The Cincinnati Reds will go for the series sweep this afternoon as they take on the Chicago Cubs on America’s birthday. The winner of the game will be in second place of the National League Central division when the day is over.
Starting Lineups
Chicago Cubs
|
Cincinnati Reds
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| Willson Contreras – C | Jonathan India – 2B |
| Kris Bryant – RF | Jesse Winker – LF |
| Anthony Rizzo – 1B | Nick Castellanos – RF |
| Javier Báez – SS | Joey Votto – 1B |
| Patrick Wisdom – 3B | Tyler Naquin – CF |
| Nico Hoerner – 2B | Eugenio Suárez – 3B |
| Jake Marisnick – CF | Kyle Farmer – SS |
| Ian Happ – LF | Tucker Barnhart – C |
| Kyle Hendricks – SP | Wade Miley – SP |
Starting Pitchers
Wade Miley
The lefty is coming off of his worst start in nearly two months. That speaks more about how good he’s been because he allowed four runs in 6.0 innings against Philadelphia the last time out in a 12-4 win. Miley has a 3.08 ERA on the season and has been the best starter for the Reds throughout the season. Today will be the second time he’s faced the Cubs this season, allowed two runs in 5.0 innings back on April 30th.
Wade Miley doesn’t see many lefties, but he dominates them when he does. They are 11-61 against him this season with just one double and three walks – posting a .415 OPS. Righties are hitting .230/.287/.369 against him on the year.
Pitch usage from 2021
| 4-Seam | 2-Seam | Cutter | Curve | Change | |
| Velo | 89.8 | 88.0 | 85.3 | 75.1 | 26.3 |
| Usage | 17.3% | 1.1% | 51.3% | 4.1% | 26.3% |
Kyle Hendricks
After a tough stretch at the end of April, Kyle Hendrick has a 2.83 ERA over his last 11 starts. This will be his first start against the Reds this season. He’s been crushed by left-handed hitters, who have a .302/.358/.562 line against him this season. Right-handed hitters are hitting just .242/.269/.425 against him on the year.
Pitch usage from 2021
| 4-Seam | 2-Seam | Curve | Change | |
| Velo | 87.1 | 87.0 | 73.1 | 79.8 |
| Usage | 19.6% | 39.2% | 14.9% | 26.3% |
When and Where
- Game time: 1:10pm ET
- Where: Great American Ball Park
- Watch: Bally Sports Ohio, MLB.tv
- Listen: 700 WLW AM (Cincinnati area)
- Forecast: 83°, partly cloudy, 1% chance of rain
News and Notes
Tejay Antone, Lucas Sims back by the end of July?
The Reds are hoping to get relievers Tejay Antone and Lucas Sims back by the end of July. They are just two of the plethora of pitchers the organization is hoping will return before the end of the month with Michael Lorenzen, Jeff Hoffman, and Michael Feliz also currently out on rehab assignments.
Redsfest pushed back to 2022
The Reds announced this morning that there would be no Redsfest for 2021 and that it would return in December of 2022.
NL Central Standings
Playoff odds via Fangraphs
| Team | W | L | GB | Playoff % |
| Brewers | 51 | 33 | 0 | 91.0% |
| Reds | 42 | 40 | 8.0 | 12.6% |
| Cubs | 42 | 41 | 8.5 | 7.8% |
| Cardinals | 41 | 43 | 10.0 | 2.3% |
| Pirates | 29 | 53 | 21.0 | 0.0% |
At least this doesn’t look like a complete “get away day” line-up for us. Still would personally rather see Lopez than Geno, but once Moose/Senzel come back he’ll go back to L’ville anyway.
Need Pedro to set off a bunch of firecrackers in the locker room and “wake up bats!” It is Independence Day after all.
Let’s broom the Stupid Cubs out of town. Score early. Score often.
