It didn’t take long for the Cincinnati Reds to indirectly feel the ill effects of losing relief pitcher Graham Ashcraft to injury.
Trailing the Atlanta Braves 4-0 after two innings at Great American Ball Park on May 29, the Reds and starting pitcher Chris Paddack punched their way back to within a run at 4-3 by the fifth inning. Then, Yunior Marte, the pitcher called up from Triple-A Louisville in the corresponding move to Ashcraft going on the 60-day injured list, entered the contest.
Making his 2026 big league debut, Cincinnati’s slim deficit grew with Marte on the mound. In just one third of an inning, he allowed four runs on three hits and a walk as Atlanta blew the game open via an 8-3 lead in the sixth. The Braves, owners of MLB’s best record at 38-19 entering play, went on to win by that score.
The game highlighted the narrowest of margins for error for a Reds pitching staff still being stretched thin by injuries.
Paddack, signed May 13 to supplement a starting staff being worn thin by injuries, kept the Reds reasonably competitive for the third time in three starts. On May 29, he went five innings and allowed four runs on seven hits with three walks.
“To Paddack’s credit, he kind of hung in there and got us through five where, even after an off day, we don’t want to get in the bullpen in the second inning,” Reds manager Terry Francona said.
After the fifth inning, Paddack was at 86 pitches but Francona said pitching coach Derek Johnson thought Paddack “had about had it,” and was starting to elevate his pitches. As it was, Paddack avoided further damage earlier in the game thanks to right fielder Blake Dunn, who robbed Michael Harris II of a home run at the wall in right-center field in the first inning. Then, Blake recorded an outfield assist, throwing out Matt Olson as he attempted to stretch a single into a double on a shot off the wall.
“I definitely owe Dunn a steak dinner,” Paddack said.
Marte, the 31-year-old brought aboard to backfill for the most recent high-leverage Cincinnati reliever to go on the IL in Ashcraft, had little margin for error in his first big-league appearance of 2026. He buckled, and the Reds ended up in a deeper hole than the one they started the game in.
“Kind of like we talked about before the game, (Marte’s) stuff is real good,” Francona said. “Just not quite consistent enough with his pitches. Makes, maybe, a good one or two good ones and leaves something, maybe, somewhere he didn’t want to… There’s so much to like there.”
Francona was partly referencing his pregame interview in which he described Marte is having some inconsistencies.
The injury-related comings and goings of 2026 meant that Marte was in play for meaningful action, even when factoring for the inconsistencies. That’s the nature of the Reds’ current predicament.
Reliever Caleb Ferguson made his 2026 debut against the New York Mets on May 27 following injury struggles all spring. It could be considered an indication of how much the Reds welcomed back his competent arm that Ferguson had already accumulated three innings over two appearances by the end of the Reds-Braves series opener.
Zach Maxwell was pressed into service against the Braves, throwing two scoreless innings in his second appearance of the week and garnering praise from Francona afterward: “This is as good as we’ve seen Zach Maxwell.”
Tony Santillan was available but struggled at times in May, and he’s preferred for the later innings anyway. Emilio Pagán remained on the IL (hamstring strain), and Ashcraft joining him there meant the Reds were deprived of two of their premium relief options.
Cincinnati will attempt to even its three-game set with Atlanta on Saturday, May 30 with right-handed Brady Singer (2-4, 6.26 ERA) scheduled to face lefty Martin Perez (2-3, 2.70 ERA). The game at Great American Ball Park is scheduled for a 7:15 p.m. first pitch.
This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: Reds feel Graham Ashcraft’s absence in series-opening loss to Braves
Reporting by Pat Brennan, Cincinnati Enquirer / Cincinnati Enquirer
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
