Photo: Doug Gray

Chicago Cubs 3, Cincinnati Reds 2 in Strat-O-Matic 2020 season simulation game 58

05/30/2020

Final	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	R	H	E
Reds	0	0	0	0	2	0	0	0	0	2	7	1
Cubs	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	1	2	3	8	0

An error by first baseman Nick Castellanos allowed the winning run to score in the bottom of the ninth inning, the second consecutive day that the Chicago Cubs (32-27) defeated the Cincinnati Reds (29-29) in the bottom of the ninth inning. Today the score was 3-2 Cubs at Wrigley 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 sim Reds led 2-0 going to the bottom of the eighth. Cincinnati scored twice in the top of the fifth. Kyle Farmer doubled with one out, and one out later, Nick Senzel singled him in for the game’s first run. Wade Miley then singled, and Michael Lorenzen singled to score Senzel to make it 2-0. Phillip Ervin then walked to load the bases, which meant the end of the day for Cubs starter Jose Quintana. Casey Sadler came on, and induced Castellanos to ground out to end the rally.

Miley pitched perhaps his best game as a sim Red, going six shutout innings. But the Reds bullpen was not as effective. Former Cub Pedro Strop walked David Bote with one out in the bottom of the eighth, and Kris Bryant then tripled him in. Jose Baez followed with a sacrifice fly to tie the game.

In the bottom of the ninth, Reds reliever Lucas Sims walked leadoff batter Ian Happ. One out later, Hernan Perez singled, moving Happ to second. Albert Almora Jr. then hit a ball to first baseman Castellanos. He made a good stop on the ball, keeping it on the infield and the ball was scored an infield hit. But Castellanos then committed an error that allowed Happ to score from third and give the Cubs the win.

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

B-Pinch Hit For Miley In 7th Inning
D-Pinch Hit For Farmer In 9th Inning

A-Pinch Hit For Sadler In 5th Inning
C-Pinch Hit For Tepera In 8th Inning

Standings following the May 30 games:

Division-leading St. Louis was blanked by Pittsburgh, so the Reds remain three and a half games off the first-place pace. Wins by both the Cubs and Brewers moved them within one and one and a half games, respectively.

NL Central	WON	LOST	PCT	GB
Cardinals	33	26	.559	0.0
Cubs	32	27	.542	1.0
Brewers	31	27	.534	1.5
Reds	29	29	.500	3.5
Pirates	25	33	.431	7.5

The 2020 schedule as currently constituted has the Reds back in Chicago Sunday for the third game of the four-game series against the Cubs at Wrigley Field. Luis Castillo will pitch for the sim Reds, while right-hander Tyler Chatwood pitches for the Cubs.

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.

Reds to continue to pay minor leaguers

Over at RedsMinorLeagues.com Doug Gray is reporting that the Cincinnati Reds will continue to pay their minor league players through September 7th – the furthest out such date by any team in baseball.

Reds to continue paying minor leaguers through September 7th

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:

Commenter/ “Manager”	WON	LOST	PCT
Jon Davis	6	1	.857
Peter Onte	2	1	.667
BK	7	4	.636
James Owens	3	2	.600
Redsfan4life	3	3	.500
Gonzo Reds	2	2	.500
Doug Gray	1	1	.500
RedsEuphoria	1	1	.500
Tomn	1	1	.500
Melvin	1	3	.250
AirborneJayJay	0	1	.000
Jeff	0	1	.000
Mark Moore	0	1	.000
Tom Mitsoff	0	1	.000
VaRedsFan	0	1	.000
Don	0	3	.000

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.