The Cincinnati Reds bullpen gave up single runs in the 7th, 8th, and 9th innings as the Chicago Cubs pulled out a walk-off 6-5 win at Wrigley Field on Monday night.
| Final | R | H | E |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cincinnati Reds (51-49) | 5 | 11 | 0 |
| Chicago Cubs (50-51) |
6 | 12 | 1 |
| W: Kimbrel (2-3) L: Hembree (2-5) |
|||
| Statcast | Box Score | Game Thread | |||
The Offense
After the Cubs grabbed a 2-0 lead in the bottom of the 1st inning, the Reds offense went to work immediately in the 2nd when Joey Votto crushed his 15th homer of the season to lead things off. In the next inning the Reds had a big opportunity as they loaded the bases with three straight singles to lead off the inning, but only a Votto sacrifice fly produced a run – but it was enough to tie the game up. Chicago took a lead in the bottom of the inning, but Kyle Farmer’s 9th home run of the year with one out in the 4th tied the game back up.
It was the 5th inning when Cincinnati took the lead. Jonathan India singled and Jesse Winker followed with a double to put two men on. Aristides Aquino walked to load the bases for Joey Votto. The Reds first baseman picked up his 3rd RBI of the night as he walked on four straight pitches. Tyler Stephenson grounded out to follow, but it brought a run across and extended the lead to 5-3.
The top of the 8th inning once again saw the Reds load the bases with no outs, but nothing went their way as Tucker Barnhart and Jonathan India struck out to bookend a Max Schrock fly out to shallow center that left the game at 5-4.
Chicago tied the game up in the bottom of the 8th, setting up Craig Kimbrel against the Reds 2-3-4 hitters in the top of the 9th. Jesse Winker led off with a walk. Aristides Aquino then followed up with a line drive single into left to put two on for Joey Votto, but he struck out on back-to-back check swings that were appealed to the third base umpire. That brought Eugenio Suárez to the plate and he also struck out, though the called strike against him for strike two was several inches off of the plate. That left things up to Shogo Akiyama. Kimbrel fired off a wild pitch that moved both runners up a base. It didn’t make a difference as Kimbrel would eventually pick up the strikeout to send the game to the bottom of the 9th all tied up.
The Pitching
It wasn’t a good start on the day for Wade Miley. After a 1-out single by Kris Bryant it was Anthony Rizzo putting the Cubs ahead 2-0 with the first home run all season against Miley by a left-handed hitter. In the next inning he had to work around a leadoff double, but did so. But the 3rd inning was another tough one as Miley walked two batters, leading to Bryant scoring on a David Bote single to put the Cubs back in front, 3-2.
After the Reds took a 5-3 lead in the top of the 5th, the Cubs got to work against Miley once again. They loaded the bases with one out and that led to a pitching change to bring on rookie Tony Santillan. Chicago countered to bring in lefty Jason Heyward. Santillan induced a grounder up the middle that Kyle Farmer picked up, stepped on second and then fired to first to complete the double play to end the inning and threat. Santillan would come back out for the 6th inning and he’d fire off a shutout inning as he struck out three batters while working around a single.
Brad Brach came out for the 7th inning. He walked David Bote with one out and he moved up to second on a bunt. Nico Hoerner hit a blooper into shallow center that Shogo Akiyama trapped, coming up inches short of making the catch on a diving try – but that blooper brought Bote around to score to make it a 5-4 game. Hoerner tried to steal second base, and was initially ruled safe, but a Reds challenge showed that Kyle Farmer got the tag down in time to end the inning.
Josh Osich took the mound to begin the 8th inning and he struck out Rafael Ortega to start the frame. Willson Contreras then hit a baseball to the moon halfway up the bleachers in left center to tie the game up. Kris Bryant followed up with a single. Anthony Rizzo grounded into a force out and then Heath Hembree came out of the bullpen and retired Matt Duffy to keep the game tied and send it to the 9th.
Hembree returned for the bottom of the 9th in a tie game. He would walk the first batter of the inning before getting David Bote to fly out to the warning track in right field. But Hembree then walked Ian Happ and hit Nico Hoerner by a pitch to load the bases. That led to Amir Garrett entering the game and Javier Báaz to the plate. Cincinnati brought in a 5th infielder. The first pitch was hit about 390 feet to center field for a walk-off single. But there was plenty of drama as Báez walked to first base chirping at Garrett and also tossed his bat towards the ground on the infield that came a little close to the Reds lefty as he was walking off of the field. It will be interesting to see how many games Nick Castellanos is suspended for because of these actions.
Notes Worth Noting
Joey Votto’s OPS is up to .864 on the season as he continues to crush the ball since returning from the injured list.
Jesse Winker’s slump appears to be over.
Wrigley still smells gross.
Up Next for the Cincinnati Reds
Cincinnati Reds vs Chicago Cubs
Tuesday July 27, 8:05pm ET
Vladimir Gutierrez (4-3, 4.97 ERA) vs Adbert Alzolay (4-10, 4.58 ERA)
Thanks Doug. What do you mean “does it again”? You mean they’ve done this before? 🙂
I disagree.
BP (santillan) saved Miley, he didnt let the game won. Cubs took advantage of their chances, Reds didnt.
Again, no hits when matters.
9th. inning. Game is on the line, 2 outs and 2 runners in scoring position, and Shogo takes a third strike. How about swinging and maybe fouling the ball off until you get your pitch. Enough with taking third strikes late in the game.
Doug, love this site, but I’m sorry this decision to bat Aquino third and Suarez fifth vs cubbies best pitcher, whose success isn’t his fastball it’s off speed and those 2 can’t hit that right now.Then pulling Santallian instead of letting him go longer bad decision .Bell isnt getting any help from owner but his decision making all year on bullpen use has been very bad.
