The Cincinnati Reds will look to bounce back this afternoon at PNC Park and pick up a series win against the Pittsburgh Pirates after losing on Tuesday night.
Starting Lineups
Cincinnati Reds
|
Pittsburgh Pirates
|
| Nick Senzel – 2B | Ka’ai Tom – LF |
| Jesse Winker – LF | Kevin Newman – SS |
| Nick Castellanos – RF | Phillip Evans – 1B |
| Mike Moustakas – 1B | Gregory Polanco – RF |
| Tyler Naquin – CF | Erik González – 3B |
| Eugenio Suárez – 3B | Wilmer Difo – 2B |
| Tyler Stephenson – C | Ben Gamel – CF |
| Kyle Farmer – SS | Michael Perez – C |
| Sonny Gray – SP | Trevor Cahill – SP |
Starting Pitchers
Sonny Gray
Coming off of his best start of the year, Sonny Gray will look to keep things going. Against the White Sox last week he threw 7.0 shutout innings and struck out eight batters (and he fanned 11 in the start before that). That performance dropped his ERA to 3.92 in 20.2 innings with 10 walks and 31 strikeouts.
Gray missed the first two weeks of the season, so he’s only made four starts so far this season. That means that everything is a small sample size here. With that said, he’s dominated left-handed hitters so far, holding them to a .167/.271/.310 line with six walks and 18 strikeouts. He’s struggled against right-handed hitters, though, who had hit .297/.381/.541 against him with four walks and 13 strikeouts.
Pitch usage from 2021
| 4-Seam | 2-Seam | Slider | Curve |
Change |
|
| Velo | 92.6 | 92.9 | 82.3 | 79.9 | 85.6 |
| Usage | 21.1% | 28.4% | 14.6% | 31.0% | 5.0% |
Trevor Cahill
It’s been a tough start to the year for Trevor Cahill who is 1-4 with a 6.75 ERA in 29.1 innings through six starts. He’s walked just nine batters and he’s struck out 26 while just giving up three homers, but he’s also been tagged for 37 hits, too.
Left-handed hitters have had their way with Cahill this season, hitting .370/.414/.574 with 4 walks and 11 strikeouts in 58 plate appearances. On the flip side he’s had his way against right-handed hitters who have hit just .262/.301/.323 with 5 walks and and 15 strikeouts in 74 plate appearances.
Pitch usage from 2021
| 4-Seam | 2-Seam | Cutter | Change |
Curve | |
| Velo | 90.2 | 89.5 | 84.9 | 82.2 | 78.5 |
| Usage | 7.1% | 29.7% | 17.9% | 22.7% | 22.5% |
When and Where
- Game time: 12:35pm ET
- Where: PNC Park, Pittsburgh
- Watch: Bally Sports Ohio (formerly Fox Sports Ohio), MLB.tv
- Listen: 700 WLW AM (Cincinnati area)
- Forecast: 57°, cloudy, 3% chance of rain
News and Notes
Wade Miley and Luis Castillo get new rotation spots
Bobby Nightengale of the Cincinnati Enquirer is reporting that Wade Miley and Luis Castillo are slipping spots in the rotation this week. Miley will now pitch on Friday in Colorado, giving him an extra day of rest following his no-hitter. Luis Castillo will pitch on Thursday against the Rockies.
Hunter Greene has another strong start
Over at RedsMinorLeagues.com we looked back at Hunter Greene’s start for Double-A Chattanooga last night where he picked up seven more strikeouts to push his league leading total to 15 through two starts. The righty topped out at 103 MPH, but that wasn’t the most impressive thing he was doing on Tuesday night in Montgomery.
NL Central Standings
Playoff odds via Fangraphs
| Team | W | L | GB | Playoff % |
| Cardinals | 22 | 14 | 0 | 48.7% |
| Brewers | 19 | 17 | 3.0 | 51.1% |
| Cubs | 17 | 18 | 4.5 | 15.1% |
| Reds | 16 | 17 | 4.5 | 15.4% |
| Pirates | 15 | 20 | 6.5 | 0.3% |
Gotta win the series, man. I got confidence with Sonny on the mound.
Push hard from the beginning of the game and don’t take anything for granted because it’s the Pirates.
Nick S. — No stealing bases when Jesse is at bat!
Jesse — No stealing/stretching bases at all!
Please….
Haha I would say to him, “Jesse, you’re a great hitter but when it comes to running bases, when in doubt…..don’t run.” 🙂
Stupid comment but I have not been able to listen to the Reds on 700WLW iHeart radio station (desktop). Is anybody else having this issue? Thanks!
