He didn’t need them last Monday when the Reds scored 14, but he needed every one Saturday night against the Milwaukee Brewers.
Singer was in and out of treacherous jams all night and had a 7-0 lead as the Reds knocked Milwaukee starter Elvin Rodriguez into the fourth dimension.
That 7-0 lead dissipated to a 7-5 lead after five innings as Singer ended up giving up five runs (three earned), nine hits, a walk and he struck out seven.
But the Reds continued their offensive onslaught with three runs in the seventh on their way to an 11-7 win, ending a four-game losing streak.
After a long continuous battle, the Reds finished with 14 hits - that included four home runs - and four hits by leadoff man TJ Friedl that included a home run and a drag bunt single.
“Friedl kind of set the tone for us,” said manager Terry Francona, who told Friedl during spring training, “I want you to get on base twice a game, matter how you do it.”
Credit: AP
Credit: AP
As for the rest of the lineup, “They all did some good things, one through nine.”
Every occupant of the batting order had at least one hit with Santiago Espinal, Gavin Lux and Jose Trevino each contributing two hits.
Blake Dunn, Friedl, Trevino and Christian Encarnacion-Strand all homered.
The Reds scored a run in the first on a bloop double that crash-landed on the right field foul line by Lux.
Dunn was a late insertion into the lineup when Matt McLain was scratched from the lineup with pain in his left hamstring.
And Dunn cracked a home run, followed by a two-run home run by Friedl, who finished 4 for 5 with two runs and two RBIs.
The Reds added two more in the fourth on a two-run home run by Trevino after Dunn was hit by a pitch.
It became 7-0 in the fourth when Encarnacion-Strand hit a home run, a 451-footer that was headed for Kenosha when it crashed into the center field scoreboard, ending an 0-for-18 slide for CES.
Credit: AP
Credit: AP
It was the second longest home in MLB this season, behind the 468-foot blast hit earlier this season by Aaron Judge against the Brewers.
During Cincinnati’s 14-3 ripping of Texas, Singer pitched seven scoreless innings.
It was a different story Saturday.
He walked the first batter in the first, then struck out the side. The Brewers loaded the bases with two outs in the second, but Singer struck out Brice Turang.
The Brewers scored a run in the fourth and reached Singer for four runs on four hits in the fifth. Three scored when right fielder Jake Fraley permitted Sal Frelick’s base hit to scoot past him to the wall and it was 7-5.
Credit: AP
Credit: AP
One run was driven in by Christian Yelich, who was 0 for 9 with five strikeouts in the series before his run-scoring single.
“To their credit, they kept battling,” said Francona about Milwaukee’s stubbornness. “It didn’t feel safe until the last out. It was two teams really wanting to win.”
Of Singer, now 2-and-0, Francona said, “We had an error (by Jake Fraley that led the three runs) that didn’t help him. They had nine hits (off Singer) which fortunately there wasn’t a tone of walks.
“Those hits drove his pitch count up (91) but he was able to get out of a couple of innings,” he added.
Singer, of course, was most appreciative of another run explosion behind his quick work. Singer works fast, as if he has a cab waiting outside the ball park with the meter clicking.
“That was fun to watch, everybody contributing,” he said. “I didn’t have command like I did the first time out.”
It appeared the Reds put it away with a pair of runs in the seventh. Elly De La Cruz had stranded 12 runners since driving in seven runs last Monday, but grounded a two-run single to left and it was 10-5.
But it wasn’t over.
The Brewers scored two runs off Scott Barlow in the seventh with two outs to make it 10-7 and Milwaukee had runners on third and second.
Tony Santillan stopped it by striking out Isaac Collins.
Then Reds tacked on a breathing-room hit in the ninth on a double by Espinal and a single by Lux and it was 11-7.
The Brewers, though, didn’t go quietly into the night. They put two runners on base in the ninth Emilio Pagan struck out Oliver Dunn to finally end it.
“They had good energy tonight and that’s what you’re looking for,” said Francona. “It’s about trying to pick each other up and not try to do everything yourself because that’s the human nature to try to do it.”
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