I have no idea if Santillan was physically capable of going another inning; but, in theory if he was, I would have preferred him to pitch the 7th, especially since they did not use Brach in the 8th,
I agree with you Jim and so did Cowboy on the broadcast, Santillian was done. He did not have anything left to go another inning
Agree on Santillan. This guy was getting it done. Why make a change? Too much one inning and out by Bell. Santillan looks like a relief pitcher the Reds desperately need. Use him.
Regardless of who bats where, the issue install the bullpen. Right now it looks like Santillan may be effective and Hembree is effective. I agree with Cowboy, that it is hard for a relief pitcher to come back and pitch another inning after sitting. Adrenaline does play a part in an effective relief pitchers, a few have that ability but not many. It hurt Hembree last night. Garrett and Brach and Doolittle can be effective but unreliable. Hoffman did well in his one appearance but the book is still out on him. Osich, Garcia and Hendrix should not be on a MLB roster. Hendrix may have potential but he is not ready. So out of 9 relievers you have two you can be relative sure can do the job.
Team RISP 1 for 13 (according mlb.com)
Baez needs a suspension. Period. Currently looking for a site that will take a ” will the benches clear tomorrow ” bet
Baez is a loud mouth punk.
I believe the ESPN win percentage went 100% Cubs as soon as Miley was lifted, even with Reds leading.?
I believe the ESPN win percentage went 100% Cubs as soon as Miley was lifted, even with Reds leading.?
I think the offense gets the credit for this lost. Bases loaded in the 7th with no outs and they don’t score.
How many men has Suarez left on base this year? He has to lead the league.
He does. Mr RKM Has +20 lob of advantage over the 2nd place.
He leads MLB in outs made per game with 3.19
Think the late game bases loaded situation was actually the 8th.
Barnhart’s resurgence has levelled off, He got himself into a hole there with that huge windmill swing he has featured in the past. Shrock had the right idea and just lifted one, unfortunately, it did not carry deep enough the sac fly.
Thank you. You are correct it was the 8th inning.
If Bell and ownership are serious abut making the playoffs.
Suarez needs to be benched NOW! He has no clue at the plate right now.
They will not win with him playing every day.
Suarez has been a favorite of mine for many years and I’m sure the same for other Reds fans. But this year is something else. It’s either the after affects of the shoulder injury, the on and off move to shortstop or a change in his eyesight. Whatever. But something has to be done.
Yet David Bell bats Suarez fifth?! I guess that’s managements fault.
Enough with Suarez. Time to bench him. Bring up Barrero tomorrow for SS and play Farmer at 3B.
Spot on Jon!
Alejo Lopez at 3B. Change up the dynamic of the lineup. I like high on-base, contact oriented hitters. We have too many swing-for-the-fences type hitters in today’s game.
Check out this article from Cincinnati.com:
MLB’s Twitter account after Cubs’ walk-off win vs. Reds: ‘Javy (Báez) called game’
https://www.cincinnati.com/story/sports/mlb/2021/07/27/javier-baez-walk-off-hit-amir-garrett-reds-cubs-mlb-shares-video-javy-called-game-wrigley-field/5382659001/
Looks like MLB approved of Javy throwing a bat at another player. I guess they’ll suspend Garrett.
No doubt about it, somehow MLB will hold the Reds accountable for this.
Baez is nothing but a jerk, but since he is not a Red he will not see a suspension.
As the atrocious bullpen blows yet another multi-run lead, it’s worth noting that not a single team in all of major league baseball has been willing to make any sort of reasonable trade with the Reds for any relief pitcher who could possibly be of any use to this team. Not one team in all of baseball. The whole season.
If David Bell cannot bring himself to have the tough conversation with Suarez that he has lost his starting role for the foreseeable future, then he should not be manager. Period.
Agree, but we’re way past that point. Suarez is still hitting 5th in the second half of the season despite being one of the worst hitters in baseball. It’s clear the organization’s top priority isn’t winning. I’m not sure what it is, exactly, but it’s not winning. It’s about building relationships, or loyalty, or being nice to nice guys, or something. But it’s not winning.
David Bell seems to manage every game like a little league manager. Gotta play everyone everyday. Can’t sit the owner’s favorite players (Suarez). You honestly have to wonder if ownership is influencing Bell regarding Suarez, much like Castellini did with not wanting to trade Hamilton and Frazier because of them being fan favorites?
When I saw the lineup with Aquino batting 3rd and Suarez 5th I was livid for ten minutes! Bell is simply clueless. He certainly knows how to structure a lineup to guarantee the maximum potential LOB!! And we have WAY too many relief pitchers with no business being in the major leagues (Osich, Hendrix and Garcia for starters).
You nailed it Maloney63!
Aquino and Suarez combined: 10 plate appearances, 2 hits, 1 bb, 5 K’s and 10 LOB!
Suarez: 30.3% k rate per PA.
Aquino: 39.3%.
Alejo Lopez: 8% MILB; 15.8% MLB.
The front office and ownership of this team is very, very stubborn. Why will they not change things that are not working?
I agree. Suarez has killed way too many rallies this year. And when he does play he should be batting 8th. If he doesn’t like it – too bad. If he starts hitting better he can move up in the order.
Each Reds loss is a carbon copy of the last: the Reds fall behind early, then slowly the Reds take a slim lead.
The lead is entrusted to the worst bullpen in recorded history, the Reds RISP shrinks to microscopic levels, and the Keystone Kops bullpen lets the lead evaporate.
I think the David Bell experiment should end immediately because he fancies himself a master tactician. Bell takes out a reliever who has struck out the side with 12 pitches, only to replace that pitcher with a journeyman who cannot buy an out for love or money.
If a reliever cannot pitch a second inning, he shouldn’t be in the big leagues.
This team is saddled with the worst possible curse: great yet untapped potential.
