| Final | R | H | E |
|---|---|---|---|
| Milwaukee Brewers (38-28) | 2 | 4 | 0 |
| Cincinnati Reds (33-31) | 10 | 11 | 0 |
| W: Gutierrez (3-1) L: Lauer (1-3) | |||
| FanGraphs Win Probability | Statcast | Box Score | Game Thread | |||
There is no team in baseball with a better record than the Cincinnati Reds’ 11-3 mark since May 29th.
The patient Reds offense worked two walks in the first inning off Eric Lauer, and scratched across a run. The offense really got going in the second inning. Jonathan India smoked an RBI double to increase the Reds lead to 2-1.
Jesse Winker joined in the party with an RBI single, and Nick Castellanos hustled to avoid a double play to increase the Reds lead to 4-1.
Vladimir Gutierrez pitched another exceptional game, allowing just two runs over six innings. The Reds battered bullpen allowed him to stay in much longer than David Bell would have wanted, but his 110th pitch of the night was a strikeout to get through six brilliant innings.
Joey Votto hit his third home run since returning from the IL in the 7th inning to give the Reds bullpen some much needed breathing room.
Speaking of the Reds bullpen, they got the job done tonight. Hembree, Garrett and Warren combined to shutout the Brewers. But the Reds offense was not done. Eugenio Suarez finally got some good luck with a bloop 2-run single. Aristides Aquino put the Brewers to bed for good in his first start back of the IL with a two-run bomb. The Reds won 10-2 to get to within three games back in the loss column behind the Brewers and Cubs.
Biggest Play of the Game
According to Fangraphs WPA statistic (winning percentage added), the most important play of the game was Jonathan India’s RBI double in the 2nd inning to increase the Reds lead to 2-1 (runners on 2nd & 3rd with 1 out). That play increased the Reds probability of winning by 14.6% (from 54.0% to 68.6%).
Positives
Vladimir Gutierrez was just awesome: 6.0 IP, 4 H, 2 R, 2 BB, 6 K. The Brewers had just a .157 expected batting average tonight off Vlad. What a lift he has been to the Reds rotation, and at a time they desperately needed it.
Jonathan India reached base four times. The rookie now has a 116 wRC+ on the season.
Joey Votto hit his third home run since returning from the IL.
Aristides Aquino made his first start since returning from the IL. He had a key walk in the Reds second inning rally, hit a bomb and made a really nice running catch. Aquino was in CF tonight, and it looks like the plan will be for Aquino to platoon there with Naquin. The Reds have control of the 27-year old Aquino through the 2024 season.
Heath Hembree struck out all three batters he faced, and threw the fastest pitch of anyone on the night at 97.2 MPH. Hembree entered the day with a 2.86 expected ERA according to Statcast. There just might be something there if he can find a way to keep the ball in the park a little bit better.
Amir Garrett pitched a perfect inning, striking out 2. Garrett’s season numbers still look really brutal, but he has not allowed a run in 11 of his last 14 appearances.
Negatives
The Cardinals finally won a game tonight.
Not so random thoughts……………..
The Brewers did not have to pitch Eric Lauer tonight. They are currently going with a six man rotation, which also means that Brandon Woodruff will not pitch the series finale (he could on normal rest). Depending on how tomorrow goes, Craig Cousell could really come to regret that move.
You have to wonder if either Sean Doolittle is hurt or completely fallen off the depth chart. Bell elected to go with Hembree in the 7th inning, despite two left-handed batters due up at the bottom of the Brewers order.
Up Next:
Reds at Brewers
Tuesday, 8:10 PM
TV: Bally Sports Ohio
Luis Castillo (4.03 xERA) vs Brett Anderson (8.31 xERA)
Thanks Nick,
Good win. Can’t complain about the bullpen tonight. This team still has a lot of talent save SS and the bp. Love having AA back.
