The San Francisco Giants have come to Cincinnati and looked every bit of the team with the best record in the National League so far. The Reds will look to pick up a win this afternoon against their former ace in an afternoon contest that’s exclusively being broadcast on Youtube.com/MLB.
Starting Lineups
San Francisco Giants
|
Cincinnati Reds
|
| Mike Yastrzemski – RF | Jesse Winker – LF |
| Darin Ruf – 1B | Nick Castellanos – RF |
| Brandon Crawford – SS | Tyler Stephenson – C |
| Evan Longoria – 3B | Tyler Naquin – CF |
| Alex Dickerson – LF | Eugenio Suárez – 3B |
| Mauricio Dubón – 2B | Kyle Farmer – SS |
| Steven Duggar – CF | Jonathan India – 2B |
| Curt Casali – C | Alex Blandino – 1B |
| Johnny Cueto – SP | Tyler Mahle – SP |
Starting Pitchers
Tyler Mahle
It’s been a good year for Tyler Mahle as he’s built on his breakout in 2020. This season he’s posted a 2.93 ERA in 43.0 innings with 15 walks and 52 strikeouts and a 1.14 WHIP.
In 2021 Mahle has had reverse splits. Lefties are hitting just .160/.269/.272 against him with 11 walks and 30 strikeouts in 93 plate appearances. Right-handed hitters are finding plenty of success against him as they are hitting .276/.321/.553 against him with 10 extra-base hits in 83 plate appearances. The sample size is small, but he’s also pitched much worse at home – 4.32 ERA with 5 homers allowed in 16.2 innings this season.
Pitch usage from 2021
| 4-Seam | Slider | Splitter | |
| Velo | 94.4 | 87.3 | 86.6 |
| Usage | 53% | 35% | 12% |
Johnny Cueto
After some struggles in the last two seasons where his ERA was over 5.00 in both years, Johnny Cueto is pitching well. In his five starts he’s posted a 3.62 ERA in 27.1 innings with five walks and 22 strikeouts.
Both lefties and righties have a .732 OPS against Cueto this year with an identical .309 on-base percentage and .423 slugging percentage. He’s struggled a bit in his two road starts, which were his first one and his last one. Hitters have hit .350/.395/.475 against him on the road this year with five doubles and his ERA is 4.50 across those two starts.
Pitch usage from 2021
| 4-Seam | 2-Seam | Slider | Change |
Curve | |
| Velo | 91.7 | 91.6 | 84.2 | 82.8 | 78.8 |
| Usage | 33% | 11% | 29% | 25% | 2% |
When and Where
- Game time: 12:35pm ET
- Where: Great American Ball Park, Cincinnati
- Watch: Youtube.com/mlb
- Listen: 700 WLW AM (Cincinnati area)
- Forecast: 79°, Sunny, 0% chance of rain
News and Notes
Mike Moustakas to the injured list
Prior to the game this afternoon the Reds placed Mike Moustakas on the 10-day injured list. They called up Max Schrock to take his place.
Nick Lodolo struck out 11 batters last night
It was a losing effort for all 5 teams in the organization on Wednesday, but not all was terrible. Nick Lodolo set a career high in innings and strikeouts as he fanned 11 in 7.1 1-hit innings for Double-A Chattanooga.
NL Central Standings
Playoff odds via Fangraphs
| Team | W | L | GB | Playoff % |
| Cardinals | 25 | 18 | 0 | 46.5% |
| Cubs | 21 | 21 | 3.5 | 21.6% |
| Brewers | 21 | 22 | 4.0 | 43.5% |
| Reds | 19 | 22 | 5.0 | 13.0% |
| Pirates | 17 | 25 | 7.5 | 0.1% |
It seems Lodolo may be ready for Louisville
I’m still a bit more optimistic on Lodolo than Greene. But, I hope both make it to Louisville before the season ends.
We need to send down either Hoffman or Fulmer or both and bring up Greene and Lodolo.
I still remember Mike Leake, a seasoned college pitcher, skipping the minors completely and competing from his first start.
Mike Leake is an unsigned free agent, btw, the last I checked.
So the Giants take 3 former Reds pitchers and come to dominate this road series for them… just an extra kick for Reds fans while we are down! (I get the rational reasons each is no longer a Red, but still stinks!)
