CINCINNATI – Although a 22-year-old rookie for the Reds, first baseman Sal Stewart has demonstrated his understanding that hitters have ebbs and flows in their performances over a long season. Stewart has already experienced both in 2026.
It's been an ebb for the last few weeks, so perhaps Stewart's performance Tuesday vs. the Mets is a sign he's ready to flow again. With a three-run home run in the first inning and an RBI single in the fifth, Stewart led the way for a 5-3 Cincinnati win at Great American Ball Park.
“I think he knows he’s a good hitter and you don’t get hits every day," manager Terry Francona said. "And that’s part of what our message to him is from day one of Spring Training, that we also know you’re a good hitter. The days you don’t hit, help us win. He’s taken to that and he’s done a good job.”
The Reds (35-37) took the first two games of their three-game set vs. the Mets to snap a five-series losing streak.
Monday's Reds win came while attacking a Triple-A call-up early in starter Tobias Myers. They did it again Tuesday on another fresh arrival in the struggling Kodai Senga, who was activated from the injured list to make the start. Senga walked his first two batters to open his night.
That set the stage for Stewart, who crushed a 2-1 sinker into the left field seats for a three-run homer – his team-leading 14th of the season.
Entering the night, Stewart was batting .205 (16-for-78) with a .621 OPS and one homer over his previous 21 games.
“I don’t think overswinging is the answer. I don’t think under-swinging is the answer," Stewart said. "I think just going out there and doing whatever I need to do to get ready for the game and then go out there and playing and enjoying myself.
"Obviously, it’s not as enjoyable when I’m not playing good, but I feel I’m right there on the doorstep. I’ve made some adjustments, feel-wise, and I’m right there. And I’m excited for what’s to come but I just got to take it day by day.”
With two outs, Spencer Steer made it a 4-0 game when he hit his 11th homer, a solo drive to left-center field.
In the fifth inning, after Edwin Arroyo led off with a double to left field and Blake Dunn bunted for a single, Stewart hit a one-out RBI single to left field to make it a 5-1 game.
Singer gets rewarded
The Reds had lost each of pitcher Brady Singer's last seven starts, including a six-inning quality start his previous time out at San Diego. Against New York, Singer gave up one run, three hits and three walks over five innings with five strikeouts for his first win since April 25.
“I felt like the command was really good and then kind of the third and fourth, a lot of free bags and it affected the pitch count a little bit. But I’m happy with the result," Singer said. "I wish I could have gotten deeper in the game.”
Singer gave up a run in the third inning, and in the fourth, he walked two batters and hit another with a pitch to load the bases with two outs. He escaped when Carson Benge flied out to right field.
"I was happy with that," Singer said. "I feel like throughout the season when I get in those situations, it kind of gets big on me and stuff like that, so to get out of that was huge.”
Francona decided that after 91 pitches, Singer wouldn't go back out for the sixth inning.
“He probably could have gone back out. I know he wanted to,” Francona said. "But he had to work so hard in a couple of those innings that I just thought, ‘That’s good enough.’”
Santillan earns the save
It was another encouraging appearance in a scoreless ninth inning with two strikeouts for Tony Santillan, who earned his fourth save after giving up a one-out swinging bunt single to Juan Soto.
Santillan has worked six consecutive scoreless appearances following a 12-game stretch where he had a 13.50 ERA with seven homers allowed over 9 1/3 innings.
“I’m feeling really good about myself the last week and a half or so, for sure, as far as the work I’ve put in," Santillan said.
The biggest challenge for Santillan has been regaining command of his slider to go with his power fastball. Both pitches were in sync vs. the Mets.
"I never lost the belief in who I am – and who I know I am – and what this team needs me to be," Santillan said.