I’m not getting em either
3 week griubdballs
Cahill flipping up offspeed pitches and nibbling
Reds hitters going to have to take theur walks and get baserunners. Cahill isnt challenging anyone with the fastball in the zone
Three what? Lol
Fat fingers
Senzel with an almost spectacular barehand play. Overturned but senzel is playing well
I am surprised they put India a SS. It will be interesting to see how he looks
Did I miss something? India at SS?
Nope, I misread it. Just turned on the game
Wishful thoughts lol
Don’t be messing with me like that. lol
I just got my second shot of Moderna at 12:20, maybe poor reading is a temporary side effect
I drove an hour yesterday just to get the Johnson & Johnson so I didn’t have to take two. I may be feeling side effects too. LOL…and then you mess with me about India playing SS. Good play by Senzel there. He’s got talent. Runner was safe though.
Reynolds is 4-8 off Sonny with 2 hrs so he gets the day off.
Polanco is now 0-10 with 4 Ks and he’s batting cleanup. Bell would figure that one out I think.
Reds have to win this game and 3 of 4 in Denver. If you can’t beat the bad teams then how can you beat the good ones consistently?
MOOSE!
Cahill hung a breaking ball and recoiled because he thought it was 3-0, but Geno just popped it up. I don’t think he’s ever reaching .200? He’s not even getting knocks when they give him a cookie((
And farmer swings at a pitch 8 inches outside that bounces
It’s really hard to see Suarez at the plate these days, I hope he’ll turn it around soon, his line now: 145/230/322.
He’s hit a couple balls hard the opposite way in the last couple days, so it’s possible.
I do as well cause nobody else is taking his place in the lineup.We need our vets like him to produce.Just hard to believe he has fallen so far in such a short period of time.
Im a wait till memorial day guy but geez… its may 12
Wow. I don’t know how Senzel got that one. Still think he could be an average SS.
2 very nice plays by Senzel
Senzel is making a ton of great plays at 2nd. He looks like a natural.
Sonny gray with a wicked 2 seamer for the backwards K with runners on 2/3 and 1 out after infield single, blooper and wild pitch
Great recovery
Mlb network has mets orioles
Matt harvey pitching to jose peraza after freddy galvis just hit in the top of the inning
Impressed with the Pirates today. They’re overmatched, but playing it right. Taking some pitches and running up Sonny’s pitch count and not trying to murder the ball, but just find some holes. If Senzel doesn’t make a nice play then they do some damage. The Reds should borrow that gameplan against alot of guys.
I sure wish Reds pitchers would stop throwing pitches in the dirt with runners on base and a weak hitter at the plate. This team just seems determined to make *everything* harder than it needs to be.
Cy Cahill is cruising.Harder we swing the softer he throws it.
The entire Reds team, with the exception of Votto & Winker, lack plate discipline! Votto is obviously not in the lineup so that leaves it up to Winker!
Soft stuff away and a roll over double play.Cy Cahill marches on.Unless they give us a couple more or we shut them out we lose this game.
Pathetic! Two (2) hits so far against a ML pitcher with an ERA of 6+
Nothing else to say when Suarez is swinging on 3-0.
Scenario: 1-0 game…a .145 hitter up to bat….3-0 count. What would you do………..SWING!!
Again! Lack of situational awareness and plate discipline!
This type of stuff that this team continues to do is just beyond belief.Please can we just try different players or a different manager.Doesn’t anybody have a clue as to how to win ball games or even play to win games? I always said we won games despite Dusty and his ways but since he left we don’t even resemble a team.
This is your classic matchup between a team that’s trying to figure out how to win a game despite having considerably less talent and a team that really really really wants to hit home runs.
Can’t argue that point at all cause you are right.
For as long as he’s been a Red, it’s amazing how many good Sonny starts fall apart in the 5th inning.
Another one getting slip sliding away. Lets see if Sonny can rally and hold them to 1?
Can’t blame Sonny! He’s the Jacob deGrom of the Reds! Little run support almost every time he pitches!
It’s a new record…4 wild pitches in a game!
Antone sighting.First time in over a week.First one may go to the screen.r
Antone in…he needs to slam the door. Beware the Pirates trying to steal a bag right away. Teams have been running at will on TySteve.
Door slammed!
Need to score to win.Time to go right now.
Third time thru the lineup vs Cahill, time to see if the reds make the adjustment against him or not.
Their manager was way ahead and lifted him in favor of a lefty.
Pirates might be helping us there! After only 74 pitches for Cahill
WOW Blandino for Naquin.Never saw that one coming.I though Tyler was the anointed one but must be only against righties.
Shogo for Blandino and Bell is just beside himself.
