Cincinnati Reds 7, Cleveland Indians 1 in Strat-O-Matic 2020 season simulation game 92

Jesse Winker’s three-run home run in the first inning was more than enough to lead the Cincinnati Reds (47-45) to their fifth consecutive victory, 7-1 over the Cleveland Indians (55-37) 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!

Joey Votto walked and Mike Moustakas doubled in the top of the first inning off Cleveland starter and loser Carlos Carrasco, preceding Winker’s blast.

Sim Reds pitching continued its recent hot streak, with starter and winner Wade Miley pitching five shutout innings. The Reds were one out away from a combined shutout when Sonny Gray, inserted for his first relief appearance of the year by winning Redleg Nation commenter/manager Melvin, allowed a pinch-hit single by Bradley Zimmer to score Cesar Hernandez and break up the shutout bid.

There was some bad news for the sim Reds, however. Catcher Tucker Barnhart hit a bases-loaded ground ball with one out in the eighth inning. While hustling to beat out the Indians’ attempt at a double play, Barnhart sustained an injury that will keep him out for the next 10 games. Redleg Nation readers will be asked in the comments below who should be recalled to take Barnhart’s roster spot while he is on the disabled list.

The sim Reds moved into a tie for third place with the Cubs, both now with 47-45 records and three games behind division-leading Milwaukee.

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

B-Pinch Hit For Nelson In 7th Inning
E-Pinch Hit For Cimber In 9th Inning

A-Pinch Hit For Winker In 6th Inning
C-Pinch Hit For Stephenson In 7th Inning
D-Pinch Ran For Barnhart In 8th Inning

Standings following the July 7 games: 

The 2020 schedule has the Reds going for the two-game sweep of the Indians Wednesday at Great American Ball Park. Luis Castillo will pitch for the sim Reds, while right-hander Zach Plesac will start for Cleveland.

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

Since Melvin was the victorious Redleg Nation commenter/manager today, he has priority for Wednesday’s 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’ 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.