Tony S. just had 20+ pitches yesterday and 20+ tonite. Bell doesn’t seem to get it, but the front office isn’t going to do anything. Not with Antone/Lorenzen/Sims/Warren all hurt. Next year they should have Greene/Lodolo/Ashcraft to atleast eat some innings and atleast Bell might have a few guys that can go 2-3 innings in relief occasionally.
We’ll see what happens at that point. This season is over. No excuses for most of the scrubs in the pen that helped us go 1-5 vs Arizona. DeLeon, Romano, Fulmer, Perez, Bedrosian, etc. Then the guys that could pitch all got hurt. Add Geno to that and the fact that they’re going to let him have the worst offensive season I can remember in 40+ years. They sunk our battleship
At least that explains why TonyS. could not go another inning tonight. Now he will probably get the Louisville shuffle for10 days (or an earlier injury opportunity arises) so they can get a “rested” retread arm up.
David Bell isn’t going anywhere. Handing him the bullpen they did this season and then blaming him for the failure is basically urinating down our leg and telling us it’s raining.
It can be both you know? It can be a terrible bullpen and at the same time be terribly mismanaged. There are ways Bell could utilize this terrible pen to be more effective. He’s managing it like everyone he calls upon will come into any situation and get him an inning and the next inning will be the same. You can’t do that with an unreliable pen. You can’t assume the next guy up next inning will be effective that day. Too many inconsistent guys to have that mindset. You have to manage this pen with the mindset that you are going to find who is effective that day, and go with them. Then do the same thing the next day. Instead, Bell throws everyone, one inning a game, meaning when they do need someone who is effective that day to go more than one inning, they can’t because they pitched the night before (see Santillan last night). The bullpen is bad, but Bell has made it worse.
Well very summed up. The only thing I can hope for is that in the offseason they have serious discussions to get a new manager and perhaps GM to show them how to operate a baseball team. Great but untapped potential, yes!
Daniel Dravot: an excellent comment. A reliever gets it done in one inning and then is replaced because of handiness or whatever. Enough of Bell’s need for manipulation of the Red’s less than stellar relief staff.
That is spot on ! Been true for awhile! Tough to be a lifelong fan and watch it year after year ! He over manages and burns an already weak bullpen out early in the year . He continues to send out a guy who can’t bat his weight or produce runs . A lot of talented players and actually a fun competitive team to watch . But nothing has changed as far as a commitment to play winning baseball
Osich has allowed seven earned runs in his last five relief appearances, which includes three home runs…..Why did Osich come in, in the 8th inning, when for the last 10-15 games Amir G has been pitching pretty well as the stats will show. That one is on D Bell for his ignorance on that decision! Reds still may have lost, but you put your best players and pitchers in, especially if you look at the stats for the last 10 or so games!
I think if there is any situation where Hembree is going to be used prior to the 9th, he has to be into the game with the Reds in the lead and not after they have blown the lead. Hope he can give you a clean 8th then play it by ear to try and get thru the 9th with the lead intact. At the least, they probably would have gotten to extra innings where the ghost runner rule seems to have really levelled the playing field for the road team.
Agreed. The Reds bullpen may be horrendous but Bell’s use of it is even worse! ANY time Osich, Hendrix or Garcia are brought in with a lead it is a MAJOR tactical mistake!
I have been leading the Osich firing squad for some time now. He does not belong on ANY major league roster. Opposing hitters run to the bat rack to hit against him.
If this is what you are going to put on the field, might as well start the trades right now. Please just not anymore Chapmans’ for 4 stiffs who will never play more than 1 week in the majors!
This team has many problems that prevent winning on a consistent basis. Ownership issues, bullpen, and baffling in game decisions by the manager. However, no one knew Suarez would be having one of the worst seasons ever. How many teams have won championships with an everyday 3rd baseman hitting .170. John Vukovich was replaced by Pete Rose and he was not hitting this bad.
Yeah but George Foster needed an outfield spot to play every day 😉
Spot on Jim.
Jim, you are the Master Jedi of this site!
I always enjoy reading your sage advice and insight.
In Bell’s postgame he actually said “Osich deserved to be in there in the 8th because of the way he’s been pitching lately “……you cannot be serious. I always said Bell lives in an alternate reality, that just proves it!
Last 7 games Osich has an 11.81 ERA. Bell must be talking about some Osich Variant of a divergent timeline! He needs to be pruned!
https://www.baseball-reference.com/players/gl.fcgi?id=osichjo01&t=p&year=2021#247-250-sum:pitching_gamelogs
The link is Osich since the All Star break and prior to tonight (Monday). Courtesy of Baseball Reference. It may take a few seconds for the total line to fill generate.
and look at the W-L’s on each of those games he pitched in:
L
L
L
L
Sadak and Larkin were saying the exact same thing last week right before he got torched! I just don’t get it. What do these people see in that guy? ? ? He stinks to high-heaven. Breaking ball hangs and his command is awful. I wonder if Randy Myers or Norm Charlton, John Franco have anything left? Maybe Ted Ambernathy, Jim Brosnan, Wayne Granger or Bill Henry would be better, if they are still living, of course
Dibble, Borbon, Eastwick, Carroll, McEnaney, Graves, Sullivan et al….
there are exactly zero scenarios where Osach needs to be in a game where the reds have the lead. None. You want him to eat innings in a losing effort, thats fine. Portions of the blame do have to go around though. Miley was not on tonight… some is on him. some is on bell for playing Osich in that spot in the eighth. No excuse. Some is on Nick Krall for not starting the bullpen purge earlier than expected. Had an opportunity to send a bad relief pitcher out, but instead decided to send out a good pinch hitter. there will be a fight tomorrow. Especially if Baez starts but even if he doesn’t. realsitically the reds need a split. but regardless of a split or a three win comeback, if Baez is not suspended MLB has made it clear it cares more about the cubs then the reds and the reds should start head hunting.