Reds should go to a six man rotation when Gray comes back, then reevaluate at all-star break.
that is not a bad idea
They should trade Gray, honestly. He’ll be 32 at the end of this season, and he still has value, but he’s not going to be part of the “Next Great Reds Team”. With Lodolo, Greene, Santallin, Mahle, Castillo, and now maybe Vlad around, the Reds need to strike while the iron is hot and get something good in return for Gray.
For example, I wonder if a team like the Braves is in the hunt come August, if they’d be willing to take Gray, Castellanos, and a AA level player in exchange for Cristian Pache, A.J. Minter, and another prospect or two. That would solve the Reds’ CF problem for the foreseeable future and clear up the rotation a bit.
For the record, I also think the Reds should trade Miley, Suarez, Moose, and maybe Castillo, and do what they can to get some young, sure-fire prospects all over the field. With a young core of Winker/India/Senzel/Stephenson already in place, and a plethora of young pitchers knocking on the door of the rotation, the Reds are just a few trades away from having a dynamite young team.
If you’re going to sell everybody, why wouldnt you also sell Castellanos. Makes no sense to me. If they just traded a guy like Gray I can see that but not all the names you listed.
I’m really not opposed to the Reds just going for it since I dont really like teams just panicking and selling off at the first sign of trouble. Not really what I want out of teams as a fan. We will obviously differ in opinion because of this.
I did suggest trading Castellanos as well.
And what I’m suggesting is not panicking, what I’m suggesting is the Reds make the bold move of selling high on their assets to solidify their future. Like I said in my post, they should trade for someone like Pache, someone who has massive upside and is very close to being MLB ready. He’s basically Billy Hamilton with power and the ability to get on base. And the Braves desperately need pitching and a OF bat. Gray and Castellanos both are still young enough that they could help the Braves for a few more seasons, and could also help them right away, which Pache may not be able to do.
The Reds almost have their infield of the future (C Stephenson, 1B Winker, 2B India, 3B Senzel), as well as the rotation of the future (Castillo, Lodolo, Santillan, Greene, Vlad, Mahle), what they need is a SS and OF of the future. Aquino maybe could be one of those pieces, but they need more. Plus, with the money saved from a mini-firesale, they would be well positioned to land free agents needed to shore up any holes.
I don’t think the Reds would be this bold, but they absolutely should do it. They are on the cusp of something big, and this team as currently constructed is not a World Series contender. But with the right pieces, they could build that contender and keep them together for a long, long time.
The problem with selling assets for prospects is the dismal failure rate of prospects. How many times do we have to watch valued prospects fail or stall before we value current performance. This leads to constant rebuilds in my opinion through Mass sell offs.
No sell off. The future is now with the addition of a BP asset or 2 they are better than anyone in the division. I am tired of always playing for 3 years down the road.
I’ve seen enough of the other NL Central teams to say with a good amount of confidence that none of these other teams are better than the Reds. Solidify the bullpen and there’s no reason the Reds can’t win this division.
Yes, indeed. !
Really satisfying win. It looked like the Reds had Lauer on the ropes hard in the first inning, but despite throwing 31 pitches Lauer held the Reds to just one run. In the past those missed opportunities have often led to a losing night, but the offense came back out and eventually turned it into a rout. Good pitching across the board, and a nice night at the plate, especially for the young and old – India, Stephenson and Votto in particular. And as much as I love me some Joey Votto the biggest good news came from Gutierrez – fantastic effort – the bullpen in shut. down. mode. – and Aquino back with highlight plays on both sides of the ball. Great win in game one of a road series against the first place Brewers. Can’t wait for tomorrow night!
Great game all around. That was fun!
I wonder if Shogo and/or Senzel (once he’s healthy) could bring back a solid bullpen arm. With AG coming around, and Atone and Lorenzen returning soon(ish), another reliable option in the pen would put the Reds in a great position for the stretch run IMO.
*Antone
This may have been commented on in the game thread, and elsewhere. But I did think it was interesting that Aquino played CF. Some time ago, Doug Gray did not think that Aquino should be in CF, despite being a good athlete.
