David Buchanan's patience paid off as the Brewers beat the Reds

Six days before Cincinnati Reds rookie David Buchanan saved the team’s pitching staff with 3 1/3 quality innings in a 5-4 loss to the Milwaukee Brewers, he was a 35-year-old pitcher in High-A.

Buchanan spent most of the season with the Phillies’ Triple-A affiliate. But then out of the blue, the organization reassigned him to the High-A Jersey Shore Blue Claws.

“I don’t even know how to explain it,” Buchanan said. “They wanted to keep me pitching and keep getting me innings. The Lord works in mysterious ways. It ended up working for me. I’ll take it.”

After Buchanan allowed one run in seven innings against a Brooklyn Cyclones lineup that included two 20-year-old players, the Phillies agreed to trade the minor leaguers to a Reds team desperate to pitch.

“It just happened out of the blue,” Buchanan said. “It’s always exciting to have a new experience.”

Buchanan initially reported to Triple-A but never appeared in a game with the Louisville Bats.

The Reds have put together nine innings each night with the toothpicks and blues as they navigate having five starting pitchers on the injured list. Before the game, Reds manager David Bell said the team would not be able to get through Saturday’s game without Buchanan pitching more innings.

Buchanan did much more than that. In his first big league game of 2015, he allowed just one run in 3 ⅓ innings against a first-place Brewers team with an outstanding lineup.

Reliever Fernando Cruz started Saturday’s game and pitched two scoreless innings. The Reds didn’t have a starter available, so the plan was for Buchanan to pitch most of the innings.

Nine years ago, Buchanan started the season in the Phillies rotation. He posted a 6.99 ERA and went 2-9, lost his roster spot and began a long journey back to the MLB.

Between 2017 and 2023, Buchanan performed in Japan and Korea. He returned to minor league baseball for the 2024 season due to “family situations and things going on in our lives.” The Phillies gave him a chance to pitch in Triple-A, but then Buchanan lost his spot in the Triple-A rotation.

The Reds gave him an opportunity.

“I love the game,” Buchanan said. “I’ve still got something left in the tank, so I’ll keep playing. I will take advantage of it as much as I can.”

Buchanan kept the Reds in the game and second baseman Amed Rosario hit a game-tying homer. But reliever Justin Wilson — making a rare appearance in a high-leverage situation because of how taxed the Reds’ bullpen has been — allowed the go-ahead lead in the ninth inning to Jackson Chourio.

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David Buchanan’s patience paid off as the Brewers beat the Reds

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