I attended Sunday’s finale versus STL. I sat right behind the Reds dugout behind the “1940” logo.
In addition to sweating my brains out, two things struck me that probably won’t get much traction on this site but here goes:
1) It was Japanese American Day at GABP and throughout the game (almost every inning and pitching change), the big screen showed recorded messages from Japanese fans, players and celebs talking about Shogo. There were numerous opportunities to put him into the game on a day when he was kind of the focal point. In a game that took almost 4.5 hours, Akiyama gets to pinch hit for the final AB of the game. I think he was the last player to get into the game. That’s just wrong. I’m completely baffled by that decision to not give him more playing time.
2) Sonny Gray had another tough outing. As he walked off the mound in the 4th, the umps did their TSA inspection…this is after he gave up 8 earned runs in 3plus innings. How insulting is that? After removing his hat, etc., he walked into the dugout looking directly out at the crowd. He did not drop his gaze or sulk. In fact, he immediately (and he was the only player in the dugout to do this) stood at the top step and shouted encouragement to his replacement from the pen…Garcia who, you may recall, got rocked on Friday without recording a single out. Gray stood until the 4th ending ended and was waiting for Garcia as he exited the field of play. I’ll tell you what: Sonny Gray is a class act as a teammate and individual. His character shone through on Sunday as far as I’m concerned.
I don’t know much about David Bell but I can truly say that, most of the time, I am puzzled by his decision-making. I’m almost 60 so I guess I’d be considered old school but here is a case in point: in that horrific 4th inning, the Cards had men on 2nd and 3rd with no outs and Bader at the plate. Bader has been the best Cardinal hitter lately and had singled in his first AB. 1st base is open and the next 2 hitters are hitting under .200 and .100, respectively. I was openly suggesting they walk Bader and take their chances with Knizner (slow runner) and the pitcher. It opens up so many good possibilities defensively and Gray had struck out both players earlier. We all know what happened. It blows my mind that you would pitch to Bader in that scenario but that’s just what happened.
Look, I realize the Reds still had numerous opportunities to come back, just like they wasted scoring chances tonight against the Cubs. But that decision seems to be norm rather than the exception.
Don’t forget having AG pitch to Sal Perez in that KC game with 1B open. Led 6-1 after 7 and lost. Sal Perez murders lefties, but of course Bell forgot
And the 15-11 Mets loss. Ughhhh Bell?????
We were up 8-7 after 7. AG just went 1-2-3 in the 7th on 12 pitches and HH was available. So Bell puts Osich in that game too in the 8th and he gives up 2 runs THEN he brings in HH AFTER the barn burned down
He routinely does stuff that casual fans shake their head at
These are all perfectly stated very specific instances of where Bell’s decision making is that of a LOSING manager. Winning managers make decisions that actually help win games for the team…Bell’s decisions like this definitely have led to losses.
I have many issues with Bell’s management. Not basing managing decision-making on some emotional celebration of cultural heritage is not one of them.
At least if he did that it would make some sense, though.
There would actually be a valid reason behind the action
I wonder how many games we’ve lost when leading after 6? Or 7? Or 8? Or 8.5 like that game in SD
The Reds have alot of comebacks so you could subtract the games we won after trailing thru 6,7, or 8.
I’m still guessing the net between the two has to be -8 atleast. They had like 5 losses in a row before/after the break where we led after 5 & 6 innings.
I actually went to bed as soon as I saw Osich was coming in. I’ve seen this movie before and I had no desire to watch it again. A soft-tossing lefty journeyman vs Contreras/Bryant/Rizzo was never going to end with the Reds leading.
Also, even with as bad as the bullpen was again last night that loss was on the offense. You can’t have the bases loaded with no outs as many times as the Reds did and come away with almost nothing. The lineup when Stephenson is not playing is essentially 8 spot caliber hitters at the 4 thru 9 spots depending on where Votto is at. Pitch around Votto and it is clear sailing. The Reds desperately need Senzel and Moose back just to give the lineup some depth.
I went to bed with such hope last evening. Silly me. Of course our BP did what they do and our hitters didn’t capitalize on yet another golden opportunity.
So are we now selling pieces by the end of the week? Or maybe giving away a couple?
Injuries and a poor bullpen (injuries there too but the ceiling simply was not high) have kept this team just outside the playoff profile.
Barring a 10 game win streak, this team isn’t going to get into the big boy race.
They’ve been far more entertaining and engaging this year.
Bell is playing hopscotch on a minefield with this bullpen so I’m not wasting time criticizing that. But he needs to take action on Suarez. He’s a team leader but giving him past the ASB is more than enough. Anyone on the bench is a better option. He cannot be an every-day middle of the order bat. Bell has managed well enough but this is the lynchpin issue for me. If it stays this way all season and Suarez finishes September at #5 and is top 3 in games started then I want Bell gone. If he starts platooning and we start seeing him 7/8 in the order, then he stays. You can not be a new order guy in baseball, as Bell purports, and tolerate this performance all season.
“playing hopscotch on a minefield”
Great analogy. It fits.
Easy to kill the bullpen after this game since as a group they have been poor all year.
This game is 100% on the offense.
3rd inning, bases loaded no out, 3,4,5 hitters next up, 1 run on a SAC Fly.
8th inning bases loaded no ours, 0 runs scored
9th inning, 1st and 2nd no outs, 3,4,5 hitters next up, 0 runs on a SAC Fly.
Bases loaded no outs, not scoring at least 2 runs in the inning is not acceptable offense.
I am no fan of David Bell as a manager, but as poor as his bullpen management seemed to be tonight, the lack of Reds offense coming through in any one of the three great chances for more runs is why they lost this game.
7 games back with 62 to play
only 3 left vs Brewers
If Brewers fall apart and only play 500 the rest of season (31-31) the Reds have to go 37-25 (0.600) to tie and force a 1 game playoff for the division.