Some reasons are more rational than others. This team doesn’t have a 5th starter and either of the two guys the Reds faced these last two days would have fit that bill and been within budget.
However, that ‘budget’ was dented by some FA signings like Shogo and the SS that never materialized.
The lesson for the Reds was they let Disco walk thinking expenses wouldn’t match performance and didn’t keep tabs. He ended up on a paltry 1 year – 6 million deal and the Reds could have (and should have) easily met that asking price had they kept in contact and actively monitored as expectations for his cost tumbled.
Unless the Reds can take this one, in my mind, the apparent SF jinx will continue with a sweep, the loss of the 2012 playoffs, and the two Bengal defeats to SF in the Super Bowl.
Don’t forget Archie Bradley
I think they have 4 former Reds pitchers — Cueto, Disco, Guasman and A. Wood.
Still, we got spanked all four games with three of those guys on the mount. Dispiriting, to be sure.
Didn’t Leake sit out the season last year? If he isn’t injured now I am surprised he isn’t with a team. Maybe it is by choice. I would rather have Leake than Hoffman.
Yes, he opted due to the coronavirus protocols.
It’s not often but today I like the positioning and order of Bell’s lineup card. It gives them a decent chance given the current difficulties. Alas, don’t overlook Doug’s tip about the Youtube broadcast today. Will bring back fond memories of Johnny Cueto while getting the opportunity to watch a team with similar (or less) talent than the Reds perform so well. Maybe this series will prove so embarrassing for Bell that a “bench Joey Votto moment” might be in the works to at least light a match under this team and Bell himself to get back on track.
Good ol Blandino back at first. LOl I guess the idea of having our two good hitting catchers in the lineup when the offense is struggling only lasted a day. Wouldn’t want to overdue it would we? 🙂
I would guess that Bell doesn’t have enough data in his magic slot to know how often a catcher can be played in a non-catching position.
Come on now. It’s Blandino’s turn to play. Let’s be fair about this. 🙂
I’d rather that it be a “fire David Bell” movement, but I digress.
I think it is time to call up Lodolo and stick him in the rotation. He doesn’t walk hitters. Sure he’ll get squeezed by the umps the first few times out, but the umps need to show who is the boss. Right? Why waste good pitching at AA? If he can make it past 5 innings, he’ll be as good as anyone else in the rotation. But this is the Reds, and they will advance him slowly through the minors and finally bring him up just in time for TJ surgery. The Reds need an ownership and front office make-over. It is painful to continue to be so bad. – Memo to Big Bob from long suffering fan.
Bell’s ‘adjustments’ to these injuries has been woeful. I’ve looked at all the old game logs since May 5 (Votto) and observed the following.
Bell’s new IF became Suarez (3rd), Farmer (SS), and Moose 1st, w/ Senzel/India platooning 2nd.
Moose’s injury led to some shuffling of deck chairs and the biggest change was splitting starts for Blandino/Farmer at first while poppoing Senzel over to 3rd for a couple games and moving Geno back to SS.
The biggest gripes:
1. Bell elected to make Farmer an everyday player after Votto’s injury. While this is necessary now, down three starters, it was wholly unnecessary when Senzel and Moose were healthy and Shogo was returning.
2. Bell elected to keep Suarez playing everyday while making all the above moves.
3. Bell elected to ‘play it safe” by letting Farmer and Blandino take over 1st when Moose got injured. In so doing, he let the OF glut fester and failed to consistently get his best bats in the game.
The biggest beneficiaries of playtime during injury were Nanquin (who got more PT as Senzel moved between 2nd, 3rd, and OF) and Farmer who has started every game since the injury. The former makes sense (but that too has been at the expense of getting Shogo back up to speed) but the latter makes none.
Meanwhile, Stephenson had about 26 PA ( and 23 PA or so in the 10 games prior) – so little to no change (last night’s game made the only difference)
CONCLUSION OF RANT: In the offseason this team made the considered decision that of the ‘in house options’ Farmer starting at SS was not viable. They allowed Suarez to take that position and reasoned (and fairly so) that maximizing offensive output should mitigate defensive liabilities the move created. It didn’t. Votto is injured and Bell takes the opportunity to reverse course on the Farmer starting gig, while keeping the submarining Geno as an everyday player at 3rd when Moose slid over.
