The Cincinnati Reds were defeated 5-4 by the Philadelphia Phillies on Monday night. Cincinnati has now dropped three consecutive contests. However, Sal Stewart continued to swing the bat well.
Stewart has endured ups and downs this year. He is beginning to get back on track, though. The Reds infielder had two hits and a home run in the contest on Monday night.
Stewart has now recorded two hits in back-to-back games. He had previously gone 0-14, so Stewart is clearly figuring things out at the plate.
He is a young player and ups and downs are to be expected. Overall, the infielder has impressed, however. He looks like a future star.
Overall, he is now hitting .249/.340/.475 across 48 games played. He has an .815 OPS, 11 home runs and eight doubles as well.
Stewart will be a strong candidate for the National League Rookie of the Year Award. He could even earn some All-Star consideration. Stewart features the ceiling of one of the better hitters in the game.
With that being said, he is only 22 years old. He still has room to improve. Stewart will have some inconsistent moments as he adjusts to the MLB level.
Nevertheless, the Reds certainly believe in Sal Stewart.
Reds Lose to Phillies on Monday
The Reds had a respectable performance on Monday. However, they were defeated in the ball game.
Nick Lodolo pitched 5.2 innings of three-run baseball. He added three strikeouts, but Lodolo did walk five hitters.
The bullpen ended up surrendering two more runs in the defeat.
Offensively, Cincinnati scored four runs on six hits. As mentioned, Stewart led the way with a big performance. Cincinnati's lineup has been inconsistent in 2024, but it performed fairly well on Monday. The Phillies were simply able to score more runs in the contest.
The Reds now hold a 24-24 overall record in 2026. They are in last place in the National League Central standings at the moment. In all reality, Cincinnati can still make a postseason run. They will need to play a more consistent brand of baseball, as they are 4-6 over their past 10 games.
The Reds will play the Phillies in Philadelphia once again on Tuesday night in the second contest of the three-game series. First pitch for the Reds and Phillies clash is scheduled for 6:40 PM EST as Cincinnati looks to get back into the win column.
