The Reds try to avoid the sweep today in the finale of a three-game series against the Arizona Diamondbacks. Game time at Great American Ball Park is 1:10 Eastern time.
Starting Pitchers
| Name | IP | ERA | xFIP | K% | BB% |
| Mike Leake | 172.0 | 4.71 | 4.70 | 15.3% | 3.3% |
| Anthony DeSclafani | 142.2 | 4.10 | 4.31 | 24.5% | 7.3% |
Old friend Leake has been largely smacked around pretty hard by opponents since being acquired from Seattle on July 31 – a 6.43 ERA in 35 innings. Since the All-Star break, DeSclafani has been more than acceptable, with a 3.86 ERA in 56 innings.
Bullpen
All bullpen members should be ready to go today. Let’s give a thumbs-up to Kevin Gausman, who entered the ninth inning with the bases loaded of Diamondbacks Saturday and proceeded to strike out the side. None of the Arizona runners scored, and that kept his team close.
Starting Lineups
| Diamondbacks | Reds |
| CF Tim Locastro | RF Josh VanMeter |
| LF Josh Rojas | 1B Joey Votto |
| 2B Ketel Marte | 3B Eugenio Suarez |
| 3B Eduardo Escobar | C Tucker Barnhart |
| 1B Jake Lamb | 2B Freddy Galvis |
| RF Abraham Almonte | SS Jose Iglesias |
| SS Nick Ahmed | LF Derek Dietrich |
| C Alex Avila | CF Brian O’Grady |
| P Mike Leake | P Anthony DeSclafani |
All you need to know about this lineup is that Tucker Barnhart is batting cleanup and a player who is 1-for-his-last-40 batting fifth.
Additional insights into the statistical history of the players in today’s game is available all season long at BaseballSavant.com.
News and Notes
It’s 1995 throwback uniforms day. Brian Erts did a great job of looking back at 1995 earlier today right here at Redleg Nation.
Editors Request:
As many of you have noticed this week, we’ve been having some issues with the site loading non-current versions. We spent most of yesterday working with tech support to try a few things and we *think* we’ve figured it out. I (Doug) have not been able to recreate the problem today. Please let me know in the comments if you are having any issues today. Or if you have been this week but no longer are. Thanks.
I bet Arizona is intimidated with the heart of the Reds order today..
Can’t believe that line-up, when you think can’t be worse Bell comes with it: Vanmeter RF? Galvis batting 5th? Dietrich opening? Sure they’re intimidated…
Our manager is just in love with matchup rh or lh lineups. If his last name was not Bell he would have never got hired. Horrid track record as a manager and way over manages with double switches and the lh/rh match ups. I know it won’t happen but we need real leader and manager to take at is now the beginning of a decent team.
The Reds will never do it, but I’d love to see them hire Joe Maddon if the Cubs don’t retain him after this year. The Cubs hired him before they went all-in for 2015. The Reds are all-in for 2020 and it’s time for them to make the move to a manager who can take the team to the postseason.
If Senzel is hurt that is one thing, but there has been no news of that,(sore shoulder for an entire week)…I guess learning a new position, on the fly, playing more than he has ever played in a year in his career, trying to adjust his swing and approach, during the season, and having huge expectations as the franchise savior, has caused DB to sour on him…..I have been quiet on the manager most of the year, but he seems to draw names out of a hat for poth position and batting order every game, that it is probably a joke amongst the players, he seems to rally not have any idea how to get run a team on the field. No other team in MLB goes to the extreme on the RH/LH pitching lineup..
He is hurt and there has been news of it, which you know about since you mentioned it. His shoulder is sore. It’s September. The Reds are 847 games out of the playoffs. There’s no need to put him on the injured list. But there’s also no need to play him while he’s sore.
Almost sounds like there is not a lot of incentive for winning. Spring training all over again? Personally I would have thought the Reds would want to finish this season strong. All I have been reading is let us see what this 2020 version (Galvis, Van Meter, Aquino, Gausman, Sims, etc.) can do over the last1-2 months. So far it looks like 2018 as we are falling further behind rather than holding our own against the Division powers. If we finish 15 out, it is going to take a lot of shine off the first half and 2020 hopes. In my opinion.
Rob, there’s not a lot of incentive for winning right now. Sure, you want to win. And I promise you that every player in the dugout is giving it what they’ve got to win.
