After reset week, Singer's struggles still present in latest start

CINCINNATI – The Reds were hoping that a week off might be restorative for Brady Singer as their starting pitcher looked to turn around from a string of lackluster outings.

That hope and the outcome were not in alignment.

Singer and the Reds were handed a 5-2 defeat by the Braves on Saturday at Great American Ball Park. Cincinnati (29-28) has dropped three straight games – and the first two games of its three-game series with Atlanta.

Singer gave up three runs and four hits over five innings with a season-high tying four walks, two strikeouts and two home runs.

"I obviously don’t like the walks and the homers, but I felt like the stuff was a little bit better," Singer said.

The Reds lost all five of Singer's starts in May when he went 0-4 with a 7.77 ERA. In 11 starts overall, he is 2-5 with a 6.18 ERA.

Singer was pitching for the first time since May 17 after his previous turn in the rotation was wiped out by a pair of rainouts during last weekend's series vs. the Cardinals. He was also a little banged up by a comebacker to his foot a couple of starts ago and used the extra time to get a reset while working with pitching coach Derek Johnson.

“I guess it’s good and bad," Singer said. "You get a little bit of a break on the body but you lose a little bit of the routine and stuff like that. We had a good bullpen this week and worked on some stuff, some mechanical stuff as well. I felt pretty good with my rhythm and stuff like that.

"Obviously the walks and I’ve been hurt in the zone a lot lately. I was trying to get a little more chase tonight and it obviously led to some walks.”

JJ Bleday gave Singer a 2-1 lead in the second inning on a two-run home run to right field on Mártin Pérez's first pitch. Singer couldn't hold it as Ronald Acuña Jr. hit a first-pitch sinker over the middle of the plate to right field for a game-tying homer.

After that, Singer retired six in a row -- including four consecutive groundouts. But with one out in the Atlanta fifth inning, Jorge Mateo lifted an 0-1 sweeper into the left-field seats for the go-ahead homer.

"I obviously needed to get that to the other side of the plate and get more of a chase there but it just kind of spun right over the middle of the plate," said Singer, who is second in the Majors with 16 homers allowed behind the Cubs' Jameson Taillon (19).

With two outs in the fifth, Singer loaded the bases with three consecutive walks - including two in a row on four pitches. On his 94th pitch, he got out of the jam with an Ozzie Albies flyout to end the inning and his night.

“A little bit of a mixed bag," manager Terry Francona said of Singer's start. "The last inning, they really made him work, and fortunately, he kind of gutted through it and got a big out there to give us a chance. I thought early, the ball was coming out better than we’ve seen it, which is good. When he makes a mistake, he’s been paying for it and it’s a pretty dangerous team over there.”