Reds 9, Tigers 8: Bullpen breakdown, Queen City shakedown
It was a back and forth artillery duel interrupted by a long rain delay, but the Tigers’ bullpen broke last.
Apr 24, 2026; Cincinnati, Ohio, USA; Cincinnati Reds designated hitter Nathaniel Lowe (31) hits a solo home run in the sixth inning against the Detroit Tigers at Great American Ball Park. Mandatory Credit: Katie Stratman-Imagn Images | Katie Stratman-Imagn Images The Tigers continued their string of games against National League Central opponents on Friday night, in the opener of a three-game series against the Reds on the banks of the Ohio River. There was a big early lead which evaporated, and then a nice comeback for a late lead, but one final home run doomed the Detroiters in a 9-8 walk-off loss.
Making his sixth start of the season for the Detroiters was Framber Valdez. He was coming off a very solid six-inning outing in Boston in which he gave up one run, walked two and struck out seven. It took me a long time to find strikeout percentage — eventually I found it buried deep in Advanced Pitching on Baseball Reference — and his is quite a bit below his career average so far this year.
For his career, his strikeout percentage is 23. 3% (MLB average has been 22. 7% over that time); in 2026, in the small sample we have, it’s been 15.
8%. Andrew Abbott started for the Reds, and his season so far hasn’t been great: his ERA coming into tonight was 5. 84 (although his FIP was only 4.
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