I think the Reds’ need to see what Aquino can do with a lot of at-bats, because I see him replacing Castellanos in RF next year if NIck opts out. If he can produce, which I think he can. He is not exactly like George Foster, but he reminds me of him, just because he is so strong and hits the ball so hard.
I think you are thinking about Rolando Roomes. 🙂
Let’s hope Aquino is much better than him.
He reminds me of George Foster too…and a little Tony Perez and Eric Davis mixed in.
… and a little Johnny Bench
Aquino is a fine defender, he has good instincts, good speed, good glove, and a cannon for an arm. Doug was committed to the idea of Senzel as your everyday CF. I would love to see him get a real opportunity, but it’s hard to argue his playing over Naquin. I have come around to the idea of trading Naquin. I think we are deep enough in the OF that we won’t feel the loss. Naquin should be able to bring back a good bullpen arm, plus a lotto ticket maybe.
The team is not feeling the absence of Senzel at this time that’s for sure. I’m a fan of his, but I’m also glad the Reds are winning without him.
If Senzel was ready to resume play tomorrow, it would be an interesting question how to use him. I don’t see him taking over any position from anyone currently starting. When you’re in a race, as this team is (at least for a moment), the developmental questions are no longer applicable. If Aquino becomes the platoon righthanded batting CF, Senzel might have to go to Louisville to get some regular playing time (and not just for rehab). He’d be available for a callup then if other injuries occur.
I just wish Joey would retire and quit getting paid he is such a drag on team.
Not a big Votto fan myself lately but did you watch the game tonight?
And still one of the best starting 8 guys, so why you’d want the team to be worse is beyond me. He’s not retiring, and I’ll never understand why anybody even thinks about such nonsense. Just get over it and hope the Reds find anyone better than him for 1B before we start this ridiculous talk.
I think he was kidding because Votto did so well tonight and lately. 🙂
Yep I think the “/s” was missing
Otherwise you know Votto just hasn’t done anything other than RAKE since he came back lol
That comment clearly went way over your head
Yes clearly, lol
Definite sarcasm so tired of reading get rid of most proven producer or that he owes team retirement.
Cool, no worries. I got sarcasm’d
Who would have guessed that in mid June the Reds could have a winning record and Vladimir Gutierrez would have as many victories as Castillo and Gray combined.
No one. Butbthis kid looks solid. Very mature.
As long as more players return from IL, the new promotions pay off and others start to come around, the team looks better everyday. The OF is solid and deep, the starting rotation has really turned the corner and catchers continue to be very good. Still of concern is SS and bullpen. The bullpen shall improve when Antone, Lorenzen and Hoffman return, but the SS will continue to be the scapegoat unless a trade for a short-term solution is made. Now that Aquino has returned, Akiyama looks like a good trade chip unless they decide to part ways with Castellanos by the deadline.
India’s solidified himself at 2B lately, very nice to see. I’m sure others disagree, but I think they’ve handled him very well this year, especially regarding playing time and when they moved him up the line-up – I think were both spot on. Big props for sticking with him when he was struggling.
I said this in another post a few days ago but I love watching India play from the start of the season he puts such quality ab’s together and has some speed too which is nice. His defense overall has been pretty good too. Go India, I hope you get to stay at 2b when all our injured guys come off the IL.
India has made some great adjustments to the league. If he can continue to do that, he has a very bright future.
Not to take away from him, but Stephenson has been even better – especially with filling in at 1B on top of his catching duties.
What I like about both of them is their disciplined approaches at the plate.
I hope the Reds develop Jose (formerly Garcia but can’t remember his new last name) in a similar fashion.
Another point regarding this team. They had struggled earlier when Moose was out of the lineup. And seemed to perk up when Moose was back. But Moose has been gone during this amazing run. I wonder if that’s a great sign other leaders are emerging.
Man, I really want to see one more Wet Hot Votto Summer and it kinda looks like I might get it.
They can’t India now. Not from 2B or leadoff. If he starts to run out of gas after the break or something then thats another story.