FanGraphs has it about right, Reds have a 5.1% change to win the division.
Padres have same # of wins as the Brewers, Fangraphs have the Reds with a 4.4% chance to catch the Padres.
For a team claiming to be run by analytics they should face the realization that they have a 1 in 11 chance of making the playoffs and act as such, fans realize this, they have to take chances and not play it safe.
The only way to overcome those odds is to hit on a couple of long shots, a couple of unknown/unexpected players players need to have Aquino from August 2019 months for the Reds to catch either the Brewers or Padres.
I am of the position that any offense that scores 5 runs in a game can never be blamed for a loss. Period. Sure they had chances to put of many more runs (of course it required some good offense to get in those positions in the first place), but that doesn’t mean the offense was the reason for the loss. Hitting poorly with RISP should have meant the difference between just a win and a blowout. But it was NOT the difference between winning and losing. A team should be able to win every game in which they score 5 runs. End of story.
not at Wrigley on a warm night and slight wind blowing out. Joe Madden always said, no lead is safe at Wrigley.
5 runs is not enough vs a very potent Cubs Offense.
You nailed it Don! Reds BP should have been working with a 4 or 5 run lead, NOT 2!
Bullpen should have held a 2 run lead late. End of story.
Every team leaves runners on base but if you have scored 5 runs and have a two run lead in the late innings your bullpen should be able to hold that lead.
Yep. You can always find fault if you look hard enough. The fact is, the offense scored enough to come back and have a lead late in the game. The bullpen then blew that lead in 3 consecutive innings.
The bullpen continues to be the biggest problem on the team and the easiest fix. Unfortunately no answers have appeared and maybe the hole they’ve dug has become insurmountable. No idea what Krall is doing, or what Big Bob is allowing him to do. Looking for rumors that the Reds are looking for bullpen help, but crickets mostly. Saw they asked the Marlins about Rojas (SS), which is at least something (though they were turned down). Whatever magic Brach had found earlier in the season, he’s lost. You can’t pitch him in high leverage situations. Osich, Garcia, and Hendrix should not be on a ML roster at this point. Doolittle can’t really be counted on either, especially with inherited runners. This team deserves a better bullpen. Too many times they’ve come back and taken a lead just to let the bullpen let it slip away. It’s demoralizing for the team and for the fans.
I feel so sorry for our hitters. They scrap and grind to put runs on the board and then the bullpen blows the lead in about 5 minutes.
Safe to say we won’t be trading for Javier Lopez this deadline?? Besides, Farmer is holding down SS pretty well, imo. Suarez has to be the odd man out. At the very least, he should be platooning L/R time at 3B with Moose when he returns. At the very least. He still looks lost out there.
Santillan looks like he’s made for the bullpen. He looks like he’s having fun out there. I cant say that about his starts.
If we had a better bullpen with owner and gm who cared about us fans and respect our team enough to get help we should be in first place by all the lost due to bullpen smh and I question bell skill as a leader at times
Japanese American day and Shogo sits the bench? Wow. Suarez goes 1-5 and raises his batting average? Reds are 2-7 since the all star break and fading. Why is the worst hitter in the major leagues batting 5th and playing everyday? India, Farmer, Votto, Castellanos and Winker are having great years for the Reds. Stephenson is great offensively and it is all being ruined by Suarez and the bull pen.
Suarez was player of the month in September of 2019. He hit .337 with 10 HRs that month. He has been a sub-.200 hitter ever since…6 consecutive months of being among the very worst hitters in all of baseball. Yet here he is batting 5th behind some of the best hitters in baseball giving him the opportunity night after night of leaving tons of runners on base. Which he does. And Bell does NOTHING…he just has this FEELING that Suarez is on the verge of coming out of this “little” downturn. Sheesh, Bell is pathetic. I can’t stand to listen to the guy talk. He speaks so quietly you can hardly hear him anyway and he has absolutely NOTHING constructive to say anyway. Is there another manager in all of MLB that would bat Suarez 5th?? If there is they also deserve to be fired!
I felt badly for Akiyama Sunday but even more so on Monday. His reaction to those 2 not quite catches on the short fly balls I thought indicated a feeling of disbelief on his part he did not make the plays. I’d guess in years past he would have caught them both with relative ease.
In particular, the ball to the LF side of CF seemed to be in the air forever. It looked like Akiyama got a slow break then just didn’t have the legs to get to it. By comparison, the ball Schrock hit in the 8th which was routinely caught too shallow to be a sac fly was only ~20 feet deeper in the same basic location than this ball which Akiyama couldn’t get to (per Baseball Savant).
Then he battled Kimbrel so hard in the 9th on fringe pitches only to freeze and take one right down the alley for a called strike 3.
One of Pete Rose’s theories about aging players and deteriorating skill was that when it goes, it often goes almost overnight. If Akiyama isn’t playing through an injury of some sort, could that be what is happening with him at age 33?
HMMMM. Could Be. Could Be.
Shogo needs to gogo.
I really believe if we left Santillan in we had a chance to win. He was a starter. He should b able to go multiple innings. I really thought we found something with him. Leave the starters in longer mr bell but then every 4 or 5 days let Santillan finish. Bring up Barrero for s s platoon Suarez or just use as pinch hitter. We can’t have that low batting avg in the middle. I went to bed when bell replaced Santillan with a lead knowing we will lose.
Perhaps we could join a new league. The 7 inning league. What’s our win – lose numbers on that. Seems like it should b up there. Perhaps even better only play 6 innings. This could b a good team if people stay healthy. And if bell stopped using 6-7 relievers a night.
