Yesterday it was the long ball that helped the Reds to win. Today it was base running, defense, and some incredible pitching that led the Cincinnati Reds to a 2-0 win and the series win over the Texas Rangers at Globe Life Field on Saturday night.
FinalRHECincinnati Reds (5-3)280Texas Rangers (4-4)042W: Rhett Lowder (1-0) L: Kumar Rocker (0-1) SV: Emilio Pagan (3)Statcast | Box Score | Game Thread
The Reds jumped out to an early lead in this one. With one out in the first inning, Matt McLain singled and took second on a Kumar Rocker wild pitch. Three pitches later, Elly De La Cruz singled up the middle, scoring McLain. Sal Stewart then drove in De La Cruz with a scorching 106.6 mph ball to the right center field gap.
Rangers right-hander Kumar Rocker settled down after the first inning and allowed only four hits from the second inning through the fifth. The Reds did have an opportunity to add on in the fifth when McLain led off with a single and after a wild pitch and throwing error by Rangers catcher Danny Jansen, ended up on third. However, De La Cruz would ground out, Stewart swung and missed at a high fastball after Rocker threw him nothing but sliders, and Suárez struck out on a questionable check swing.
Meanwhile, Rhett Lowder cruised through his second start of the season. He pitched six innings of shut out baseball, allowing only three hits while striking out four Ranger batters. Lowder did allow two leadoff walks in the third and the fifth inning, but never let the runner get further than that.
Reds pitchers were also helped out tremendously by the defense tonight as well. Will Benson and Eugenio Suárez made great plays in the second inning on a couple of back-to-back hard hit line drives. Benson had a nice running catch in the bottom of the fourth, tracking down a ball that was hit to the right center field gap. TJ Friedl moved to left field in the sixth and ended the inning with a diving catch in foul ground. Jose Trevino immediately got to a dribbler in front of home plate and made an off-balance throw to nab Josh Smith at first base.
Graham Ashcraft and Tony Santillan each pitched a perfect inning in the seventh and eighth. The Rangers made it interesting in the ninth against Emilio Pagan, but he was able to induce a ground ball double play and then strike out the potential game-winning run in Evan Carter to end the game.
Key Moment of the Game
De La Cruz made it 2-0 when he scored from first base in the first inning on a 106.6 mph ball to the right center field gap off the bat of Sal Stewart, in which the Rangers did not even attempt a throw home.
Notes Worth Noting
-The Reds’ base running was excellent tonight. Aside from De La Cruz’s base running in the first, Stewart also had some heads up base running in the third inning. Stewart went first to third on a Nathaniel Lowe single to left field. Nothing would ultimately come of this move, but these are the plays that can build a foundation of good fundamentals throughout the entire season.
-Rhett Lowder’s 1.30 ERA across his first eight starts in the major leagues is the lowest mark by a Red in that span since earned runs become an official stat in 1913. It’s also the fifth lowest mark by any major league pitcher (min 4IP/start) through first eight career starts since the expansion era began in 1961.
-The Reds are now 5-0 in games decided by two runs or less through the first eight games of 2026.
Up Next
Cincinnati Reds vs. Texas Rangers
Sunday, April 5th, 2:35 PM EDT
Chase Burns (1-0, 0.00 ERA) vs. Jack Leiter (1-0, 3.00 ERA)
