Offense was at a premium at PNC Park on Wednesday afternoon. That is until extra-innings rolled around when Eugenio Suárez put an exclamation point on a big inning as the Reds third baseman lined a 3-run double into the gap in left center to put Cincinnati up 5-1 and put the game away to seal a series win.
| Final | R | H | E |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cincinnati Reds (17-17) | 5 | 11 | 0 |
| Pittsburgh Pirates (15-21) |
1 | 7 | 1 |
| W: Sims (2-1) L: Underwood (1-2) |
|||
| Statcast | Box Score | Game Thread | |||
The Offense
After going 1-2-3 in the 1st inning the Reds got on the board when the second pitch of the 2nd inning from Trevor Cahill went 396 feet off of the bat of Mike Moustakas and landed in the right-center seats to make it 1-0. But things went real quiet after that for the offense.
Offense was at a premium on the day. After a long time of not threatening, Cincinnati got two singles in the top of the 7th put runners on the corners with one out in the inning, but a strikeout and a fly out stranded the runners and the game remained tied up at 1-1. The Reds went back to threatening in the 8th with singles from Jesse Winker to lead off the inning and Mike Moustakas with one out, but back-to-back strikeouts left them both standing on the bases.
Kyle Farmer singled in the 9th inning with 1-out – his third single of the day – to give the Reds a chance to break the 1-1 tie. He was stranded on the bases as the game headed out to the bottom of the 9th.
The 10th inning, if you have to play it, lined up as perfect for the Reds offense as you can. Nick Senzel, the fastest runner on the team, started at second base and Jesse Winker, Nick Castellanos, and Mike Moustakas were due up for Cincinnati. And it worked out for the Reds, too, as Jesse Winker grounded a single into left field to bring Senzel in and give the Reds a 2-1 lead. Nick Castellanos followed with a single of his own and then Moustakas walked to load the bases….. for Wade Miley, who was the option to pinch hit for Lucas Sims with no one left on the bench. He popped out right behind third base to bring Eugenio Suárez to the plate and he came through in a big way, lining a double into the left-center gap to clear the bases and make it 5-1.
The Pitching
Sonny Gray didn’t have the best control in the game this afternoon, but he worked around some jams during the afternoon and got a few nice defensive plays along the way, too. After four innings Gray had worked around several baserunners, but the Pirates got to him in the 5th when they put together three straight 1-out singles to tie the game up at 1-1. After a wild pitch moved the runners up, Gray got an out at the plate on a fielders choice.
That’s when manager David Bell chose to hand the game over to Tejay Antone, who came on with runners on the corners and two outs. For the right-handed reliever it was the first time he had pitched in a week but he looked like he was ready to go as he struck out Wilmer Difo to strand the runners and keep the game tied up. He went 1-2-3 in the 6th inning, too. Sean Doolittle came on for the start of the 7th inning and worked a perfect inning with two strikeouts to send the game into the 8th all tied up.
Lucas Sims entered for the 8th inning, and like Antone, it was his first appearance in a week. Like Antone he got the job done, going 1-2-3 and picked up two strikeouts along the way. It was the same thing in the 9th inning as Sims kept the game tied up and sent it to extras. Heath Hembree came out for the 10th inning to try and hold onto a 4-run lead that the offense handed him in the top of the inning. He induced two pop ups and a ground out to seal a 5-1 win.
Key Moment of the Game
You can argue that it was Jesse Winker’s go-ahead single in the 10th inning, but we’re going to go with Eugenio Suárez coming through with a 3-run double later in the inning that gave the Reds a 5-1 lead and tons of insurance to work with.
Notes Worth Noting
Nick Senzel showed off the infield defense on Thursday afternoon, making two outstanding barehanded plays.
Second baseman, Nick Senzel. pic.twitter.com/TjPKO2Q3vF
— Cincinnati Reds (@Reds) May 12, 2021
Sonny Gray’s Major League record of 48 consecutive starts without allowing more than six hits came to an end this afternoon.
Sonny Gray also threw four wild pitches in the game. According to Elias that is the most in a game by a Reds pitcher since 1900.
Up Next for the Cincinnati Reds
Cincinnati Reds at Colorado Rockies
Thursday May 13th, 8:40pm ET
Luis Castillo (1-4, 6.42 ERA) vs Chi Chi González (1-1, 5.97 ERA)
Nice to get the series win. Wish our starters could have lasted longer, but I’ll take it. Keep it up Suarez, the team needs you.
