Terry Francona finally admits brutal mistake that Reds fans saw from a mile away

If it feels like you're listening to a broken record at this point, I apologize. What's unforgivable, however, was Terry Francona's decision earlier this week not to start Hunter Greene on Tuesday for the Cincinnati Reds' series opener against the Pittsburgh Pirates.

Many different fans and pundits have weighed in on Francona's harebrained decision to send Brady Singer to the hill on Tuesday instead of Greene. To be clear, this has absolutely nothing to do with Singer's performance this season. Singer's been a fine addition to the Reds' rotation this season.

But while Singer is a fine middle-of-the-rotation starter, Greene is the Reds' best pitcher. And instead of sending out Greene to the mound on Tuesday — on regular rest thanks to the Reds' off-day on Monday — Francona stuck to his guns, didn't alter the rotation. Singer gave up four runs in the second inning, the Reds lost 4-2, and fell a game back of the New York Mets with five games to play.

Reds manager Terry Francona finally admits that Hunter Greene should've started on Tuesday vs. the Pirates

Greene's valiant effort on Wednesday against Pirates' ace Paul Skenes fell short and Cincinnati dropped the second game of the series in extra innings. Thankfully the Mets and Arizona Diamondbacks lost as well, leaving Cincinnati with a glimmer of hope in the chase for the final NL Wild Card spot.

There's a chance that Sunday's season finale against the Milwaukee Brewers may decide the Reds' postseason fate. Cincinnati owns the tiebreaker over New York and Arizona, and it's quite possible that the final game of the season could be the difference between the Reds playing into October or getting an early start on the offseason.

With Sunday's game possibly carrying added importance, Francona spoke about the possibility of Greene being available out of the Reds bullpen. "We've already discussed that with him," Francona said. "He's open to it. We've just got to see how he feels."

Francona just admitted that they've discussed the idea of having Greene available out of the bullpen for Sunday's finale versus the Brewers. That's all well and good, but what in the Sam Hill was keeping Francona from switching up the rotation and having Greene available to start Tuesday and Sunday? This makes no sense. None whatsoever!

Had Francona actually swapped Greene for Singer on Tuesday, it's possible that Cincinnati could've been heading into Game 162 with a playoff spot already under lock and key — meaning Greene wouldn't have even had to take the ball on Sunday. Instead, Francona now finds himself in a must-win series against the Brewers, and depending on how the Mets and D-backs play, that might not even matter.

This wasn't one of those in-game, heat-of-the-moment decisions where a manager yanks his starter too soon, or decides to bunt rather than swing away. This is an egregious mistake by a manager who's headed to the Hall of Fame, and he finally (in a rather shrewd way) admitted as much.

At it's core, Major League Baseball is about the players, and the Reds have failed to meet the moment this week. But Francona did not put his team in the best position to win, and it may cost them a spot in the postseason.

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