Missed opportunities on offense proved to be critical for the Cincinnati Reds (16-20), who also missed a chance to score their first three-game series sweep of the sim season in falling to the New York Mets (16-21) by a 3-1 score at Citi Field.

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!

The Mets scored three runs in the bottom of the fourth inning off sim Reds starter and loser Trevor Bauer. The runs were delivered by a couple of players who would normally be considered light-hitting. Catcher Tomas Nido doubled home two Mets runs, and shortstop Amed Rosario followed with a run-scoring triple.

Cincinnati’s lone run came in the top of the third on an RBI single by Tucker Barnhart. But the missed opportunities included:

• Bases left loaded in the first inning when Barnhart hit a routine flyball out.
• Second inning: Two runners left on when Eugenio Suarez struck out.
• After Barnhart’s RBI single in the third, the bases were loaded with one out. But Bauer lined out and Josh VanMeter struck out to end that threat.
• Eighth inning: Two on and one out, but normally reliable Shogo Akiyama and Suarez could not deliver.

The sim Reds had eight hits and six walks, but could only score once. One key may have been that all of their hits were singles.

With the loss, the Reds again dropped into fourth place in the NL Central, one-half game behind Milwaukee.

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

B-Pinch Hit For Bauer In 6th Inning
D-Pinch Hit For Reed In 8th Inning

A-Subbed Defensively (CF) For Nunez In 5th Inning
C-Pinch Hit For Porcello In 6th Inning
E-Subbed Defensively (LF) For Betances In 9th Inning

Standings following the May 6 games:

The 2020 schedule as currently constituted has the Reds moving on to Coors Field Thursday to play the first of a four-game series against the Colorado Rockies. Anthony DeSclafani will pitch for the sim Reds, while right-hander Ashton Goudeau pitches for Colorado.

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.

All players’ batting stats

All players’ pitching stats

Batting and pitching player stats by team

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’ performance based on statistics that their statistical experts project for each player in the 2020 season. 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.

MLB has not yet presented a formal plan to the MLBPA

We’ve seen a lot of ideas tossed out, leaked, whatever from Major League Baseball as it relates to trying to get baseball started back up here in the United States. The most recent plan would involve playing home games in home cities, without fans, and with re-aligned divisions that are basically just a combination of the two leagues “directional” divisions (the NL and AL Central simply become “the central”).

In an interview with Marly Rivera of ESPN, MLBPA’s Tony Clark says that as of right now, Major League Baseball has not sent them any sort of formal plans to look over for trying to get the season going.

Despite all that has been floated and all the rhetoric that is out there, we have not received anything formal that details an actual plan. To Carlos’ (Correa) point, unless or until we see and receive an actual proposal with a plan or plans — because my guess is there’s going to need to be flexibility in whatever is going to be considered — it’s all assumptions. It lends itself to the uncertainty because there’s a lot of ideations, but not any substance behind them just yet.

There’s a lot to unfold within the interview, both regarding the plans to get baseball back, as well as some stuff as it relates to the union and upcoming collective bargaining agreement. So go give it a read.

Some good news, because we all need that right now

The Pedro Martinez Foundation, started and led by Hall of Famer Pedro Martinez, organized a coalition of over 40 current and former Major League Baseball players to help raise money for coronavirus relief efforts in his home country of the Dominican Republic. As of right now it’s raised over $550,000 that will help provide PPE, other supplies, and food to the country.

Marly Rivera of ESPN wrote more about the foundation’s efforts, noting that Major League Baseball and the Players Association will be making a donation that will be announced next week. Rivera also noted some of the players who have joined in helping with current Red Luis Castillo, and former Reds Johnny Cueto and Edwin Encarnacion being among them.

Taiwan to have limited fans in the stands later this week

Here in America we don’t have a plan for baseball yet, but in Taiwan the regular season is well under way and later this week they are going to begin to allow a limited number of fans into the stadium to watch the games.

WELCOME BACK FANS!!!!

We are hoping to allow 1000 fans to our stadiums as early as May 8th!Thank you to all the frontline workers at @MOHW_Taiwan for making this possible! #CPBL #TaiwanCanHelp#baseball pic.twitter.com/SaarkBuZsg

— CPBL ???? (@CPBL) May 5, 2020