The Reds' lineup vs. left-handed pitching is progressing

PHILADELPHIA — Two days before the Cincinnati Reds’ comeback win over the Philadelphia Phillies, Spencer Steer got hit in the hand by a pitch in Game 1 of the doubleheader in Boston and later was scratched from the lineup for Game 2.

It was the second time in three weeks that Steer was hit in that part of his right hand by a pitch.

“I feel like I dodged a bullet there again not having anything break,” Steer said.

So did the Reds, who are a different team when Steer is the best version of himself at the plate. On Friday, he reached base four times and hit the go-ahead double as the Reds picked up a 9-6 win over the Phillies.

“(Steer) is one of the tougher kids I’ve seen,” Reds manager Terry Francona said. “He played with that shoulder all of last year and then to start this spring. I know that (hand) didn’t feel great. But he took BP and goes, ‘I’m fine.’ He just didn’t want to compensate. He sure didn’t look like it.

On Friday, the Reds fell behind by three runs in the first inning. Earlier this season, a bad start from Andrew Abbott with a quality left-hander on the mound for the other team would have been too much for the Reds to overcome.

That’s changed.

“Earlier in the year — not that they weren't trying because they were — they know now if they keep playing, we’ve got a chance,” Francona said. “When you’ve got something to show for it, it really helps.”

Steer looks like himself again. Austin Hays is back off the IL. Matt McLain looks better. Elly De La Cruz is hitting better vs. LHP than he ever has. On Friday, Noelvi Marte returned from the injured list.

The lineup looks significantly better against LHP.

“We have different ways where we don’t have so many lefties in there,” Francona said. “We’re more balanced.”

While Marte didn’t get a hit on Friday, he barreled up two deep fly balls and walked. He’s one of the X-factors for the entire second half of the Reds’ season.

In 2023, he looked like a dynamic piece of the young core. In 2024, following a suspension, he performed at the level of one of the worst players in MLB. In 19 games in 2025 before injuring his oblique, Marte was hitting his stride again.

The injury in early May interrupted his momentum for two months. But on Friday, he joined a Reds team that had the second-worst OPS among third basemen in all of MLB this season. They either need Marte to resume his breakout season or another third base option to emerge from the trade market.

The tell tale signs for him have always been quality contact the other way and laying off of low-and-away breaking balls. Marte’s first game back was an encouraging one.

“I really feel well,” Marte said via interpreter Tomas Vera. “Will I pick up the way I was? I don’t know that. It’s a God willing thing. I feel confident in myself. I feel like I have the strength to do it. We’ll see what happens.”

The top half of the Reds’ lineup looks strong. For the second time in five days, TJ Friedl was the catalyst for a rally against a good left-handed starter with a beautiful bunt hit.

“I almost wish he could do that more,” Francona said.

The five-run third inning against Phillies starter Jesus Luzardo continued with a walk from Matt McLain, a pretty opposite field single by De La Cruz, an RBI double from Hays, Steer’s go-ahead double and then a single from catcher Tyler Stephenson.

The bigger wild card going forward is the bottom-third of the lineup vs. LHP. Marte hit seventh. Rece Hinds, who’s hitting .125 with a .446 OPS and hasn’t been steady defensively, hits eighth. Hinds’ helmet keeps falling off, which is a signal of him hunting big swings. When he does make contact, the numbers show that he’s burying the ball into the ground.

Santiago Espinal, who had a .490 OPS since May 21 before a two-hit game on Friday, hit ninth. He has had to play a lot this season and hasn’t been as sharp over the last month. He’s also not the type of hitter who will do a lot of damage and hit for power.

Christian Encarnacion-Strand wasn’t in the lineup on Friday even though he had the big grand slam in the Reds’ most recent game. CES is hitting .206 with a .614 OPS and continues to struggle with strikeouts and chase.

“We certainly would like to see him hit more often,” Francona said. “But when he keeps people in the zone, he’s so dangerous because he’s so strong.”

There are some similarities between Marte, CES and Hinds. They’re very aggressive hitters who have been working to improve their approach at the plate.

“Balance — I don’t think you ever try to ask someone to be somebody they’re not,” Francona said. “That doesn’t work. If you can try to take what they do well and get them to do that more often, you’re always trying to accentuate the positives and limit what they can’t do. With CES, a couple weeks ago, he was getting out of the zone so we sat him for a couple of days to slow it down. I don’t think he liked it. But we’re trying to do what’s right for our ball club.”

Stabilizing the bottom-third of the lineup, especially against LHP, is the final piece to click for the Reds’ offense.

The ability to come back, the reliability of the top-half of the lineup and the thump coming from the Reds’ right-handed power hitters has led to the lineup leveling up over the last month.

“Offensively, we’re finding our stride,” Steer said. “We’re taking good at-bats. Putting pressure on defenses. When we do that, we’re a tough team to beat.”