So much for all those wizard wannabes the Cincinnati Reds packed into the ballpark for Harry Potter night. So much for second-half magic carpet rides like the one that carried them to last year's unlikely playoff berth on the final day of the season. No amount of wand-waving or spell-casting by cape-wearing fans can overcome the powerful dark arts of an eighth-inning blown lead by a bullpen that shall not be named. And no team with a losing record and so many teams to climb in the wild-card standings – and just 40 games left to play – has a right to expect magic when three relievers give up five runs to the Miami Marlins in the final two innings after inheriting a lead through seven.
So a refrain that has been building since May is driven home with an 8-4 loss that spoiled all the happy, wishful-thinking talk surrounding a 16-10 surge since the All-Star break – never mind spoiling the chance to clinch a series win over a middling team on Saturday (Aug. 15): Wait'll next year. Assuming MLB owners make the biggest business mistake since Decca Records rejected the Beatles in 1962 and wipe out next season over a salary-cap battle. For now, behold the images that might portend to bigger things for the Reds in 2027, including right-hander Brady Singer – one of five pending free agents who weren't traded at the deadline. Singer, who got off to a rough start this season while pitching through a blister and a bruised foot, has a 3.69 ERA in his last 12 starts, with eight quality starts in that span ‑ including all three starts in August. He had two quality starts in his first 12 this season.
The durability, ability to post, and the quality he provides when at full strength is one of the reasons the Reds told teams at the Aug. 3 trade deadline, in the midst of the Hunter Greene injury drama, that they planned to keep Singer and make him a qualifying offer for next season. He is the only pitcher on the staff who has not gone on the injured list during his two seasons with the club, team president Nick Krall calling him a valued "veteran leader" after the deadline passed. While Singer helped validate the club's vision of next season with him in the rotation, rookie first baseman Sal Stewart also provided a glimpse of the wait-til-next-year vision. Another two-out hit with men in scoring position delivered the Rookie of the Year favorite his 90th and 91st RBIs of the season in the third inning for an early 2-1 lead. After the Marlins retook the lead with solo homer in the fourth and run-scoring single in the fifth, the Reds got it back again with what might have been the unlikeliest pair of back-to-back homer in the majors this year: Light-hitting Ke'Bryan Hayes led off the bottom of the fifth with a no-doubt homer to left. And No. 9 hitter Matt McLain followed with another shot to left for a 4-3 lead. McLain, who was hitting .190 entering the game, finished with three hits, missing a cycle for lack of a triple. He also made an exceptional play in the fourth, diving to his left and leaping to his feet to throw out Owen Caissie by a half-step leading off the inning. A few more of those games down the stretch and, well, just wait. Till next year. This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: Reds bullpen implodes in 8th in loss to Marlins