Singer and Woodruff Duel, Reds Drop Series Opener 2-1 In Extras

Brady Singer threw as well as he possibly could, but it wasn't enough to beat the Brewers.

Cincinnati Reds pitcher Brady Singer (51) returns to the dugout after the second inning of the MLB National League Central game between the Cincinnati Reds and the Milwaukee Brewers at Great American Ball Park in downtown Cincinnati on Monday, June 22, 2026. The game was scoreless after four innings. | Sam Greene/The Enquirer / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Both starting pitchers were on fire tonight, but unfortunately for the Reds, Singer's start won't go down as a win.

Brady Singer threw as well as he possibly could. He only allowed one hit in six innings of work. He didn't allow a run. However, it was a complete disaster for the Reds' offense. They weren't able to reach base until the sixth inning.

Brandon Woodruff struck out ten batters in six innings of work. He only allowed one hit. He shut the Reds down completely right from the jump and never looked back.

The Reds' divisional record drops to 2-14, and their eternal struggle to beat the Milwaukee Brewers continues. Since 2017, the Reds have not had a winning record against the Brewers in a season. They have lost 90 of the last 145 against the Brew Crew.

It was the first time in five years where a game at GABP went scoreless through nine innings.

The Reds' hot streak had to come to an end eventually, and unfortunately, it happened to occur against another divisional opponent.

Here are our takeaways from the 2-1 loss to the Brewers.

Brady Singer Stays Scorching Hot

Cincinnati Reds pitcher Brady Singer (51) delivers a pitch in the first inning of a MLB game between the Cincinnati Reds and Washington Nationals, Tuesday, May 12, 2026, at Great American Ball Park in downtown Cincinnati. | Frank Bowen IV/The Enquirer / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

The turnaround of Brady Singer has been rather remarkable. The first two months of the season, Singer wasn't able to find any sort of consistency and struggled to get to five innings on a given night. His ERA through May was 6.18.

In his last 22 innings of work, he has only allowed four earned runs, while striking out 23. His season ERA has dropped well below five, and he seems to have solidified himself as the third-best starter in the rotation until Hunter Greene returns.

Singer was flat-out dominant tonight against the Brewers. In seven innings of work, he allowed just two hits. He struck out seven in the no-decision. He has been pitching extremely well, as of late and it culminated in the best start of the season tonight. It was the first time he was able to throw into the seventh inning since last year (27 starts ago).

For a long time, there was a lot of doubt about whether Singer would be able to find any of the momentum from last season. The month of June has proved that Singer is still a consistent staple in a rotation that has dealt with a lot of uncertainty over the past few seasons.

Tyler Stephenson Continues To Dominate ABS

Cincinnati Reds catcher Tyler Stephenson (37) looks back to the dugout in the fourth inning of the MLB Interleague game between the Cincinnati Reds and the Kansas City Royals at Great American Ball Park in Cincinnati on Tuesday, June 2, 2026. The Royals led 3-0 after four innings. | Sam Greene/The Enquirer / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

It hasn't been a great season for Stephenson, but there might not be anyone better at challenging balls and strikes than him.

He went 4-5 tonight in ABS challenges. In a game where your offense can't do anything, you have to keep the opponent off the base path. He played a key part in that tonight, correctly challenging four big pitches again.

He has 47 correct challenges this season, which ranks second among MLB catchers. For the first season of ABS, it is pretty cool that this veteran catcher has been able to take advantage of it.

He was also the first Red to reach base tonight. His base hit in the bottom of the sixth inning broke up the perfect game.

The Reds Bullpen Can't Close

Jun 16, 2026; Cincinnati, Ohio, USA; Cincinnati Reds pitcher Tony Santillan (64) prepares to throw against the New York Mets in the ninth inning at Great American Ball Park. Mandatory Credit: Aaron Doster-Imagn Images | Aaron Doster-Imagn Images

They have certainly been better than they were at the beginning of this month, but at the end of the day, they do not have what it takes to be a top-tier, reliable bullpen in Major League Baseball.

Santillan gets credit with the loss as the magic runner scores, and a passed ball gives them the needed insurance to win.

Pagan is set to begin his rehab assignment, and Johnson was activated today, which helps, but one of the many issues with this team is the inability to keep themselves in a game when a reliever is on the mound.

Though this loss certainly doesn't solely fall on them, it is going to be a consistent issue as this season continues. The organization is clearly sticking with the guys they have, regardless of results.

The definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over and expecting a different result. Well, the results haven't changed with this bullpen in over two months.

The Reds and Brewers are back at it tomorrow night, where it will be Brandon Sproat taking on Nick Lodolo. First pitch is 7:10 at Great American Ball Park.