| Final | R | H | E |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cincinnati Reds (23-28) | 6 | 14 | 0 |
| Chicago Cubs (30-20) |
8 | 11 | 0 |
| W: Maples (1-0) L: Hughes (2-2) SV: Chatwood (1) | |||
| FanGraphs Win Probability | Statcast | Box Score | Game Thread | |||
The ball was flying in Chicago on Saturday, the pitching struggled on both sides, and in the end the Cubs came out on top to even the 3-game series at 1-game each.
The Offense
The Reds notched 14 hits and they added 3 more walks, but it wasn’t enough on this day. Joey Votto, Eugenio Suarez, and Tucker Barnhart all had 3-hit games. Barnhart would get the star of the game if they handed it out as he fell a triple shy of the cycle. His home run in the 2nd inning gave the Reds a 2-0 lead and was his 5th of the year. Yasiel Puig kept the home run parade going with a solo homer in the 5th, his 9th of the season that helped bring the Reds back within a run after 4 1/2. In the 8th inning, MAXIMUM DEREK DIETRICH tied the game up at 6-6 with a solo blast, his 13th of the season. Jose Iglesias went 2-4 during the game – both of his hits were singles.
The Pitching
It was a tough day, pretty much all around, for both sides. Tyler Mahle allowed 6 runs in 5.0 innings – giving up 3 home runs (Darvish gave up 6 runs in 7.0 innings and also allowed 3 homers). Michael Lorenzen was perfect in his 2.0 innings of relief. Jared Hughes allowed 2 hits and a walk before exiting the game having given up a run and the lead in the 8th. Wandy Peralta came on and allowed an inherited run to score before completing the inning.
Notes Worth Noting
Derek Dietrich now has an OPS over 1.000 on the season. He’s slugging .645 on the year.
Jose Iglesias’ two singles pushed his average back over .300 on the season. He’s now up to .304/.333/.422 on the year.
Former Red Rookie Davis is back in the big leagues.
Pirates Select Rookie Davis https://t.co/DjTq0D9NuF pic.twitter.com/CewHpKah9Y
— MLB Trade Rumors (@mlbtraderumors) May 25, 2019
Up Next for the Cincinnati Reds
Cincinnati Reds at Chicago Cubs
Sunday May 26th, 2:20pm
Tanner Roark (3-3, 3.51 ERA) vs Jose Quintana (4-3, 3.30 ERA)
I am going to start betting against them every time they get to 4 under .500. It’s becoming the surest thing in sports.
They have not won a game on Sunday either.
They’ve been consistently average for over a month now. Only one streak of more than 2 wins or losses in a row during that time.
Tough loss, it happens. My concern is the starting pitching the last 3 days. Hopefully it’s just a random string of bad starts and not the rotation starting to regress.
Just can’t seem to get any closer to .500 than 4 games under.
Maddon kept the Reds in the game but couldn’t capitalize. On the bright side Votto looked good today. Winker was just bad his last 2 at bats.
Wind blowing out from the get go meant it was going to be one of those games.Releivers give up runs and when they do it late its the ball game.Happened to them yesterday and to us today.Team fought and had a bunch of chances but couldn’t come up with the big hit.The Cubs got the big hit twice from Rizzo with two out and Bote in the 8th.Lorenzen was really good today.I just feel at some point the Reds need to see what he can do as a starter.His stuff plays when it comes to keeping it in the park.
One thing to take from this, and Friday, is that the team is battling. You don’t win them all and this time it was the Cubs’ turn. Hopefully the Reds can break their Sunday losing streak today.
Let’s go Tanner to get a series win tomorrow.
I agree that it did not make much sense to remove Lorenzen, but if you do replace him on the mound, why pinch hit for him? I don’t mean why have Peraza bat for him, but why have anyone bat for him? I thought that he was a good hitter. Why not save your bench? Am I missing something?
That was my exact thought Art. Lorenzen was dominating plus he can hit so why PH for him? Total agreement. I just get the feeling Bell is one of those managers who will find a way to rip my heart out with a move which makes zero sense. I’ve said it all along: until this team gets five games over .500, I can’t get too excited.
I’m with you here, Cossack. Mahle got hit hard all day. Early, he had some BABIP and sequencing luck, but the Cubs had 7 balls hit at 99.99 MPH or higher and several others with high hit probabilities. It caught up to Mahle in the middle innings.
The contrast when Lorenzen came in could not be greater. He had 5 swings and misses on only 9 swings. 3Ks and 2 ground outs against the heart of the order. Even the “lineout” had an xBA of .120.
I fear Bell over thought it. Lorenzen would have faced the 6-8 batters after easily retiring 1-5. The Reds best chance was to get through the bottom of the eighth unscathed and bring up the heart of the their own order in the top of the 9th. Peraza is likely a better hitter than Lorenzen, but the value Lorenzen was providing on the mound was too great to take him out at that point, especially when Mi-LO can hit reasonably well.
Also, the Reds need to get somebody in the pen stretched out a little for when a starter really struggles early, which has happened a few times lately. After filling that role last year and possessing starter’s stuff, Lorenzen seems like that guy. Today would have been a good chance to get him that extra inning and a few more pitches.
I understand why Bell did what he did. I think it was defensible. But, I’d prefer he stick with the hot pitching hand after watching his starter get beat around for 5 innings. One more zero could have been the difference.
Watching the Dodgers vs. Pirates last night, the broadcasters kept talking about how the Dodgers struck out so much more last season, and relied too heavily on the home run ball. Max Muncy was saying the same thing after the game. He said this season they have more of an emphasis on producing runs in a variety of ways and hitting situationally, and we can all see the results.
I’m not saying Turner Ward is definitely the reason the offense has been inconsistent and home run dependent. But it does make me wonder.
I feel like the Reds brought Turner Ward here for one reason. Puig.
You make a good point. Homeruns make for drama but not for a balanced attack with runners in scoring position. And the struggle to reach .500 continues.
True, but they also had a lot of guys working counts and taking walks. I’m not sure how it ended up, but I know for a while the Reds were in the top 5 for OBP in all of MLB last season. We haven’t seen that level of patience (yet) this season.
Season’s first 1/3 is already gone and the roster is almost set. I’d say once Gennett is back, two moves will happen: Either Farmer or Peraza are sent down, and Dietrich will spare time from Winker in LF, even though I’d actually like to see Ervin up and Winker down for sometime.
Peraza will not be sent down.He will be given every chance available until he gets to expensive to hit 200.Look for more of the same next year.Unlike Winker with his 500 big league at bats,Peraza has over 1500 and really doesn’t have a position yet continues to get just as many at bats.Winker is struggling but he has hit every where he has played.He will be fine if he gets regular at bats.Just amazes me how one guy can be treated one way in year 4 and another guy in his first full year another.Winkers stats although not good are still better then Peraza’s for goodness sake.
Agree that if I were Winker in the 9th inning, I would have been more selective against Chatwood…especially since it was clear that I was not hitting well at the moment…or even tried something ‘sneaky’ like bunting (not sure how the defense was aligned)…something Russel did effectively earlier. Unless the pitch he swung at look like a beach ball coming up there, he really needed to work the pitcher.
Agree that if I were Winker in the 9th inning, I would have been more selective against Chatwood…especially since it was clear that I was not hitting well at the moment…or even tried something ‘sneaky’ like bunting (not sure how the defense was aligned)…something Russel did effectively earlier. Unless the pitch he swung at look like a beach ball coming up there, he really needed to work the pitcher.
+100 for “suck a pickle”
You’re the bestest Cossack (Warren)