It’s the right decision to trade Mike Leake.
It’s the right decision to trade Mike Leake. It’s the right decision to trade Mike Leake. It’s the right decision to trade Mike Leake. It’s the right decision to trade Mike Leake. It’s the right decision to trade Mike Leake. It’s the right decision to trade Mike Leake. It’s the right decision to trade Mike Leake. It’s the right decision to trade Mike Leake. It’s the right decision to trade Mike Leake. It’s the right decision to trade Mike Leake. It’s the right decision to trade Mike Leake. It’s the right decision to trade Mike Leake.
But I’m sure gonna miss seeing him play for the Reds.
Reds 6 Indians 1 | FanGraphs | Who’ll Stop the Rain
In Mike Leake’s previous game, he pitched 8 shutout innings against the Miami Marlins. Tonight, Leake added 5 more scoreless before giving up a run in the top of the sixth. He struck out two and walked two. Leake also contributed at the plate. He knocked in three runs, two on a two-out double and one on a safety squeeze bunt. He pitched four-hit, one-run baseball.
Mike Leake pitched his first game for the Reds on April 11, 2010 against the Chicago Cubs. He pitched four-hit, one-run baseball that afternoon. He also went 2-for-2. If tonight is Leake’s last game for the Reds, he’s got a nice pair of bookends.
Marlon Byrd was 4-for-4 with a home run, double and two singles. Trade value up.
Joey Votto hit a no-longer-elite 418-foot bomb to center field, his 16th home run of the year. The pitch was up and outside and a reminder why pitchers have quit pitching Votto on the outside part of the plate.
The Reds sixth run was a template Hamilrun. Billy Hamilton singled on an infield hit, stole second, advanced to third when the catcher’s throw went into the outfield. He scored on a ground ball to the third baseman when the 3B fielded the ball – looked him back to make sure Hamilton didn’t break to the plate – and then threw to first. Hamilton broke home on the throw and scored easily.
Ryan Mattheus, J.J. Hoover and Burke Badenhop pitched three shutout innings in relief. Good start to the post-All-Star break period for the bullpen.
Todd Frazier has gone 84 plate appearances without drawing a non-intentional walk. Not good. His walk rate in April and May was about 10 percent. His walk rate in June and July is about 1 percent.
Trade Rumor Updates
Tom Verducci (Sports Illustrated): Johnny Cueto has tremendous trade value. I think he’s a great fit for Toronto. Cueto would be a perfect addition there, as a rental.
Buster Olney (ESPN, 33 min. mark): In my conversations with various team executives in the last 48-72 hours, it doesn’t seem like necessarily there is a lot of traction on specific talks with specific teams. The Reds aren’t going to tell us exactly what they’re digging into. But one evaluator, for example, noted that his guys in the field have not noticed a lot of Reds people out scouting other organizations.
Jon Morosi (FOX): Heard today that as many as a dozen teams are actively looking for starting pitchers. Complicated market.
Jon Morosi (FOX): The Reds are prepared to trade prospective free agents Johnny Cueto and Mike Leake now that All-Star Game is over, sources say.
Bob Nightengale (USA Today): The Reds have not packaged Cueto and Chapman in any proposals so far, preferring separate deals, if they do decide to move their closer.
Steve Adams (MLB Trade Rumors): Chapman would still fetch a haul this winter or even next July, but when considering the number of teams needing bullpen help and the lack of clear sellers on the market, it’s easy to see that Chapman would be among the game’s most coveted trade targets.
Jon Heyman (CBS): Cueto, meanwhile, remains the Dodgers’ main rental target. The Astros, who also have Cueto atop their list and possess many fine prospects, much like the Dodgers, had multiple scouts at some of Cueto’s recent starts. The Reds signaled before the break that they expect to seriously start selling after the All-Star Game, which was a big hit in Cincinnati, and the beloved Cueto, following a blowup after his early removal from his recent start in Miami, is said to be ready to go.
Jon Heyman (CBS): Cueto and Leake will almost certainly go (in fact, Leake’s been told the Reds intend to deal him, though apparently not Cueto, not yet, anyway). Leake is beloved for his athleticism, and some AL East teams also appreciate that he keeps the ball down. The Blue Jays, Astros and Royals are among many interested teams, while the Orioles, Red Sox, Dodgers, Rangers, Cubs and Giants among other teams to show some level of interest at some point
Jon Heyman (CBS): Lefty reliever Manny Parra will likely go, as will veteran outfielder Marlon Byrd.