Tyler hits lefties…..so Bell subbed him out for Blandino, forcing a pitcher change…Bell counters with Shogo.
Why not leave Naquin in vs a struggling pitcher???
Because left on left never works in Bells mind.
Well Pirate announcer fooled me.
Naquin vs lefties .233/.333/.462 this year.
But still rather have him vs a lefty over Shogo vs a righty
Didn’t work and we are down Blandino and Naquin for the rest of the game.This is better then cutting the grass for sure.
Six innings in for the Reds offense and 3 hits.
Yep but we have Suarez leading off in the next inning and Antone is due up 4th so stay tuned it is going to get interesting.The drama unfolds in the steel city on a chilly afternoon as we go on with this titanic struggle.The battle these teams were in back in the 70’s is playing out right before our eyes or in at least this old guy’s eyes.
I think using Antone once a week for a couple of innings is a fantastic plan that should continue. (JK)
indeed (hic)
Yeah. We wouldn’t want to overwork him would we? smh After all he is the best pitcher we have. Oooh boy.
Burned 2 players off a 4 man bench with 2 outs in the sixth inning of a tie game….Tinker Bell is at it again…….
This just in .
Suarez waits on a breaking bell and hits a solid single
Wild pitch and kyle farmer is in the hit seat
Wonder if the Reds could work out a deal for one or more of these relievers Pittsburgh uses in close games? They’re not bad compared to the guys at the back of CIncinnati’s bullpen.
Farmer goes the other way with a professional bat and the Reds have the go ahead run at 3b
Yep. I knew that would be our last chance to score. You don’t think the Pirates would have sent him home? Any team would,..but the Reds. They prefer to let the runner die on third.
Smart play by the Pirates now Tejay is out of the game, lol
I’ve never seen anyone manage a player worse than David Bell manages Tejay Antone.
We saw Dusty Baker manage Corey Patterson and Wily Taveras together didn’t we? That was much worse just in the opposite kind of way in that it was involving terrible players being utilized in a very bad way.
Thought that would be a run for sure….slow hit ball thru the right side. Tyler got the stop sign….The throw was good FWIW.
Thought it was too…. Stephenson would have been toast.
Sadak went on and on and on about it, you’d have thought Mayor Mallory threw it.
India against a righty or Tuck against a lefty?
Tuck never made contact for out number 2.
Again, lack of baseball awareness and fundamentals! Reds deserve to lose this game!
We’re going to lose this game by 5 runs.
Maybe not by 5 runs but we will lose it.Bell chose Tuck over the rookie with a chance to go ahead and well Tuck punches out and that is all she wrote.
You need a drug screen
Great, I tune in just in time for Doolittle to enter the game. Think I’ll tune back out.
Bell is managing another gem.
Looking over the box score, he pulled Gray with less than 5 innings? And TA only went 21 pitches? Was Gray doing that poorly? The box doesn’t indicate that.
Gray wasn’t looking especially sharp, but he had just induced a grounder to short with runners at 2nd and 3rd (leading to an easy at home), and probably would have been able to get the last out of the inning. I would have left him in. If you’re going to leave him in the game with runners at 2nd and 3rd and one out, with a strikeout artist in the bullpen, I have no idea why you take him out with runners on the corners and two outs. But I’m sure Bell had his “reasons.”
*easy out at home
Bell is single-handedly responsible for losing 25 games per year by making stupid moves no one else in baseball would do. It is what it is. When we win it usually in spite of his dumb moves.
Naaaw. I manager doesn’t make a difference does he? LOL
That seems to the Reds offense with runners on first and third and one out -K or dp! That way for years now
Yep. Not a clutch player on the team,..other than maybe Winker. He’s the lone clutch player. Suarez has a hole in his bat.
Let’s recap:
-burn Blandino for nothing in strict adherence to righty-lefty matchups.
-burns Antone after 20 pitches (the whole week) using the backup catcher for today – to inevitably face a lefty – off of whom he bats like .050.
-Runs Doolittle out to face a bunch of righties – thus ignoring the right-lefty matchups you thought were important enough to waste a bench bat earlier.
We are trying to lose. We are point-shaving. Pete Rose would manage us better on a day when he had 5 grand on the Pirates to cover.
Its just what Bell does and will continue to do.I was shocked when he pulls Naquin and it all went down hill after that.I know the dude is smart and much smarter then I am but he just tries to hard to prove it.All he needs to do is just watch the game and go with it.Feel for the game that day and knowing you players as to what they can do or can’t do is just as important as all the data in the world.Naquin against a lefty in the 6th with two out is not good but Tuck against a lefty in the 7th is good with the go ahead run on third.Tuck has struck out a bunch and I mean a bunch so far and if he hits in on the ground it is likely to be a double play
And therein lies the problem! Bell has no “feel” for the game that’s happening in front of him! Constantly tinkering and over-managing! Choose your best players and let them perform!
