The highlight of the weekend was a three-run homer by Eugenio Suárez on Sunday, which gave the Reds all of their offense in a 3-2 win over the Boston Red Sox.
“(Sunday), that’s a game that last year, we lose a lot of times,” manager Terry Francona said. “We were kind of frustrated. We had some hits, but we didn’t bunch them together. But all of a sudden, they try to sneak a fastball by him and it completely changes a game. That didn’t happen a lot. That’s why we got Geno.”
The strengthened middle of the lineup starts with a rejuvenated Matt McLain, who’s swinging the bat harder and hitting the ball harder than he ever has before. The Reds hoped that McLain being a year further removed from shoulder surgery plus some tweaks at the plate would unlock a more confident version of him. So far, that’s been the case.
“I’m seeing some of the adjustments pay off. I’m grinding out approaches,” McLain said. “What do I need to beat this guy right now? I’m dialing that in along with some of the swing (adjustments). Then, I’m going out there and competing and being me.”
Francona made a bold move of putting Stewart in the cleanup spot ahead of Suárez. Stewart is set up to be Francona’s first rookie to be his regular cleanup hitter since Scott Rolen in 1997.
The move looks like the right one.
“(Stewart) is a good hitter,” Francona said. “I know that I’ve been saying for a while that he’s an advanced young hitter. What he is is an advanced hitter.”
Last year, the Reds didn’t really have a set cleanup hitter. Francona would often move the team’s hottest hitter into that spot. But then, seemingly every time there was a change, that hitter in the cleanup spot would immediately cool off. Francona believes that Stewart’s confidence will help him handle the inevitable ups and downs and any pressure that comes from hitting in that prime spot in the order.
Credit: AP
Credit: AP
Stewart really appreciates the faith that his manager has shown in him.
“It feels really good to know that Tito has that faith in me,” Stewart said. “That’s a really big compliment. I know that. I definitely don’t take it lightly. I trust Tito. I really do. He is who he is because he knows what he’s doing. Wherever he put me, I would have been happy.”
Suárez’s power ties the lineup together. His power gives him a rare presence in the order.
Between 2023 and 2025, Suárez has the eighth most games in all of MLB where he had three+ RBI and his team won. In 2025, he was tied with Kyle Schwarber for delivering the second-biggest number of those games (three+ RBI in a team win).
Credit: AP
Credit: AP
He hit his first homer in his return to the Reds on Sunday, and that three-run swing turned into one of those game-winning moments.
“The guy is worth every penny,” reliever Brock Burke said. “From a bullpen perspective, it’s a guy you have to worry about at all times. Any time you get to that part of the lineup, you have to worry about having a (plan) for that guy. If you don’t he’s going to make you pay.”
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