But if a guy is dinged up and the win doesn’t really matter in terms of you making the playoffs or not, you aren’t going to play them.
The Reds aren’t throwing in the towel on the season. But they understand there’s no reason to play a guy who is a bit dinged up right now, too.
Rob…take a lot of shine off the first half? We started the season 1 & 8 and NEVER got over .500 the rest of the season! What shine?
I agree with others questioning Bell. I just don’t feel or see it with him.
I hear you, and get that, I just wonder with the way things have gone, if his average rookie year raises concerns with the FO and manager and he becomes an afterthought, he has not really ever been the hot hand, so he becomes another platoon player…as they pick his game apart
When he’s been healthy he’s played every day.
Bell isn’t the guy. I’ve been managing in the corporate world for 30+ years. You manage people not numbers. Or said differently, numbers are the result of team selection and empowerment. Bell could have a losing season managing the 1975-1976 Reds. Many of the “statistics” that are relied upon in today’s game are descriptive not prescriptive. It’s the same problem we’ve had for decades in the corporate world. “Metrics” tells you what happened, not necessarily how to optimize outcomes, only where to adjust. Go with the best lineup everyday. Does anyone really believe that Hernandez, Peralta, and now Dietrich compose the best lineup?
The almost all lefty lineup today! Leake is the type of pitcher that usually chews Cincy up, but at least he isn’t a rookie or a complete unknown, so there is hope. The team appears to be trying to improve their draft selection position, but fans pay to see the team win. I’m glad to see O’Grady in the lineup. He’s due for his first HR. Van Meter is RF??? This guy needs to have one position. If it is in the OF, there will be some suffering until he learns how to play it. I can see having a veteran (Galvis) as a multi-position player. Tough for a rookie to handle.
BTW, the page refreshed immediately.
Lol, murderers row
I have a rudimentary question re: the manager
How many of the choices the organization makes are a direct result of his input? Do you think he puts the lineups together? Or is it something that the front office analytics folks suggest to him based on data, and then he signs off on it? Similarly, with the trade for Bauer or picking up some of these folks off of the waiver wire, is that stuff done at Bell’s direction, or does the front office make a move, and then he needs to adapt?
FYI: I continue to have the problem with the old page loading (headed up by the story of Raisel Iglesias from September 4 and Bats go silent as Phillies drub Reds from September 3). I had to do a search on Google to get the link to this pre-game thread.
Refresh the page. This *should* clear the issue within your browser. If you’re on a computer, CTRL+SHIFT+R (or hold shift and press the refresh button in the browser. If you’re on mobile, use the refresh button or action within whichever browser you are using.
Yes, refreshing the page worked. Thank you.
Watching Galvis get penciled into the lineup every day is insane. This is a guy the Blue Jays gave up on. He doesn’t get on base. At all. He’s a weak hitter for a shortstop. For a 2nd baseman, he’s terrible. The Reds (or David Bell) act like he’s an All Star and hit him in the middle of the order
More great OF defense..
Doug, I agree totally with the resting of Senzel. Sorry,I forgot to circle back here.
Still hung up with this 2H performance though. 3-4 out at the AS break and what 11 or so now? Nearly all the Reds moves have had a dual focus of 2019 and 2020. OK, the 2019 part didn’t work out. But we are also going backward with the 2020 part. A losing attitud and choke at the crucial moment. Where is the hope for 2020?
Gents I had high hopes for jvm,he can’t hit a low outside corner strike down the line.He takes that pitch for a strike or grounds out into shift.Until someone forces ,People to bunt down the line and hit ground balls this team is boring ,losing baseball.Aquino and Suarez are hitting homers ,and this team loses continually. If you can see it and it and it isn’t corrected ,and you continue to support your ,as much a loser as they are.I may watch but I don’t support.
Diamondbacks 3 Suarez 3
On this return of football Sunday, that was a great win. The Reds have something in Lorenzen. They need his offense ability in centerfield. Senzel should be at second base and the Reds do not need both Galvis and J. Iglesias in the starting lineup.
It’s a good way to get to two strikes, though.
Best Reds games I’ve ever attended. And I was there for Scooter’s 4-home-run night. Great to watch the players celebrate. The joy of winning- and of watching a game with good pitching where every bat counted. This was fun–the way baseball should be.