Los Angeles Dodgers 8, Cincinnati Reds 7 in Strat-O-Matic 2020 season simulation game 68

06/10/2020

Final	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	13	R	H	E
Dodgers	0	1	0	0	0	2	0	3	1	0	0	0	1	8	11	2
Reds	0	0	0	1	0	0	3	0	3	0	0	0	0	7	13	0

Mookie Betts’ two-out run-scoring double in the top of the 13th inning off Cody Reed was the difference as the Los Angeles Dodgers (44-23) defeated the Cincinnati Reds (33-35) by an 8-7 score in 13 innings at Great American Ball Park.

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!

Nineteen pitchers were used between the two teams in this sim game, which might be close to some sort of major league record. The lead changed hands five times, and the home crowd at GABP was treated to a stirring bottom of the ninth inning comeback by the sim Reds to tie the game and send it to extra innings.

The use of multiple pitchers got started in the first inning. Leadoff hitter Michael Lorenzen grounded out for the first out of the top of the first, but Dodgers starter David Price was injured on the play and removed. He was replaced by former Red Alex Wood, who finished out the first five innings.

With the Reds trailing 3-1 after six and a half innings, the sim Reds jumped on LA reliever Joe Kelly. Jesse Winker reached on an error by second baseman Enrique Hernandez. Mark Payton drew a walk, and steady Freddy Galvis drove one over the wall to give his team a 4-3 lead. But the Dodgers came back with three in the top of the eighth off Amir Garrett, and another in the ninth off Pedro Strop to take a 7-4 lead headed to the bottom of the ninth.

Facing Dodger relief ace Kenley Jansen, Lorenzen led off by reaching on an error on shortstop Corey Seager. Phillip Ervin then launched one over the fence to bring the sim Reds within one, and with two out, the en fuego Mike Moustakas blasted one out of GABP to tie the game and send the sim crowd — reported by Strat-O-Matic as 23,136 — into a sim frenzy.

After the Dodgers took the lead in the top of the 13th on Betts’ double, Tucker Barnhart doubled off former Brewer Jimmy Nelson with one out to put the tying run in scoring position. But Galvis and Lorenzen were unable to reach Nelson for hits, and Barnhart was left at second.

Infielder Jose Garcia made his Reds sim major league debut in a 12th-inning pinch-hit appearance, but struck out. Nate Jones made his sim Reds debut in a relief pitching role and pitched a scoreless top of the seventh inning. Shogo Akiyama had two hits to extend his hitting streak to 17 games. Ervin’s three hits were the most by a Red in the game.

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

B-Pinch Hit For Stripling In 7th Inning
D-Pinch Hit For Graterol In 8th Inning
G-Pinch Hit For Jansen In 10th Inning
I-Pinch Hit For Floro In 13th Inning

A-Pinch Hit For Miley In 5th Inning
C-Pinch Hit For Jones In 7th Inning
E-Pinch Hit For Bowman In 8th Inning
F-Subbed Defensively (C ) For Strop In 10th Inning
H-Pinch Hit For Sims In 12th Inning

Standings following the June 10 games:

NL Central	WON	LOST	PCT	GB
Cardinals	39	30	.565	0.0
Cubs	37	33	.529	2.5
Brewers	34	33	.507	4.0
Reds	33	35	.485	5.5
Pirates	29	38	.433	9.0

The 2020 schedule as currently constituted has the Reds playing the rubber game of the three-game series at Great American Ball Park Thursday against the Los Angeles Dodgers. Luis Castillo will pitch for the Reds, and righthander Tony Gonsolin will pitch for Los Angeles.

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.

Lonnie Wheeler passes away

Cincinnati sportswriter Lonnie Wheeler passed away on Tuesday at age 68. He had worked at both the Cincinnati Enquirer and the Cincinnati Post, as well as USA Today. Wheeler authored at least a dozen books in his career, mostly about baseball. He worked with Mike Piazza, Bob Gibson, and Hank Aaron on books about their careers. His latest book, The Bona Fide Legend of Cool Papa Bell is due to be out in February of next year.

The Reds HOF is opening back up next week

#Reds Hall of Fame and Museum will reopen to the general public on June 20. It will open to members beginning Saturday, June 13. Hours of operation are Wednesday through Sunday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. (Closed Monday & Tuesday).

— Jeff Wallner (@JeffWallner) June 10, 2020

How are the simReds performing?

The Hitters

The Pitchers

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	2	.750
Peter Onte	2	1	.667
BK	9	5	.643
James Owens	3	2	.600
Gonzo Reds	3	3	.500
Redsfan4life	3	3	.500
Doug Gray	1	1	.500
RedsEuphoria	1	1	.500
Tomn	1	1	.500
Melvin	1	4	.200
Don	1	4	.200
AirborneJayJay	0	1	.000
Jeff	0	1	.000
Mark Moore	0	1	.000
VaRedsFan	0	1	.000
Tom Mitsoff	0	2	.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.