It’s official. The Reds have clinched fourth place in the NL Central.
While it may not be the kind of progress we all hoped for in 2019, it is some indication that improvement has been made. Unfortunately, the pace of change seems at times glacial for those of us who are passionate about our Redlegs.
Today’s rubber game of the three-game series against the Mets begins at 1:10 p.m. Eastern time at Great American Ball Park.
Starting Pitchers
| Name | IP | ERA | xFIP | K% | BB% |
| Marcus Stroman | 173.2 | 3.71 | 4.02 | 20.5% | 7.4% |
| Trevor Bauer | 206 | 4.41 | 4.35 | 27.8% | 9.3% |
Since arriving in Cincinnati, Bauer has been touched up more often than not. But his last two starts showed some promise, with him allowing only two solo home runs over 14.2 innings. The potential is there for Bauer to be right there with Luis Castillo and Sonny Gray as top of the rotation starters, but he has a ways to go before he recaptures that form. Similarly, Stroman has been hittable since the Mets acquired him from Toronto at the trade deadline. His best start for New York was his most recent one, when he shut out Colorado over seven innings.
Bullpen
No issues with overwork today, but it’s not clear whether the illness issues that resulted in several players including Michael Lorenzen and Robert Stephenson being sent home are still in play today.
Starting Lineups
| Mets | Reds |
| CF Brandon Nimmo | CF Phillip Ervin |
| LF Jeff McNeil | 1B Joey Votto |
| 1B Pete Alonso | 3B Eugenio Suarez |
| 2B Robinson Cano | RF Aristides Aquino |
| C Wilson Ramos | C Tucker Barnhart |
| RF Michael Conforto | SS Jose Iglesias |
| 3B Todd Frazier | LF Jose Peraza |
| SS Amed Rosario | 2B Kyle Farmer |
| P Marcus Stroman | P Trevor Bauer |
We’ve heard no official update on the condition of Brian O’Grady, who was removed from Saturday’s game after a collision with the outfield wall. You would normally expect the lefthanded hitter to be in the lineup today against righthander Stroman.
Additional insights into the statistical history of the players in today’s game is available all season long at BaseballSavant.com.
News and Notes
Today is 1999 throwback uniform day …
The @Reds will wear their ’99 throwbacks Sunday. These are by far my personal favorites of this year’s unis. #Reds #LetsGoReds #RedsCountry #BornToBaseball? ? #Reds150 #LetTheKidsPlay #CINvsCHC
— Cincy Fan Zone (@CincyFanZone) September 16, 2019
Brian Erts has more details here on the 1999 season, and Major League Baseball at the time here.
1 run will accomplish that…
Don’t forget Jose Perez is going to hit two grand slams today
Jim Day is literally mumbling through this game… he is almost inaudible while Welsh is coming crystal clear. I don’t know if Day is not speaking into the microphone or if its a the sound levels are off, but I think its him because when he is excited his voice comes in fine. The same thing occurred on radio with veteran broadcaster legend Marty Brennaman the other day. It is VERY annoying. As a MLB.TV subscriber is it too much to ask for a professional broadcast? This is embarrassing…
I’ve always thought Jim Day was the weakest of all the announcers for the Reds. I have never understood why the Reds are so enamored with him. My wife who is not a fan at all has even remarked that he really does not seem like a professional announcer
I agree, not only the team needs an upgrade, but announcing as well, Jim Day is fine as that sidekick guy yucking it up with the players, but they definitely need an upgrade when he is in the boothe
Bauer: 3 hits and 4 runs. Not the lights out we expected.
Did t his ERA actually come down with that line?
Homeruns are not good for the ERA.