Reds get cruel reminder of Terry Francona’s failure after unexpected D-backs shakeup

The Cincinnati Reds lost a heartbreaker in extra innings on Wednesday night. The Reds rallied in the ninth and tied the game thanks to a clutch home run off the bat of Tyler Stephenson — who was out of the lineup the past two games — but fell to the Pittsburgh Pirates by a final score of 4-3 after failing to score in the 11th inning.

This could've been the knockout blow for the Reds, but the New York Mets and Arizona Diamondbacks lost on Wednesday night as well, meaning Cincinnati is still just one game back in the chase for the final NL Wild Card spot with four games to play.

The Reds own the tiebreaker over both teams, but the D-backs — suddenly emboldened by their chance to get back to the playoffs — have shaken things up and are making a surprising decision that could change their postseason outlook.

Reds suddenly realize Mets aren’t their only problem after unexpected D-backs shakeup

According to Diamondbacks beat reporter Nick Piecoro, Arizona is reshuffling their starting rotation for the final week of the season — something Terry Francona should've done earlier this week. Arizona will send Jalen Beeks to the hill versus the Los Angeles Dodgers on Thursday, and then send Zac Gallen, Eduardo Rodriguez, and Brandon Pfaadt to the mound during their weekend series in San Diego against the Padres.

It's unknown whether or not this shakeup will give Arizona the boost they need down the stretch, but at least D-backs manager Torey Lovullo is trying to make something happen during the final four games of the 2025 season — which is more than Francona can say after foolishly sending Brady Singer to the mound on Tuesday night instead of Hunter Greene.

The boneheaded decision to start Singer over Greene has been made at this point, but the debate shouldn't be over. Sending Greene to the mound — on normal rest thanks to Monday's off-day — was a no-brainer. Instead, Tito botched it. Greene matched up against Paul Skenes, and won't be available for the season finale against the Milwaukee Brewers.

The Reds still have a chance — 19.6% according to FanGraphs — to make it back to the playoffs for the first time since 2020. Francona's decision may not have eliminated the Reds from the postseason, but it certainly didn't help their chances.

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