Things were going great for the Cincinnati Reds until the 6th inning when the Brewers scored three runs and never looked back as they beat up on the Cincinnati bullpen, scoring eight runs in the next three innings to blow out the Reds.
| Final | R | H | E |
|---|---|---|---|
| Milwaukee Brewers (54-39) | 11 | 12 | 2 |
| Cincinnati Reds (48-43) | 6 | 7 | 1 |
| W: Suter (9-4) L: Garrett (0-3) |
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| Statcast | Box Score | Game Thread | |||
The Offense
Jonathan India probably didn’t like how he reached base to lead off the inning as he was hit by a pitch for the 14th time on the season. He was thrown out on a fielders choice that put Jesse Winker on 1st instead. After Nick Castellanos flew out the Reds were teetering on the brink of not taking advantage of a leadoff base runner. But Joey Votto walked and then Tyler Naquin doubled in two runs to put Cincinnati on top 2-0.
Kyle Farmer led off the 2nd inning with a double, but he was thrown out at third trying to move up on a bunt by pitcher Tyler Mahle. Jonathan India walked to put two on for Jesse Winker, and he almost decapitated Adrian Houser with a 100 MPH exit velocity low liner that was fielded up the middle by Willy Adames who turned it into a double play to end the threat.
Cincinnati didn’t waste an opportunity in the 3rd. Nick Castellanos was hit by a pitch to lead off the inning and Tyler Naquin had a 1-out single. Eugenio Suárez then lined a double off of the wall in left field to plate both of them and make it a 4-1 game for the Reds. Unfortunately when the next inning began it was Aristides Aquino who ran out to right field as Castellanos was removed from the game.
After the Brewers got two runs to make it a 4-3 game in the top of the 5th, the Reds played add on with a little bit of help from the Milwaukee defense. On what should have been the third out of the inning an error by Kolten Wong extended the inning. Eugenio Suárez followed with a walk and then Tucker Barnhart singled in Naquin to extend the lead to 5-3.
After the Brewers took a 6-5 lead in the top of the 6th inning Shogo Akiyama led off the inning by being hit by a pitch. After Jonathan India struck out, Akiyama was caught stealing with Jesse Winker at the plate. Winker would eventually walk to put the tying run back on the bases for Cincinnati. He would be stranded after a strikeout by Aristides Aquino.
The Reds went quietly in the 7th inning. Milwaukee scored five more runs in the 8th to extend their lead to 11-5. Kyle Farmer had a 1-out single but Mike Freeman grounded into a double play to end the inning and send the game to the 9th. The Brewers held a 6-run advantage as the bottom of the 9th began. Aristides Aquino would hit a 2-out solo home run to make it an 11-6 game, but that’s all there was for Cincinnati on the night.
The Pitching
A quick 1st for Tyler Mahle saw him pick up two strikeouts in the inning that required just 11 pitches. The next inning wasn’t as easy and Avisail García crushed a long solo homer to cut the Reds lead in half at 2-1. Jace Peterson singled to follow, and Luis Urías walked to put two men on with just one out. Jackie Bradley Jr. popped out to bring Adrian Houser to the plate and in a battle of starting pitchers it was Mahle who came out on top as he picked up his third strikeout of the night.
After scoreless innings in the 3rd and 4th, the Brewers got something going in the 5th. Kolten Wong had a 1-out single and then Willy Adames had a 2-out, 2-run homer to cut into the Reds lead and make it 4-3 game.
Cincinnati put another run on the board in the bottom of the 5th to make it 5-3, and that wound up being important in the 6th. After a fly out to start the inning a walk and a double put Milwaukee back within a run and ended Tyler Mahle’s day as Amir Garrett entered the game to face Jackie Bradley Jr. Things didn’t work out for the Reds as a high chopper to Jonathan India went off of his glove before rolling into shallow center for a single with an error that brought in the tying run. After Bradley Jr. stole second base a Kolten Wong single put the Brewers up 6-5.
Brad Brach came out for the 7th and made quick and easy work of Milwaukee’s 3-4-5 hitters, needing just 14 pitches for a 2-strikeout perfect inning. Things didn’t go as well for Josh Osich in the 8th as a Luis Urías cracked a solo home run into the first row of seats in left field to make it a 7-5 game. That’s not where it ended, though. After Osich loaded the bases he was replaced by Ryan Hendrix who immediately allowed a 2-run double to Willy Adames that stretched the Brewers lead to 9-5. A wild pitch on a strike three that would have otherwise ended the inning instead brought in another run to make it 10-5. And almost simultaneously the sky opened up and it began to rain. Another wild pitch followed and brought in another run to make it 11-5.
