There hasn’t been much to cheer about for the Reds recently. After losing 10 of their last 12 they caught fire today, though, and rocked the Washington Nationals 15-1. For a team that has struggled so mightily, the ball was flying all over the place at Great American ballpark on Thursday afternoon.
Spencer Steer scored three times and had a pair of hits, while Matt McLain and even Ke’Bryan Hayes got into the action with a homer and a double, respectively. All in all Cincinnati broke the bank with 15 runs on just 14 hits to avoid the sweep at the hands of the Nationals.
Chase Burns was dominant on the mound once again. He constantly kept Washington’s hitters off balance, striking out seven in six innings of work. His ERA is now a microscopic 1.87 and it was his fifth win of the season against just a single loss.
But the player of the game without question was JJ Bleday. He went yard twice, knocked in six runs and raised his OPS to 1.209. In just 15 games for Cincinnati in 2026 he is hitting .321 with six home runs and 18 runs batted in.
For all of the Reds who have failed to live up to expectations this year, Bleday is proving that not all of the moves Nick Krall made this offseason have been busts. After being DFA’d by the Oakland Athletics last year, the Reds acquired him. And although he spent a significant amount of time in the minors to start the year, he was called up May 1st and has been one of Cincinnati’s most impactful hitters ever since.
After the scorching start he’s had, there is an excellent case to be made that he should be an everyday bat in this Reds lineup and in left field. He hits for average, for power, and (as this team desperately needs) is clutch with men in scoring position, where he hits at a .429 clip. Today was only further proof he deserves as many at bats as he can get.
