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    Brewers vs Reds – April 2, 2019

    Jim Walker 23

    Tonight the Reds and Brewers have at each other again in game 2 of the current 3 game set at GABP. The Reds will try to even the series at one following a tough loss in game 1. Game time is 6:40 pm.

    Starting Pitchers

    BREWERS

    Jhoulys Chacín makes his second start of 2019 tonight for the Brewers.  The 30 year old right hander’s  decade long journey through MLB to his current spot with the Brewers has been a long and winding road. After debuting with Colorado in 2009 as a top prospect, he bounced through a succession of teams as he battled injury and inconsistency. He seemingly righted himself in 2017 during a 1 year stint with San Diego and subsequently signed with the Brewers (2 years; $15.5M). His career FIP of 4.08 and 19.8 bWAR suggest he has been average MLB pitcher while rarely having an average season prior to 2017.

    Chacín is almost exclusively a fastball/ slider pitcher at this point in his career. He uses a sinker (35%) instead of a 4 seamer (13%) as his primary fastball. In 2018, Chacín began using a split finger fastball as his change up. Watch for this pitch tonight as he used the splitter almost 11% of the time in his opening start of the season.

    REDS

    Right hander Anthony DeSclafani starts for the Reds tonight. Just making it to a major league mound in April must feel like redemption for Desclafani since the last time he emerged healthy from spring training was 2015. Elbow issues followed oblique woes cost Desclafani major portions of 2 seasons (2016, 2018) and all of 2017.  Last season, DeSclafani first made it to the mound in early June. He went on to post 21 MLB starts and understandably achieved inconsistent results. He hopes to follow up on a strong and healthy spring  by returning to the form he had shown through the end of 2015.

    If DeSclafani can recover his prior form and stay health, he could become a major force in the Reds rotation. Tonight, watch for improvement in Disco’s secondary pitches, most notably his curveball, as they were an area of focus in his off season work.

    PITCHER2018 FIP2018 WHIPHR/9BB%K%
    Jhoulys Chacín4.031.160.848.9%19.6%
    Anthony DeSlcafani4.831.291.886.2%22.3%

    Bullpens

    BREWERS

    The Brewers used three pitchers to cover 4 innings. None of them worked over 1.2 innings. None were working on consecutive days. However Alex Claudio and Alex Wilson both threw ~25 pitches and may be limited tonight. For those wondering, Josh Hader worked exactly an inning (16 pitches) and no doubt is available to do at least the same tonight.

    REDS

    The Reds used 4 pitchers to cover 4.1 innings. Only Amir Garrett worked longer than an inning. No one was working on a consecutive day. Amir Garrett and David Hernandez did have pitch counts >20 and may be limited tonight.

    Bullpen stat of the day>>> Raisel Iglesias used 3 fewer pitches (13) to allow the winning run in the 9th than Josh Hader needed (16) to save the game in the 9th.

    Lineups

                BREWERS

    1. Lorenzo Cain (CF)
    2. Christian Yelich (RF)
    3. Travis Shaw (3B)
    4. Jesus Aguilar (1B)
    5. Mike Moustakas (2B)
    6. Yasmani Grandal (C)
    7. Ben Gamel (LF)
    8. Orlando Arcia (SS)
    9. Jhoulys Chacin (P)

    		            REDS

    1. Jesse Winker (LF)
    2. Joey Votto (1B)
    3. Yasiel Puig (RF)
    4. Eugenio Suarez (3B)
    5. Scott Schebler (CF)
    6. Derek Dietrich (2B)
    7. Tucker Barnhart (C)
    8. Jose Peraza (SS)
    9. Anthony DeSclafani (P)

    Jesse Winker has been “freed”. Glad to see Dietrich get a start. He has been a contributor off the bench. Maybe Curt Casali can get one tomorrow?

    News and Notes

    The Reds announced distressing information about top pitching prospect Hunter Greene. He’s going to require Tommy John surgery. Doug Gray wrote about the situation in depth here at Redleg Nation earlier this afternoon, breaking down the timeline of events since last July when he was initially injured. There’s also video of Dick Williams meeting with the press to announce, and discuss the situation during the Cincinnati Reds game last night.

    Left-Handed Pitcher Brandon Finnegan cleared waivers and has been outrighted to the minor leagues.

    Designated for assignment pitcher Matt Wisler has been traded to San Diego for a pitching prospect

    Sounds like Scooter is getting cabin fever to be back in action

    And what is with this “wooooo” stuff?

     

    Final Thoughts

    Yesterday I wrote that over the course of an MLB season, turning the outcome in just 1 in 10 games is often the difference between teams that go on to play in October and the teams sitting at home watching. Last night had the feel of one of those marginal games. After the Brewers jumped out to a 3 run lead in the first, the Reds held fast and finally tied the score in the 6th.