Its going to be a tough call with Moose though? It seems obvious that Suarez cannot play SS, but how else will Moose play every day? I would try to give him away. He’s a good player, but I never liked the signing and they’re on the hook for $14/mil or something next year too.
Personally I’d just stick to the original plan and play Suarez at SS
@2020 agree on India especially since he’s been leading off. The lineup experiments are at a minimum now, I suppose because the players are dictating it with their play. I’m satisfied anyway that the manager is paying attention to who is performing and letting them perform. Hard to ignore what Winker and Castellanos have been accomplishing!
Count me as among those who questioned India when he had his 5-for-52 (or thereabouts) slump.
I was wrong. In my judgment, India is permanently ahead of Moustakas at second.
Manager Bell has the team playing very well. The Bull pen seems to be turning the corner and with TJ and Lorenzen inching closer to returning it should improve even more.
Seems all the position players are producing at key moments. With many getting a chance to contribute. Moose starting a rehab today.
Will be interesting to see how the team uses Moose upon his return. I no many want to move India to SS but Larkin mentioned on a telecast that it may not be range holding India back but his arm. Right now I have to believe it will be Suarez back at SS and Moose at 3rd.
Moose can cover 1b, 2b and 3b when they need a day off. Don’t mess with things by putting a square peg into a round hole. Suarez has no business at SS
That certainly is a way to go. I actually think putting Suarez at SS may have played a part of his hitting struggles. My fear is they are paying Moose a lot of money to not be a everyday player. Time will tell.
I don’t think Moose will be the guy coming in to spell India, Suarez, and Votto. That would indicate he gets a start now and then. I could see a 4 man rotation of sorts, where they all get somewhat equal playing time. The most likely scenario is Suarez back to SS. India has played too well to be put on the bench, and guys like Suarez, Votto, and Moustakes don’t ride the bench.
Satisfactory win. A win Tuesday would be very satisfactory.
Absolutely. Wins do not go amiss.
Congratulations on a great win. They didn’t take their foot of the gas in the later innings and that shows how focused they are. The leadership that JV shows as the elder statesman, hustling all the time and showing his emotion is contagious. Castellanos and Winker bring a certain swagger to the lineup and Moose will make it even deeper.
Gotta give credit to Bell for sticking with players who were struggling and finding ways or them to regain their confidence and play like they know they can. AG is a good example of that. Having AG pitch like he has in the past will be huge.
Fun team to watch, mostly because the effort is so evident. Taking extra bases, diving for balls, etc. Great group of guys to watch.
Where’s Amy??
I looked for her to, and couldn’t find her 🙁 Some how she always brightens up my day.
Just watched the top of the 9th. What a show!
Can we keep the pressure on and win one more up there?
Vlad has been a breath of fresh air for the rotation. He’s making a great case to stick around when everyone is back and healthy. The most exciting (and somewhat unexpected) thing to me about this team is how the young guys are performing. India has made the adjustments after a bit of a slump and is really an asset at the top of the lineup and in the field. Stephenson has shown his bat belongs. Santillan came up and showed some good fight. Sort of reminds me of those 2010-2012 Reds teams that had a lot of young guys leading the way with a few veterans mixed in.
Not to be completely outshined, old-man Votto has been coming on after getting back to game speed. It’s nice to see him still out there making a difference.
The last two weeks have been fun. The Reds have been hot. Hopefully it can continue.
If they send him down or to the BP, I’m done. No way that happens, right?
I don’t think so. I think Hoffman was just barely hanging on to the rotation before the injury. He’ll probably slot into the bullpen upon return. At least I hope so.
I’m guessing the debate in the front office regarding Hoffman right now is whether they want to release him and eat the remainder of his contract, or keep him on the roster once he recovers. If he stays, it would almost certainly have to be as a long reliever and emergency spot starter. You’ll have a large portion of the fan base legitimately wondering what the priorities are if Gutierrez goes when Hoffman returns.
