Reds Beat Blue Jays 5-1, Win Penultimate Game of the 2026 Season

The Cincinnati Reds bounced back from another brutal loss yesterday, with a 5-1 win Saturday afternoon in Toronto. The offense was able to take advantage of a bullpen day for the Blue Jays, and Rhett Lowder was spectacular for the first time since early April.

The Blue Jays were shut down completely on offense, and the bullpen strategy allowed the Reds to reach base 12 times.

The 2026 season was about as disappointing as one could imagine, but the Reds will look to head into the 2027 season with at least a little bit of momentum.

Here are our takeaways from the Reds 5-1 win over the Toronto Blue Jays.

The Return of Rhett Lowder

Sep 26, 2026; Toronto, Ontario, CAN; Cincinnati Reds starting pitcher Rhett Lowder (25) pitches to the Toronto Blue Jays during the first inning at Rogers Centre. Mandatory Credit: John E. Sokolowski-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Reds fans have been waiting for this version of Rhett Lowder since his call-up in 2024. He missed all of 2025, and this season has been underwhelming.

This is the first start since April 4th where he was able to shutout an opponent in 6+ innings of work. He had given up 21 earned runs over his previous 15.1 innings heading into this start.

Today, he was brilliant. Lowder went six innings only allowing three hits and zero runs. He only struck out two batters, but it didn't matter. The Blue Jays couldn't reach base enough to capitalize. His season ERA will finish below 6.00, and he picks up his seventh win as well.

The Reds have a lot of questions moving forward, but hopefully Rhett Lowder will be able to build on this heading into 2027.

JJ Bleday Gets The Party Started

Sep 22, 2026; Cumberland, Georgia, USA; Cincinnati Reds left fielder JJ Bleday (22) hits a single against the Atlanta Braves during the second inning at Truist Park. Mandatory Credit: Dale Zanine-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Bleday hit his 24th homer of the season, which gave the Reds an early lead. Bleday has now hit safely in six of his last ten games with two home runs over that stretch.

His end of season numbers won't look all that great to a casual observer, but it can't be overstated how important he was to the (limited) success of the Reds this season. There were so few batters able to be a consistent threat to get on base, and bring runners home. Bleday gave the Reds a little pop in the lineup that they probably weren't expecting heading into 2026.

58 RBIs, 42 extra base hits, and 60 runs scored. He was one of the few bright spots this season, and it was nice to see him be a reason the Reds were able to win one of their final games.

Hector Rodriguez Ending The Season Hot

Sep 24, 2026; Cumberland, Georgia, USA; Cincinnati Reds right fielder Hector Rodriguez (43) reacts after hitting a two run home run against the Atlanta Braves during the sixth inning at Truist Park. Mandatory Credit: Dale Zanine-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Since being called up on August 4th, Rodriguez has provided a spark that this fan base has desperately needed to see. So many young players on this Reds team have underperformed this season, so it is nice to see a rookie shine like the rookies of 2023.

Hector will almost certainly play a part on the 2027 Reds, and with how uncertain the outfield has been over the past several seasons, he is going to be crucial to their success moving forward.

His second hit of the game this afternoon was a triple in the fifth inning which brought home two crucial insurance runs. Today's two-hit performance marks three consecutive multi-hit games, with 5 RBIs over that stretch.

The Reds will look to win their final series of the season tomorrow at 3:07 in Toronto.

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