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Don't look now, but the Reds have managed to cobble back-to-back series wins on the road to start the second half of the season. Wednesday afternoon, it was Sal Stewart's three-run, game-winning home run in the top of the seventh and a hard-fought deep outing from Brady Singer that lifted the Reds to a 5-3 win over the Seattle Mariners.
Winning the series against the Rockies is one thing, but winning a series at Seattle, their first series win in the Emerald City in franchise history, is another. It's good to see this team battling even with all the trade talk.
The Reds are now 47-54 and, at the time of publication, six games back of the third National League Wild Card.
Takeaways from the Reds 5-3 win in Seattle Wednesday
Sal Stewart's Clutch Home Run the Difference
Sal Stewart is one of the cornerstones of the short-term future of this team. With him and Elly De La Cruz, that's a promising power duo to build a lineup around. Even in what's becoming another lost season, what Stewart and De La Cruz can do at the plate offers hope that, with a front office that knows what it's doing, this club can be turned around quicker than some may expect.
Wednesday in Seattle, Stewart had one of his most memorable moments of the season when he hit a three-run home run the opposite way to flip a 3-2 deficit to a 5-3 Reds' lead. The home run is Stewart's 21st of the season, and he now has 74 RBIs.
Stewart showed his ability to hit in the clutch, which can be, to a large degree, a way to measure how great a hitter is. Can they hit in high-leverage situations like the one Stewart walked up to in the top of the seventh on Wednesday? That's why Stewart's three-run home run on Wednesday feels bigger than just winning this game. It could be a positive sign going forward.
Brady Singer with a Much-Needed Deep Outing
If Chase Burns is going to be on an innings limit, the rest of the Reds' starters are going to have to pitch deeper into ball games more consistently. Brady Singer did just that on Wednesday in Seattle. Even after allowing three earned runs, manager Terry Francona kept him in the game into the seventh inning.
Singer pitched 6 2/3 innings and allowed just six hits and struck out six batters. More impressively, Singer only walked one Mariners hitter and he didn't allow a home run. He threw 101 pitches, 69 for strikes.
Don't look now, but Brady Singer has been pitching really well for an extended period of time. Over his last eight starts, he has pitched at least five innings in every one of those starts but one. Singer has also pitched into the seventh inning or completed the seventh inning four times in that stretch, including in each of his last three. Whether or not this means Singer will be traded or not remains to be seen, but there's no denying Singer has been impressive of late. This month of July, Singer has a 2.33 ERA, which follows a 3.08 ERA in June.
On Deck
The Reds will continue their nine-game road trip to start the second half of the season this weekend in St. Louis when they face the Cardinals.
St. Louis is in the thick of the National League Wild Card race, so it is, dare I say, an opportunity for the Reds to maybe gain some ground. I mean... there is still a small chance... right?
Rhett Lowder (3-7, 5.75 ERA) will start on Friday with an 8:15 E.T. first pitch. Hunter Greene (2-1, 6.06 ERA) will start on Saturday with a 7:15 E.T. first pitch. Andrew Abbott (5-6, 3.89 ERA) will start on Sunday with a 2:15 E.T. first pitch.
Right-hander Dustin May (5-7, 4.78 ERA) will start on Friday for the Cardinals, followed by right-hander Andre Pallante (10-6, 4.02 ERA) and right-hander Kyle Leahy (7-4, 3.59 ERA).
All three games can be seen on Reds.TV and heard on 700WLW.
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- Reds Closer Sends Honest Message About Team's Frustration and Belief
This article was originally published on www.si.com/mlb/reds/onsi as Sal Stewart's Clutch Bomb Lifts Reds to 5-3 Victory, First Ever Series Win in Seattle.
