The Detroit Tigers crushed the Cincinnati Reds 9-1 on June 13, 2025, launching five homers off Nick Martinez. Read how the Reds' offense went silent.
StatPro MLB Beat Reporter
Well, that was a Friday the 13th to forget. Just when it felt like the Reds were finding a solid groove in June, they ran into a buzzsaw in Detroit. The Tigers didn't just beat the Reds; they launched an aerial assault at Comerica Park, sending five baseballs into the stands and cruising to a lopsided 9-1 victory that halted Cincinnati's recent momentum in its tracks.
Detroit launched five home runs, including back-to-back shots and a three-run blast, overwhelming Reds starter Nick Martinez.
The trouble started and ended on the mound for starter Nick Martinez. The Tigers teed off on him, turning the game into their own personal home run derby. Martinez, who fell to 4-6 with a 3.70 ERA, simply couldn't keep the ball in the park, surrendering multiple long balls that put the game out of reach early. The bullpen couldn't stop the bleeding, as Detroit's power surge continued throughout the night, leaving Reds fans with little to cheer for in the series opener.
While the pitching was porous, the offense provided virtually no support. The bats, which had shown signs of life this month, were completely silenced by the Tigers' pitching staff. A single run via a sacrifice fly was all Cincinnati could muster. Key contributors were neutralized; Elly De La Cruz, the team's leader in homers and RBIs, was held without an extra-base hit, and the lineup as a whole failed to string together any meaningful threats. It was a frustrating display that highlighted the team's ongoing inconsistency against AL opponents.
It's easy to overreact to a blowout loss, but let's take a step back and look at the bigger picture. Despite the ugly final score, the Reds are still 6-4 in June, which remains their best month of the season so far. This team has shown flashes of the fight it needs. Elly De La Cruz continues to lead the team with 13 home runs and 44 RBIs, while TJ Friedl paces the club with a .294 batting average. One brutal game doesn't erase a solid stretch of baseball, but it does serve as a stark reminder that the margin for error is slim.
This was a tough pill to swallow, no doubt about it. As the players and coaches emphasized postgame, the key now is to flush it and move on. The beauty of baseball is that redemption is always just one day away. The Reds have a chance to even the series tomorrow in Detroit, but it will require a strong bounce-back performance on the mound and for the offense to wake from its slumber. Here's to leaving Friday the 13th behind and getting back in the win column.
