It will be a very interesting day at Great American Ball Park, and perhaps a chance for Reds fans to think about what might have been. Alex Wood finally makes his Cincinnati Reds debut, and local fans will get a chance to take a look at a lefthander who has been among the better portsiders in the National League in recent seasons.
Wood has two goals between now and the end of the season: pitch well and stay injury-free. He’s coming up on free agency, and of course, is hoping for a big payday. His injury history will give many teams pause. Should Wood pitch well for the remainder of the season, the Reds will likely hope for a chance to sign him on team-friendly terms.
The @Reds will be sporting 1967 throwbacks for Sunday’s game against the @Rockies #Reds #LetsGoReds #RedsCountry #BornToBaseball? ? #Reds150 #LetTheKidsPlay #CINvsMIL #COLvsCIN
— Cincy Fan Zone (@CincyFanZone) July 23, 2019
It’s also 1967 throwback uniforms day, and you can read a thorough flashback to that year here at Redleg Nation by Brian Erts.
Game time at Great American Ball Park is 1 p.m. Eastern time in the rubber game of a three-game set.
Starting Pitchers
| Name | IP | ERA | xFIP | K% | BB% |
| Peter Lambert | 41 | 5.93 | 4.31 | 17% | 4.4% |
| Alex Wood (2018 LAD) | 151.2 | 3.68 | 3.72 | 26.9% | 7.7% |
The Rockies have lost each of the last six starts by righthander Lambert. As mentioned above, it’s a big day for Wood, who was supposed to be the prize of the winter trade with the Dodgers. The rest of this season is important for both him and the Reds. Wood will have the opportunity to show that he can stay healthy and pitch effectively. The Reds will have the chance to watch him up close and ponder what sort of offer they should make, if any, to the pending free agent. Look for no more than four or five innings tops today.
Bullpen
Raisel Iglesias’ appearance in a save situation Saturday evening was intriguing on a couple of levels. One, it got him in the “save situation” which he thirsts for. Two, did you notice that he faced the lower half of the Rockies’ batting order? And that Michael Lorenzen was used in the high-leverage situation against the all-star-laden upper half of the Colorado batting order in the inning previous?
Starting Lineups
| Rockies | Reds |
| SS Trevor Story | CF Nick Senzel |
| RF David Dahl | 1B Joey Votto |
| 3B Nolan Arenado | 3B Eugenio Suarez |
| 1B Yonder Alonso | RF Yasiel Puig |
| LF Ian Desmond | LF Josh VanMeter |
| 2B Ryan McMahon | 2B Scooter Gennett |
| C Chris Iannetta | SS Jose Iglesias |
| P Peter Lambert | C Tucker Barnhart |
| CF Garrett Hampson | P Alex Wood |
Additional insights into the statistical history of the players in today’s game are available all season long at BaseballSavant.com.
News and Notes
Before the game today, the Reds activated Kyle Farmer and Alex Wood, optioned Sal Romano to Louisville, and designed Ryan Lavarnway for assignment.
Latest trade rumors …
Yasiel Puig, Scooter Gennett Among Reds Who Are “In Play” https://t.co/yJz7FOk1Xy pic.twitter.com/T8RH2mrxje
— MLB Trade Rumors (@mlbtraderumors) July 28, 2019
Suarez is hot …
Eugenio Suarez leads the NL with 11 HR and .773 SLG in the month of July. #Reds
— ???? ????y (@Nicholaspkirby) July 28, 2019
It seems clear that Phillip Ervin is now envisioned as a platoon player against lefties …
Phillip Ervin continues to lead the MLB vs LHP in AVG (.552), OBP (.618), SLG (1.069), OPS (1.687), ISO (.517) and wRC+ (320) *min 30 PA #Reds
— ???? ????y (@Nicholaspkirby) July 28, 2019
Happy 77th, Marty …
The talented and beloved voice of the Reds, Marty Brennaman is celebrating his 77th birthday today. It is his final season with Cincinnati. He will be sorely missed! @Reds
Many happy returns! Marty succeeded Al Michaels in 1974 and has been there since.https://t.co/UDAa0uE5eG— David J. Halberstam (@voicesofsports) July 28, 2019
Interesting read …
A longtime Butler County educator walked from #Hamilton to a #Reds game. But, why? https://t.co/1Kl5jaTwOU @rickmccrabb @Reds pic.twitter.com/FtY0597h9v
— journalnews (@journalnews) July 28, 2019