Red’s fault. Top of the second, the A’s give you another at bat. Will Benson fullon hits a triple where JJ Blade can’t figure out where it is in the air. Shout out Will Benson on that way. Just doesn’t break stride and just keeps running. That was cool. And then Spencer Steer strikes out. Then KBrian Hayes strikes out. And then Matt Mlan’s up and he strikes out. And in that process, Darnell Hern, the ace third baseman, drops a foul ball to give the Reds another chance. You can’t have your run your leading your your leadoff hitter get a triple, no outs against a team that is not good at all. Um, and have this happen. So, just a really, really frustrating situation there as well. All right. So, in a game like tonight when things are going bad and you need every at bat you can possibly get and you need every out you can possibly get and you need to win every game you possibly can win and you need to hope for the best like the San Francisco Giants don’t have a walk-off. You got to go down with your best players if you’re going to lose. You can’t have guys sitting on the back there where Matt Mlan tonight is 0 for four with two strikeouts and Sal Stewart’s there. I’m not saying Sal is better than Matt Mlan, but right now we know that Matt Mlan’s probably just not gonna fully figure it out. And he’s been really good of late. I’ve been on here quite a bit talking about how much I’ve really enjoyed Matt Mlan. Uh but he’s back his last seven games. He’s been awful. Um you know, South Stewart in there. And then Will Benson is in there as well. And Will Benson, I get it. He just had the triple. I just goed about that and that was great. Um but at some point, why isn’t no Martian that bad? And I get the lefty verse righty thing and all that stuff. I’m all for that. But, you know, Marte has been pretty awesome for, you know, he’s struggled of late, I know, but he’s had two days in a row, two games in a row off now, including a day off in the middle of the season. By the way, no Marts off LA Cruz doesn’t have one. The malpractice that they are just trying to run Ellie de Cruz into the ground when he’s already run into the ground. Um, it’s just so frustrating. But, you know, why are those guys left on base? I mean, why are those guys just kind of left there? Like, why are you losing and those guys don’t even get a chance to help you win the game potentially? You’ve seen what you’re getting from the rest of your offense. And I get there’s some bad luck in there. You know, keep Ryan Hayes that ball. He smokes off the pitcher. Um, it just kind of got so lal got so lucky to go where it went for the for the A’s. Um, and you know, obviously the strikeouts are piling up and they’re frustrating, but I don’t understand why it’s like I think at some point you can pull the trigger on these guys and just kind of go to the next person if you know that if you feel like no other Mart, you know, this is Will Benson we’re talking about here. Terren has been very willing to not play him a lot, right? Why don’t you pull him tonight? No Mart’s right there. No Mart has been one of your best hitters throughout the season. And I think I’d rather go down the ship with Noel V Marte than Will Benson. And I love Will Benson, but I don’t know. Lefties got to face righties. You know, that’s that’s just how things go. Um, while we watch old Mickey Man tapes. Um, and you know, with Matt Mlan, like I would have been more than willing to give anyone the bat there, uh, you know, at the end of the game than him. And even though I didn’t really I was all for Miguel and Doohar getting that at bat, but what happens if he gets on base? I mean, he grounded out he got into a double play and he struck out. So maybe Mart’s the go-to there since the DH spot. I don’t know. Is he sick or something? They’re not. You know, you know how the Reds are. They don’t tell us until it’s like way too late. Um, just feel like there’s a lot of empty at bats they got in this game where they had better probably better players currently playing better that they could have thrown into that situation there as well. Maybe I’m wrong and maybe you guys can disagree with me and if you do that’s totally fine. Um, but I feel like the Reds kind of beat themselves a lot in this game and I feel like a lot of it was the guys who kind of getting at bats there as well. Um, but let’s get to our locked on player of the game. This is the locked on player of the game. I mean, the only guy who really showed up there to kind of give the Reds a chance was Brady Singer. Six innings, two earned runs, one walk, four strikeouts. Um, I’m going to say the thing, did he give the Reds a chance to win tonight? He did. Did the Reds win tonight? Not even close. Um, and I didn’t think he was necessarily sharp. He does give up two solo, but he gave two solo shots. You can live with two solo shots. Um, so especially in a minor league ballpark, the Reds had, you know, couldn’t do anything in the minor league ballpark. And we also see this thing too where it’s like right before the game, they’re like, “Oh man, they’re hitting the ball’s flying out of there. They’re hitting so many home runs in batting practice.” That obviously didn’t get them anything. Um, Josh says it here. I’d give it to Fredel. Excellent lead off mindset. Jeff Fredle was awesome tonight. Got on base four times. one of those like I thought he broke his hand. Um so thank god he didn’t. Um but yeah, I mean senior getting the chance and actually I’ll be I’ll go ahead and say like I don’t want it fulltime obviously not even close. I know it won’t be the case next season. Um like seeing Chase Burns in the bullpen. I know he gave up a solo shot. Again, I can live with solo shots if the offense just kind of shows up and does their job. But they don’t like to do that sometimes and I think that’s why we’re all really really frustrated tonight. But with that in mind, we’ll go ahead and close this one out as the Reds are losers to the Athletics three to nothing. The Athletics have three runs on six hits and an error. The Reds have zero runs on six hits and an error. Your winning pitcher tonight for the A’s is Tyler Ferguson. He is now four-2. Your losing pitcher is Brady Singer. He is now 13-10. And Shawn Nukem picks up his second save of the year. And the Reds better redeem themselves tomorrow for our final 10:00 game of the year. Thank goodness. Hunter Green takes the hill for the Reds. It is in fact green day. He is 6 and4 with a 259 ERA. He’ll be going against Luis Severina who is 6 and 11 with a 467. First pitch is at 10:05. So we’ll probably be on about the same time we are tonight. Everyone, thanks so much for staying up late. I really appreciate it. I’m sorry it wasn’t a better game. Hopefully tomorrow we’re talking about a win. Have a good night. Go Red Legs.

The Cincinnati Reds dropped the series opener to the Athletics 3-0 on Friday night in Sacramento. Despite several chances to break through, the Reds went 0-for-12 with runners in scoring position and left a number of men stranded on base. Oakland took advantage of their limited opportunities, scratching across just enough offense to secure the win. The Reds will look to bounce back on Saturday as they try to even the weekend series.

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