Cincinnati Reds vs. St. Louis Cardinals, Brady Singer vs. Kyle Leahy
Article excerpt
Brady Singer takes the mound for the Cincinnati Reds against the St. Louis Cardinals and Kyle Leahy, with the question of whether the right-hander can reverse recent struggles. Singer's performance has been inconsistent this season, making this matchup a key test for the pitcher. The Reds will look to Singer to deliver a strong outing against a Cardinals lineup that can capitalize on any lapses. Leahy, the Cardinals' pitcher, brings his own set of variables to the game. Both teams seek valuable ground in divisional play.
MILWAUKEE, WI - SEPTEMBER 28: Brady Singer #51 of the Cincinnati Reds pitches during the game between the Cincinnati Reds and the Milwaukee Brewers at American Family Field on Sunday, September 28, 2025 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. (Photo by Kylie Bridenhagen/MLB Photos via Getty Images) | MLB Photos via Getty Images
The Cincinnati Reds should be fresh following their off-day on Thursday, but they’re also ‘fresh’ off losing 4 of 6 at home during their most recent homestand against the Atlanta Braves and Kansas City Royals, respectively.
Now, the Reds are in St. Louis and ready to face a Cardinals club that they saw briefly two weeks ago in a series that was a complete weather mess. You’ll recall that the Friday game between these two was banged, they played a Saturday doubleheader to compensate, and then Sunday’s game was postponed until later in the season.
Even with those surprise breaks, the Cincinnati pitching staff has still been in complete shambles. They’ve been forced to cycle through players (Yunior Marte, Lyon Richardson, Brandon Liebrandt) and cull them from the 40-man roster just to find some, any fresh arms to activate, and their league-worst bullpen continues to give up games that the offense has fought hard to make close. Such was definitely the case again on Wednesday in the series finale when Tony Santillan was rocked in a 5-2 loss to Kansas City.
Still, this Reds club limps in at 31-30, above .500 for the time being. It’ll be up to Brady Singer in the series opener to turn his own personal struggles around, as on Thursday he still sported the single worst HR/9 (2.82) of the 119 MLB pitchers who have thrown at least 50 IP so far this year. He also ranks 4th worst in ERA (6.18), 3rd worst in xERA (6.49), and dead last in FIP (6.88) among that group, which is the kind of individual calamity that can tank an entire team’s season if not rectified quickly.
Kyle Leahy will start for the Cardinals. First pitch is set for 8:15 PM ET.