I don’t know if there just has to be something to complain about but Kyle Farmer has done a very solid job at shortstop. He doesn’t hit like an All star but he makes as all the plays defensively he should make and a few he shouldn’t. If the Reds had a first and third baseman all year that hit like a first and third baseman then the shortstops offense would not be an issue.
Certainly he plays a credible defensive SS, but the offense is woeful. A 58 OPS+ just won’t cut it even for a bench player. -.4 WAR overall means he’s giving away defensive value at the plate. He’s been given a very long look (190PA) and has only managed 8 walks w/o any power (.324 SLG) to fill that void. At 30, he’s a AAA insurance policy imo.
“If the Reds had a first and third baseman all year that hit like a first and third baseman then the shortstops offense would not be an issue.”
Well said
I agree MK. on most teams, you’re not expecting much offense from one one of the middle infield positions – either 2b or SS. In our case, his lack of production is magnified by the lack from 3b – and until recently – from 1b. Farmer will be adequate for rest of the year until they either bring in someone cut loose or Barrero who can provide better defense for a potential playoff run. The focus needs to be on fixing the bullpen, not being unrealistic about our shortstop position. Its a long season.
Guti, Guti, Guti rocking everywhere.
Great team win but Guti was so key to this victory.Game was 4-2 after the 2nd inning and our bats were quiet until the 7th but he held the Brew Crew without a hit for the next 4 innings.The pen went 3 perfect innings with 6 punch outs after he left.Lots of discussion will take place about buying or selling at the break.My heart says stay the course and just maybe we can but my mind says we can’t.Reds must think things through and decide on what to do with Casty.I feel even though he would be a rental somebody will over pay for him and we have to be very smart.I want to look to the future and now is the time.Younger players are stepping up and we have a surplus of starting pitching depth that are already helping and the best are still in the minors.I fear we stand pat and chant the fight song one more year but we will see.If we can add young depth position player wise and I know its a gamble we need to look at it.
Was at the game last night. A few thoughts.
–Vlad is essentially a 2 pitch guy. He’ll flash that 12-6 curve occasionally but he’s essentially fastball slider, and the slider is plus (from my vantage point 5 feet behind Tyler watching his pregame bullpen!). I think ultimately he’ll play up out of the bullpen, but his command as a starter will dictate that. What I did see is that this kid is physically much stronger than expected, so durability shouldn’t be an issue. No change in velo even after he passed the 100 pitch mark.
–when doesn’t Tyler Stephenson fill up the stat sheet with deep counts, walks, and balls put in play to all fields? Profiles like an excellent 2 hole hitter, but you can’t bump Nick to cleanup. Maybe next year…
–Aquino ran down a couple tough balls last night….excellent reads off the bat. Despite his height, he can run well. I don’t see why he couldn’t stick in a CF platoon defensively.
–I’m just not seeing it with the Brewers. Certainly they have starting pitching and their bullpen (when they have a lead) is deadly, but their positional players don’t come close to ours. I gotta think that will shake out over the next 100 games. It could just be that the Cubs are the team to worry about more.
The Brewers are currently missing Kolten Wong and Lorenzo Cain (injury) and Keston Hiura (minors). Those players will definitely improve Milwaukee’s attack when they return.
Hiura is basically in the minors because of the yips. Cant throw to first as a second baseman and couldn’t throw to second as a first baseman. I dont see him coming back up until there is a DH.
Hiura has been awful w the bat at the ML level this year
Watch the last 4 innings this morning.
solid game, great starting pitching, offense added on to take pressure off bullpen.
Great baseball in June, team needs to keep winning.
Hopefully Castillo has a solid 6+ innings tonight. He was one out from 6 innings last time (with only 1 run allowed) when Adames (0-2 so far in game) was coming up runners with 1st and 2nd (both on via walk). Changed to Sims whom allowed both runners to score plus one more of own and that game over.
Bell did not take Gutiérrez out tonight in the 6th with a higher pitch count which I am very happy he left Gutiérrez in the game. , if the same situation occurs on Tuesday with Castillo pitching, hope he stays with Castillo instead of going to the bullpen to finish out the 6th.
