CINCINNATI -- When he returned from the injured list on Aug. 6 after missing 68 games with plantar fasciitis in his right foot, Reds third baseman Mike Moustakas came out on fire. Moustakas hit three doubles with two RBIs in a 10-0 win over the Pirates.

Since then, it’s been only struggle at the plate, with Moustakas entering Saturday 1-for-32 over his past 11 games. That included extending his career-long hitless streak to 0-for-25 on Friday vs. the Marlins with an 0-for-4 game with two strikeouts.

On Saturday, manager David Bell started Eugenio Suárez at third base. That was significant, because Suárez is right-handed and the lefty-hitting Moustakas normally starts against righties. Miami started right-hander Zach Thompson.

Moustakas will be back in the lineup on Sunday, Bell said.

“Just keep playing, Moose hasn’t been back long, we got to keep him going and working on his timing,” Bell said. “Today is an opportunity for Geno.”

Times have been tough for Suárez at the plate all season. Although he came into Saturday with 23 home runs, he was batting just .172 with a .258 on-base percentage -- both ranked at the bottom among National League hitters.

Barnhart’s errorless streak ends
As Jesús Aguilar batted for the Marlins with two outs in the top of the sixth inning of Friday’s 5-3 Reds win, Tucker Barnhart was called for catcher’s interference when his glove came into contact with the hitter’s bat. Under the rules, Aguilar was awarded first base, and Barnhart was automatically charged with an error.

That meant Barnhart’s streak of 161 games without making an error was over. It is a franchise record among catchers.

“I got a tweet roughly a month ago that said Tyler [Stephenson] and I were the only catchers in the Major Leagues that had caught X-amount of innings and hadn’t made an error. It was a good run,” Barnhart said.

However, Barnhart certainly didn’t look thrilled with home-plate umpire John Tumpane’s call.

“For it to come to an end like that kind of stinks,” said Barnhart, a two-time NL Gold Glove winner. “If it was going to an end, I’d rather rifle one into left field down the line or into center field or something like that where I did something wrong. I don’t think I did anything wrong. That’s the first catcher’s interference I think I’ve had in probably 10 years that I can remember. I’m just going to leave it at that.”

Barnhart’s errorless streak, which began July 28, 2019, was the longest for a catcher in the Major Leagues since Salvador Pérez went 162 games without an error for the Royals from Sept. 4, 2017-April 18, 2021.

Aquino getting his shot in left field
Since Jesse Winker went on the 10-day IL with an intercoastal strain on Monday, Aristides Aquino has been getting an extended look in left field. Saturday marked Aquino’s fifth start in left field over the last six games.

Aquino came into the night 3-for-14 with a home run on the homestand. But despite his lack of production, his right-handed power makes him a potential gamechanger, giving him the edge over Shogo Akiyama.

“The goal for me is to put each player in a spot where they’re playing as well as they can but also strengthening our team as much as possible,” Bell said. “There has been stretches where a guy like Tyler Naquin didn’t play much and now, he’s playing all the time. Shogo has gone through stretches where he has played a little more at other times. Right now, Aquino is getting that opportunity. We’re always thinking about strengthening our team."