Pete Rose would manage us better on a day when he had 5 grand on the Pirates to cover. Now that is funny!
Raise your hand if you picked Doolittle retiring the side of all righties 1-2-3 with 11 pitches
The third batter was a lefty, Frazier.
Yes- lefty pinch hitter didnt work out for the Pirates
Shogo? Men on last time and 2-0 count and he took a feeble half-derrierre swing? This time just smoked like a high school kid. IDK about him. I’d already given up last year and didn’t see his September success. All I’ve seen is him getting smoked like everybody throwing 95+ is DeGrom.
He’s pitiful.
Shogo should still be at Louisville working on his spring training. He didn’t really have one because of injury. But since Bob is paying his salary he wants him to earn it while playing at this level when clearly he not ready, IMO. If India isn’t playing more why isn’t he playing at Louisville. He needs to play to get better especially if he is in the reds future plans.
Hope this works out for Eugenio right here.
Suarez meaningful at bat with runners on base
Swings 79 mph slider- unhittable ball borderline strike
Takes a ball
Swings at a ball and fouls it off at his ankles.
Swings and misses on gas
When do you bench Suarez ?
Its getting close to sending India down to AAA and play 3b
Trade Suarez for a SS, start India full time. Since it appears the Reds are going nowhere this year, at least develop the young guys.
I’ll take a rookie batting .150 over a guy in his 8th season doing the same.
Your killin’ me Smalls!
Forget it. Bell will play Suarez no matter the cost. He’ll strike out his normal 200 times this year,..may bat .180 for the year,..and he’ll play every single game. The Reds organization will never learn. Sad.
Lack f offense bs Pirates is embarrassing. (Sans game 1)
Jon Gray going for the Rocks right now. We skip him and his 3.05 era. Get this win and get 3 of 4 in Colorado! The time is now!
Who didn’t know Suarez and Akiyama wouldn’t come through. Stephenson is worrying me with his ability to block pitches. Please don’t bring AG into this close game.
He can’t come in. He’s suspended.
Don’t need to worry about that. 🙂
AG will not pitch, can’t mlb took care of that!
Lets get a run or 5 right here!
Hard to believe this is a 1-1 game and 3 hours old thru 8 innings. Here’s to you Wade Miley and your fast paced approach.
And Wade’s strike throwing helps even more
3 knocks for Farmer today.
I wonder what the numbers say, but it feels like the new extra inning rule gives the road team a better chance! If we can get it to the 10th?
The old Tomato would like it if the team could score more than one run today
They did!
Now it’s the battle of the questionable portions of these two bullpens.
Sure would be nice if we had some young talent to bring up and help our pitching staff. 🙂
India needs to go to AAA and play 3b every day. Its time to plan for suarez replacement. He gets a few more weeks hitting 7 th but india and Senzel and Garcia are the future and they need to be groomed.
Its mid May and Suarez clock is running out
Jesse winker All Star
Agree on India, but Farmer has earned the SS job until he cools off or Garcia is ready.
Suarez will not be benched. He stays at 3B. Moose goes back to 2B when Votto returns.
Senzel and Shogo platoon in CF. They are similar players…. even though Senzel is our only “ballplayer”, whatever that means. I’ll take ballplayers that produce.
We are far from starting try outs for next year. Also It may be a bit early to give up on a guy who mashed 49 hrs 90 some odd games ago.
Winker breaks the tie…..need to add more please.
Professional hitting by Winker and Nick C.
Hembree will pitch next.
Looks like Hoffman will bat for Sims.
Make it Miley!
Ughhh….. 2-0 and swung at one out of the zone…
Hopefully that will turn things around for Suarez!
Why did he swing?
Was talking about Miley. Happy for Suarez.
Huge hit by Geno!!!!!
Awesome!!!
3-25 with RISP before that.
Good for Geno. Thats gotta feel good.
Eugenio gets it done.
If the Reds hold on, Miley’s IF fly rule pop out, rather than a Home to first DP, could be a play of the game candidate!
Told you extras might be nice)) Now if they throw strikes then its over.
Happy for Suarez. Went with the pitch. Great results.
Reds getting it done
Won a series
But india needs to go AAA and get 150 at bats the next 6 weeks and play 3b and 2b
Suarez is very questionable
Geno in April K’d over 43% of the time
Geno in May K’d less then 28% of the time
baby steps sir….baby steps
Has Miley always had 97mph fb?