Sal Stewart’s Seventh-Inning Blast Lifts Reds Past Mariners

The Cincinnati Reds proved Wednesday night that baseball games aren’t won in the first four innings. They’re won by teams that can muster timely hitting and clutch pitching when it matters most. In a back-and-forth affair at T-Mobile Park, Cincinnati’s Sal Stewart delivered the decisive blow in the seventh inning, launching a three-run homer that sent the Mariners packing with a 5-3 loss.

This wasn’t pretty baseball. This was the kind of game where both offenses sputtered, both pitching staffs labored, and everything came down to one swing. Stewart, who finished 1-for-4 with his 21st home run of the season, made his at-bat count when it counted. That’s not a typo in the box score, by the way. One hit in four trips to the plate and he was the difference maker. That’s baseball in a nutshell.

Brady Singer was the unlikely hero on the mound for Cincinnati. The Reds starter went 6.2 innings, allowing six hits and three earned runs while striking out six. He wasn’t dominant, but he was durable, which is sometimes all you need against a Seattle team that couldn’t get out of its own way offensively. Eduard Bazardo‘s implosion in just 1.0 inning of work for the Mariners (2 hits, 3 earned runs, 1 walk) essentially handed Cincinnati the game before the real damage was done.

The Mariners scraped together three runs thanks to Cal Raleigh’s second-inning single that plated Josh Naylor and a two-run single from Luke Raley in the fourth that also scored Naylor. It wasn’t enough. Seattle’s offense looked listless against Cincinnati’s pitching, a far cry from what you’d expect from a team trying to make a playoff push.

Reds Find Their Offensive Stride Late

Cincinnati’s bats showed some life in the fourth when JJ Bleday went yard for his 17th home run of the season, and Dane Myers added an RBI single. That tied the game at 2-2, but it wasn’t until Stewart’s seventh-inning blast that the Reds truly took control.

Emilio Pagán closed the door with a pristine save, a 1.0 inning appearance with no hits, no runs, and no walks. He wasn’t tested heavily, but he didn’t need to be. Once Stewart’s homer cleared the right field wall, the outcome was academic.

The Bottom Line

This game had all the characteristics of a playoff preview, which it essentially was for both teams. The Reds showed resilience and patience, waiting for their moment. The Mariners had their chances and didn’t capitalize. In September, that might be the difference between making the postseason and going home. Cincinnati will take this victory on the road and run with it. Seattle will have to regroup quickly if it wants to keep pace in what’s shaping up to be a competitive AL West race.