DETROIT – These are the kinds of days the Cincinnati Reds envisioned when they talked about being a playoff team after hiring manager Terry Francona and adding a bunch of veteran pieces around the edges of the roster.
Not exactly the part about missing their best pitcher (Hunter Greene) for the foreseeable future because of a groin injury, or their best hitter when he’s played this season (Austin Hays) to a third injury to the same left leg already this season.
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But the home runs in the same game by middle-infield step-bros Elly De La Cruz and Matt McLain? The grand slam by Tyler Stephenson? The relay throw by De La Cruz to cut down Javy Baez at the plate and overall clean, errorless game all day long against the top team in the majors?
Tigers shortstop Javier Báez is tagged out a home plate by Reds catcher Jose Trevino in the third inning Saturday June 14. Baez was thrown out by Elly De La Cruz, who took the cutoff thrown from right fielder Jake Fraley, who fielded the ball on a bounce off the wall.
That’s the idea. The crazy idea that the Reds would be contenders in the buzz-saw National League this year.
On Saturday, it looked like a 11-1 win against the buzz-saw of the American League, the Detroit Tigers.
And with no guarantees of what awaits with 91 games to go – or even Sunday’s series finale with Wade Miley on the mound – Saturday’s rout of the runaway leaders of the American League Central offered a one-day glimpse of the promise of what has been a wildly inconsistent lineup.
Brady Singer got the win in the Reds’ 11-1 victory over the Detroit Tigers Saturday, June 14, allowing one run in six innings.
Of course, if there’s one thing you can count on from an inconsistent lineup it’s that it probably won’t stay down (or up) long.
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On this day, the Reds knocked around veteran starter Jack Flaherty and a bullpen that eventually included catcher Jake Rogers for six walks and 12 hits, including four home runs (also Spencer Steer).
Ten of the 11 Reds who batted had hits in this one, and the one who didn’t, Will Benson, reached on a walk.
Leadoff man TJ Friedl reached three times, as did catcher Jose Trevino. Stephenson added a double to his slam. Christian Encarnacion-Strand got his first hit since the night Francona kissed his bat Monday in Cleveland.
You get the idea. The big idea. The crazy idea.
Reds starter Brady Singer, who made a career out of beating the Tigers while pitching in Kansas City, improved to 7-1 against Detroit with a 3.20 ERA in 14 career starts.
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Singer (7-4) gave up just four hits in six innings on this day, allowing a fourth-inning run after a pair of walks and two-out hit by Wenceel Perez.
The win also meant the Reds extended their streak to 23 series this year without being swept, their longest streak to open a season since 1989, when they went 30 before getting swept by the Phillies.
Besides the Reds, only the Yankees and Mets have not been swept this season.
This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: Cincinnati Reds rout MLB-best Detroit Tigers, even series