A’s Fall To Reds 5-4

· Yahoo Sports

CINCINNATI, OHIO - AUGUST 4: J.T. Ginn #35 of the Athletics throws a pitch during the first inning of the game against the Cincinnati Reds at Great American Ball Park on August 4, 2026 in Cincinnati, Ohio. (Photo by Kirk Irwin/Getty Images) | Getty Images

The Athletics dropped their sixth straight game on Tuesday evening, dropping the series opener late to the Reds 5-4.

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Ginn rolls early

It was J.T. Ginn on the bump tonight making his first start off the IL due to a blister issue. Based off how he was pitching early you’d be hard pressed to see a pitcher who was just returning from an injury. After allowing a pair of hits in the first Ginn induced a groundball double play, then proceeded to retire the side in the second and third frames. He ran into a bit more trouble in the fourth with two runners on but got a much-needed lineup to get himself out of that jam.

Bats take time to arrive, finally show up

Meanwhile the lineup behind Ginn tonight was squaring off against Reds right-hander Brady Singer. A trade candidate who ended up staying put, Singer was matching Ginn early, posting zeros across the first three frames this evening while holding the A’s to just one hit and a pair of walks.

Singer couldn’t keep the A’s off the board forever. A leadoff double off the bat of Tyler Soderstrom was an excellent way to start the fourth, and he’d come around to score on a base knock off the bat of veteran Jeff McNeil, a line drive single to right center:

McNeil didn’t perform well enough during the first half to gin up trade interest in the infielder’s services but the A’s benefit from having him around right here as he collected his 35th RBI to give the A’s an early 1-0 lead.

The A’s would continue to add on in the next frame. A walk and single put two runners on but a sacrifice bunt from today’s leadoff man Lawrence Butler didn’t work out as the back runner was gunned down at second base. Butler made up for it with a stolen base to get that second runner into scoring position but with two outs the A’s would need a big hit. And who else was next up to bat than Jacob Wilson?

A two-run double and suddenly the A’s had a 3-0 lead with Ginn on the mound and looking sharp. That’s a big hit for Wilson, a guy who was out for the past couple of games and has generally had a tough season with all the injuries and whatnot.

Reds do damage against Ginn

The young righty couldn’t keep the Cincy offense down forever. The Reds, now facing a three-run deficit, got to work in the fifth against Ginn. A leadoff walk of course started it all. Then a double put two runners in scoring position for Reds phenom Elly De La Cruz who brought both home with a two-run single. A wild pitch and some bad defense from Jonah Heim behind the plate then allowed him to get all the way to third before a sacrifice fly brought De La Cruz home. That’s three runs he’s more or less directly responsible for right there. Easy to see why he’s so important to the Reds.

Ginn would pitch one more frame tonight, finishing off six full frames in his first start since

  • J.T. Ginn: 6 IP, 5 H, 3 ER, 2 BB, 5 K, 91 pitches

What rust? Considering his last appearance was just two and a half weeks ago we shouldn’t be shocked but it’s still nice to see him with no lingering issues. His next scheduled start should be in Boston against the Red Sox on Sunday.

A’s answer back

With the game all knotted back up at 3 apiece it was back on the offense to get some work in. The A’s were now themselves into the Cincy bullpen and it was old friend Sam Moll first out for the Reds. The lefty got two quick outs before a two-out hit from center fielder Henry Bolte. The struggling rookie then swiped second base to put himself in scoring position, his 13th of the season. It was Butler back to the plate and a groundball looked like it’d waste the scoring opportunity but a throwing error from De La Cruz allowed Bolte to come home to score:

The first baseman could have made an amazing play but that was a bad throw from De La Cruz. Now we see why he’s so enigmatic for Reds fans. Bolte also made a heads-up play to run it out and just beating the throw home. He may be going through some struggles in the batter’s box but he’s not letting that follow him onto the basepaths.

Bullpen blows it

Now with the lead again the A’s would ask their bullpen to get nine more outs. Lefty Brady Basso was first out of the ‘pen and turned in a perfect 1-2-3 bottom of the seventh. Of course, he wouldn’t have had that without a great play from his shortstop:

Next was another lefty as Hogan Harris was tasked with handling the eighth. When you walk the first two batters of the eighth you’re just asking for trouble and that’s what Harris got after his two free passes. That led to two runs for the Reds, giving them a lead they would not relinquish. The A’s couldn’t answer back in the ninth and went down in the series opener 5-4.

Another loss thanks to the bullpen. A wasted solid start from Ginn which hurts. And now the A’s have lost six straight games. Tough to swallow and we are desperate to see an A’s win. Pronto.

The series continues tomorrow night, same time same place everyone. Lefty Jacob Lopez is set to get the ball for his 15th start of the season and fourth since returning to the starting rotation. The results have been much, much better as he’s allowed just three runs in 16 1/3 innings of work spanning those four starts. The Reds will counter Lopez with right-hander Rhett Lowder. Considered one of the Reds’ top prospects, Lowder looked fantastic last season in his first cup of coffee in the big leagues but has had some struggles here in 2026. A lot of the damage he’s allowed has been in disastrous blowup outings: he’s gotten tagged for eight runs twice and six runs once. If you were to remove those three starts he’d have a much-better 3.35 ERA. Which pitcher will show up tomorrow?

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