I was surprised last night when they asked Votto how the team has changed since the All Star game, 3-7, and he failed to mention the injury to Castellanos. I think we as fans have to support the team but, realize this is not their year. As for trades, I think they need to trade a starter or 2 for out field help. The Reds need to bring up both Greene and Lidolo next year from the start. If healthy the bull pen with Sims, Antone, Santillan and a few pick ups could be fine.
DFA Shogo. He was a horrible signing and is not a Major League hitter. Bloops and soft ground balls No line drives .
Bench Suarez or if possible send him down to change his approach He is trying to hit home runs every time up and you can’t do that on breaking balls.
Platoon Senzel and Naquin in CF Same for Farmer and Moose at 3B
Bring up Barrero and Moreta and Lodolo and
Greene And Ashcroft and Nick H and send down or DFA Osich, Doolittle, Brach, Garcia, and Hendrix. Hendrix must develop another pitch.
Play for next season Trading for short term help will no longer work
@doc4UK> Check out my reply above to someone else which crossed with your comment “in transit.” If Castellanos and Senzel both are healthy by mid August and no other outfielders are injured, the question of what happens with Akiyama may have to be confronted. In years past, they probably would have found a passable reason to punt him to the IL until roster expansion. However, with the expanded roster now limited to 28, the spots are much more precious, especially if the Reds are still nursing playoff hopes come Sept 1.
And let’s see what happens with Aquino over the next 2 weeks before handing the RH hitting side of the CF platoon back to Senzel. AA is starting to emerge like another controversial #44 for the Reds, Adam Dunn. HIs strikeouts are maddening but at the end of the day his OPS is hanging in at around .350 because he is learning to take walks when they don’t throw him high quality seriously tempting pitches.
If AA gets on base 35% of the time and hits a HR every 15 plate appearances (both approximately his current rates) can Senzel better that? Neither his season nor career stats suggest he can. And I’m not at all sure their comparative defense isn’t a push. Senzel may cover marginally more ground but AA looks to clearly have the better arm.
I concur. AA might even track balls better which is really more important than speed although he has pretty good speed as well.
I have to disagree with the platoon in CF. Senzel should be the everyday CF. People want to write him off because he struggled his rookie year and the COVID year (just like most others) but in reality, he has way more potential than Naquin to help this team long-term. He needs everyday reps. Even in his “bad” rookie year, he hit .256, 12 HRs, 52 RBIs, 14 SB in 104 games. Meanwhile, everyone considers Naquin as a good player because he is hitting .247, 13 HRs, 55 RBIs, 4 SBs in 89 games. These numbers are even a little inflated because of his strong start. Over the last two months, Naquin is hitting .242, 3 HRs, and 20 RBIs (and looks even worse outside of the 5 hit game). That doesn’t cut it for someone hitting somewhere in the 4-6 range daily who generally has India, Winker, Castellanos, Votto, Stephenson on base in front of him. I get it, we as Cincinnati fans value the underdog hardworking player more than a hyped-up player (See Farmer, Barnhart, Shrock, Freeman) but Senzel has the potential to be an All-Star someday. He needs to play every day.
Aquino is just 15 months older than Senzel. His MLB stats are clearly better. Career OPS of .855 vs Senzel .704.
At AAA in 2019, Aquino had an OPS of .992 over 323 plate appearances. At AAA in 2018 Senzel had an OPS of .887 over 193 PAs.
How do we judge who is best now for the team, who has the highest ceiling and who deserves the most and longest chances at MLB?
Given what has happened with Senzel since he got to MLB, he should go back to AAA and put up a couple of hundred PAs to show what he can do (and that he can stay healthy)? Because for a team in a playoff race, there is as much or more indication that Aquino, right here, right now, is a better choice for the Reds.
@Jim, Aquino’s defense in CF would have me pretty worried. Additionally, the overall OPS may be better but try removing Aquino’s August in 2019 which is an obvious outlier. I’m not sure what it changes his OPS to but I do know is that he is hitting .184 in 239 at-bats since then.
Also, I’m not sure comparing Aquino’s highest OPS in his minors career with Senzel’s lowest OPS in his minors career is the best way to justify. Otherwise, we could compare how Senzel hit .900 plus in AA and Aquino hit sub .700 in AA.
@BZ. the minor league OPS figures were both for AAA. That seemed the right comp to me because it is the next level below MLB and presumably performance there is a top indicator of how a guy will perform at MLB. 2018 was Senzel’s longest haul at AAA which got him to MLB. 2019 was Aquino’s longest haul at AAA and got him to the MLB. The other AAA time for both was rehab time.
Off topic, but the reds signed their number one draft pick., but at a million over slot.
Yep. If you didn’t see, somebody had tipped Doug last week that McLain was in Cincy and a deal looked to be in the works. It seems like the delay was just to see how much money was available to pay him when the other folks were in the fold.
Everyone is now signed except for #11 pick Shawn Guilliams, a right handed pitching prospect.
I agree, some say the Reds have a lot of out fielders but, if Castellanos leaves, likely, who is solid besides Winker and maybe Senzel. They have a bunch of journeyman Naquin, Shogo, Aqiuno, they need a solid everyday outfielder and if the lose Mahle to get one, so be it.
Woke up this morning to the not so good news! As much as I want to you can’t blame this loss on Bell. Same old, same old! BP failed to protect a 2-run lead late in the game! Same issues! WALKS and a HPB thrown in! Reds had more than one chance to put this game away but the abject failure to score with the bases loaded and NO OUTS came back to haunt this team AGAIN! So, essentially we are back to where we were when we played the 1st series this month with Milwaukee, 7 games out in the NL Central and 6 games out in the Wild Card (5 in the Loss Column). Wash, rinse, repeat! Let’s do better today!
Basically, it’s the same guys getting on base over and over to GET the bases loaded [India, Winker, Castellanos (when he was healthy), Votto, Stephenson] and it’s the same guys over and over that are failing to drive anyone in when they’re loaded [Suarez, Naquin, Barnhart, Aquino, Farmer, Shogo]. Getting Suarez out of the lineup would help but I guess we simply need more clutch hitters.