    And so things stood as both bullpens held through the 8th. Then in the Brewers 9th, the Reds top reliever, Raisel Iglesias, confronted by the top of the Brewers, order failed to hold serve after having 2 outs and nobody on base. Enter the Brewers top bullpen man, Josh Hader. Hader yielded a leadoff double. Unlike Iglesias, Hader then shut down the Reds 1-3 hitters to save the game for the Brewers. Not that iglesias alone was responsible for the loss. The Reds had bases loaded in the 1st with just 1 out and came up empty, Next time through the order they had 2 on and no outs and failed to score. Little things that made a big difference.

    Today is another chance to set the ship right. However if the Reds are to rise above the mire of the last 4 seasons, the Reds must learn to do the little things right at the correct times to win these marginal games.  But to be clear, for the most part it is NOT the manager or coaches who need to step up. It is the guys on the field. Hitters must get on base and advance runners. Pitchers and fielders must find ways to keep the opposition hitters from doing the same. As basketball great Bill Russell often said, “It is better to be good than lucky because the good make their own luck”.  GO REDS!

     

    Stats and data courtesy of Baseball Reference, Fangraphs, and MLB.com

     

     

    Previous Reds top prospect Hunter Greene will have Tommy John surgery
    Next RN Recap: Reds fall to 1-3 as Disco’s strong debut is spoiled
    Jim Walker
    Jim Walker has been a Reds fan as far back as he can remember. Some of his fondest childhood memories are Reds games at Crosley Field. In mid-2015, Jim retired after 30 years working with information technology, a career that started with a database on a single PC and finished with Him being a network hardware engineer. Jim lives in the Dayton area with his wife and three dogs, one of which is Charlie, his avatar on Redleg Nation and on twitter.

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    23 Responses

    1. I heard that the Reds have Price on standby mode. Perhaps as the 26th man on the roster.

    2. Not that anyone from Reds management contacted me but I did say a few days ago: move Schebler down! Peraza and/or Winker should leadoff…only. Yes, it is time forCurt Casali to get a start.

    5. Dietrech will have a nice guy, had a really nice at bat. As for the others they need to wake up.

    6. The Brave DID manipulate his service time. They just did it last year.

      1. Why does his age have anything to do with them purposefully keeping him in the minors despite him being the best option they had in their outfield?

    7. Schebler .000
      Winker .000
      Puig .083
      Suarez .091

      I feel like the Dean in Animal House when he reading off their grade point averages
      “Fat, drunk and stupid is no way to go through life, son.”

      1. I think the shift has gotten into his head? He can’t get a bunt down to take advantage of it? As soon as Senzel is physically ready then his era needs to begin! We get nothing out of these high picks so if he can play then play him!

    8. Me, today at noon, to my dog, “If it’s warmer later we’ll go on a longer walk, buddy.”

      But yeah, the weather right now/at game time, was fine.

    10. He is streaky though. Plus his hot streaks are always ended by injury. He also can’t throw and is a defensive liability. He has his attributes, but if Senzel isn’t a much better player then Schebler then the Reds are going nowhere

    11. Somebody a few weeks ago on RLN was calling for Casali to get equal or more playing time. I agree! Casali has 549 career atbats with 30 doubles and 23 hrs. He’s a big guy that could do damage in a little park. Tucker is a great guy, but he’s never going to do much offensively

    12. All the losing and the spring training injuries already took the wind out of my sails coming in. I knew the pen was going to be bad. Lorenzen with a 89 hanging slider there? Cmon? Pitcher on deck….you have to be smarter then that?

      The more things change the more they remain the same

      1. Mental toughness has been lacking on this team for years. You’ve got to say to yourself “if I miss, I’m going to miss away” in that situation. You can’t make a mistake over the plate there. And Lorenzen predictably throws it right down the middle. “Oops.”

    13. We may have just witnessed the worst managerial move of the year… maybe all time.

    14. It was just stupid? Arcia was 4-9 against him and Chacin is on deck? 2 of their key guys in the pen are hurt. They probably just let Chacin bat…or a pinch-hitter coming off the bench cold? I’m done making excuses for Lorenzen or saying what he might be down the road? Atleast as a pitcher. I support him like the rest of you guys are with Stephenson. The hope defies the results on the field

    16. I don’t expect the Reds to win the WS, but 2 key numbers of 85 that I can’t deal with this year!

      1. 85 losses
      2. Thom B. talking 85% of the time

      I’ll check out well before the AS break if things go that direction. I’ve never seen a another broadcast team where one guy does all the talking…or his case just babbling

    17. And it’s an incredibly dangerous angle (running across the batter’s path vs. the pitcher running almost parallel).

    18. Several weeks ago I commented that if Schebler was starting, the Reds would not be relevant. He could not start for any other team in baseball, yet here he is. Not his fault but result of complete mishandling of Senzel. How could a combination of the other three outfielders be any worse?

    19. Not ready to jump DB because player performance determines the success or failure of managerial decisions and right now the reds performances are spotty at best. I’m infuriated at the FO for giving the manager the outfield choices he has. Being of the analytical persuasion I’m sure analytics plays into the decisions but not to be forgotten is the eyeball tests. This is a concept that I have argued with Doug about. The fact remains that this team is not going to flourish with Schebler as a starter.

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