The Cincinnati Reds are back to .500!
While the sarcasm with that initial sentence is real, I assure you, the excitement that came with watching rookie Sal Stewart sock his first big league homer 412 feet over the CF wall in Great American Ball Park on Saturday evening was all optimism. Stewart, the Reds top prospect after Chase Burns graduated off the list, got the start at 3B on the day after having spent time both on the bench and at 1B since his call-up, and responded with a big time blast with most of his closest friends and family on-hand to watch in GABP.
The Reds beat the New York Mets by the score of 6-3 on the evening, and in doing so won their 71st game of the season to go alongside their 71 losses. They’re still 5 games back of the Mets for the final National League Wild Card spot, but Saturday’s victory at least sets the stage for them to win the series with another win over their rivals on Sunday afternoon.
Brady Singer got the start on the day and was once again rock solid. He allowed just a lone earned run in 6.0 IP, fanning 5 and scattering 4 hits and 4 walks to keep his team right there in the game. In the process, he lowered his season ERA down to a very respectable 3.98, a rather amazing heel-turn of form mid-year after he’d endured a pair of sub-par months that had him firmly on the ‘non-tender’ radar.
The concept of the Reds making the playoffs is still incredibly farfetched. Much more farfetched than when the season began with this young team, in fact, and now just 20 games remain for them to pull off the miracle. However, if this game is to serve as something of a catalyst, having ace Hunter Greene on the mound tomorrow opposite Brandon Sproat – a talented rookie who is nonetheless making his big league debut – sure seems like the next dependable domino to fall.