We’ve reached the end of the road for 2019. Today the Reds and Pirates square off in game #162 at PNC Park. Starting time is 3:05PM EDT as all MLB games across the country begin simultaneously.
The Reds will finish 4th in the NL Central Division with a record of either 75-87 or 74-88, pending the outcome of today’s game. After all the ups and downs of 162 games, that’s about where many of us thought they’d end up even as we hoped for better. This is their best finish since 2014 (76-86; 4th place) in terms of both wins and position. Let’s hope it is just the first small step on the way to much better things in 2020 and beyond.
Starting Pitching
As surmised here yesterday, Trevor Bauer has been scratched. The surprise starter for the Reds today will instead be Tyler Mahle. However if things go as planned there will still be a starting pitcher named Trevor in today’s game, Trevor Williams for the Pirates.
Tyler Mahle (RHP)
Tyler Mahle steps into the lurch today making his 25th start of the season for the Reds. It seems fitting he’d be the surprise starter in Trevor Bauer’s place since his season, like Bauer’s with the Reds, has seen flashes of brilliance lacking bottom line results for the team. In the end, Mahle’s ERA for 2019 is 19% worse than league average while his FIP is a somewhat better 6% underwater against league average. Mahle’s only prior start against the Pirates in 2019 came clear back on April 4. He allowed no runs on 5 hits in that 6 inning stint. Mahle is working today on just 3 days rest; so, expect things to devolve into another bullpen game for the Reds.
Trevor Williams (RHP)
Trevor Williams is finishing his third season in the Pirates rotation at age 27 after being the #44 overall pick in the June 2013 draft. In 25 prior starts this year his ERA and FIP are a bit more underwater relative to league average than Mahle’s at -28% ERA; -14% FIP. Williams looked to be getting into a season ending groove prior to his last 2 starts when he was roughed up by the Cubs and Brewers. Today will be his third start of the year against the Reds, the most recent one coming on August 24 when he pitched 6 scoreless inning allowing just 3 hits.
Tale Of The Tape
| PITCHER | ERA | FIP | WHIP | HR/9 | BB% | K% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tyler Mahle | 5.34 | 4.80 | 1.34 | 1.80 | 6.3% | 23.1% |
| Trevor Williams | 5.52 | 5.04 | 1.44 | 1.62 | 6.9% | 17.7% |
Mahle has a nice K%; and, at day’s end, he doesn’t walk too many guys. However his WHIP and HR/9 indicate why is not getting the results he needs to continue to grow and progress up the chain in the Reds rotation.
Bullpens
Yes, both clubs have well stocked bullpens; and, at least the Reds pen figures to be especially busy today with Tyler Mahle going on short rest.
Lineups
| REDS | PIRATES |
| 1. Jose Peraza (SS) 2. Joey Votto (1B) 3. Eugenio Suarez (3B) 4. Aristides Aquino (RF) 5. Josh VanMeter (LF) 6. Kyle Farmer (2B) 7. Curt Casali (C) 8. Brian O’Grady (CF) 9. Tyler Mahle (P) |
1. Kevin Newman (SS) 2. Adam Frazier (2B) 3. Melky Cabrera (RF) 4. Jose Osuna (1B) 5. Pablo Reyes (CF) 6. Jake Elmore (LF) 7. Jacob Stallings (C) 8. Erik Gonzalez (3B) 9. Trevor Williams (P |
News and Notes
The teams for 2019 MLb postseason playoffs are settled. The only thing on the line today is whether the Brewers or Cardinals will be NL Central Champions with the loser of that race filling in the second NL wildcard spot
Here's how the MLB postseason matchups look with only the NL Central still up for grabs https://t.co/AS7UaEhUGB via @MLB
— OhioJimWalker (@jn_walkerjr) September 29, 2019
In case you’d gone on to bed last night or early this morning before the Reds wrapped up their 12 inning win, here’s Redleg Nation’s recap by Doug Gray:
Reds finally get late-inning clutch hits to beat the Pirates
And by the way, one of the clutch RBI hits was by a Reds pitcher NOT named Michael Lorenzen.
R.J. Alaniz had himself a night.
? First MLB at-bat
? First big league hit
? First RBI
? First career win#ATOBTTR | #BornToBaseball pic.twitter.com/ZFQYmDVhbU— Cincinnati Reds (@Reds) September 29, 2019
And to get the off season talk started, here’s this from RedsMinorLeagues.com
The Cincinnati #Reds are likely to trade for a big name this offseason? One national writer thinks it makes a lot of sense.https://t.co/knoIrBf7EH pic.twitter.com/JqqtUySCca
— Doug Gray (@dougdirt24) September 28, 2019
Final Thought
Thank you for making Redleg Nation the online community where you come to keep up with the Reds and share your thoughts about them in comments. Redleg Nation will be closely following the off season action as the team looks to take larger steps toward competitiveness and ultimately playoff contention beginning in 2020. Hope to see you here often over the winter. As always GO REDS!
Stats and data courtesy of Fangraphs, Baseball Reference and MLB.com
Maddon out as Cubs manager. Dick Williams, now it’s your chance to hire him…
Please no Madden. Wanna dump Bell, that is fine. But only if you can get an upgrade.
And that’s not Madden. He’s like Bell on steroids. Except he whines waaaaaaaaaaay more (and isn’t any better with in game management).
Suárez. 50 homers please.
Why does Van Meter play everywhere EXCEPT 2B? I honestly haven’t seen enough reps there to decide if he is adequate defensively. We know he is less than average in LF and at 1B. Couldn’t Farmer play LF? I really don’t understand Bell’s thinking….
August 10th we were 4 1/2 out of the witmld card and 6 from central lead. We all had so much enthusiasm and couldn’t wait for the Cubs series. Its been all down hill since. Season sunk faster than a blink of an eye. Now where? Holes everywhere in the lineup and bullpen. First on the agenda should be fire and hire a new hitting coach. One that demands players get on base and have at least a .320 OBP.
Wild* card
I agree.Kind of makes no sense at all.His years there ought to get him more then that.He did more then most could have done with that roster.
Looking ahead toward 2020, the Reds have two definite players in their starting lineup (Suarez and Votto), two definite players if healthy (Senzel and Winker), and two question marks (Aquino and VanMeter). I think it’s safe to say that Galvis and Dietrich will have their options declined, and Peraza will be non-tendered. The question is whether or not Jose Iglesias is signed to a new contract, or if the Reds try to find a long-term solution at shortstop with more power in his bat. Catcher is the other position in clear need of an offensive upgrade.
Mahle looking Good against the crappy Pirates. Glad to see Hurdle gone- they had no other choice. Seems like a scumbag to me and a morally bereft organization. I’m totally speculating but I wonder if Crick had caught wind of Vazquez horrible proclivities before they fought.
Thanks for a great season guys, my first year as a fan of the Redlegs after a decade here, and I really appreciate all the dialogue, point/counterpoint, and everybody’s shared enthusiasm as well as our apprehension future!
Finally – Roark gets the start for the A’s WC game against the mariners
I give the Cards credit; they’re a top organization. At least the Cubs missed the playoffs.