This team continues to misuse Shogo. He needs regular ABs like last year to get in a rhythm.
There’s nowhere to play him right now.
Unfortunately, the combination of his injury and Naquin’s resurgence have led him relegated to the bench. Once Votto returns he shall remain in the active roster since it’s more likely that India will be sent down to have regular playing time, but once Aquino is back then it’ll be a more difficult situation.
No doubt, team needs Suarez producing to b their best. Interesting to note his hitting has improved as has Senzel’s since moving them to their primary Def position of 3B & 2nd. Likewise, Farmer has proven he can play the Def needed @ SS and hit. Farmer’s Def flexibility, tough out approach AB and Moxie make him an invaluable team mbr! Moreover, Moose ABs have been better w/ his move to 1B. So when Votto returns, do they play musical chairs again and risk screwing everyone up…?
I note two other concurrent things—Senzel has also moved to lead off, and Suárez dropped down to 6th. These are other variables that could be playing into it
Gray pitched like a pro in the way he limited them despite the mistakes (passed balls moreso than wild pitches, per Brantley) and not having his good stuff. Really nice to see Sims and Suarez have big contributions. Really nice series out of Geno. More please.
It is poor management to be out of position players in the 10th inning. Bell continues to burn through position players at too fast of a pace. What would he have done had Stephenson had to come out after fouling a ball off his knee?
I saw it as about 50/50 on the passed ball/ wild pitch situation. A couple of them Stephenson did not keep his glove down to the ground covering the 5 hole; and the ball went through the wicket. A couple of them were so wild that even though he was squared up in blocking position, they came up and took wicked ricochets off of his chest protector.
I would like to leave Colorado with both the series win and Trevor Story.
Lol! I’m sure they’ll see what they can do to accomodate that for us.
Sounds good to me. Suarez for Story straight up.
That would be nice IF Cincy would commit to resigning him long term. If not, Reds want to get more than a 1 yr rental for Suarez.
Nick senzel is the lead off hitter and a gamer.
This game isnt about suarez
Its about senzel joining Winker for the next 5 years in the 1/2 hole
Senzel was 0 – 5, it happens, but it’s a weird game to assert he’s a “gamer.” Suarez was 2 for 5 with 3 RBI’s, also a weird game to say “this game isn’t about Suarez”. I think we will be better off if both players play well. Winker is under team control for the next 2 seasons. I hope they sign him to an extension while they can.
Have u watched reds baseball the last week?
Senzel is playing every day and leading off and he was awesome at 2b
I think it should be noted that was likely the 1st time “gamer” and “Senzel” were in the same sentence in a positive manner in Redleg Nation history.
I have consistently referred to Nick Senzel as a ballplayer since the day he came up. I believe a lot of people would count that term synonymous with “gamer”
@Old I agree Senzel’s been great. I said it was a weird game to make those statements. It’s weird how you seem to prop up the guy with the bad (offensive) game, and denigrate the guy with a good game. If this game was about anyone offensively it was about Suarez. Suarez is the story, not only was it a good game, but it’s a trend to. He picked up 2 hits yesterday as well, and 1 the game before. This is signs he might be coming out of his pitiful start. Maybe going back to 3rd actually helped, or maybe things are clicking for another reason. Or maybe he’ll go 0 for 21 following this, who knows.
@rojo To be clear, I wasn’t making fun on Senzel, just making light of the fact he has been crushed around here for being “injury prone” and all that. More than happy to see him in there.
Agree on Senzel; Kid has the moxie the Reds need more of. Good to see him playing well; I too think the move to 2nd has helped him. Problem w/ Senzel hitting LO is he presses when not getting the hits – he’s hard on himself which could lead to extended slumps? Likewise, he has speed, but not necessarily a successful base stealer. Reds still need a better LO option to create Offense and extend their lineup. Perfect guy to hit 6 or 7 or 9th and start a really @ the bottom of the lineup
Leadoff hitters run & slide alot. They talk about the universal DH coming back…well Senzel is usually the universal spectator. He normally gets paid to do what I do for free!
Lets see if he’s still playing in June? He sprays the ball around and he’s athletic. He can draw some walks too. I hope it works out? The Reds need him. A good leadoff hitter only helps Winker/Castellanos do more damage!
