Reds’ Closer Emilio Pagan Carted Off With Hamstring Injury

The Cincinnati Reds’ closer, Emilio Pagán, is headed to the injured list after leaving Tuesday’s game against the Chicago Cubs with a left hamstring injury.

This blog post breaks down what happened, what it means for the Reds’ bullpen, and how the Cubs took advantage of a late-inning miscue while extending their home winning streak.

Pagán headed to the injured list with a left hamstring injury

Emilio Pagán, the Reds’ trusted closer, will hit the injured list after straining his left hamstring. He landed awkwardly following the first pitch of the ninth inning on Tuesday.

The 34-year-old veteran grabbed at the back of his leg and had to be carted off the field. Manager Terry Francona said Pagán would get a scan on Wednesday to see how bad the injury is.

Right-hander José Franco replaced Pagán, issuing two walks before finishing the inning. Cincinnati ended up losing 3-2 in 10 innings, which made it five straight losses for the club.

Pagán’s season has been rocky. He’s converted six saves but holds a 6.43 ERA.

What happened on Tuesday night

The moment Pagán went down was quick but hard to watch. The Reds couldn’t close the top of the ninth, and the game went to extras against a Cubs team that’s been thriving on late-inning drama at home.

Cincinnati just can’t seem to shake their struggles in close games. That’s been a problem all year.

• Pagán’s stats: six saves, 6.43 ERA—tough numbers even before the injury.
• He left after his first pitch of the ninth, throwing the bullpen plan into chaos.
• The Reds’ fifth straight loss just adds more pressure on Terry Francona to figure out late-inning options without his usual closer.

Impact on Reds bullpen and season outlook

With Pagán out, Cincinnati will have to shuffle their bullpen to cover the late innings. The big question is how long he’ll be gone and who steps up as the temporary closer.

The Reds have managed some tight wins already, but this injury really tests their depth and late-game decisions as they try to find some consistency.

Reaction from teammates and rivals

“Pagán is a big piece of this,” catcher José Trevino said, underlining just how important the veteran closer is. He pointed out that the team needs to stay together and push through the tough stretch.

“It was a bad feeling for everyone involved,” Cubs manager Craig Counsell admitted, describing the mood after the injury and the wild finish that let Chicago pull off another walk-off win at home.

Cubs’ win streak and Reds’ one-run game struggles

The Cubs extended their home winning streak to 13 games, keeping up a run that’s put them in a great spot in the standings. They pulled off back-to-back walk-off wins for the first time since May 2021, which just shows how quickly a weekend series can flip a team’s season.

On the other side, Cincinnati has now lost three straight one-run games after starting the year 7-0 in those nail-biters. It’s a tough turnaround and really highlights how thin the margins are when your closer’s out of the picture.

Takeaways and what’s next

• Pagán’s absence puts Cincinnati’s bullpen depth and late-inning planning to the test, at least for now.
• Francona probably has to juggle roles, with Jose Franco and others stepping in for multi-inning relief or save chances while Pagán’s out.
• The Reds really need to snap their streak of one-run losses if they want to stay in the divisional race.
• The Cubs keep winning at home, which just shows how fierce the competition is—and how little room there is for error.

Pagán’s getting checked out, so everyone’s waiting for the Reds’ medical updates and any hints about changes in the bullpen. In the next few days, we’ll see just how fast Cincinnati can regroup, and whether they can handle late-game chaos or if that becomes their new reality.

 
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