CINCINNATI -- A lack of home runs has been an issue for the Reds for much of this season. But rookie Sal Stewart’s first career homer highlighted a rare show of power on Saturday night, as the Reds homered three times in a 6-3 win over the Mets at Great American Ball Park.
Matt McLain and Austin Hays also went deep on Saturday. The three homers are more than the Reds hit in the previous four games, when they were outhomered 12-2.
“Matt going the other way, that was vintage,” Reds bench coach Freddie Benavides said. “Sally, that was special. Fastball up in the zone. Hays too.”
Benavides served as acting manager after manager Terry Francona went home sick with the same virus that continues to spread through the Reds’ clubhouse and caused Nick Lodolo to miss a start earlier in the week.
“It’s just something that’s going on in that clubhouse,” said Benavides, who missed two games due to illness. I’ve never seen anything like this before. [Francona] has been battling it. He’s doing better.”
Saturday’s win took some sting out of Friday night’s crushing 5-4 defeat, when the Reds had the bases loaded with nobody out in the bottom of the 9th but couldn’t score.
“It’s a resilient group,” Benavides said. “These guys battle. They never give up. That’s the club that Tito has. We’ve had some situations in the season, it’s been tough.”
Stewart, the Reds’ No. 1 prospect and No. 30 overall according to MLB Pipeline, has provided a spark since making his debut on Monday, and not just with his bat.
“He’s a ball of energy,” Benavides said. “He brings it every day.”
Stewart homered on an 0-1 pitch from Mets rookie right-hander Jonah Tong following a walk to Spencer Steer to put the Reds ahead 2-0 in the second inning.
The Reds’ dugout erupted when the ball sailed over Mets center fielder Cedric Mullins’ glove and landed in the grassy area below the batter’s eye.
“It was crazy,” Elly De La Cruz said. “He’s really happy all the time, lots of good vibes. It’s really cool to get your first homer in the big leagues.”
Mullins unknowingly tossed the ball into the stands, so Stewart needed to exchange some signed items with a fan to get the ball. Well worth it.
“It was a great moment, for sure,” Stewart said. “I’m happy just to help the team win any way I can. This was a big win for sure. Now we need to go try to win the series.”
Stewart’s arrival should be a boost for the Reds, who’ve hit just 141 homers this season, the seventh fewest in baseball.
Stewart, who started at third base on Saturday, hit 20 home runs in 118 games between Double-A Chattanooga and Triple-A Louisville this season.
He made a bid for his second career homer in the seventh, but Brandon Nimmo made the catch a few steps shy of the left-field wall.
“I thought I got it a little bit,” Stewart said, smiling.
McLain led off the third with his 14th homer of the season to make the score 3-1. Hays led off the fourth with his 14th homer to make it 4-1.
Brady Singer, who owns a 2.11 ERA over his last eight starts, allowed one earned run in six innings on Saturday. He was able to work around four walks.
“We definitely needed [the win],” Singer said. “The guys in the locker room deserve it. We’ve had a season that has been really, really fun. It’s a great locker room. I just want to give us a chance to win every night.”
The Reds added a pair of runs in the seventh on TJ Friedl’s RBI single and a walk to De La Cruz with the bases loaded.
“Every win means a lot to the team,” De La Cruz said. “Every loss is tough. We just have to come back with the same mentality and keep going.”