I am neutral on the “start extra innings with guy on 2nd” … but today was a good advertisement for it.
The Pirates had not got a hit for several innings and no one on the Reds could seemingly drive in a runner. Under the old rules, felt like it could have gone on for a while.
As Doug wrote, today it set up perfect for the Reds. All Winker needed was a hit to get them the lead and put the reliever under pressure.
Wrap the win up in 10 innings … get on the plane and head to Colorado.
Exactly. Huge to get out of there quickly on a get away day.
The new extra innings scheme is MLB’s version of 3 on 3 OT in hockey. I like it as long as they don’t revert to a home run derby if a couple of extra innings don’t decide the game.
Farmer is 7 for 18 since taking over as starting shortstop. That’s .389. Hottest hitter behind Winker.
Give him credit. Farmer has grit.
Exactly!
Can’t replace Farmer right now. Not while he’s playing so well. Who knows? Sometimes players find gold and become something unexpected. Gotta leave him in there until he proves otherwise. The Reds will soon have a lot of depth in the infield and outfield both. Lots of decisions to be made.
Or if he keeps it up and some team is willing to give a decent return for maybe a relief pitcher, trade him. We’ll see how it plays out. Hat’s off to him the way he’s playing right now.
With very reliable defense.
At this point i think Farmer should play SS every day, and they should let India play his brains out in Louisville, getting his mojo established. No shame in that.
If they want a bench guy, bring up Schrock again, he’s on the 40 man. Or complete the nepotism circle by giving Brantley Bell a call up. Brantley is at least a RH batter like India—and I don’t want Brantley Bell taking AAA at bats from India when India is just collecting splinters. The 40 man may be an issue with the Bell legacy call-up, though.
Leave AlfRod to play SS in Louisville if they aren’t going to bring him up to play for the Redlegs every day
I am curious as to why Wade Miley was not instructed to not swing at anything? The worst case scenario is he strikes out leaving the bases loaded and one out. We were lucky with the outcome.
Worst case scenario is that he grounds into a home-first double play. Striking out would have been a good, or at least neutral, at bat.
Yes, I meant the worst thing that could happen to him not swinging is striking out, leaving the bases loaded and only one out. Swinging at anything was the higher risk.
Ahead 2-0, being a pitcher in a situation like that, he should have had the take sign.
Why on earth in the 10th was he the only option? Why PH for Naquin—was it a matchup or was he hurt?
To burn through the bench in 9 innings is an art
Also hurts that we are not carrying 5 on the bench. The Reds solution to the pen is quantity over quality. If you don’t want to spend money on the pen, then you need to develop young arms, not just bring in a bunch of cheap retreads, and never were’s. It’s time to cut lose Fulmer and Romano, and send Hendrix, and India down. Bring up Gutierrez and Santillan, Rodriguez, and Schrock.
In this game they had 4 relief pitchers left in the pen and no position players on the bench. It was not excusable, in my opinion, to not have energency Catcher available when TS fouked a ball off his knee. You could excuse it in say the 15th inning, not the 10th.
Need to send at least 1 pitcher out and add a bat to the bench.
Farmer was available to catch and then a pitcher would have had to play the outfield in the situation at the end of the game if Stephenson was hurt and Barnhart out of the game. Whether we agree with it or not the way Bell probably would have played it is Senzel to 3B, Suarez to SS, Winker to CF, and a pitcher to LF, with Farmer catching. I will say it will help when Lorenzen comes back as it will be like having an extra position player.
In part because it appears Blandino was announced as a PH, but then was pulled for Akiyama, who PH for Blandino. Wasted a PH by maneuvering, ended up using a 0.000 average hitter to PH for a 0.270ish average hitter, got a K, and an empty bench.
Also, since Farmer is nominally the third catcher, had Stephenson gotten injured after Barnhart was out of the game and position players were exhausted forcing Farmer to go behind the plate, who would have played his position?
To me, Jesse Winker’s hit driving in the go ahead, and ultimately the winning, run, was far and away the big hit. The insurance provided by Suarez was nice, but without Winker’s hit Suarez comes to the plate with a man on second, two out, and game tied, Bell having no more moves to make, and the Reds precariously close to having to find a pitcher to play outfield. THANK YOU, JESSE WINKER.
