New York Yankees 6, Cincinnati Reds 3 in Strat-O-Matic 2020 season simulation game 20

The sim Reds offense, which has sputtered for most of the season, was held to only four hits by New York Yankees (13-8) pitching as the Cincinnati Reds (8-12) fell to the home team, 6-3.

That was the result today as Strat-O-Matic games of Glen Head, N.Y., continued its announced plan to simulate the entire 2020 Major League Baseball season on a day-by-day basis for as long as actual game play is on hold.

Help set the lineup, batting order for the simulated Reds:

Have you ever dreamed of your opportunity to “manage” the Reds? Now is your chance. Learn more below!

Reds starter Sonny Gray was hoping to show the Yankees why they shouldn’t have traded him to the Reds, but he got very little support from either the offense or the team’s relief staff. Trailing 2-0 entering the bottom of the sixth, Gray walked Giancarlo Stanton to lead off the inning. Lefthander Cody Reed came on to face Mike Ford, who drove a Reed pitch over the fence to increase the Yankees’ lead to 4-0, which proved to be more than enough.

A potentially big inning in the top of the seventh for Cincinnati was short-circuited. Five of the first six batters reached base, but the rally was limited to two runs when Joey Votto grounded into an inning-ending double play.

In the top of the ninth, Yankees closer Aroldis Chapman allowed one run to score on his own error, then walked both Eugenio Suarez and Aristides Aquino with two out to load the bases. But Mike Moustakas, representing the potential go-ahead run, grounded out to end the game. The two-out walks by Chapman were two of nine walks issued by the Yankee pitching staff, but the Reds couldn’t capitalize on Yankee pitchers’ wildness.

Fortunately, the Reds didn’t lose any ground to the first-place Cubs, who fell to the Nationals, 9-5. St. Louis was the only NL Central team to win today, so they pulled within three games of Chicago.

Here is the box score, as provided by Strat-O-Matic:

A-Pinch Hit For Ford In 8th Inning

Standings following the April 18 games:

The 2020 schedule as currently constituted has the Reds playing the final game of the three-game series at Yankee Stadium Sunday. Trevor Bauer gets the start for Cincinnati, and lefthander J.A. Happ is scheduled to go for the Yankees.

Help set the lineup, batting order for the simulated Reds:

Have you ever dreamed of your opportunity to “manage” the Reds? Now is your chance.

Strat-O-Matic has agreed to allow Redleg Nation to submit the Cincinnati Reds’ lineups for each day’s simulated game. We want all of our readers who want to participate to get involved.

Here is how it will work:

• In each wrap up of that day’s simulated game, Redleg Nation will post the opposing starting pitcher for the next game. You will know who the pitcher is and whether he is left-handed or right-handed, and you can use that information in creating a lineup for the next game, and submitting it in the comments below. “Splits” such as performance vs. left-handers or right-handers are replicated in the Strat-O-Matic game algorithm, and therefore should be considered.
• We will accept lineups from every reader who wants to submit one. The lineup that will be submitted to Strat-O-Matic each day will be the one that receives the most positive replies (in effect, “yes” votes) from readers other than the submitter. In case of ties:
  • First tiebreaker: Lineup submitted by the reader who has had the fewest number of opportunities as a “manager.”
  • Second tiebreaker: Lineup submitted earliest in the comment thread. (So get your lineup in “early” each day.)
• What is “early?” Redleg Nation posts these articles daily between 5 and 6 p.m. Eastern time. Strat-O-Matic’s deadline for us to submit a lineup for the next day’s game is midnight. On most days, we’ll do this before “bedtime,” which is typically between 10:30 and 11 Eastern time.

If you are planning to submit a lineup for Sunday, remember that because the game is an interleague game in an American League park, the Reds will have the DH in their lineup.

Have fun with this! If you have any questions, please post them in the comment string below. Here are the “managerial records” of our Redleg Nation participants to date:

About Strat-O-Matic

Strat-O-Matic has been in the sports simulation business since the 1960s. A USA Today article contained this explanation:

Strat-O-Matic and other baseball simulations use statistics from the previous season to create “cards” for each player on a roster. The team managers select the batting order and the starting pitcher. From there, a series of dice rolls and calculations determines the outcome of each at-bat.

Strat-O, as it’s known to longtime players, first gained its immense popularity as a board game. The company has since expanded to a downloadable Windows version and one that’s played online. A few years ago, it introduced Baseball Daily – a new iteration that combined the player cards from the previous season with statistics from the real season being played at the same time.

Unlike many video games, the Strat-O-Matic results are based on algorithms that account for players’ actual past performance. It’s not a game played with a joystick that relies more on the skill of the person with the video game controller in his or her hand.

The simulation software will keep comprehensive statistics for all teams for the season, so we’ll be able to track year-to-date leaders in many statistical categories. Our current plan is to provide statistical leader summaries here at Redleg Nation each Sunday. You can follow the season at Strat-O-Matic.com, where they plan to post the results from each day’s schedule at 2 p.m. Eastern time.

News/Notes from around baseball

One of the things we would have during the season in the game threads was a section comprised of news and notes for the day. While there’s a lot less going on these days in the baseball world than usual for this time of year, there still are some things that are worth highlighting. When there are, we’ll be adding them to these daily simulation threads.

Tony Cingrani’s magical 2012 season

After handing out the award for best season of the decade in the farm system among position players to Devin Mesoraco for his 2010 campaign it was time to move on to the starting pitcher category. For that one the nod at RedsMinorLeagues.com went to Tony Cingrani for what he did back in 2012 for the Bakersfield Blaze and Pensacola Blue Wahoos. That season he posted a 1.73 ERA in 146.0 innings with 172 strikeouts before being called up to the Major Leagues in September.

Reds Farm System Season of the Decade: Tony Cingrani’s 2012

Pro pitcher, window breaker

Joe Kelly, a reliever for the Los Angeles Dodgers, seems to have not yet mastered control of his change up. While tossing in his back yard with a net, he missed the net that’s larger than your house, and instead hit his own house – busting out a window. Stay safe out there, people. And stay away from windows around Joe Kelly.

Joe Kelly shows that even big leaguers break windows ?

?: @ashleynicokelly pic.twitter.com/Ktpr9FFdL5

— Cut4 (@Cut4) April 16, 2020