CINCINNATI -- After making his debut, Reds rookie Tyler Callihan (Reds No. 29 prospect) had to wait a few extra days to get his first Major League hit. And when it finally came on Saturday vs. the Nationals, it provided a go-ahead run.
“It was a blast. Everything you put to work to show out and score a run for the team, that’s huge," Callihan said.
That was about the end of the feel-good moments during a game that got away from the Reds. Washington scored runs in five of the last six innings to send the Reds to an 11-6 loss at Great American Ball Park.
Following a 22-minute rain delay, the Nationals took a 2-0 lead in the top of the first against Reds starter Nick Lodolo, but Cincinnati evened the game quickly in the bottom of the first on Spencer Steer's two-out, two-run double to left field.
They rallied in the bottom of the second inning with Jake Fraley drawing a leadoff walk and going to third base on Santiago Espinal's single. As Callihan batted, Espinal was caught stealing. But Callihan later got a 3-1 pitch from Trevor Williams and hit a sharp liner to right-center field that went for an RBI single.
“I didn’t [know] for a second," Callihan said. "That’s my buddy out there in center field, Jacob Young. He flies out there, so I thought he was going to have a chance. But when I saw it start to get down, I was just pumped for myself and for the team.”
That put Callihan's first Major League hit and RBI into the books. “Nice to squeak them both in," he said.
Players at the top step of the Cincinnati dugout cheered the moment as Callihan looked their way and pumped his fist.
“That’s always good. That’s exciting," manager Terry Francona said. "I could tell how excited everybody was for him. That’s a good thing.”
Callihan was called up from Triple-A Louisville on Wednesday after Jeimer Candelario went on the injured list with a back injury. He started that day in left field in Game 1 of a doubleheader vs. the Cardinals and went 0-for-2.
After entering Game 2 as a late-inning defensive replacement at second base, Callihan went 0-for-1 with a strikeout. Then he didn't play in Thursday's or Friday's games but made the most of the time.
“Honestly, I learned a lot in my time on the bench already," Callihan said. "I was talking to some of the older guys and how they go about their business and how they get ready for games, and how they get ready to go into games and kind of feeling out the lineup and seeing where there might be an opportunity for me later in the game. It was actually nice to be able to talk to all of them about it.”
A left-handed hitter who played mostly second base in the Minors before adding left field in 2024, Callihan was Cincinnati's third-round pick in the 2019 MLB Draft. Injuries often hampered his progress -- including two months of last season -- but he batted .271 with a .758 OPS and eight home runs in 69 games at Double-A Chattanooga before finishing the season with four games with Triple-A Louisville.
That earned him protection on the 40-man roster over the offseason and a chance to be at big league camp in Spring Training for the first time.
"He showed what he can do," Francona said. "He gets off to a good start and he comes up here and can play multiple positions. There’s been so many lefties and we’re going to see more, so it’s been a little hard getting him in there. But player development, they like this kid. I can see why. He just needs to keep playing.”
As Lodolo labored, Amed Rosario proved to be a thorn in his side. Rosario hit the game-tying two-out RBI double in the fourth inning. During a four-run sixth inning featuring two errors, Rosario hit a three-run homer to left field, putting the Nationals ahead for good.
Lodolo allowed seven runs (six earned) with 10 hits over 5 1/3 innings with two walks, two hit batters and four strikeouts.
“It got away in a hurry," Francona said. "We’re going into that inning, 3-3, feeling pretty good about it and it got away fast.”