Because they wanted him to swing. If the plan was “literally don’t swing” then you aren’t sending anyone up to pinch hit and you just tell Lucas Sims to stands in the back corner of the box and don’t get hit by a pitch.
I would imagine we can agree that they didn’t want him to swing at a 2-0 pitch that was high and out of the strike zone. Take sign should have been on there as pitcher couldn’t find the plate. That said, Miley as a veteran (pitcher or not) sure as hec should have known that without being told. Silly mistake but it did not end up hurting team. Just my 10 cents.
Doug really propping up Geno with this one. He doesn’t mention Geno was the fly out that failed to bring in the run in the 7th. But hey, we gotta cheer him on. I am happy for him too. He’s a great teammate and ambassador.
Worried that Shogo is going to take a long time to get going and he’s position-less until he can prove he’s a better option than Nanquin. It’s only going to get more crowded when Votto returns.
Shogo was a superstar in Japan and now he’s a looking like a 4/5 OF option.
Suarez, although still having a long way to go, is starting to look more relaxed and thinking more clearly about his play. Hope he keeps it up. We’ll see. Akiyama would be traded today probably if the Reds could find a taker. Even before Naquin he wasn’t going to be used enough to really see what he can do under David Bell. It’s unlikely that he lives up to potential in the Reds situation. It boggles the mind how the Reds spent all that money on him to be a leadoff hitter and David Bell used him in a platoon situation from day one. Both parties would probably be better off with him on another team. He’s a good guy and obviously talented.
Not sure why the manager wouldn’t play him last year.
I mean is he that far below MLB or does DB just not want him?
Putting Suarez back at third takes some pressure off him; he’s obviously not a ml ss. I think it affected his hitting.
The Shogo signing now looks like a solution to a problem the Reds didn’t have
Well said. I was in favor of acquiring Shogo at the time,
but I believe that was before Senzel was designated as the centerfielder and after the Billy Hamilton experiment (offense) ended.
If Senzel is still the centerfielder, Shogo is a surplus outfielder, but Senzel is playing a lot of second base lately and playing it well. Do we think he’s back in the outfield when Votto returns?
Not to mention that Winker had already driven in the winning run. Suarez was merely insurance that wasn’t needed as it turned out. I suspect DG can’t be as critical as some of us. It would be bad for his business.
Yes, he has to keep a lot of people in good relationship with him I think
Since when are insurance runs not needed? It changes the whole complexion of the inning. When you come in down 1 with a man on 2B, you feel like you got a real good shot. Coming in down by 3 is a different animal all together.
Perhaps DG has forgot more about the game then most of you know.
No question, DG does. But it’s not a question of baseball knowledge. I
Can’t be or don’t feel the need to be insanely negative? Getting caught up in the day-to-day decisions in a 162 game season is just something I’m not going to do, especially now.
But I’ll also point out that I can be as critical as any of “us”. And I will be when it’s over something worth being critical of. Like the owner being cheap. Or like the insane suspension of Amir Garrett. I’m not going to get worked up over little stuff that every single manager in baseball does over the course of a 162 game season.
The Reds win and the comments sections are full of people complaining every single time. It’s crazy.
As for the insurance runs…. yeah, Winker drove in the winning run. We didn’t know it was the winning run at the time. And in 2021 with a runner that starts the inning on second base, having an additional 3 runs to work with is beyond huge.
I’m saying it right now… I am with Doug on this one. Having those extra runs is huge. It put a lot less stress on the bullpen and, if they had scored a run before the game ended it would not have meant anything since we had scored several runs before them.
Doug,
Don’t let the downers get ya down you do a great job here and honestly you have ever right to spin the positive on a daily basis.
People who comment,
Maybe you should be more positive on the fact that we won a series; yes we should have won against this team but it’s sure nice to win a series and hopefully the next one will be the same.
Suarez didn’t know the insurance wasn’t needed. Given the state of the Reds’ bullpen for most of the year to date, he probably assumed that the game was still on the line. We can’t assume that the Reds make a one run lead stand up.
Doug, I was just noting the positive emphasis on the guy who needs it the most. For instance Sheldon’s recap was entitled Winker comes through in clutch or something.
I’m all for cheering on Suarez too. He turns into even something akin to 2019 and this team will go on a tear.
