[Biggp07]

👑 Saturday, August 23 • Game 2👑

Singer bent early, then our bats broke the game open with one decisive inning.

Kansas City Royals at Cincinnati Reds | Great American Ball Park
Weather: Clear skies (78°) | Wind: blowing out to left at 10 mph | Attendance: 33,461 | First pitch: 6:40 PM ET
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Pregame Memo (Manager's Desk)

Last night's loss stung because we had pressure and didn't cash it. We let Cincinnati get comfortable early, and once a club like that starts playing downhill in their own park, it turns into a chase. We're not going to win every game in August—nobody does—but we can at least lose games believing we're still the aggressor.

So I made two calls to Omaha this morning: RHP Justin Topa and a fresh lefty, LHP Noah Cameron, up to help me solve this bullpen calculus. I'm still chasing one number every day—our strikeout-to-walk ratio—and I want more control in the middle lanes. Topa hasn't been pristine, but he's carried innings for us (27 appearances, 5 saves), and his command is good enough to stabilize low-to-medium leverage when the game gets weird. Cameron gives us a long-relief and emergency-start option—useful in a ballpark where one crooked inning can run away.

And I'm staying committed to Luinder Avila's long view, even after the ups and downs. I still believe there's a Cy Young-caliber arm in there if we keep coaching it the right way. But tonight wasn't about Avila. Tonight was about Brady Singer taking his turn and proving the last few outings weren't a mirage.

Cincinnati Reds Series Snapshot

Game 2 in a park that punishes mistakes. Great American doesn't ask permission—it just turns fly balls into problems. We came in needing a clean response: win this one, and the series resets into a Sunday rubber match mentality. Lose it, and you're playing from behind the whole weekend.


Series Matchup Board — Game 2

• RHP Brady Singer (KC) vs. LHP Nestor Cortes (CIN)

Singer gave us exactly what we needed: 7.0 IP, 5 H, 3 R, 3 ER, 3 BB, 4 K, and the bigger thing—he kept the game from spiraling after Cincinnati landed their early swings. Cortes wasn't bad, but he paid for one inning where we didn't just "rally"—we broke the game open.
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Game Day Log — Royals vs. Reds (Game 2)

Inning-by-Inning Beats (Dugout View)

2nd (Cincinnati strikes first, 2–0):
Singer fell behind and paid for it—Jeimer Candelario lifted a 2-run homer to right-center. That ballpark does what it does, and suddenly we were chasing.

3rd (They tack on, 3–0):
Then came the big one: Elly De La Cruz went solo and made it 3–0. At that moment, it felt like the same script as last night, trying to replay.

4th (Our season-in-a-nutshell response inning, 6–3 KC):
This is where we reminded everyone we're not going away quietly.

• Salvador Perez doubled, and then Davis Schneider hit a 2-run home run to cut the deficit immediately.

• We kept stacking pressure: Massey singled, Payton reached on an error, and Devin Mann singled—with the runner SAFE at the plate on the throw home, the kind of "force a decision" moment that flips a dugout.

• Then the swing that finished the inning: Maikel Garcia crushed a 3-run homer.

Six runs, one inning, and Cincinnati's early lead evaporated in the span of a few batters.

5th–7th (Singer settles and holds the line):
From there, Singer stopped the bleeding. The Reds had chances, but he got ground balls (11 ground outs) and kept the heart of their order from turning one inning into another avalanche.

8th–9th (Finish it clean):
I handed the last six outs to Brennan Bernardino, and he delivered: 2.0 scoreless, 3 K, and Save #2. No late drama, no cheap runs, just a clean close in a park built for chaos.
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Final

Royals 6, Reds 3
Royals (8 H, 1 E) | Reds (7 H, 1 E)

Player of the Game: Brady Singer

Kansas City Pitching Scoreline
Pitcher             Dec            IP    H    R   ER   BB    K   HR    PI    ERA
Singer, B.         W (7-6)        7.0   5    3    3    3    4    2    91   4.08
Bernardino, B.     SV (2)         2.0   2    0    0    0    3    0    35   4.26

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Front Office Note / Takeaways

• That 4th inning was contender posture. We didn't nibble back—Schneider and Garcia landed real swings, and we kept the line moving until it broke open.

• Singer earned his lane tonight. Seven innings in this park, after giving up two homers early, and he still kept the game in our hands. That's what “gamer” looks like.

• Bernardino gave us a clean finish. Two innings, no panic, and he's now perfect in save chances. I need more of that reliability as August tightens.

• Bullpen calculus continues. Topa and Cameron are here because I'm done letting control issues dictate outcomes. The roster has to breathe, and I'll keep shuttling until it does.


Around the League

Down in Columbia, Brandan Bidois put on a clinic—a complete-game shutout in a 5–0 win over Augusta, mixing his changeup like a magician and piling up 9 strikeouts. Afterward, he said the quiet part out loud: " Keep it down or they'll make you pay. That's true in every league."
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👑 FOR THE CROWN — ALWAYS 👑

Kansas City Royals | Regular Season 2025 - Game 124



(OOTP25 Royals Journey — GM/Manager's Dual Log)