WASHINGTON — For a player looking to make an impression in his second stint with the Reds, Stuart Fairchild was finally able to get on time with his swing.
The left fielder crushed a 432-foot solo homer off a Patrick Corbin 1-1 sinker to begin the second and put Cincinnati up by two runs at Nationals Park. The Reds ended with a 3-2 loss, but the significance of Fairchild’s long home run was not lost on his skipper.
“He definitely has a lot of power,” said manager David Bell. “He’s a good player. We are trying to get him regular playing time to get him settled in. But there’s no question he has plenty of power and he runs well – – good defender. We saw what he was capable of with those home runs. For Stuart, it’s about more than just the power. He can do more things just a matter of getting him out there more.”
In 31 career games spanning two seasons, Fairchild was hitting just .100 (5-for-50) for his career when he stepped up to the plate for the first time Sunday afternoon. That at-bat ended with the head-turning round tripper, his second such blast this week. In fact, three of his six career hits have left the yard.
“I just got back to hunting a fastball and trying to keep my timing on fastballs,” Fairchild said. “I was watching [Corbin’s] video before the game and kind of trying to sync up my load with his move. I felt like I was on time, feeling in control of my move, and that was the biggest thing.”
The 2017 Reds Draft pick was traded to the D-backs at the 2020 Deadline in the deal that brought Archie Bradley to Cincinnati. Fairchild was in the D-backs’ Spring Training camp in March and played in a handful of games with the Mariners and Giants earlier this year before the Reds claimed him off waivers June 11.
Fairchild played eight games with the club in July but was sent back down in August. 1 and recalled Tuesday. Bell sees progress in Fairchild after his first week back with the club after he’d bounced around from team to team and Minors to Majors.
“It’s always a big test,” Bell said. “Usually for most young players, you get tested a lot. You get sent down. You can even get released. Things happen. You got to keep bouncing back. You got to continue to work and believe in yourself. If you don’t, the game will move on.
“Stuart has done a nice job of finding ways to get better each step of the way. He’s got a long way to go. He is still a young guy. He has passed those tests. He’s made it back to the big leagues, and I know he’s looking for a regular opportunity to play.”
The left fielder is hoping hits like Sunday’s homer will help him find a home again with Cincinnati.
“It’s been a grind of a year for sure,” Fairchild said. “I feel like I have definitely been tested, and I hope that after this year is over I’m going to be able to look back and realize what I went through .Hopefully [I can] gain some resilience from that.”
Starter Nick Lodolo did everything he could to keep the Reds in the game but took the loss. The left-hander put together seven innings, allowing three runs on five hits with one walk, five strikeouts and two hit batters.
“I definitely thought I could’ve pitched better, especially in those middle innings,” Lodolo said. “But overall I’m happy with the way I rebounded, especially to give the bullpen some length after yesterday.”
Bell said Lodolo helped the pitching staff with his ability to last seven frames, giving the Reds a shot to win but in the end coming up just one run short.
“He continues … giving us everything he has and really showing what he is capable of,” Bell said. “I thought he had as good of stuff as he’s had in any other start. Good sinker, good slider. The one inning just missed with a couple of pitches. This has happened before where the slider gets breaking a little bit too much. Hit a couple guys in the foot. Other than that, just an outstanding start.”
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