I am really worried the Reds are going to be at the trade deadline, Oh so we got back a lot of pitchers from injuries and so we aren’t needing to go out and get anyone for the bullpen. Mind you the bullpen has been pretty decent the past 2 weeks ala small sample size of course, but I’ll take the improvements and hope this continues.
Very sad to hear Redfest is cancelled for this year though maybe it’s for the best with the Delta variant of Covid 19 starting to really spread quickly. The sad news is people who are vaccinated are still getting this variant version. Some states are even starting to tell people they have to wear a mask again indoors at public locations. Would be cool if they did some videos of players chatting about the future of the team and somehow have a question and answer session submitted online for the fans still.
Brewers playoff odds are at 91% that is really high. and with them pulling away from the division it’s going to take some miracles for the Reds to catch up to them. Those 6 games around the allstar break against the Brewers are going to be pretty big. I keep telling others though that if we can continue to win each series or at least tie in 4 games we maybe have a shot. I picked the Brew Crew to win the division at the start of the season just wish the Reds could do something in trades to help us have a better chance at winning.
Watching the Braves and Cubs series and seeing Great American Ballpark rocking sure has been fun. It’s a totally different feeling watching the game when a big big fan base is supporting the team.
Last, I wanted to say how enjoyable it has been to watch Miley have a very nice season. Nobody would have expected Miley to be our best starter at the start of the season for sure. He is just such a workhorse and I love how he keeps the game moving at a fast pace. I always feel like we have a chance to win when he starts. I have been pleasantly surprised how well he has done.
Go Reds lets get this sweep of the Cubs and on to KC! Barnhardt better practice throwing runners out with KC cause they have a lot of speed.
Ridiculous that Redsfest is cancelled again this year, despite the ballpark being at 100% sellout capacity and vaccines being readily available. As commenters on Twitter noted, it is likely more due to a potential lockout with the CBA expiring than with Covid. Should just move it to the middle of November (before the CBA expires) instead.
I’d venture to say it’s got zero to do with the CBA. If that were the case then they wouldn’t have initially said it would return in 2021 – the CBA deadline didn’t just recently become a hard deadline – they knew.
I think it’s a matter of health and safety. It’s an indoor event, so the fact that they can have outdoor sellouts has next to nothing to do with this.
And you can’t just “move it”. They don’t own the facility where it’s held. That place is probably booked out at least a year or two in advance for events.
Doug- how likely would you say Opening Day 2022 doesn’t happen on time and if so, will it be the players or owners who arent at the negotiating table.
Reports are that neither side is overly concerned they won’t get an agreement in place in time for the season to begin.
got to win the things that we control and not worry about the things that we cannot. Brewers AVG. makes their winning unsustainable. Also impressed with the turnaround the bullpen has shown. THink we can buy a LHRP at the deadline, but many of the problems will be corrected with injured players returning. Lets get the sweep
uh oh
which of the 3 playoff teams will the REDs overtake? MIL (div), SD(wildcard) or LAD(wildcard)
time to trade’em boys
My gut feeling is none of them. At minimum, we should move Castellanos after the AS break so we get something out of him. Not sure who else has “enough value” given where things stand, but I see the future as pretty bright. Time to let go of this year instead of hanging on to talent until we get zip in return.
I agree
Heck of a play by Suarez to prevent possible big damage.
That’s a major league 5-4-3 double play.
Go, Joey, go!!
When I see him successfully take advantage of a shift by hitting opposite field, that reminds me of vintage Votto.
Doesn’t it though?
NUTS!!!
Strike four!! Down goes Happ
Let the pitcher beat you … UGH!!
That could be a big factor in what is shaping up as a low-scoring game.
Don’t you mean ANOTHER low-scoring game?
Can’t fault Geno for that rip. Wisdom made a fantastic play.
another solid at-bat for geno, smashed that, can’t do anything about the good defense though
Alright, one back, still a ton of game left to be played.
