Reds Bludgeon Tigers Behind Stewart’s Historic Five-RBI Day

Well, this is what happens when you roll out Jack Flaherty on fumes and the opposing lineup decides Saturday is a home run hitting contest. The Cincinnati Reds absolutely demolished the Detroit Tigers 9-2 on Saturday at Great American Ball Park, turning what should have been a competitive matchup into a clinic on offensive dominance. This wasn’t even close to competitive after the first inning concluded, and frankly, it was an embarrassment for a Tigers team that came into this game hoping to make some noise.

Let’s start with the elephant in the room: Jack Flaherty was absolutely atrocious. Two innings, five hits, six earned runs, and just two strikeouts. This wasn’t a case of tough luck or bad defense helping the Reds. This was a complete and total meltdown by a pitcher who had no business taking the mound looking like he’d never seen a baseball before. By the time the second batter came up in the bottom of the first, you already knew this game was over.

Sal Stewart was the story of this game, and honestly, it wasn’t even close. Five RBIs on four hits, including a three-run bomb and a go-ahead single in the sixth inning. Stewart went up there and treated the baseball like it owed him money. He was the most impactful hitter on the field, and his performance alone would have won this game for Cincinnati. The Reds’ cleanup hitter didn’t just show up on Saturday, he showed up with a vengeance.

Cincinnati’s Barrage Starts Immediately

Kevin McGonigle gave Detroit a fleeting moment of hope with a leadoff solo shot in the top of the first, but the Reds answered with a haymaker in the bottom half. Stewart’s three-run blast with Matt McLain and Elly De La Cruz aboard made it 3-1 before most fans had finished their first beer. Nathaniel Lowe followed with a solo shot on the very next pitch, and suddenly, the Reds had four runs and Flaherty was headed for an early shower.

Elly De La Cruz contributed his own two-run homer in the second inning, continuing a Reds offense that simply could not miss. This wasn’t luck. This wasn’t a bad day. This was a calculated assault on a Tigers pitching staff that came completely unprepared for what Cincinnati brought to the table on Saturday.

Brady Singer Steady While Tigers Flail

Brady Singer, meanwhile, was absolutely adequate. Five and a third innings, just two earned runs, no walks, three strikeouts. He wasn’t dominant, but he didn’t need to be. When your offense is dropping eight runs on the board in the first two innings, the starter’s job is simply to not lose the game, and Singer handled that with ease. The Reds’ bullpen cleaned things up from there, with Drew Anderson striking out the side in the seventh.

Spencer Torkelson provided a minor bright spot for Detroit with a solo shot in the fourth inning, but at that point, the game had already been decided. The Tigers’ comeback hopes had been buried under an avalanche of Cincinnati runs and Flaherty’s incompetence.

This was a beatdown, plain and simple. Cincinnati came to play on Saturday and Detroit came to get embarrassed. The Reds are legitimate, at least when they’re facing pitching this bad. The Tigers need to figure out their rotation fast, or it’s going to be a long April.