He failed to move Winker to make a spot for Nanquin/Shogo. He failed to move Stephenson so get him everyday ABs. He went with a safe option that moderately improved the D while reducing the O overall. He made Kyle Farmer an everyday player as his biggest change since Votto’s injury and that is obviously a sub-optimal solution.
Mahle with 28 pitches in the first …
Is anyone else loving not having to listen to John Sadak?
It does seem like a day off from Sadak, but on the other hand, the youtube screen graphics makes me feel like a day trader.
Giants capitalize, Reds squander.
The theme is rapidly becoming pitch around 1,2 spots and then deal with the lineup after.
That’s what smart pitchers do, right?
i miss Cueto 🙂
Geno has absolutely no approach at the plate. That’s it. That’s the post.
WHY ARE WE CONSIDERING BASESTEALING WITH TWO OUTS!! It’s the stupidest decision to make, especially when you’ve been struggling for baserunners in the series.
Wade says a word on live youtube that I can’t say here…..
Mahle 58 pitches and six outs.
Just sell the team Bob
Giants putting on a clinic.
Blandino is going to get to pitch today.
Aw Man! We should have saved his arm like TJA. Then he wouldn’t have been playing the past week or so. lol 🙂
Luckily the PGA is on so I don’t have to pay a lot of attention to this game. The game is demoted to the laptop with the sound muted.
With the exception of Winker and Casty, this team is officially unwatchable right now.
Not sure if its Stephenson or someone in the dugout but the pitch selection isn’t the best today. Seems Mahle is (was) trying to get them to go after bad pitches and the ump and the Giants hitters with their patience isn’t getting that done. Wish the Reds were that patience sometimes.
Our beloved Redlegs are all on the struggle bus
Clete out
I took a 20 year hiatus from this team until last season. I don’t know how you folks have remained so committed over the years. I commend you. This team is a poor excuse for a “professional” sports team. The good is good, the bad is really bad.
Since the Astros left, this team has been the last place team of the division every year except the last two. As for worst teams in the NL over the last seven or eight years. The Reds must rank in the bottom 10 perhaps even the bottom five
“Can you get the lights, Clete?”
The Reds are about to be swept with their best pitcher on the whole staff throwing 1 inning.
*not throwing 1 inning
gross mismanagement of resources
Bell has started Farmer Every Single Game since Votto got hurt. Also they miss management of resources
Also gross mismanagement. Voice to text.
I’m just so tired of this product. (As of this 14-1 score) Last year was the best in 8 and they still basically finished 3rd.
Well we’ve got 7 innings to make up 8 runs…provided we don’t give up any more.
Correction – 10 runs to make up in 7 innings. Sorry.
Well that slam pretty much does it. A while three innings of hope is over. Swept at home in 4 game series. Maybe tomorrow will be better.
Cueto might be retired before he gets a chance to pitch again in this game.
Giants game plan: take pitches, make Miley work, up his pitch count.
Reds game plan: same as always, do damage.
Way too predictable. Giants dominating. Here comes the sweep.
Can the Reds get some Major League talent? Because what they’ve got isn’t working…
If the player wants more than $5 a game no they can’t (or at least don’t want to)
there was a post here, i believe here yesterday, that was defending the reds so called manager (i use that term lightly) ……there is no one that has any sense of professional baseball that can honestly defend this man. I have been a reds die-hard fan since i was in 5th grade…..I am now 59 years old….. I have never disliked a manager more than this current man at the helm of the reds. This game, this series takes the cake….you come from a road trip claiming you are coming home with all the momentum and this is what you offer? You had a chance to win a game in the series yesterday and you put a guy in a one run game that has no business pitching in the major leagues. And his explanation, for using an inferior pitcher (if you heard it) was the most pathetic coach dribble I had ever heard. The only good thing that, hopefully, will come out of this horrible season, will be Mr Bell getting the boot!
The Reds didn’t score a run yesterday.
That Antone wasn’t used in the 9th was terrible but the team scored zero runs. They weren’t going to win.
And Bell knew that? Maybe keeping it to 1 run for that last AB changes things. You can’t justify decisions with ad hoc knowledge.
Didn’t hear it, what was his excuse?
David Bell’s last game?
