The Cincinnati Reds are experiencing a strange set of circumstances in Colorado during the current series against the Rockies. On Thursday night Nick Senzel was injured in the outfield attempting to make a catch at the wall and left the game with a heel contusion. He was out of the lineup on Friday night. During the game on Friday infielder Mike Moustakas suffered the same injury and left the game – though he appeared to injure his on a play at first base.
“He did come out of the game with a heel contusion,” said manager David Bell after the game. “I don’t know if he got stepped on or if he jammed it into the base trying to beat that play out. He did have it examined after the game. Everything was negative on the x-rays. We’ll have to see how it is tomorrow.”
After the game manager David Bell also had an update on Nick Senzel
“He made real good strides today from his heel contusion. I don’t know if he’ll start tomorrow, but he will be available off of the bench.”
Cincinnati is already playing with a short roster with left-handed reliever Amir Garrett still serving a 5-game suspension for “inciting a benched clearing incident” in the worst suspension we’ve ever seen from Major League Baseball. It does sound like Senzel should at least be available in some form on Saturday night. We don’t really know how Moustakas is going to feel tomorrow or if he’s likely to be available – only that the good news is that it doesn’t appear anything is broken in his heel. If he’s not available, though, the bench just got a lot shorter for a team that was already short-handed. That’s never good when you’re playing in Coors Field where you can eat through a roster rather quickly.
Could be worse. 🙂 Time for Stephenson to get a start at 1B?
Why start Stephenson when you have Blandino?
Don’t forget, they have to factor in scheduled days off that can’t be deviated from.
In spite of Miley’s problems, the bullpen held up very well and we could of used Nick in a still winnable game at Coors Field. Oh, but Nick had a scheduled day off for ?? Did he really need this now?
Well, April 19 was an off day, the next 2 games Nick served the suspension, he got scratched once and of course there was a rain out and some Red’s off days so that he was inactive 8 out of the last 26 days. But, David Bell got another chance to use the lineup randomizer with only Winker and India batting in the same position as the previous game.
“the lineup randomizer”
ROFL you have got to Trademark this!
You, knowing who the DataDumpster refers to, must realize that all the moves are based on data, right? 😉
So obviously the lineup randomizer(TM) gets input from the Dumpster to make its output
Repeating what I said over in the recap so those who have read it can skip on…. My guess would be that this was a scheduled day off for Castellanos to tend to some personal matter not related to baseball in the same way those of us who work(ed) in more normal jobs sometimes need(ed) to take a fixed day off for “personal/ private business.”
we hope
Like a dentist appointment?
Seems unlikely on a road game. Are you saying he wasn’t even there?
No he was in the dugout.
I think JW is just out of kindness and rationality offering a plausible explanation other than what it seems—that the manager has a preset schedule that he follows without respect to situation or circumstances
Rojo> Who knows? 2nd COVID shot? dental appt? some sort of Tx for a nonbaseball related situation at a fixed interval? Some kind of family situation which was scheduled weeks ago or more urgent that came up suddenly? He could have been literally about anywhere in the country if he hopped a private jet after Thursday’s game and still been physically back in the dugout before the end of Friday’s game but not up to snuff to play.
True
Nobody knows except the Shadow (and David Bell). But judging from the holistic data-driven approach that extends to every aspect of a player’s life and Nick’s recent “unexplained stiffness” that led to a recent scratch, I am more likely to believe that the day off was reserved for a stepped up yoga routine combined with specific hydrating vegetable consumption.
I’m sure most of us don’t think he really took a private jet to a doctors appt,bell has done this since he been there,he is not now or ever been flexible, by his own admission he makes his lineup several days in advance, but just can’t seem to make himself reevaluate due to injury or other circumstances
This team could probably get good if everyone was healthy.
Sonny missed a few weeks. Shogo missed six weeks. Lorenzen has missed the entire year.
Get healthy and run off some wins.
Todays line up is out. I wonder if they are even practicing or working out Stephenson at 1B.
It seems so obvious to put him there.
There was a report that they were. And he did play some 1B last night. But Bell favors Blandino/Farmer for fill-ins most of the time.
Its not that bell favors AAAA guys
Its AAAA guys dont:
A.) threaten the veteran and cause problems with said veteran
B.) undermine the organizational plan which has guaranteed $135 million to votto/suarez/moose.
What if the Reds benched Suarez for poor performance and india and Senzel moved to 2b and 3b and did well. The Reds now have guaranteed suarez is a $40 million sunk cost. Same with stephenson . What if he hits like crazy. What to do with Votto and Barnhart? Its better to hold them back .
Look at the outfield
Shogo got hurt and is now an overpaid bench player. In his case- krall didnt sign Shogo. No credible young player gets a chance at a position with an established vet owed tens or tens of millions . Its AAAA players
Trade Suarez. Give Akiyama and Moose a little more time. If they don’t come around, try a trade though I’m not optimistic. Votto? Stupid contract. Votto needs to retire but he won’t despite such comments in past. Fans are going to continue to be prisoners of bad management (all levels) and bad ownership.
@Old School
If this is indeed part of why we see what we’re seeing—then I think the Reds aren’t thinking ahead far enough. And what I mean is, how better to increase revenue to pay said salaries than to win win win? I don’t know anymore
@ rojo
Im actually very optimistic for 2022 if its played.
I envision an infield soon of youth.
Im more worried about the OF once Castellanos leaves and the $135 million owed to suarez moose and votto
I would trade moose and suarez
Moose has value
Suarez does not
Votto is a dinosaur
I’d bet the Rockies would jump on Suarez. Better than what they have. Controlled and affordable. Well suited to the park.
Suarez should have been traded after the 2019 season, Miley should have been traded after the no-no.
Senzel is beyond fragile. I still have no idea how he got hurt on that.
Man I want so bad for him to be a star but I have no argument against that