The Reds had really weak PAs in the 8th and 9th with runners aboard. In the 8th with bases loaded and zero outs, Barnhart (K) and Schrock (short fly out) failed to plate a run then India K’ed to end the inning.
In the 9th, Winker and Aquino reached to start the inning Votto, Suárez and Akiyama followed by going down on strikes. From 2-1, Votto uncharacteristically chased two pitches out of the zone. Suarez got a tough call at 1-1 on a pitch which looked out of the zone then swung at and missed the next one which was borderline but better than the called strike on the previous pitch. Akiyama fouled off a number of fringe pitches then got caught looking at a fastball right down the pipe.
Believe it or not, Aquino’s OBP for the season is .350 and his in game OBP last night was .400 (3K’s a walk and a hit in 5 PAs). Same for Sunday (2K’s, 2 walks and a pop out). As I said elsewhere, he is current day version of Adam Dunn (who plays a lot better defense).
Just gotta hope Antone, Sims, Warren come back and return to form quick and hope Bell can cobble together them with Garrett, Santillan, and hembree. Of course Bells is clueless with handling the BP, right? Blah, Blah, Blah, as if anyone of us knows how to handle a bull pen more than half of which is mediocre at best…easy to armchair after the game. Look, no team is gonna give up a reliable reliever for someone we’d want to give up (e.g. Suarez?, Gray?, Barnhart?,Shogo?, Moose?, maybe Aquino, but we need him if Castellanos goes). No one is going to want Castellanos w/ a bum wrist(that’s good in my opinion)…and he probably won’t be back before the deadline. We’re certainlly not going to trade our good rookies or Lodolo or Greene. If Antone, Sims, and Warren are back and in form (Forget Lorenzen for the rest of the year), and with a little help from the Brewers, the Reds could still pull this off at year’s end.
Pitching was disappointing – an unexpected struggle for Miley, then (more) late bullpen woes combined with questionable bullpen use. But the key moment of the game IMO came with the bases loaded and no one out in the 5th when Suarez struck out on ball 4. Between that rally killer and a similar bases loaded fail in the 8th, this one’s on the offense. As much as we all love Eugenio Suarez, if this is truly a major league club with an analytics based decision making process then Suarez can’t be starting and batting 5th. Alejo Lopez would be a big upgrade. Or Nick Senzel. Or Mike Moustakas. Or almost anyone else. This is not a slump, he’s 6 months into sustained struggling – all of 2020 and all of 2021. It’s over due.
You described Suarez to a T! Rally Killer! If Bell, or the FO, insists on playing Suarez then put him in the 8th spot in the batting order to reduce his opportunities to kill a rally!
Maybe 9th. Most pitchers have better averages.
Ten (10) weeks and 62 games left in the 2021 season! There’s still time but have to stop giving away games when leading after 6 or 7 innings! The only good thing to come out of last night’s game is it looks like Santillan may help the BP!
IMO, we, RLN, need to move on from acquiring a SS. There is one in the wings who will probably be here in a month. Honestly SS has been serviceable, if unspectacular, yet we all knew that it would be when the FO did not acquire one in the off season. If the other parts, 3B, BP, CF, had performed anywhere close to average, they would be in the thick of it. It would be crazy to trade any prospects for a SS, when there are currently more pressing needs. The current makeup has huge holes at 3B and BP, and somewhat OF now. What the FO thought was so deep in the spring, OF, now is really underperforming. Injuries have played some role, but underperforming and overmanaging has really highlighted the flawed makeup of the team. Castellanos will return, but even when with him performing at MVP levels the obvious holes were there. They need to do serious thinking…lol….and evaluate where they are and the needs and move in that direction now going forward. Good guys aside, they have to win, and the “good guys” they have are not really getting it done. If ownership is good at business, obviously they are, they are worth a ton of money, they know you have to spend money to make money. If you win they will come.
I agree. SS is the least of our problems right now. Farmer is serviceable (for now). IMO the biggest issues that need addressed are:
1. BP
2. 3B
3. CF/RF (Until Nick C. is back)
4. SP
If I’m not mistaken our bullpen has now blown at least 20 saves this season already! Imagine if we had a strong bullpen or even an average one and had cut that number in half; we would be 12 games over .500. ARRRRRRGH!
Exactly! No bullpen is perfect, but Reds would be at or near first if the BP would have won even half of the games they have blown. It is sickening that Nick Krall and Bob Castellini won’t spend the money to improve the team.
Nick Krall doesn’t write the checks. He can’t spend money if Bob won’t approve it.
I have to come to the conclusion now that the impressive play before the ASG was just as unsustainable as their end of regular season run last year. The injuries have highlighted much more potential in the Red’s young players than I think anyone expected.
However, if the comments in this blog and the wisdom of everyday commonsense baseball fans is considered, anything short of a firing of David Bell at the end of the season is the only way to sustain interest for next year. If Barrero comes on as expected and the bullpen matures or gets managed differently, they make not have to make that big trade after all. Just offload some deadwood and sunken cost, and work on the pitching prospects we already have.
I have to think that Baez feels protected by MLB now, since he got nothing for jumping the rail.