We can only hope …
No way Big Bob is going to let him go while he’s under contract. I doubt Krall has freedom to much of anything except save money.
Save money and take a chance that a relief pitcher will work out.
When?
Could be a good day to add some offensive stats so we can talk about how we are getting it done at the plate.Cookie time for our hitters and double switches clear the bench and Blandino time for our manager
What happened???
I got on a call for about 30 minutes and they dropped another 8 runs on us? We’re scrooged at this point beyond recovery for this game and probably for the season.
Sorry to be a Debbie Downer, but reality is biting VERY hard here.
So it’s your fault for leaving…;-)
Sweeeeep!!!
yes … but in reverse and in our own house. -500 and no soup for you!!
Don’t worry everyone, Bell is now managing the bullpen with urgency.
I love this Win Today mentality. Great time when down 8-0.
Had been looking forward to the free YouTube viewing day (I hardly ever get to watch live games). What a disappointment. Guess I’ll find something more productive and fulfilling to do ….
14 more straight singles and we’re right back in this.
Pad those stats boys.Its cookie time from Johnny who says get me out after 5 I have dinner plans before we leave town.
You figure he’s had his Skyline and Precinct visits already? Probably the Boathouse on the way to the airport for carry-out?
I checked the game on a break at work since it is on Youtube and oh my gosh what happened? What a disaster of an afternoon. The Giants own the Reds.
Certified rotten tomatoes
Rats I just knew Eugenio would have got a cookie to hit from Johnny but maybe next inning butttttt I have to go.Any bets he gets one next inning?
Just a pretty bad baseball team who were exposed these four games by the Giants, a good team , not a great team. Exposed in every facet of the game.
I’m curious how they respond against the Brewers, minus two of their best pitchers this week-end. I think getting back to .500 will be a chore for a team who can’t seem to ever manufacture any runs. Funny thing about this is the one and two hitters are doing the job and they still can’t manufacture runs.
Just tuned in. Reds down 10-0 in third inning. Not only a sweep but a Memorial Day collapse of the Reds season. Principal owner Castellini has to let Krall do something significant to save the season.
OK, THAT was a slick DP (if it stands)
Just checked in, down 10-1 in the 4th. Yikes. And Suarez hitless. Good thing they called up Shrock. To paraphrase Chevy Chase, from the 70s when SNL was actually funny, David Bell is still managing.
Woof. Thought I would sneak out of work for a bit and catch some on TV.
Never mind….
Reds care too much about their fans to encourage them to miss work and watch them.
What in the world? So glad Bell saved Antone for today! I give up.
I hope Castellanos is man enough to do what Paul George and Victor Oladipo wouldn’t do for my Pacers. Just to say I’m checking out of here asap so whatever you can get for me, it would be in your best interests to do.
I’m a Reds fan since ’68. The Big Red Machine era was so amazing that I manage through miserable seasons – like this one – but, dang, it has been rough through these Castellini years and I am… just… about… burnt. David Bell is so ludicrously bad a manager that it borders on surreal. There is on this roster, I believe, a better than .500 team and Bell seems determined to prevent it from flourishing. We FINALLY have some real hitters (Winker, Castellanos, Stephensen) who don’ wilt under pressure but seem to thrive on it, one of the best catchers in baseball, a young home-grown pitcher who looks solid (Mahle) and a very good, very steady number 2 in Gray. Perhaps I’m wrong, but I have a hard time believing the players like the random position assignments and radically different batting orders day-to-day. Continuing to pencil in Suarez in or around the cleanup slot is, finally, insane. No other manager I have ever seen would bat a guy cleanup who is hitting 150 points LOWER than guys batting behind him in the order. It has reached the point that I was hoping Naquin would walk last inning so Suarez could come up with the bases loaded and two outs. And strike out. That’s not healthy. I don’t want to be there.
I’m thinking the Reds may not see .500 again this year. The early season projections are starting to look generous.
Paul Daugherty discussed this in his column yesterday:
“If we define mediocrity as losing as often as winning – and we do – here’s a list of the Reds record versus .500 since 2013. It’s a study in unremarkable-ness:
2020: Six days spent over .500.
2019: One day over .500. That was Opening Day.
2018: Zero days over .500.
2017: 17 days over .500, zero after May 14.
2016: 11 days over .500. Zero after April 20.
