Instant Reaction: Reds Miss Out on Golden Opportunity, Fall to Athletics 3-0

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The Cincinnati Reds (74-73) missed out on a golden opportunity to get within a half game of the New York Mets for the third and final National League Wild Card spot. They fell to the Athletics (68-80) 3-0 on Friday night in Sacramento.
Here are our postgame takeaways:
Another Quality Start From Singer
Brady Singer just continues to pitch well for the Reds. He gave up two runs on three hits in six innings of work on Friday night. He walked a batter and struck out four. It was his 15th quality start of the season. Before Friday's loss, the Reds were 14-2 when Singer has a quality start.
Lack of Big Hits
The Reds had plenty of chances to score on Friday night. They had their leadoff man reach in six of the nine innings and they were 0-for-12 with runners in scoring position.
In the second inning, Will Benson led off the inning with a triple, but Spencer Steer, Ke'Bryan Hayes, and Matt McLain all followed with strikeouts.
Return of Chase Burns
Chase Burns made his first appearance since returning from the injured list. He gave up three hits and a run in his two innings of work. He did not walk a batter and struck out one.
It was his first appearance out of the bullpen in the big leagues and it was his first appearance since August 8.
News and Notes
- The Reds are 23-25 in series openers this season.
- The Reds are 25-47 when the opponent scores first.
- The Reds had just six hits.
- The Reds are 21-42 when they do not hit a home run.
- The Reds are 14-50 on the season when scoring three or fewer runs.
Up Next
The Reds and A's will play game two of the series on Saturday night at 10:05 ET. Hunter Greene will take the mound for Cincinnati.
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Greg Kuffner a contributor to Reds On SI. He graduated from the University of Cincinnati and worked for the Sports Information Department during his time as a student. He follows all things Reds year round, including the minor league system.
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