The thought process vs Hendrick should be oppo. Votto and Tucker had great approaches and success. Just like Bryant and Rizzo did vs. Miley. You have to think oppo against soft tossers
But then they can’t try for HR’s …
Reds’ No. 1 and 2 hitters have been a real drag on the team lately.
If Winker doesn’t snap out of it, he’ll be batting under .300 by the All-Star game.
Funny and sad at the same time. I’m thinking he could use a day off to clear his head.
Recently Winker has been swinging too hard. He’s a natural contact hitter.
Geno to Joey again!!
A very interesting situation is developing. Suarez is beginning to look like he did at his defensive peak at third. Clearly moving him off third back to shortstop would hurt the team defensively. What in the world do they do when Moustakas is ready?
Right. I mean. Lopez goes back down. No question about that. And Geno’s D does look like it’s headed that way.
Going to take some big $$$ to solve the Moose contract this year. Or, perhaps, he really isn’t in good enough shape to make it back anyway.
Sending down Lopez would be a mistake.
Theres been no update on Moose except a week ago Bell said he was still having pain. My daughter had plantar fasciitis running and it was a frustrating nagging injury that didnt get better till she got therapy and injections and did months of stretching and shut down running for 2 months and cycled around campus instead of walking
Id be shocked if he played before August 1. He cant ride a bike to first base.
Under virtually no circumstances do you move Suarez back to SS in my view.
Making Marisnick look like an All-Start today
Way to help yourself, Wade!
Nice turn by India.
This team is actually showing signs of defensive prowess (well, except for Naquin earlier).
another failure from the Home plate umpire. Going to be glad to get another set of Umps in Kansas City
Will it really matter? I mean they have zero accountability (no matter what the regs say). There are some that are okay but they are few. There seem to be plenty that are horrible.
Wildly erratic zone (again). It’s well past time, folks.
Well, crap … now Wade has to run 🙂
Let’s see him run home (safely). It’ll be good for his cardio …
Wade will need to get his exercise elsewhere, lol.
Debbie does NOT like double plays
Don’t be down Deb, this Reds team has seemingly been developing a knack for comebacks.
So much for Suarez being rock solid at third! Miley battling as usual. Hold ’em here and make a comeback just like the first two games of the series!
Maybe my perception is wrong, but I believe this team has more ability to rally late that than last years team and that’s an improvement.
Perhaps that will happen again today.
Winker is not hitting well over the last month and can’t hit a LH’er either. His last 26 games, he’s averaging .255. And his L/R splits YTD are .192/.355 (still better than Votto or Suarez but concerning) while Castellanos is at .333/.342. Good thing there are far fewer LH starters.
He has become pull happy.
Hope he can adjust back what made him successful.
Naquin and Barnhart are also terrible against LHPs. Naquin hasn’t gotten to his April levels in the last couple of months and is showing that he’s more 5th outfielder than any kind of guy you plan around going forward.
Every player slumps and has ups and downs. Hes clearly on a downward trajectory but thats why no one hits .380 or gets hit on base .425 over 162 games.
Hes a career .291 hitter
He will probably be .285-.300 with OBP of .350-.365 and 30 home runs when all is said and done
Nick C wont hit .350 either
Maybe .310
Mostly I agree though I think it argues for giving guys like AA more opportunities in the outfield.
Nothing would make me happier than a sweep of the whiny Cubbie Bears on this Independence day!
great start by Miley, 6.2 innings only 2 runs. Reds still in this,Stupid Cubs starter out as well.
Big out there. Bryant is the biggest threat in the Cubbies lineup, and he keeps coming up with men on.
Gotta get to the Cubs bullpen in innings 7 and 8 before its Kimbrel time.
Farmer is a magnet for baseballs.
Geno easy line drive swing
Hes playing good defense and getting back his momentum. Jose Ramirez had a miserable prolonged stretch for the Indians and came back
Go Geno and Go Reds.