Did what was needed in PNC. Now same at Coors (3/4 instead) and they’ll be in a solid place (20-18) for a tough homestand.
Well anyway the Reds won the series like we wanted and that’s way better than losing it regardless
The extra inning ghost man on second rule seems to give the advantage to the visiting team in my opinion. At least from a psychologic standpoint.
Imagine leading off extra innings with a double. Chances are you are going to win in your mind i would think
This is how I think about it too
It certainly worked out for them today, but I’d rather be the home team. If you can not allow a run in the top half, you can play for 1 run in the bottom half.
I compare it to the college football OT.
You always choose defense first if you win the toss, so you know what you need when its your turn.
I tried to look up results quickly, but I couldn’t find it quickly, so I abandoned ship.
Agree it is a lot like the college FB OT system. Also as I said above here, I also get a feel of a bit of the NHL 3 on 3 OT mentality.
I really think home teams are going to come around to just ignoring the fact there is a man on 2B other than not allowing him to steal 3B uncontested. I also believe that in situations like today with a multiple run lead, the visitors will essentially ignore the man at 2B also.
The really interesting question for visitors, is will they start ignoring the runner at 2B if they have just a 1 run lead. As the sample sizes get more meaningful someone will crunch numbers on this against the RE24 charts.
Reds.com with a story that they are swapping Castillo and Miley’s starts in Denver. Castillo on track and Wiley gets an extra day of rest
That’s wiley of them. 😉
Others have said it. I have said it. Bell burns through players WAY TOO FAST. I mean, it’s only the 10th inning, and we have no more bench players left? I’m sorry, but that’s utterly stupid for a big league manager.
I mean, even with the pitchers and how he uses so much of the pen. Probably because “most likely” teams will never be seeing a 17 inning game anymore. But, still, that’s “most likely”, not definitely. If this can happen with the bench players, the way Bell goes to the pen, it can just as easily happen with the pen.
Well, no one ever said Bell was the smartest manager. Well, we can see why. I mean, I didn’t like Baker, either. But, Bell makes Baker look smart. As well as, I did respect how Baker used his pen. He may have left a pitcher in for 1-2 batters too long or short. But, he never had a problem with running out of bench players in the 10th inning!
Mark my words, I wouldn’t be surprised if this comes back to burn Bell in the rear with his pen sometime, in a close game, and he runs out of pitchers to use.
This is the first time I’ve ever had Extra Innings on Directv and I’ve seen alot of teams run out of position players thru 9. Everyone has 13 pitchers or whatever so its fairly easy to do. Irregardless Bell ended up with Tucker vs a lefty in a key spot so he got worked as usual. Atleast Bell didn’t sit his best hitter who was 4-8 with 2 hrs off of their starter like the Pirates skipper did.
While I may have seen a big league manager run out of players before, I can’t remember the last time I’ve seen it, especially after 9 innings.
While a team has 13 pitchers on staff, they hesitate to use any starters in relief roles. That’s one thing that many people feel hurt Harang while he was here. Baker put him out there in an extra inning game between starts when he went long innings in those starts, if I recall correctly. And, Harang was never the same since.
Bell simply did wrong here.
I may be wrong, but didn’t Cleveland have to use a pitcher to pinch hit against the Reds? Or maybe the Pirates did?
Geno seems like an emotional player. The best thing for him mentally right now is a big hit that’s not a homerun. He needs to see smiling Jim Day talking to him without hitting driver off the tee.
Maybe this will show him that you don’t always need homeruns to be successful. Maybe a solid line drive hit and Coors field will cure him. Geno can carry the offense when hot.
A lot of room in Coors for Suarez to spray some hits in contrast to the, so-called, home Small Park.
don’t look now reds fans but our Cincinnati Reds are in the top 10 for mlb attendance! I know there are many factors at play but I think overall this is a great sign. i have said from the beginning this covid is the “great equalizer”. there is no longer “big” market and “small” market teams anymore as far as attendance.
i think that the bigger cities will be very very conservative about increasing their capacity in stadiums. yes, they have the big tv contracts but eventually this will take its toll even among the richest teams. there is a reason owners charge 9 dollars for a 20 ounce bottle of coke trust me. sound like Dewine is lifting all restrictions June 2nd in Ohio so it will be interesting to see what the reds decide to do.