The only way a starting pitcher can get out of those situations is to be allowed to do just that.
Good Vibes for the team.
Much of that is dependent on who is available in the pen and also considering We’d. Is a day game. Many things to consider in managing your bull pen over a season
Jim, that may be true, but the fact is, there is no one in that bullpen that is as good as Vlad, or Castillo, so you have to stick with them in those situations. I believe last night had nothing to do with who was available in the pen, but had everything to do with Bell realizing he blew it in Castillo’s last start by pulling him, and wasn’t going to make the same mistake again. Kudos to Bell for realizing that, and it was the move (non-move) of the game too.
No one in the pen currently as good, but the comparison is different when you’re comparing Garrett, Sims, Hendrix et al with Castillo or Gutierrez when they’re gassed after 6 innings or so. And that, too, would vary game by game, I’d think.
This team makes me want to compare them to the 1999 team which was beginning to take shape and emerge at about this same point in time (32-38/ 3rd place/ 5.5 GB on June 15).
There was an old guy or two hoping for 1 more big season (think Votto now= Larkin then), and an outsider taking charge as a leader (Castellanos= Greg Vaughn). Then add in a lot of early to not quite mid career guys who put on adult pants, many for the first time (Winker= Sean Casey, we hope), others for the only time.
The major difference I see is in the pitching staff. Back in 1999, the bullpen was rock solid while the rotation was iffy at times.
Let’s hope this comparison stands the test of time 90 games from now.
Daggum it Jim.
You beat me to the post. They were a middling .500 team in late May and took off winning 99 games. SP far better on this team, that team had Graves/Reyes/Williamson/and the rubber armed Scott Sullivan out of the bullpen. Some platoon players in the OF as well with Michael Tucker/Jeffrey Hammonds/Da meat and some young guys in Aaron Boone, Mike Cameron and Sean Casey who were just taking flight. Also had some one hit wonders pitching in Ron Villone and Steve Parris and Brett Tomko. They did get Juan Guzman as a SP for the stretch run I beleive. Lets see how this road trip goes but if this team is catching fire, a SS rental and bullpen lefty rental should be relatively cheap come July.
I like the SP and the positional depth- SS excluded. I feel much better with AA and Naquin manning CF in a platoon.
Someone give Scott Sullivan a call?
Agreed. I definitely had the thought of Naquin/ Aquino as equating Cameron in CF.
Maybe Garrett could lighten up just enough to work out as a Pedro Borbon stand in for the pen? Or Brach as Sully if he can get past losing the strike zone after a couple of batters.
That 99 team was probably my all-time favorite it was a great roller coaster ride. This team is very similar on offense but that 99 team with Sullivan Graves and Williamson on the back end was terrific. What could of been with Scott Williamson.
Yes on all counts
For the younger set, in 1999, the thing was that it had pretty much emerged by August that unless somebody fell off a cliff or an additional team caught fire for a historic run, the playoffs were going to come down to what they did, those 3 teams for those 2 spots, the Astros, Reds, and Metz battling for to the end with the Reds ending up as the odd team out.
The Twins are 15 games out of first and 11.5 out of the Wild Card. They signed Andrelton Simmons to a 1-year deal, and they are almost certainly looking for somebody to take some of his contract. He may not be much of an upgrade offensively, but he is still a very good defensive SS, and (like my elderly mother) much faster than Kyle Farmer. As a bonus, Simmons in 42 PAs in GABP has 4 HRs and a 1.119 OPS.
The Reds wouldn’t even have to give up more than a C prospect, depending on how much of the contract they want.
RE: Farmer: On the one GIDP the Reds lost defensively to shift on Sunday, it crossed my mind that a lot of SS might have gotten a play on it. This is the one he did not get to. The ball he got to was a good play by him. They looked to probably have an out at 2B on it if India could have gotten to the bag. Don’t know if that was a mix up over who was supposed to have 2B or just a situation created by the shift.