Tony Santillan entered for the 9th inning in his first relief appearance in the big leagues. He would get two easy ground outs and a strikeout to give the Reds a chance to score a touchdown and kick the extra point to win the game in the 9th. The touchdown never came.
Notes Worth Noting
After the game David Bell said that Nick Castellanos’ wrist is not broken, but that it’s sore. He also noted that it’s too early to know whether he would be available over the next few days.
Jeff Hoffman made what was likely his final rehab appearance and after dominating with Triple-A Louisville he made his start tonight with High-A Dayton and gave up three solo home runs in 3.0 innings where he was charged with four runs on five hits and a walk while striking out five. For his total rehab stint to date: 18.1IP, 16 hits, five home runs, five walks, and 25 strikeouts to go with 3.93 ERA.
Michael Lorenzen warmed up while Tyler Mahle was pitching in the 5th inning, but he never entered the game.
Luis Castillo and Sonny Gray are set to pitch the next two days.
Up Next for the Cincinnati Reds
Milwaukee Brewers vs Cincinnati Reds
Saturday July 17th, 7:10pm ET
Brandon Woodruff (7-4, 2.06 ERA) vs Luis Castillo (3-10, 4.65 ERA)
Would like to remind everyone that it’s not the end of the world yet… We have two more games yet this weekend and Remember this we have only now lost 3 gams all month. Even if w get swept this weekend… There is still time to recover. Praying we can win at least one of these games though.
Not an alarmist, but what is the end game here? Wildcard seat? Playoff appearance.
I think what a lot of the gripe boils down to if people put it into perspective instead of complaining is that this is not a World Series roster. The weaknesses were apparent before opening day, the entire first half, and now game 1 after the break.
For entertainment purposes, it’s nice but I was locked in 2012 playoffs as much of a heartbreak that was. The team was good and had a world series makeup of vets and youth. Solid on both sides of the ball. I’m not giving up on the team yet, but they definitely don’t give you the 2012 end of year hardware vibe.
I never thought that 2012 was that good. We had the starting pitching but our position players… Meh. I think this team actually has a stronger starting 8 than the 2012 team and a stronger bench
Realistically? Try to win a winnable division and give our young core guys some playoff experience. To be the NL Central champ going into next season with the young talent we have & the potential and all the excitement that would come with that!
This why they need to trade NC if they can’t extend him.This team isn’t winning the division and WC is going to be tough.Barnhardt is another one that should be traded. The future is when greene and Lodolo are in cincinnati.
I’m with you, no need for doom and gloom over one game. Let’s see what happens during the remainder of this series/home stand.
How much would it take to get Rodriguez from the Pirates or Kimbrel from the Cubs? Both are open for business.
Hoffman doesn’t need to be put back in starting rotation period – forget the 6 man rotation idea .If anything , put him in the bullpen . Dude got lit up tonight in A ball. Really don’t think he should be on roster
at all.
Dude also pitched very well in Triple-A in four starts. Don’t read into his rehab stats. If you don’t think he deserves to be in the rotation, you’re probably right – AND the Reds actually agree with you. He MIGHT get a spot start this upcoming week in order to allow the actual starters to get an additional day or two of rest to kick off the second half of the season.
The Rockies preferred Robert Stephenson to Hoffman. Just sayin’
And how’s that working out for them?
Unfortunate but all is not lost. Hopefully Casty will be back tomorrow.
No action by the front office except wait for the relievers on the injury list to return. Time is of the essence. August is not far off.
Not the end of the world, but not a good night for Mahle or Bell imo!
1. Why Mahle over Miley with the way Wade had them off balance last weekend? Something wrong with Wade? His last start was last Friday. Its well known that Mahle hasn’t been good at home.
2. Last 2 losses to the Brewers were with Mahle pitching. Both times he had the lead after 5 and couldn’t keep it thru 6. Thats not going to cut it! His era is up to 3.93. I don’t think he’s a really #2 starter talent wise, but 3.50 or so doesn’t seem like too much to ask for? His era keeps creeping up and thats not good.
