The Reds put their 3 game losing streak funk behind them last night and square off with the Brewers at Miller Park again tonight in game 2 of this 3 game set. Game time is 7:10pm Eastern. If you were otherwise occupied Friday night, you can catch up on how things went down last night with the Reds by clicking here (I wasn’t the only person who almost threw something at my TV with 22.2 seconds remaining in a certain hockey game Friday was I?).

Starting Pitchers

Tonight’s game will once again pit a Cincinnati right-hander against a Milwaukee lefty. Anthony DeSclafani is the guy for the Reds and Brett Anderson for the Brew Crew.

Anthony Desclafani

Desclafani started the season on the injured list with a right teres major strain but emerged last Sunday in Detroit to post a scoreless 5 inning effort in the front end of a double header swept by the Reds. Disco did not figure in the decision because the Reds bullpen gave up a 3 run lead after he left the game. After missing all of 2017 along with significant portions of 2016 and 2018 due to injury, DeSclafani was finally healthy 2019, making 31 starts and pitching 166.2 innings.

DeSclafani’s 2019 numbers looked like this:

These numbers earned Disco 2.4 fWAR for a nice bounce back season in 2019. Probably the one area DeScalfani would like to improve the most is his HR/9 rate. If it were dropped, the ERA and FIP should follow in turn.

DeSclafani has remained basically a fastball/ slider pitcher despite his injury history. He throws his fastball at around 94MPH using it on around 55% of his deliveries. His slider typically comes in at a tick under 90 MPH and comprises about a quarter of his pitches. An 83 MPH curveball is Disco’s primary off speed pitch and used for about 13% of his pitches. However, he will also throw an occasional changeup.

To take a look at all Anthony DeSclafani’s career stats click here

Brett Anderson

Brett Anderson has been in MLB for over a decade, primarily in 2 stints with the Oakland A’s although he did spend time in the National League with Dodgers, Cubs and Rockies. 2020 is his first year with the Brewers after being signed as a free agent.

In 189 MLB appearances of which 177 have been as a starter, Anderson has earned 14.4 fWAR. In 2019 he made 31 starts equalling the most he has ever made in a season. His 176.0 IP total in 2019 was the second highest of his career, barely short his 180.1 IP best in 2015 with the Dodgers.

Here is his 2019 tale of the tape pitching in the AL with Oakland

Anderson doesn’t strike out very many hitters; but neither does he walk many. A key to his survival in 2019 was his  .278 BABIP along with his relatively low HR/9 rate.

Not surprisingly for a guy his age, Anderson throws a variety of pitches at many differing speeds. Here are his usage percentages and average pitch velocity from 2019.

The Reds hitters will need to be patient against Anderson and look for good pitches to put in play.

See Brett Anderson’s career stats here

Bullpens

Reds

Cody Reed worked for the second consecutive night and logged 22 pitches putting his pitch count at 42 over 2 days. Lucas Sims used 29 pitches to work 2 innings. Pedro Strop left the mound with a groin issue after throwing just 8 pitches. Reed is probably unavailable tonight, Sims limited and Strop to be determined. Recall also José DeLeón is just 2 days beyond a 48 pitch outing in Cleveland.

The heavy lifting tonight will need to come from Michael Lorenzen, Amir Garrett and Nate Jones with Raisel Iglesias in the wings to close out the game.  Keep an eye on our News and Notes section for possible reinforcements.

Brewers

The Brewers had to use 4 relievers to cover 6 innings on Friday. Only one, Eric Yardley, worked on a consecutive day running his 2 day pitch count to 45. Count him iffy to out tonight.  Justin Grimm and Corey Knebel threw 28 and 29 pitches respectively.  Both are likely limited to an inning at most tonight. Lest we forget, Josh Hader looms very well rested if the Brewers can get into a favorable position late in the game.

Lineups

The Reds are going with a somewhat more typical RH hitting lineup than they did yesterday. Note that Friday hero Matt Davidson stays in but moves to DH as Joey Votto returns. Nick Senzel is presumably an injury scratch (check News and Notes below for details)

News and Notes

Two Reds left Friday’s game with groin issues and may not be available today.

Reds lose Nick Senzel, Pedro Strop to injury on Friday night

UPDATE: Not good for Pedro Strop

David Bell says Pedro Strop may be out an extended period of time. No decision yet for the IL. Nick Senzel is day-to-day. #Reds

— Bobby Nightengale (@nightengalejr) August 8, 2020

Heeeee’s back. Remember outfielder Mark Payton, the Rule 5 draftee the Reds returned to Oakland? The Reds have re-acquired him from the A’s, this time with no Rule 5 restrictions. Payton has been assigned to the Prasco Park Alternate Site. Doug Gray has the story and a look at the Prasco Park roster on our Reds Minor Leagues site:

Reds trade for Mark Payton, add him to the player pool

Final Thoughts

The Reds got a much needed win on Friday to snap a 3 game losing streak. Several guys who had not played a large role stepped up; and, Nick Castellanos, the guy who seems to always play a big role, also did (again).

Especially in these trying times, we want and need something positive to cling to. Thus there is a temptation to look at the Reds record and think now if they could sweep in this series, they would leave Milwaukee at .500 and IN A PLAYOFF SPOT! However, just as in events away from sports, the healthiest approach is probably for us to think day to day with the Reds. Appreciate the win; but, focus only on the next thing up, today’s game.

Along the way, there will be good days and some not so good days. If there are enough good ones, everything else will take care of itself. If not, well, some things are just beyond our control; and, we find a way to roll with the punches.

Tom Mitsoff is going to wrap this series up for you here tomorrow. Hope to catch you healthy and happy on down the line. GO REDS!

Data courtesy of Mlb.com, Fangraphs and Baseball Reference