CINCINNATI – Multiple Reds outfielders have been given chances to play themselves into regular time in the lineup this season, but have done so without success. But Blake Dunn is one outfielder who is making things happen for himself and the club.
Since his return to the big leagues earlier this month, Dunn has found ways to come through. In Saturday's 7-6 victory in 11 innings over the Cardinals in Game 2 of a doubleheader, he delivered in two big moments during the final inning.
"We all know how good of a ballplayer he is. The opportunity is there for him right now, and he’s taking advantage of it," left fielder Spencer Steer said.
Against reliever Riley O'Brien, with five infielders playing in, the score tied and runners on first and third with one out, Dunn flared a one-hop grounder to the middle. Running hard from third base, Steer reached the plate with a headfirst slide and beat the tag after Masyn Winn's perfect throw to catcher Yohel Pozo.
"Once I saw he wasn’t going to catch it, it was an all-out sprint home and just try to get as far away from the catcher sliding on the outside," Steer said. "Luckily, I was able to get under it.”
In the top of the 11th with a runner on third base, Dunn's two-out sliding catch on Ivan Herrera's tailing fly ball to short right field prevented a run and ended the inning.
"It’s funny, I was actually talking to myself [that] something like shallow and soft, I can go all out and kind of lay out for it knowing it’s not going to roll to the wall," Dunn explained. "Funny enough, it ended up happening, and I was able to slide and make that play, so it was pretty cool.”
The game appears to finally be slowing down for Dunn after his big league stints didn't go well in 2024 and 2025, when he batted a combined .151 over 49 games.
“It’s being able to not worry about the last at-bat, what happened yesterday, what happened a week ago," Dunn said. "All that stuff is done with. I’m really focusing on where my feet are, trying to anticipate what may be coming my way – whether it’s offensively, defensively, baserunning and being able to be present in the moment and have success.”
Since his recall from Triple-A Louisville on May 3, the 27-year-old is batting .351 with a .941 OPS and a home run.
Dunn, who had his first game with multiple extra-base hits on Wednesday at Philadelphia, has also scored at least one run in six of his last seven games.
“What he’s doing so well is he’s just playing the game. Not trying to do too much. He’s done a terrific job," manager Terry Francona said.
Taking the nightcap after an 8-1 defeat in Game 1 required the Reds to overcome Tony Santillan blowing a 6-4 lead in the top of the ninth inning.
“I know it’s frustrating, but we’re home," Francona said. "We’re not on the road, so we get to keep playing. I give our guys a lot of credit because there’s a lot of frustration, and they played through it.”
Although it's been a rough go for the bullpen all month, Pierce Johnson pitched two scoreless innings over the 10th and 11th to enable the Reds (27-25) to claim their third win over their last four games.
Winning games against their National League Central rivals has been elusive for the Reds so far this season. The victory over the Cardinals was only Cincinnati's second intradivisional win in 12 games. They are 25-15 outside the division.
From Noelvi Marte and Rece Hinds – who were both demoted to the Minors this season – to TJ Friedl struggling his way out of being the regular center fielder and into a bench role and Will Benson's own inconsistency, Francona has been searching for an outfield combination that can succeed both offensively and defensively. Until Dunn's recent stretch, only JJ Bleday had played himself into a regular role since his April 25 recall.
Now, Dunn is getting his turn. He started both games of the doubleheader and had three hits, including a pair in Game 2.
“You deal with the highs. You deal with the lows. You try to stay in the middle. And that’s just what I’m doing," Dunn said. “I’m just trying to come in every day with a mindset ready to go. Focus on whatever the task is at hand for that day’s game and try to do it the best that I can.”