I hear what you’re saying. But as it stands, the team is gelling and i have trepidation about messing with it.
I agree, We have a tendency to downplay the importance of team chemistry (because we can’t measure it? ), and there have been good teams who won–apparently–without it. But the Reds are more on the cusp of being realistic contenders than they are shoe-ins, and the way they pick each other up and support each other is obvious even on tv. I’m starting to, grudgingly, like this team.
Simmons signed a 10.5 mil/year contract.
Reds arent absorbing a $5 mil + contract mid-season when they shed 20+ mil in the off-season.
Farmer said he’s prepared to go back to the bench when Moose comes back so you will see Suarez at SS again and Moose at 3b. I cant see a scenario where Moose/Suarez sit with their contractual obligations or India sitting the bench based on performance by bringing in a new SS. A new significant injury would be the only scenario the Reds seek external options at SS.
What I hope we’ll see is Suarez and Moustakas starting at shortstop and third, respectively, with either Farmer or Freeman inserted at short for defense late in games.
I think you’re right, but somebody else mentioned that Suarez is starting to look more comfortable hitting since he’s been playing third. And he’s been playing a decent third, but a terrible shortstop.
I guess I just don’t buy into where a guy is playing having an effect on their offense, if Suarez is out of his slump I don’t see it returning if he moves back to SS. His approach has been all or nothing so far, I think thats where his struggles mainly come from. Not his field position in the shift.
Suarez is a good 3rd baseman, but a pretty awful SS at this point in his career.
I think Moustakas can spell Votto at least once a week at 1st base, Suarez once a week at 3rd base and maybe play 2nd against tough right handed pitching with India taking a day off. If there’s a DH, he could do that, or play first and Joey could DH.
I really, really don’t want to see Suarez at SS again.
I’ve made it clear that I think trying India at SS is the way to go if all four are going to play. I don’t know what’s going to happen but there is one thing I’m very confident about. Unless he improves his defense there dramatically, Suarez at SS will do more harm than good. He’s the worst ML SS I’ve ever seen. I am also of the opinion, as some others on here are, that playing there hurts his offense.
I get Suarez is a hot button issue right now, but why are we moving India out of position when he’s having success. id think he would have more issues moving positions than suarez
In my view India has at least a 90% better chance of playing an acceptable SS than Saurez. Simply because Suarez is the worst. India wants to play there. He’s said so. What exactly have we got to lose? Can India be worse? Suarez WILL cost us games. Games we can’t afford. As far as offense I think it will get worse. What’s wrong with Saurez this year is between his ears, not in his talent. SS requires a lot more thought and concentration whereas 3B is more of a reaction position. 2B is a lot more like SS than 3B. India has already shown to excel there.
I hope they see Senzel as a utility player at this point. Hasn’t performed particularly well when he has played and can’t seem to stay healthy. He does have value as a super utility type player but he needs to earn his way back into a regular role at this point. The emergence of India and Naquin gives this team some real depth. I’m also optimistic that the bullpen will settle out with Antone, Simms, Garrett, Lorenzen and Hembree as above average options.
Senzel would make a great utility man. Utility man for Cincinnati Power & Light or whoever you have out there. Here’s your tool belt and please don’t fall off a telephone pole because workmans comp doesn’t pay like mlb’s DL in the real world.
I think the Reds need to go out and get a quality lefty like Paul Fry with the O’s for instance. I wouldn’t sleep on Art Warren either. He’s got a great arm (97 mph) and a 2.96 lifetime era in the minors is solid too! I think he might move up the pecking order?
I’ve said it in previous years, its the job of the player to seize the opportunity a major league team provides(Naquin, India, Gutierrez). It is not the responsibility of the team to give playing time to a player who can’t seize the opportunity they’ve been given multiple times (robert stephenson, Cody Reed, Jose Peraza, Phillip Ervin). I don’t see any reason not to keep Senzel in AAA to work on some things until September call-ups.