Reds Manager Terry Francona Doubles Down on Questionable Decision in Loss to Pirates

The Reds were swept by the Pittsburgh Pirates on Sunday.

Apr 29, 2026; Cincinnati, Ohio, USA; Cincinnati Reds manager Terry Francona (77) walks off the field during a stop in play in the sixth inning against the Colorado Rockies at Great American Ball Park. Mandatory Credit: Katie Stratman-Imagn Images | Katie Stratman-Imagn Images

When an offense manages just four hits as the Reds did on Sunday, the margin for error disappears. In those games the only path to a win is making sure every scoring opportunity is maximized and that falls on the coaching staff to put players in the best possible position to succeed.

On Sunday, it felt like that didn't happen.

In the eighth inning with the game tied at zero, Spencer Steer started the inning with a live drive single to left field. After a Will Benson strikeout, Jose Trevino doubled down the left field line to put runners on second and third with just one out.

Next up, Matt McLain hit a ground ball to third base and Steer was thrown out at home trying to score.

With TJ Friedl due up, the Pirates elected to bring Gregory Soto into the game to face him. Instead of pinch-hitting Dane Myers, who is known for his ability to hit left-handed pitching, Francona let Friedl hit. Soto struck him out to end the inning.

After the game, Francona was asked about that decision.

"If I am second-guessing anything, and it was hard for me there, it was hitting for Bleday leading off the ninth," Francona said. "I just didn't want to leave Myers sitting over there. Their guy, Soto, is so tough on righties. He makes more mistakes against lefties. He's tough, don't get me wrong."

"And like TJ got that first pitch, which was the one and just yanked it foul. With TJ we had the hole open, we had the bunts available, and if he does walk him, then we can do something if we want."

To be fair to Francona, Soto has been good against lefties and righties to start 2026. Lefties have an OPS of .579 this year and righties have an OPS of .331 against him. However, if you go back to 2025, which has a much larger sample size, right-handed batters slashed .307/.400/.401 against him, compared to left-handers slashing .192/.280/.269 against him.

While Friedl has been better as of late at the dish, he's slashing .200/.238/.200 with no extra-base hits against lefties this season. In 2025, he had an OPS of just .671 against lefties.

Compare that to Dane Myers who slashed .286/.359/.419 against left-handed pitchers last year.

It just feels like Myers was the simple decision to make in that situation. Now, is there a guarantee Myers would have delivered? Of course not.

Francona is going to be a Hall of Fame manager and has the Reds off to one of their best starts in two decades, but on Sunday, that’s a decision he’d probably like back.