It was one of those nights in Colorado. Scott Feldman made just two bad pitches on the night, but the Rockies made him pay. Feldman gave up a pair of two-run home runs, and they came off the bat of a backup shortstop, and the opposing pitcher. The home run Feldman gave up to Rockies starter Jon Gray was reportedly the largest in the statcast era.
https://twitter.com/TheRenderMLB/status/882774667953659904
The Reds tried to climb back into the game. They got within a run, but squandered a couple good chances to get over the hump. The Reds also got screwed on a pretty terrible call (see more below). The Reds will go for a series split late tomorrow afternoon.
| Final | R | H | E |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cincinnati Reds (36-48) | 3 | 11 | 0 |
| Colorado Rockies (50-37) | 5 | 6 | 2 |
| W: Gray (2-0) L: Feldman (7-6) S: Holland (28) | |||
| FanGraphs Win Probability | Box Score | Game Thread | |||
Biggest Play of the Game
According to Fangraphs WPA statistic (winning percentage added), the most important play of the game was Eugenio Suarez grounding into an inning ending double play in the 7th inning (Reds had runners on 1st & 2nd, trailing 4-3). That play decreased the Reds chances of winning by 17.0% (from 40.2% to 23.3%).
Positives
Scott Feldman‘s run of three consecutive quality starts ended tonight. It’s hard to fault him for giving up a home run to the opposing pitcher, as you often just want to throw strikes with your opposite number at the plate. If you take that away, he would have had a really nice start. Feldman allowed just 1 walk, while striking out 6 tonight.
Ariel Hernandez, who was just called up today for Devin Mesoraco, was great in relief again. He didn’t allow a hit in 1.2 innings, and struck out 3 (did allow 1 walk). I really don’t know how the Reds can send Hernandez back down at this point. This guy is proving to be able to get MLB hitters out, and has some incredible stuff. Keep him up until he proves otherwise.
Joey Votto reached base four times, including his first triple of 2017!
Scooter Gennett and Zack Cozart each had 2 hits tonight. Gennett was hitting in the cleanup spot!
Every starting position player had a hit except for Scott Schebler tonight.
Negatives
Jose Peraza got picked off in the 8th inning representing the tying run. Replay clearly showed that Peraza was safe, but somehow the call was upheld. Nonetheless, it was a dumb play by Peraza.
This is called out? Challenged. And, still called out? #Reds pic.twitter.com/z7BhKBqftE
— Joe Danneman (@FOX19Joe) July 6, 2017
Seriously what is the point to instant replay?!?!? How is Peraza out???? Ridiculous!!!!!!! @Reds
— Kirk Herbstreit (@KirkHerbstreit) July 6, 2017
Scott Schebler went 0 for 4 with 3 strikeouts, but he did have 3 hits yesterday.
Tony Cingrani gave up a big insurance run to the Rockies in the bottom of the 8th.
Not so random thoughts………
Rockies play by play announcer to start the 8th inning: “the Rockies pitchers should think to themselves, if you are are perfect over the next two innings, you don’t have to face Votto.”
Nolan Arenado had an error tonight!
Up Next:
Reds at Rockies
Thursday, 3:10 PM
TV: FOX Sports Ohio; MLB Network (out of market only)
Sal Romano (6.00 ERA) vs Tyler Chatwood (4.41 ERA)
All statistics are used courtesy of Fangraphs, ESPN Stats & Info, and Baseball-Reference.
The irony of Price citing the importance of getting on base and his leadoff hitter has a .295 obp… That sums it all up. He wasn’t handed the best red teams’ ever, but I’ll never understand why they throw Hamilton out there every game in leadoff. It is insanity. Doing the same things over and over, and expecting different results is the literal definition of insanity. If you’re rebuilding, why aren’t we then trying, and experimenting different lineups….I guess it’s insanity to expecting something new….
It’s a quote misattributed to Einstein. Of course it’s not the “literal” definition, but it does drive people insane doing the same things over and over and expecting different results. Like me expecting Price to really be different than he has since he took over.
Is it possible that the organization is giving Hamilton and Peraza every possible chance to prove that they can/can’t hit in the top of the lineup? I know, I know, they shouldn’t be taking at bats from Votto. But I’m willing to bet a lot of us were feeling pretty strong about Peraza at the end of last year. However, this year and a larger sample size has us feeling uneasy about his long term status. I don’t know how much rests with price verses the gm/ownership on lineup construction but you can’t play a guy who is not on the roster. Ask Bob Steve and Reed. If these guys don’t prove themselves I bet they have a reduced role or find themselves somewhere else next year. DW knows what he’s doing.
Hamilton every chance, sure, Peraza is 23 with less then 600 career at bats and hits in the seven hole most games, two very different situations………tho I don’t disagree with what you’re saying.
The pitching staff competed and gave up only 6 hits but two left the yard.We had 11 hits and 3 walks on offense but none left the yard.This one was on the offense as was Monday’s loss.Have to be able to score more then 3 runs at Coors or any where else to win but its a better feeling when for 3 straight games the pitchers kept us in the game.Much better then what we have experienced for most of this year.Go Reds.
That’s baseball though. The Rockies had 10 hits on Tuesday and scored 1 run.