3. We’re up 5-3 and Mahle gets Garcia to start off the 6th. He then jumps ahead of Peterson 1-2, but ends up walking him. This is where his splits come into play. His left/right splits are as crazy as his home/road splits. Righties .799 and lefties .558. Thats not a fluke. His slider is pretty much garbage most of the time vs righties, but lefties will swing at the splitter.
Bell has to get him there at 100+ pitches. I don’t want righties seeing him for the 3rd time. Brach comes in and they atleast get to the 7th with a 2 run lead and maybe Lorenzen/HH can finish it off. Or AG for 1 lefty to close an inning out. More then 1 out without runs seems beyond him usually.
Lastly…..Nats got beat 24 to whatever. The front office needs to get off their backside and go get Brad Hand! The Reds have a good team, but this pen is holding them back and the everyday guys know that too. Give them some help!
I know it might sound crazy, but I like Mahle in the back of the pen. He’s a high strikeout pitcher, who struggles to go deep into games. Mahle could be a dominate force in the pen. Castillo, Miley, Gray, Gutierrez, Hoffman with Mahle, Lorenzen, Antone, Sims, Branch, Hembree, and Garrett in the pen.
Mahle walks way too many to be an effective back end bullpen pitcher, doesn’t he?
Mahle BB/9 is 3.40 the only relievers with a better is Antone at 3.21, and Osich at 3.27, and obviously Osich’s numbers come with the disclaimer of small sample size. As a starter Mahle’s BB/9 is 3rd behind Miley’s 2.43, and Gray’s 3.34. Mahle SO/9 is 11.26, which as a starter is only behind Gray at 11.61.
It might be a dumb idea, but I just keep thinking who doesn’t fit next year? Castillo, Gray, Miley, Lodolo, Greene. That’s got to be the rotation in 22. Which means Mahle and Gutierrez need other significant roles. I don’t want any of those 7 pitchers just sitting in AAA waiting for an injury. Now if they don’t pick up Miley’s extension, then he could fill that role, but how do you not pick up the extension of your best pitcher of 21?
Good points Indy Red Man! Mahle is constantly at a 3-2 count (as are many of our pitchers). These hitters are too good to constantly put the count in their favor. Mahle can seem to be cruising then the wheels come off. His problems normally start with a walk when he was ahead in the count but lost the hitter. I really like Mahle but he is not taking the next step. Just one game to start the second half so it is too soon to panic.
I 3rd that thought. If Mahle is ever going to progress from being a pretty good 5 inning pitcher, he has to become more pitch efficient by learning to end those 0-2; 1-2 starting counts in his favor on 5 pitches (or less). And he certainly can’t be working from the pen with the deep counts and walks he has.
The fallout that reaches us is that the pitchers (Bauer, Gray in particular) who haven’t liked working with Barnhart felt he wasn’t aggressive enough closing out ABs. That’s seemed to come to a head and changed to a degree, in general, this season on Barnhart’s end; but Mahle continues to run too many deep counts.
It’s easy to second guess Bell, but I didn’t understand why he had Lorenzen warming up, only to bring in Garrett. Maybe thought ML would close, but then why warm him up? Oh well next game. 2 out of 3 picks us up a game in the standings.
Also they are hitting a lot of Reds…
It was a LR matchup. Honestly i want ML in a game where we are winning, so I understand. Also want Tony S. Put into a more challenging role next time. Understand first timers syndrome but he gave em the 123, I Osach’s ERA now more aligned with his pitching abilities
I was only half paying attention at that point, all I remember was thinking Lorenzen is getting up early, then I saw the wheels fell off for Mahle. The matchup answer makes sense though.
I’m an optimist.
I can optimistically say that I doubt the Reds ownership will do anything significant to improve this team, and I am optimistic that they are all satisfied with a mere “contender”, Mike Brown football team style.
So, I am optimistically looking forward to a .500 or slightly above season from this team, with no post season t-shirt to show for it. I’m optimistic about being resigned to it, and therefore can’t be disappointed.
The only chance Reds have to get the postseason is by clinching the division title. So many games lost because the bullpen blew it is just too much, not sure if the return of Lorenzen will be enough now or if Antone and Sims will return still on time, but just letting the bullpen like that for sure won’t make it.