And what will the public do? Just because the official mandates are lifted doesn’t mean people will automatically return to “normal” attendance patterns. And some folks comfortable attending now may decide they are not comfortable attending with face coverings and social distancing not in place. A team could lose a sizable sum by scaling up if the fans don’t come in proportion to the scale up level.
Very true in every regard Jim. I am excited to see how this plays out with attendance. Hopefully we get back to a fun and electric environment very quickly.
The likelihood remains that the Reds will be enjoying 20k+ fans regularly while NY or Boston will still have about 5k. The fans will come back bc this is a wave occurring nationwide, just sooner in some places.
The Brewers just went to 50% capacity effective This Saturday. 20k. Illinois making similar announcement tomorrow but it won’t be quite as liberating as DeWine’s most likely. Meanwhile I think pirates are stuck at 7500 as I haven’t seen news out of PA about changes.
Playoff reds could have big homefield advantages over a CA team or Mets/Phillies.
For PA, Wolf has said all mitigation efforts, other than mandatory mask wearing, will be lifted on Memorial Day. So, Pirates and Phillies crowds theoretically could go back to 100% on June 1st.
Mandatory masking will be lifted once 70% of adult population is fully vaccinated.
Hard to argue with Farmer/Senzel at the dish and in the field. Solid.
Sometimes I have to admit that have had a completely skewed vision on a certain situation. I guess because the bad always seems to slap you in the face more so than the good. Seems to me the Reds are absolutely horrible about leaving runners on and not getting the man in. You know man on 3rd, no outs or maybe one. We leave him stranded. I just the beautiful Heidi Whatney show an interesting stat. The Reds lead baseball in BA at 308 with Risp. The closest team is 20 points behind. Whoda thunk.
Last year I remember thinking the Defense was terrible with Winker and Castellanos, Moose at 2nd, and a couple very memorable whiffs by Votto at first during Bauer starts.
We had the fewest Errors in the NL and were top half in defensive runs saved.
And I like the way some hitters are tapping the ball to the opposite field.
Why a few games ago, a commenter who I cannot recall (VaRedsFan maybe?) looked it up and the Reds get the runner in from third at an astounding rate this season. Greater than 50% I think.
Maybe someone else remembers or knows how to look it up. Really opened my eyes.
I’ve been calling on the Reds to get Castillo on regular rest and they’ve finally lined it up! If it works then I’ll claim a little credit. If not then forget I mentioned it)) Why not? Nothing else is working at this point. Tapia 4-6 off Luis with 2b, 3b, and hr. I think if Luis can contain him then we could win going away tonite!
Win or lose, I’m giving you credit right now, Indy.
Castillo needs more than regular rest apparently.
Yielding 8 runs to the 13-24 Rockies in 3 and 2/3 innings is pathetic
Él necesita ayuda
Obviously Farmer will continue to play short and probably will after Joey returns and Moose goes back to second.This was what most thought was going to happen after the Reds failed to sign a short stop.Farmer has started 5 straight at short,made the plays he should make and hit also.I think however he is just holding down the spot until Garcia takes over but we will see.Still feel Senzel and India need to play every day but don’t see that happening for either one with 5 outfielders in the mix and the infield manned with veteran players making the most money.
I hope your wrong. The thought of Farmer as the everyday SS makes me nervous. I know he’s had a few good games, but he’s a reserve player, and usually reserves get exposed with prolonged playing time. I still think they need to bring up Rodriguez, or try out India at SS.
Well I like those two options too but until he proves otherwise we pretty much have to leave Farmer there. Don’t you think? You never know. It’s possible he could prove us wrong and have a really good year. He’s off to a good start as a starter. I think the most likely scenario will be him primarily being the backup catcher if/when Barnhart leaves.
I don’t think so, I think we already know what Farmer is. He’s a Jack of all trades, and a master of none. A valuable guy to have, but not an everyday starter. The ceiling is just to low for him to be the starting SS.
Yeah most likely. It is possible though. We’ll see if he can be consistent since he has gotten off to a good start. I really like him as the primary backup catcher if it doesn’t work out for him at SS once Barnhart leaves. That way we’ll still have him but Bell won’t be able to use him over more talented people at other positions very often. Bell won’t dare burn his only other catching option (we hope). As a backup catcher his hitting and fielding skills work pretty well. His versatility for other position emergencies will still be in play.