The Twins crushed the Reds 12-5 on June 19, 2025, as Byron Buxton's two homers overwhelmed a struggling Graham Ashcraft. See how the 17-hit onslaught unfolded.
StatPro MLB Beat Reporter
There are tough losses, and then there's Thursday night. The Cincinnati Reds were simply overpowered at home, falling 12-5 to the Minnesota Twins in a game that felt out of reach almost from the start. The culprit-in-chief was Byron Buxton, who played home run derby all by himself and led a relentless 17-hit onslaught that the Reds' pitching staff had no answer for.
Reds starter Graham Ashcraft struggled, allowing seven runs on 10 hits over just 3.1 innings.
From the get-go, this felt like Minnesota's night. While the Reds briefly tasted a 2-1 lead in the first, the Twins answered back immediately and never looked back, scoring in each of the first four innings to build a commanding lead. The main architect of the damage was Byron Buxton, who tormented Reds pitchers all evening. He went 3-for-6, launching his 14th and 15th home runs of the season and setting the tone for a dominant Twins offensive performance that Cincinnati simply couldn't match.
The box score tells a painful story for starter Graham Ashcraft. Lasting just 3.1 innings, he was tagged for seven earned runs on a whopping 10 hits. When your starter is knocked out that early after giving up that much production, it puts the offense and bullpen in an almost impossible situation. It was a step back for Ashcraft and the key reason the game snowballed out of control so quickly.
Despite the lopsided score, there was a brief moment of excitement for the home crowd. Gavin Lux connected on a two-run homer in the first inning, his third of the year, providing a fleeting lead. While it wasn't enough, it's good to see Lux contributing with some pop. On a day where the present felt bleak, it's also worth noting the future remains bright. MLB Pipeline re-affirmed the Reds' farm system as the 11th-best in baseball, a testament to the talent pipeline featuring names like Chase Burns, Rhett Lowder, and Top 100 prospect Cam Collier. It's a reminder that even on tough nights, help is on the way.
It was a night to forget at Great American Ball Park, dropping the Reds to 39-36. One blowout loss doesn't define a season, but it's a stark reminder that solid starting pitching is non-negotiable. The team needs to flush this result, get back to basics, and hope the starting rotation can right the ship quickly to stay in the thick of the playoff hunt. On to the next one.
