Rookie Sal Stewart said it felt like the Cincinnati Reds were treading in quicksand Monday night after their fifth straight loss.
He dragged them out of it Tuesday night by cracking his 13th homer, a two-run shot in the top of the 11th inning that gave the Reds a much-needed 5-3 road victory over the reeling San Diego Padres.
Stewart and Cincinnati will aim to end a tough road trip with a series win on Wednesday afternoon.
That it was Stewart who produced the big hit shouldn’t come as a big surprise. He has a shot at the Rookie of the Year award in the National League, as he is batting .254 with 42 RBIs in addition to his 13 home runs.
“He’s the best, and he knows it,” starting pitcher Chase Burns said of Stewart, 22.
Stewart’s clutch homer was backed up by a 1-2-3 bottom of the 11th from Zach Maxwell, giving him his first major league save.
Reds manager Terry Francona said after the game that starter Nick Lodolo, who pitched on Saturday in St. Louis, volunteered to go to the bullpen and help the beleaguered relievers.
On this night, the bullpen that has struggled for several weeks was just fine, allowing just one run in 5 2/3 innings and working out of numerous jams.
Cincinnati will hope for length from Wednesday’s starter, Brady Singer (2-6, 5.89 ERA). The right-hander last worked on Friday night in St. Louis, where he absorbed a 10-3 defeat after yielding four runs (one earned) on four hits in four innings, with three walks and six strikeouts.
“There are a lot of ups and downs and stuff like that,” Singer said. “I’m getting kicked in the teeth right now, obviously.”
Singer won his only previous start against the Padres — who are 2-8 in their past 10 games — allowing four runs (two earned) over six innings on May 16, 2023, while pitching for Kansas City.
Opposing Singer on Wednesday will be San Diego right-hander Michael King (4-5, 3.41 ERA), who’s coming off a 5-0 loss Friday against the New York Mets. King gave up four runs on six hits in six innings, walking none and fanning four.
In five career games against Cincinnati, two of them starts, King is 2-0 with a 2.87 ERA. He’s dropped his last three starts since throwing seven shutout innings on May 18 in a 1-0 victory over the Los Angeles Dodgers.
San Diego’s season-long offensive woes showed up again in a big way on Tuesday night. The Padres went 3-for-20 with runners in scoring position and stranded 13 runners. They left the bases loaded in the ninth when Manny Machado and Gavin Sheets each struck out to force extra innings.
The Padres also filled the bases in the sixth with one out before Freddy Fermin, who homered in the previous three games, hit into a rally-killing 3-2-3 double play.
“We could have won that one, but we didn’t get the job done,” San Diego manager Craig Stammen said. “We’re obviously pressing in that situation. Everybody wants to be the guy that breaks out.”
The loss dropped the Padres to 18-19 at home this season. They were dominant there last year, going 52-29.
–Field Level Media
