Reds pitching struggles in loss to Atlanta to begin the series

The Cincinnati Reds pitching didn’t have the best night on Friday, but it was the team’s newest bullpen addition that was charged with four runs and got just one out that doomed the home team. Atlanta would score eight runs on the night and put the game away in the 6th inning as the Braves held on for an 8-3 win to start the 3-game series.

Chris Paddack began the game by throwing three straight fastballs to Ronald Acuna Jr. His 4th pitch was a curveball and it caught the bottom of the strikezone, but also the bat of Acuna Jr. and the next thing it hit was the seats in left-center as he gave Atlanta a 1-0 lead on a 429-foot leadoff homer. The next pitch would have also left the yard if not for Blake Dunn making a leaping grab at the wall to rob Michael Harris II of a home run.

In the next inning things didn’t get better for Paddack as he gave up a leadoff single and then back-to-back walks to load the bases. A groundout and a sacrifice fly followed with both producing a run for Atlanta. A 2-out single by Harris II padded the lead again and made it 4-0.

Cincinnati got some things going for themselves at the plate in the bottom of the 4th after being shut down by Grant Holmes in the first three innings. JJ Bleday led off the inning with a home run into the seats in right field. Sal Stewart followed up with a double, but he was caught trying to steal third base later in the inning. That would cost the Reds because later in the at-bat Nathaniel Lowe hit the second home run of the inning for the home team to cut the lead to 4-2. Stewart helped make up for the caught stealing in the bottom of the 5th when he came through with a 2-out RBI single to cut the deficit to a run.

The 6th inning began with Cincinnati bringing Yunior Marte out of the bullpen to replace Chris Paddack in a 4-3 game. It was Marte’s first outing in the big leagues since 2024 and things didn’t go well. He gave up a single to start the inning, then hit the next batter. An RBI double and an RBI single followed as the Braves pushed their lead to 6-3 before Marte would pick up a strikeout to record his first out. He then intentionally walked Ronald Acuna Jr. to load the bases and then manager Terry Francona made a pitching change to get a lefty-on-lefty matchup with Caleb Ferguseon coming in to face Michael Harris II. The move didn’t work as the first pitch thrown was lined into center for a 2-run single.

The game went quiet from an offensive standpoint from there. Neither team would score again in the game as Atlanta held on for an 8-3 win to open up the series.

Key Moment of the Game

The top of the 6th inning where Yunior Marte and Caleb Ferguson combined to allow four runs that turned a 1-run game into a 5-run game.

Notes Worth Noting

Sal Stewart had a 3-hit night that included two doubles and an RBI.

JJ Bleday and Tyler Stephenson both had two hits in the game.

Cincinnati’s hitters had one walk on the day and they struck out 11 times. Reds pitchers walked four, hit a batter, and struck out just five on the night.

When the game was over the Braves team ERA was 3.14. The Reds sat at 4.71.

Up Next for the Cincinnati Reds

Atlanta Braves vs Cincinnati Reds

Saturday May 30th, 7:15pm ET

Martin Perez (2-3, 2.70 ERA) vs Brady Singer (2-4, 6.26 ERA)