2015: 13 days over .500. Zero after May 14.
2014: 60-59 on Aug. 12. 16-27 thereafter.
Between 2015 and 2020, the Reds enjoyed 48 days with a winning record. (Give or take, there were off days sprinkled in.) Forty-eight days in six seasons, seven weeks in six years.
We’re not talkin’ 1st place, or 2nd. We’re talkin’ playing even one game better than .500 baseball. Forty-eight days.”
🙁
Not fun. Not acceptable. Grouchiness-inducing.
How are the giants so good at
Identifying good managers?
I know the Reds. Thats why I picked up Brandon Crawford on both my fbb teams. He’s only got 5 runs, 2 hrs, 6 rbis in 2.5 games
Gabp is a bigger joke then this organization. Kris Bryant would hit 50+ hrs every year if he was a Red and I’m factoring in that he wouldn’t be able to feast on our pitching.
Please forgive me for repeating comments that I made in this post before the game started:
“Maybe this series will prove so embarrassing for Bell that a “bench Joey Votto moment” might be in the works to at least light a match under this team and Bell himself to get back on track.”
I did not consider what to hope for and don’t even have a word to describe what happened today which is beyond embarrassment.
Thats what makes it so frustrating,It doesn’t matter to this organization.This is a major beat down and nothing will change short of a couple of relievers being sent down.I have come to expect the worst but I can’t even fathom some of things we have seen so far this year.Kids in diapers running around with a plastic ball and bat are doing better.
Sub time, except for Suarez of course who is too valuable to take out of the game. I’ve said since the season started that Bell has to go. The FO & ownership disagrees. So I guess the fans have to go. The Giants will take 6 out of 7 this season. The Reds just aren’t a successful team and their brief flurry at the start of the season was an anomaly. Revert to form and sadly I think 2020 was the form.
THe New York Giants, are looking good today, But how did the Bengals score only 1 Point?
I taped the game to watch later in order to get some yard work done. Looks like I wont be watching this debacle. The Reds wasted their 1 run and 6 whopping hits today. Zero chance Castellanos comes back next year. Castellini just put in for more bobbleheads and fireworks to get people in the stands.
Seven innings in: Reds down 18 to 2. Change needed. Casali is still in town. Offer him the Red’s managership. Oh, I forgot. We need a new principal owner first.
ESPN showing Blandino is at 89 on his fastball and punched out Casalli on 3 pitches.WOW and must be the highlight of the day.
He is better than Fullmer or Doolittle
He really is. Changing speeds from 70 to 90 mph has hitters totally befuddled.
I told you Eugenio would get a cookie and with 2 strikes down 16 in the 8th.Now you know why he is still in the game.Only 42 more to go to reach 50.I got to ask cause I don’t watch the games but did he stand and watch it?
18-4 on my check-in between meetings. And I didn’t think it could get that much worse from what I saw earlier.
If this doesn’t tip the scales against DB, I don’t know what will … but I’m not optimistic that will happen. And then who replaces him?
Nothing will tip the scale against Bell. He is a member of the FO club.
Sorry only 41 more to reach 50 for Suarez.
Yep, and now we’ll have to listen to how “Suarez is back”
As “Lark” keeps saying, “He’s close. He’s hitting the ball hard. It’s gonna happen.”
Easy fellow he just moved to 601 in OPS so expect him to be back in the 3 or 4 spot against the Brewers.
Had to leave but did Cueto make his dinner on time?
People need to open their eyes.You’re crying about Bell but Sparky Anderson couldn’t mange this rag tag bunch that the Reds front office threw together
Actually he could.. there’s talent here.
With just a couple good players ? No he couldn’t
1975 – Reds are 18-19 and Sparky needs to “do something”. Has a bat in Foster sitting on the bench and Vokovich and his .221 batting average languishing at 3rd. Decides to move Rose from OF to 3rd and put Foster in lineup in left. Reds win next 41 out of 50 and the rest is history. Not saying that will happen with current team, but mismanagement of everyday players, bench and bullpen seems to be apparent to most people on this forum. Agree there is talent on this team, just need the right skipper to lead them.
Money bags Bob has owned the Reds for 15 Years 3 playoff appearances 0 playoff game wins
Your lack of baseball knowledge is blinding you to the real issue