Sal Stewart takes blame for Wild Card loss but could actually be Reds hidden solution

Cincinnati Reds rookie infielder Sal Stewart took the blame for his team's loss following their playoff exit on Wednesday night. In a postgame interview after the Reds' 8-4 defeat at the hands of the Los Angeles Dodgers, Stewart said, "I cost the team the game. Simple as that."

Stewart was referring to his inability to get a hit with the bases loaded during the sixth inning and the Reds trailing 3-2. He also committed a costly error during the bottom half of that inning when an errant throw to a covering Nick Martinez went awry and put runners on the corners for the Dodgers. LA went on to plate four runs during that inning and extend their lead to 7-2.

There's no doubt that Stewart's mistake in the bottom of the sixth contributed to the Reds' loss, but he also came up with three of the team's four RBI on the night. One could easily make the argument that if Stewart wasn't in the lineup, Cincinnati might not have even been in position to win the game in the first place.

Sal Stewart takes blame for Wild Card loss to Dodgers, but he could actually be Reds hidden solution

Stewart was called up to the big leagues on September 1 and provided a spark to a languishing offense. Though Reds manager Terry Francona never fully invested in Stewart during the final month of the season, when the 21-year-old was in the lineup, he was rather effective.

Prior to the Reds' brief playoff run, Stewart was hitting .255 with an .838 OPS and five home runs in just 18 Major League games. Those five round-trippers were the most of any Reds player during the month of September.

It's obvious that Stewart is taking the loss pretty hard. The rookie told reporters after the game that he never wants to be on the losing end of a playoff celebration ever again. That's actually a positive sign, and frankly it'd be nice to hear some of the Reds' veterans express similar frustration with their performance during the postseason.

Along with Stewart, Spencer Steer, Gavin Lux, and Matt McLain performed well, but Elly De La Cruz, Noelvi Marte, and Ke'Bryan Hayes failed to record a base hit during the Wild Card Series. Hunter Greene looked atrocious during his playoff debut and was pulled after just three innings during the Reds' Game 1 loss.

Stewart can blame himself for the Reds' loss, but the fact of the matter is that he could be a big part of the solution to Cincinnati's postseason struggles. The Reds haven't won a playoff series since 1995, and based on Stewart's comments, he wants to help end that streak.

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