Returning relievers are probably going to need some time to adjust after return from injury. Waiting and not strengthening the bullpen now will not get the Reds to the playoffs.
this my belief also TR. We are going to miss Art Warren more than we realize. He was beginning to pitch higher leverage innings which, with his loss ,those innings now goes to Garrett and Hendrix. Neither is up for the challenge this year.
lorenzen hasn’t pitched all year, Hoffman hasn’t pitched out of bullpen in a year, and who knows what we’ll get when Antone and Sims come back – those 2 arms will need to be strengthened. I’m of opinion Front office will get us 1 bullpen arm. Go REDS!
Headline says another BP meltdown. It was also a SP meltdown as Mahle was given multiple leads and couldn’t hold a single one of them. 104 pitches to get 5.1 with 5 earned is hardly a solid outing. This was a complete pitching staff meltdown, not just a BP meltdown.
Spot on Doc!
I think it has to do with the bullpen allowing those inherited runners to score when Mahle came out and then proceeding to give up 6 more runs over the next 3 innings. Unfortunately, 100 pitches through 5 IP is just another day at the office for Mahle but he pitched well enough for them to win if the bullpen was able to do their part.
Mahle has got to figure out how to get a batter out once he is ahead in the count. Maybe shake off Tucker and his 3 waste pitches right after 0-2?
I mean is that on Tuck or Tyler there?
You know the Brewers game plan is make the starters throw as many pitches as possible in order to get to the cream puff relievers, so attack the zone please
I will say, that although Santillan right after Mahle may have been a good idea, that once Bell got his pitchers in there and they were getting rocked, it seems like he left them in a little longer perhaps as a message to the front office? “This is the personnel you gave me, and this is the team we’re trying to beat out for the division, and this personnel can’t cut it against them.”
What do you think?
I agree with this Doc. I love Mahle’s potential but how does a guy that strikes out 8 in 5 innings lose a baseball game. He needs to quit nibbling, trust his stuff and put guys away. His stuff has become electric. He needs to trust it more and let the defense help him some. him being out there 2 more innings is much more trust worthy than turning it over to our 6th and 7 th inning receivers this year. Whoof!
So Santillan finally makes his first relief appearance after the game is out of hand. That makes no sense at all. Perfect time to bring him in was when the starter was running out of gas in the 6th. Why bring in a series of 1-inning guys when you have a 2-3 inning guy in the pen?
Agree and I bet it was to get some utility out of Santillan and save another arm before shipping TS back to AAA to clear a spot for Gray.
I continue to worry Bell is too concerned with lefty/righty matchups for this team to ultimately succeed. I will take talent over a matchup any day. Lorenzen or Santilian are better pitchers than guys like Osich whether there is a lefty-hitting or not. Stephenson is a better hitter than Freeman whether there is a righty pitching or not. Use your talent in situations where they can help the team. Guys like Mike Freeman, Josh Osich, Ryan Hendrix, Cionel Perez, and Brad Brach are seeing too much playing time for the Reds to be considered serious contenders. Being competent for a two-week stretch doesn’t suddenly make these types of players better than what they have been over their careers. But I think it all comes back to Bell being pretty risk-averse in general. He is more comfortable playing Brach or Osich because he knows what they will bring to the table…good or bad. He has no idea what a guy like Santilian will bring to the table as a reliever which is why we haven’t seen him until last night in a blowout even though talent-wise he is head and shoulders above everyone else in the bullpen.
Well said, agree completely. The team is “gelling” to some point this year so I would not be surprised and open to Bell getting an extension if they win this division. But, the tendency for him to endlessly experiment and play the handedness game with players that don’t even deserve to be in this league is mind boggling. If the Reds can’t break through to the playoffs this year, I can still see a promising future next year with a new manager.
So this is their strategy now. They see us in the rear view mirror closing in and they can’t beat us. So they’ll just start trying to take our guys out one one by one. What a bunch of punks. Time to start paying back.
I think one losing art warren is a bigger deal than we realize. He was pitching really well. I’m not convinced lorenzen who hasn’t pitched all year and Hoffman, who hasn’t pitched out of bullpen, are necessarily going to solve bullpen woes. I think it’s going to take more and how long can we wait for antone and sims. That’s a long layoff to expect too much from them.
Agree with others. Bell has his choice of any pitcher on the staff and he picks Mahle who has the worse ERA at home to start this crucial series. Castillo and Miley and Gray are the leaders of this staff and should have been pitching these crucial games.
