Sloppy Reds give away game, and series, to Mariners: ‘We made a lot of mistakes’

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CINCINNATI — After games at Great American Ball Park, Cincinnati Reds manager Terry Francona heads into a small room located just beyond his office and answers questions from reporters.

When Francona is done, the Reds’ media relations department often brings in a player. After wins, it’s usually the offensive hero and maybe the starting pitcher. After losses, it’s often just the starting pitcher, or, if nobody is at their locker when Francona’s sitting at the table in front of cameras, the media will go into the clubhouse and interview players at their lockers.

Thursday, after Francona finished after the Reds’ 11-7 loss to the Seattle Mariners in 10 innings, Emilio Pagán entered the room quickly. The Reds’ closer had just blown a save after his teammate, Jake Fraley, hit a go-ahead grand slam in the bottom of the eighth inning. Pagán, who has been good in the closer’s role as Alexis Díaz has worked his way back from injury, gave up a leadoff home run to Mariners catcher Cal Raleigh. His second pitch was a laser off the bat of Randy Arozarena that just snuck inside the foul pole on the left-field line to tie the score.

RAKE! RALLY! REDS! pic.twitter.com/wqsgy3fWc9

— Cincinnati Reds (@Reds) April 17, 2025

Pagán retired the next three batters in order, but instead of shaking hands on the field, he returned to the dugout. The Reds went down in order against former Cincinnati reliever Casey Legumina, and Graham Ashcraft gave up four runs in the top of the 10th for a Mariners series victory.

“We didn’t play a clean game by any means, but the guys did a good enough job to give me a chance to win the game for us, and I didn’t come through,” Pagán said. “So that part is going to weigh heavy on me for a little bit. But once I shower, I go back to being a dad and a teammate and a friend and show back up tomorrow, ready to do it again.”

There was no shortage of people to fall on a sword. The Reds made a season-high four errors, including two from shortstop Elly De La Cruz, and also dropped two foul balls that could’ve helped out starter Brady Singer if caught. The final score was 11-7. While all the Reds’ runs were earned, the Mariners scored six unearned, including all four in the 10th against Ashcraft, who couldn’t handle a sacrifice bunt from Miles Mastrobuoni, the first batter he faced.

10th inning chaos! #TridentsUp pic.twitter.com/2CYd6Y1PTp

— Seattle Mariners (@Mariners) April 17, 2025

But it was Pagán, with ice on his right shoulder and elbow, there to answer the questions postgame.

“The Raleigh pitch probably wasn’t a terrible pitch. I just think it was the wrong pitch,” Pagán said. “Me and (catcher Jose Trevino) just talked about it. Hats off to him, man, he had a heck of a series. He’s on fire right now.”

Raleigh hit two home runs in the Mariners’ victory Wednesday. After his homer off Pagán on Thursday, he has eight home runs through the first 19 games of the season.

“He’s been on all the fastballs, even when I got him out (Tuesday), he was on it. He had some good swings,” Pagán said. “We were trying to speed him up one more time, up and in, after he was out in front of the breaking ball early in the at-bat. He kept it fair. It wasn’t a terrible pitch. Wasn’t a good enough pitch. Just not good enough. He beat me today.”

While it’s not unusual for a closer to come into an interview room after a blown save, it’s not usual, either.

“Everybody’s got a job to do,” Pagán said at his locker later when asked why he went into the interview room to face questions. “You guys are trying to do your job. It’s not like you’re excited to ask me a question after I just blow it. You’re just doing your job, so out of respect for you guys and your position, it’s part of the gig.”

If Pagán were the setup man and he allowed two homers to tie the score in the eighth inning, nobody would talk to him. The cameras would search for Ashcraft, who pitched in the 10th, or the starter, Singer, who went 4 1/3 innings. Instead, it was Pagán.

“It’s just the nature of the beast,” Pagán said. “I’ve said it every time someone’s asked me: I love getting a chance in the ninth. That means everything involved. That’s part of it. It’s really as simple as that for me.”

Singer didn’t make it out of the fifth inning. Left fielder Blake Dunn dropped a fly ball that was in his glove after he made a long run to track it down in foul territory. Then, third baseman Santiago Espinal and catcher Austin Wynns watched as another foul popup fell between them that same inning, extending Singer’s pitch count. That inning also saw an error from De La Cruz and another from Fraley in right field.

“We made a lot of mistakes,” Francona said. “I thought we played with a lot of heart, which is good, but we made too many mistakes to win a game like that today.”

The Reds packed up to start a three-city road trip beginning Friday in Baltimore against the Orioles before going to Miami and Denver. After finding themselves above .500 for the first time following Tuesday’s victory, losses Wednesday and Thursday put the team one game under .500 at 9-10. But the Reds did finish this homestand 4-2 after going 2-4 in their first homestand of the season.

“That’s true, but nobody wants to hear that right now. We just blew a game that we should have won,” Pagán said, refusing any silver linings offered to him. “We’re aware of that. It’s easy to say those things because they’re true. But if you’re a Reds fan, and you’re at today’s game, you realize we should have won this game. So 4-2 is great, but we should be 5-1.”

(Photo of Elly De La Cruz: Sam Greene / USA Today Network via Imagn Images)

This news was originally published on this post .

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