You have to know that right now, the Cubs are waiting for something to go wrong.
And it did. (for them) 🙂
Tie Game
India and Farmer are magnets for the baseball.
Come on Winker not another DP.
Winker may need a day off. Got the run in though. Good job.
A lefty is pitching for KC tomorrow, and I would not start Winker.
Agree…he is pressing big time
some sort of failure on the Cubs D there. Reds take the lead
Pitcher got there late.
Jesse rolled over…but the contact was weak…thank goodness.
Yes- winker rests against Minor in KC. Id give Castellanos a day too before Milwaukee. This team has depth.
But- reds winning and manufacturing runs without the HR
Good vibes only
Go Reds
Yea, start Aquino for Winker tomorrow India DH and we can see Lopez at 2nd. JMHO
Just noticed the Pirates are shutting out Milwaukee? Only one more turn at bat for the Brewers. This could be a good win if both scores hold up.
Trevor Story just homered again.
Can Winker and Castellanos bring him back to cincy from Denver at the break?
Bob???
Like a kidnapping?
I’ll give Geno a pass on the first GB but he has to make that play.
He’s been making some hero plays, but the routine ones have been the issue.
He tagged him on the helmet. He held that ball plenty long enough to be called a out
India has blocked several guys sliding this year…often preventing the runner clean access, thus creating an out. I just hope he doesn’t get dinged up doing it.
Brewers down to their final out in the 9th, while behind by two runs. Man on second.
Brewers lose!!! FINALLY.
MIL has lost. lets hold this lead and gain some ground.
Pirates shut out the Brewers 2-0! Miracles do happen!
Nervous with Garrett coming in. Cubs live in his head. Let’s see if he has matured enough.
I like this move. It works well with Heyward looming on the bench . AG has to close this game
I like him, but Sadak can’t bring himself to speak of the obvious. Suarez … AG …
AG command is off today. Hope he figures it out quick
Get AG out of there!
ASAP..three batter rule.
Cant. 3 batter rule.
Reds need a lefty reliever in a trade tonight. What more do you need to see?
Can u make an injury change?
“And it seems the infielders are kicking Garrett in the shins with malice.”
“Oh gosh, looks like Garrett will have to leave with lower leg contusions. Didn’t see that coming, Barry.”
Oh gosh! This is April AG….settle down dude.
If the Reds somehow get into a playoff race- who wants garrett or Doolittle or cionez or Osich pitching?
Get a legit lefty bullpen arm tonight
Id walk conteras intentionally and pull garrett
Woo Hoo!
Suarez can giveth and taketh away.
HOW SWEEP IT IS
(And won without any HRs too)
Unplug the Defribrillator
Bullpen support group meeting 7 am tomorrow
Go reds
SWEEP!!!
Big win Now we need to go use an extra batter to smash a bad team. Lets keep this rolling
Nice sweep! Now, NO LETDOWN against KC! Got to keep it rolling!
Tie em up by the break! Hey, it’s optimistic.
Another 1-run win! Bullpen comes thru again! On to KC! Oh, and thank you Pittsburgh!
Interesting series. The Reds win all three games by one run. And the Cubs had more hits then the Reds in all three of the games. When was the last time that happened? These are the type of games the Reds have found ways to lose. Maybe there is a winning culture beginning to emerge??
One game and one series at a time.
Winker is in a bit of a slump, that’s baseball, where being successful 3 out of 10 times over a career gets you in the HOF. He’s a very, very good hitter who’s always had a professional approach at the plate. He’ll figure it out. But giving him a blow tomorrow wouldn’t be the worst idea.
Four consecutive come from behind one run victories. That means bullpen. That means miracle.
If Bob C. thinks he was criticized for failing to land a shortstop this winter, just think how fans will react if he trades a MVP candidate with the Reds only a few games out in July.
My bet is the Reds keep Nick and he walks at the end of the year. Hope I am wrong about the last part.