Then he stays with Mahle way too long and has a both Santillan and Lorenzen in the pen ?
Time to try something new and bring up Lodolo and place him in the pen as long relief( or whenever Mahle is pitching) Bring up Moreta as well. Both are better than Doolittle and Hendrix and Osich. Time to bring up Friedl and Barrero and trade Aquino ( four hits for the entire year) and Moustakis for a proven Major league reliever .
I don’t think we can even count on ANTONE pitching again this year They must have seen something more serious to warrant a PRP injection. Sims is also a major question mark to return and even if he does he was not getting batters out with any consistency .
At this point Brach has earned a spot for now and of course Hembree , Lorenzen, Santillan, Garrett as well. That means we have three to four obvious holes to fill and must do it soon as Bell has bad options vs worse options to select from as things stand.
So uh. We starting Mike Freeman tonight right? Gotta ride that hot strike while we can lmao.
hot streak*
Pristine Freeman
Too many flaws and one or more will show up often enough to cost us games.This is on the front office and if the Reds catch the Brewers it will be because this roster did it.Sad Bradley and Wong actually beat Garrett in a really big spot.Good to see Brach bounce back and Suarez with a 2 run double.Our pen is what it is and that will not change.Only way to help the pen is to not use them so much.We play on and hope Casty isn’t out to long.Got to win these next 2 games.
Just hoping that Garrett being brought in when Lorenzen was prepped really was a matter of lefty vs lefty versus an issue with ML getting loose and being physically able to answer the call.
I thought the ball hit off Garrett by Bradley was just one of those freak hits but should have been kept on the infield by India, holding Urias at 3B. Who knows how it changes the inning if it had been, as the Reds would have been in a 1st and 3rd situation with 1 out.
A stronger throw by Barnhart gets Bradley at 2B on the subsequent steal. The ball was there in time but bounced in off target.
Wong’s hit through the shift which then scored Bradley may have been poor pitch location by Garrett or good hitting by Wong or just luck. If Winker fields it cleanly, they may have had a play at home on Bradley.
So, defense, as well as Garrett’s pitching, was not up to snuff in the entire sequence.
It was a team role reversal from the way the games went in Milwaukee last week,
Garrett deflected the throw by Tucker…he barely got out of the way but it ticked off his glove., down and to the left
The only change I’d make to the article’s title is (Pitching meltdown, as Reds lose to Milwaukee) Mahle definitely contributed today to the meltdown. We win the next 2 games, and we’ll all be happy again!
Tyler Mahle is a good pitcher:
Durability – leads the team in starts with 19, 2nd in innings pitched with 100.2 and. He’s on pace for 30 starts and 180 innings and takes the ball every 5th day.
Strikeouts/Walks- for all the talk of Mahle nibbling and not putting away hitters, he’s put away far more hitters than anyone on the team and is elite at striking out hitters. He leads the team by a wide margin with 126 K’s on the season. He is 7th in NL for SP in K/9 behind Degrom and Scherzer and Bauer and ahead of Wheeler , Darvish and Woodruff. Mahle is right there with Gray at 3rd on the team in BB/9. Gray is 3.34 and Mahle is 3.4.
Hoffman 5.93, Garrett 5.40, Sims 4.71, Vlad 4.11 and Castillo 3.54
ERA- respectable at 3.93 and and certainly well better than league average but he’s a victim of a terrible bullpen. Relief pitchers’ job description is too strand inherited runners and get out of an inning without damage. Reds relievers routinely let inherited runners pile on more runs by pouring lighter fluid on situations. A good lefty reliever would have gotten the Reds out of the 6th inning with the lead intact and Mahle with 3 ER instead of 5. He’s still 4th on the team in ERA for pitchers with more than 20 innings and GABP doesn’t help. xFIP is much better.
Winning- He leads the team in wins and is second on the team for pitchers in fWAR@ 2.0 with Miley first. Mahle also was clutch when the Reds needed him to salvage this season. Reds were 20-25 and on life support in May when he took the ball against Scherzer and beat him 2-1. Five days later with the Reds at 22-28 and about to be swept at Wrigley, he pitched a gem and stopped that losing streak, winning 5-1.
Mahle can improve but he’s been a fine pitcher this year for the Reds and I appreciated his solid approach every 5th game to take the ball and compete. He’s also 26.