Andrew Abbott turned in perhaps the worst start of his otherwise brilliant 2025 campaign on Saturday in the white-hot heat of Phoenix as the Cincinnati Reds lost to the Arizona Diamondbacks by a brutal score of 10 to just a lone run.
The loss paired with Friday’s 6-5 defeat in extra innings puts Cincinnati squarely in the crosshairs of being swept for the first time all season, something that doesn’t exactly bode well given the victory by the New York Mets on Saturday in the race for the final Wild Card spot in the National League.
When the clock turns to Sunday, the Reds will find themselves 2.5 games out of the final spot, just 3 games ahead of these very same Diamondbacks – the same club that dealt away superstar Eugenio Suarez at the deadline while in ‘seller’ mode.
The Reds will turn to Brady Singer to help them salvage at least a game from this series in the finale on Sunday, a thought that would’ve made one cringe just a few weeks ago. After his brilliant team debut on March 31st, Singer pitched to just a 5.19 ERA across his next 19 starts through July 21st, but he’s turned it around in a big, big way ever since – he’s allowed just 6 ER in 29.2 IP since, good for a stellar 1.86 ERA in those 5 starts.
First pitch on Sunday is set for 4:10 PM ET, and it’s become a game the Reds simply must have if they’re to stick around this playoff chase much longer.