As for Billy he is what he is and the Reds must feel it is good enough or they are willing to give him the rest of the year to prove in year 4 that he isn’t good enough.I think you can continue to let him play but not hit lead off.You can hide him a little in the 8 or 9 hole but giving him the most at bats is just dumb.The real issue for the team is that you can’t hide him and Peraza and of course the pitcher in the lineup.Its one thing to be a bad hitter but its another to have no power at all to hit a ball to the outfield.Peraza has hit some rockets but more often he hits weak pop ups or grounders as does Billy and well then there is the pitcher.This will sort itself out this year but I am more concerned with sorting out the starting pitching or at least giving some a few starts.
Can’t hide Bryan Price though James – that might be the biggest problem
Billy seemed to have a pretty good month of May…wonder what has caused him to regress…or what caused him to do well in May?
It’s pretty obvious that it’s a rash of minor injuries that are piling up on him. Shoulder, thumb, and now his back. A few weeks ago I was hoping for a 10 day DL stint, for a recharge….especially when Winker was here. Maybe the All Star break will provide some relief.
Part of an audio montage lead-in the Chicago sports radio station likes to play before every Joe Maddon call-in interview he says ‘I’m not going to bat my second baseman leadoff because that’s what the book from 1947 says to do’. I always laugh and cry at the same time for that one.
Billy is just hard to figure.He will have a few good games and then even while having a good game he just starts doing bad things at the plate.Some at bats he actually does work the count and the other night he got a big two run single on a 3-2 pitch.Other times he swings at the first pitch.He just can’t hit for power so the infield is in and so is the out field.His good games are a looper here or there or a grounder that he beats out.His hits are weak hit balls and so are his outs.Pitchers don’t fear him as a hitter they fear him as a runner and rightly so.He can’t bunt and doesn’t walk.He is a little guy that plays a gold glove centerfield with speed.My suggestion to him would be to beef up some and learn how to bunt because when he loses a step well he is done.He also is second on the team in strikeouts as well.He may do better in a platoon system where he can get some rest and keep his body fresher but he needs to get stronger in a big way.
Is Peraza working on hitting the ball to opposite field the reason for his bad approach?
Hamilton bats lead off and plays every day for 1 of 3 reasons:
1. The Reds are incompetent and don’t understand the concept of run creation. Possible, but unlikely
2. They want to give him EVERY opportunity to succeed because they’re terrified the second they give up on him he’ll turn into Ricky Henderson. Probable
3. They have proprietary data that shows they are better off with a Hamilton leading off because he scores 50% of the time he gets on base and he has an ancillary impact on the game and the types of pitches Votto and Duvall see that offsets his inability to consistently get on base. Likely some truth to this but I doubt this is completely accurate
I’m going with option 2.
Move everyone up and drop Billy to 9th. He still has 50% run scoring ability in front of Cozart and Votto. He just does it one less time a night. I get the guy is fast, but even Votto can get a triple.
You only need a single to score just about everyone in this lineup from second base so I don’t buy into the Billy scores when he’s on. He scores because he has some of the best hitters in the game behind him.
Maybe the Reds don’t understand this yet. They need to wake up
Just saw your comment, echoing what I just wrote, I wonder if the Reds really just do not understand this as you suggest…do they ever justify this
+ 1000 Steve !!!
#3 can still apply if he is the 9 hole and everyone is moved up- I do not see any logic in having worst hitter get the most AB’s
I actually agreee with you. I’m trying to gauge what I believe the Reds thought process to be. I don’t think he can be Ricky Henderson….I don’t even think under the most optimal circumstances he could be Willie McGee.
I’ve done all I can to try to decipher if there is some analytical reason that he should lead off and I’ve found none. I just tried to be open minded and his numbers don’t justify the at bats. No one ever learns anything by accepting conventional wisdom. I like to think the Reds possess more information than we do and they’re not inept…but they may very well be inept
Billy is hitting .305/.397 in Reds wins.
Billy is hitting .193./.250 in Reds losses.
When Billy goes, the Reds go.
It was more of a statement to prove how well the Reds do when Billy does well. FWIW…I’m from the camp that he should keep playing, but bat him 9th
what are the splits on the other guys, would suspect not many players hit worse in losses
My first thought was never ever hit Billy and Peraza back to back at any time for any reason.However if they are both going to play every day then why not go with Patrick’s idea above.Put them back to back but in the bottom of the order makes more sense then at the top which gives them more at bats every game.It certainly gives Joey more at bats and that is always a good thing.Works for me.
Is that a rumor? Or just your theory. The Dodgers have a lot of OF’ers already.
Leadoff platoon…..Scooter .379 obp vs righties & Suarez .411 vs lefties
Bat Billy 9th….thats what? 10-15 atbats less a month then leadoff? Makes too much sense!!
They should know if they want to keep Cozart by now? My guess is that they haven’t sent Peraza down so they’re open to offers and might move him? Hopefully Zack will continue to hit like last night! Peraza currently backs up Zack and also platoons w/Scooter. Give him a little OF time too or let Scooter spell Suarez. Peraza needs to play alot if he’s staying.
Hernandez is flat out nasty! Herget > Brice with Cingrani & Peralta and they can do just fine in the pen without Lorenzen. Start stretching him out asap! We have next to no groundball pitchers on the horizon and we need him in the rotation. Not to mention he’d pull a Jon Gray game affecting blast atleast 3-4x a year!
Most eligible young starter > Adleman
Sign Hunter Greene for God sakes!!! To fail is an organizational disaster that can’t happen!
Indiana football vs Ohio State in August! As a Hoosiers fan thats like looking forward to an Arroyo start but its still football! Pls make Reds baseball relevant (watchable) in the 2nd half!
Plus, we are in the age of the starter going 5 innings. That’s only 2 ABs max – unless we are way ahead.