TJ Friedl was a fitting catalyst for a breakthrough game for the Reds' lineup

MILWAUKEE — Standing at his locker talking about one of the best games of his career, TJ Friedl was all smiles. He had four hits, including a homer, as the Reds broke out of their team-wide slump and snapped their four-game losing streak with an 11-7 win over the Brewers.

Friedl answered the questions from reporters. But then, he asked a question of his own.

Friedl said, “Nothing about running with one out?”

On his own, he brought up the base running mistake that he made to end the fourth inning. Following a pitching change by the Brewers with one out, Friedl forgot how many outs there were. He took off on a fly out from Santiago Espinal and thought that there were two outs in the inning, and Friedl got doubled up.

During the game, Friedl had a conversation with Terry Francona about the play.

“I told him that it will never happened again,” Friedl said. “It’s inexcusable. It’s as simple as that.”

I’ve been covering the Reds since 2021. Over those five years, I haven’t seen a player bring up their own mistake to the media and hold themselves accountable like Friedl did on Saturday.

There’s a reason why Nick Krall tabbed Friedl as a potential leader of this year’s team all the way back in December. Friedl is already one of the longest-tenured Reds, and his gritty style of play represents everything that Krall and Francona want the Reds to be.

Friedl entered Saturday’s game with a poor .465 OPS on the season. He has to hit, just like everyone on this team. But it was fitting that Friedl led the way on a night where the offense woke up.

“When he’s on base all the time, we’re a different team,” Jeimer Candelario said. “Thank God that he had a great game tonight and did what he always does. He hit, and he got on base. That’s the Friedl that we know.”

Friedl got to American Family Field early on Saturday for some extra work in the cage. He felt like his swing was close to clicking, but it wasn’t there yet. He made some tweaks and they translated into the Reds’ win on Saturday.

This was a classic Friedl game. He bunted for a single, homered and hit two line drive singles to center field.

Heading into this season, Francona knew that he wanted Friedl in the leadoff spot. Now, Friedl is even leading off against left-handed pitchers.

“When I saw him on the visiting team (as the Guardians’ manager), he was a pest out there,” Francona said. “He could bunt. He could hit the ball out of the ball park. Hit the ball to left field. He did it all tonight.”

Last season, Friedl didn’t get to be himself on the field as he battled soft tissue injuries. His speed was zapped, and he wasn’t healthy enough to leg out base hits on bunts. Friedl found himself hitting cleanup.

He ended up pulling the ball more often and elevating the ball more, but that wasn’t by design.

‘That was coincidental,” Friedl said. “There was nothing about my approach or my stance that was trying to lift the ball more. When I didn’t have the speed that I always had or when I got moved to the four hole at the end of the year, I never looked at that and said I should hit for more power.”

Friedl knows who he is.

“I’m 5-foot-10, 180 pounds,” Friedl said. “I need to get on base for the guys hitting behind me so they can hit me in.”

During spring training, Francona and Friedl were on the same page about the approach that Friedl was going to take. Francona wants Friedl on base twice a game, and Francona doesn’t care how Friedl gets on base.

“I’m not trying to force anything,” Friedl said. “I’m taking the pitches and hitting them where they’re pitched. I’ve seen more balls hit the other way. More balls up the middle. But my mindset is try to take to the ball where it’s pitched and hit it that way. I’m not trying to force anything. I’ll take my hits wherever it is.”

The “sparkplug” cliche is overused, but it fits Friedl well. The 2024 Reds played their best baseball of last season in June when Friedl was closest to the best version of himself.

Francona easily could have started the season with Matt McLain or Elly De La Cruz in the leadoff spot, but he’s committing to Friedl there and expecting McLain (who’s now day-to-day with a hamstring injury) and De La Cruz to drive him in.

“That’s always been me,” Friedl said. “Especially in the leadoff spot, you try to get on base for the guys behind you. It’s still the same mentality. Take one pitch at a time. Have a two-strike approach and get my hits wherever they may be. Bunting, everything is in play. That goes for our offense as a whole. Create chaos, try to get guys on and score runs that way instead of waiting for the home run.”

The Reds hit four homers on Saturday. But aside from Christian Encarnacion-Strand’s mammoth 451-foot blast, the homers didn’t come from these big, overpowering swings.

The Reds’ only chance to have a decent offense this season is to do the little things well. The at-bat of the game came from De La Cruz in the seventh inning. With the Reds up by two runs and the bases loaded, De La Cruz (hitting from the right side) worked a six-pitch at-bat and then sliced a cutter up the middle for a nice, smooth single. Friedl’s perfect bunt to lead off the seventh inning set up that scoring chance.

Earlier in the game, Gavin Lux drove in a run with two outs by putting the bat on the ball and hitting a weak flare to right field. Espinal, hitting second in the place of the injured McLain, had two important hits and improved his average to .285. Espinal isn’t a power hitter, but Francona wanted him high up in the lineup on Saturday because of Espinal’s approach.

The Reds’ 35-inning drought without scoring a run was a reminder that this offense is flawed. But Saturday’s breakthrough game was also a reminder, showing the Reds’ best path toward getting the most out of their lineup this season.