Brady Singer spins another gem, but Reds lose series opener to Athletics
Cincinnati Reds RHP Brady Singer pitched another strong 6 innings, allowing just one walk and 3 hits, but 2 were solo home runs in the loss to the A’s.
WEST SACRAMENTO, Calif. – A few hours before the Cincinnati Reds opened their weekend series against the Athletics in West Sacramento Sept. 12, a local writer rattled off a list of A’s hitters with more home runs than any Reds player and asked manager Terry Francona about preparing for that lineup.
“I felt a little about it till you said that,” Francona deadpanned. “They’ve got some really good young players. We know that. And I know the ball flies here pretty well. The biggest thing I would say is if they hit them, I hope they’re solos.”
Be careful what you wish for.
Lawrence Butler picked up against the Reds where he left off last year, leading off the Athletics’ first inning with his 20th home run off Brady Singer, and two innings later, Carlos Cortes led off the third with the first of his two solo home runs (also leading off the eighth against Chase Burns).
On a night the A’s bullpen performed exceptionally well and the Reds’ lineup not at all with men in scoring position, it was enough to douse the Reds’ building optimism about their playoff hopes for one night, losing 3-0 to the A’s in the opener of a three-game series at Triple-A ballpark Sutter Health Park.
In going 0-for-12 with men in scoring position, the Reds were shut out for the 12th time this season.
And if you thought that was a missed opportunity, you didn’t do any scoreboard watching before or after the game.
Because of the Mets’ loss earlier in the night, their sixth straight, the Reds took the field just one game out of playoff position.
After the Reds lost – remaining 1 1/2 out with 15 games to play — the San Francisco Giants beat the Dodgers in extra innings to take a one-game lead over the Reds, who now have to catch two teams to reach the playoffs.
The Giants are a half-game behind the Mets.
Reds righty Singer (13-10) continued his string of good starts in the loss, allowing two of the solo shots among just three hits allowed over six innings. He walked only one.
Singer has a 2.21 ERA in his last nine starts, going back to July – 2.00 in his last six.
“I thought he pitched just like he’d been pitching,” Francona said. “He pitched good enough to win”
The tone was set for the Reds in this one when the first two batters of the game drew walks against A’s starter J.T. Ginn, but left them there with a pair of strikeouts around a fielder’s-choice grounder.
Will Benson then led off the second with a triple when the right fielder lost sight of the ball. But three straight strikeouts left him standing at third.
“Early on we had a chance to do some damage, and it ended up being the whole night where we didn’t get any hits with runners in scoring position,” Francona said.
“The one time, (Ke’Bryan) Hayes hits a ball up the middle and it hit the guy’s foot.”
That was an eighth-inning drive off the pitcher’s leg with two outs and men at second and third. Pitcher Justin Sterner recovered to get the out.
“You’ve got to give yourselves more chances than that,” Francona said.
Players afterward said they’d seen the Mets result before taking the field.
“But it doesn’t really matter. We’ve got to play our games,” Singer said. “And all these games matter from here on out We’ve just got to keep going.”
Said left fielder Austin Hays: “We need to flush it as soon as we leave this locker room today. We’ll leave the 0-for-12 with runners in scoring position, leave whatever happened today in here. And we’ll come out and swing it better tomorrow.”