His actions certainly indicate he has a feeling of impunity
The guy definitely sports a “hate the face” punchable look
Pete Rose, Denny McClain, David Bell? Either Bell is not an MLB manager, I.e. clueless or he has some incentive to make bad decisions. Is it his affinity for 30+ year old hasbeen’s and never were’s? Is it direction from the FO/ownership? Do they really want a reason to sell? If so, then he isn’t a manager at all, simply a yes man/puppet. Is he, like so many others in baseball, simply confused about the difference between descriptive statistics (describes the dataset, e.g. what was the average LA and EV for home runs) and inferential statistics (inferences to be tested and always accompanied by margins of error, e.g. presidential polling)? Does he then fall back on historical baseball rules of thumb like L/R matchups without looking at the underlying numbers. Or is it more insidious? Regardless he isn’t effective. As for the modern “analytics” game, build a team consisting of guys that can make contact and hit, regardless of power. Guys like Rose, Carew, Gwynn, none of whom ever hit 20 HRs and seldom more than 10. I’ll bet such a team would win far more often. I know the Reds would have won the last two games. Forget the grand slam. Just put the ball in play.
Not a big fan of Bell’s managing, but let’s face it – the relievers on this team just aren’t very good. It doesn’t matter who he calls on – it seems that none of them actually do their job. The bullpen woes are the fault of the front office, not Bell.
I did some checking to see if there were relievers out there that we might be able to acquire. Pitcher 1 is 6-4 with a 3.35 ERA and a terrific 0.90 WHIP and 70 strikeouts in 45.2 innings. Pitcher 2 is 5-1 with a 3.21 ERA in 28 innings. WHIP is higher – 1.54, but that’s still better than what we have now.
Wouldn’t it be nice if we had those two guys in our bullpen today???? Guess what??? We DID have them last season. Pitcher 1 is Raisel Iglesias. Pitcher 2 is Archie Bradley.
We had the talent to field a solid bullpen. But management didn’t want to pay them. So, we got what we got. And this team isn’t going to make the playoffs because of the conscious decision to “go cheap” on relief pitchers.
You get what you pay for, Mr Castellini. No soup for you.
It is also astounding to read about the team’s efforts to “trade for a SS.” Here’s a newsflash. Farmer ain’t your problem. He has actually done a pretty respectable job at SS. If you are just dying to get a different player at SS, how about Jose Barrero??
Aside from the bullpen, third base is the problem. Why aren’t we looking to trade for a third baseman??? Could it be because the team is committed to over-paying RKM for years to come?
Cubs looking to unload Kris Bryant I believe! Short term rental I know!
+1
I was reading the expanded box score at MLB and it showed that Suarez left 7 men on base last night. 7! Send him down for a wakeup. Anyone would be better right now.
Trade him to Cubs with a prospect for Bryant. As in now.
Do it today and all Bryant would have to do is change his jersey and walk over to the other dugout!
Suarez has left 8 and 9 on in separate games this month alone.
Someone last night linked the fangraphs most left on base in MLB stat and Suarez was comfortably ahead by 40 or so for the year. Worst in MLB.
Senzel should be ready perhaps in 5-7 days. Moose is still not targeted a rehab stent but I’d like to see Senzel play 3b daily until Moose comes back and let Suarez sit. He’s not even hitting his once a week HR now. Last home run was against Hader I believe pre Allstar break.
The Bullpen is 3rd worst in allowing inherited runners to score in MLB
Very disappointing the team has good SP and good hitting in the same season yet still cant win a division in which 3 of the other 4 teams are in tank mode- Pirates, sell mode-Cubs or hopelessly flawed mode- Cards SP.
Reds roster moves (In My Dreams Edition):
– Activate Moustakas.
– Bench Suarez.
– Activate Senzel.
– Recall Barrero.
– Platoon Senzel and Barrero.
– Activate Castellanos.
– Activate Lorenzen, Antone, and Simms.
– Trade Aquino for a quality RP.
Correction:
– Extend Castellanos.
– Then trade Aquino for a quality RP.
As sure as they trade AA, he is going to successfully complete the growth we are seeing right now and be at the least a borderline star. But yeah, if Castellanos is extended through the end of his current deal, trading AA for pitching could be a value for value trade which could work for the Reds
Aquino wouldn’t get you a snickers bar
So he is the problem with this team? Doubt it. You will probably get your wish though. Just wait and see how he does once he’s gone.
Aquino over the past 28 days:
47 plate appearances
.263 / .404 / .500 for a .904 OPS
That said, his BABIP is .471.
https://www.baseball-reference.com/players/split.fcgi?id=aquinar01&year=2021&t=b
Where did I say he was the problem? A pos owner is the problem who doesn’t care about winning.Aquino has had one good month in mlb and one good year in the minors.Other than that awful.It won’t get you anything in a trade
I would platoon Moustakas and Senzel at 3rd and let Barrero play SS. Otherwise, good plan.
Lets me beat the dead horse.Bob has to win his way by playing the players he says to play starting with Suarez.He will not budge.He will not acquire any help for the pen.He will hope the injured return to fix it.Bell knows both of these things.Bell will do what he does and script his lineups and his pen usage.He will not budge.Point is he set a player that was on base 5 times Sunday yet pinch hit him in the 5th inning with the bases loaded and he delivered a run.He brings in a soft tossing lefty to face the Cubs 3 best hitters in the 8th leading by a run with HH watching and Garrett available.Bob won’t budge,Bell won’t budge and Reds still fight like crazy every game.Amazing.Hats off to our team.Injured players returning will do little with leadership like Bob and Bell still around.
I made a suggestion that after Suarez big year they trade him for a good haul, now I make another, trade Miley, if the DEAL can be made for a GOOD outfielder.
If we’re trading Miley, then we’re selling at that point. Not that I disagree. But that puts Gray, Castellanos, Barnhart, and perhaps Mahle in play. If you’re selling on Miley, you need to be open for business. The only player above that is irreplaceable in 2022 is Castellanos, but he’s gone either way.
I agree the Reds should trade Miley Asap for a young outfielder, throw in somebody else if they have to. I could see trading Gray or Mahle as well. The team has to make room for Greene and Lodolo period.
If we’re trading Miley, then we’re selling at that point. Not that I disagree. But that puts Gray, Castellanos, Barnhart, and perhaps Mahle in play. If you’re selling on Miley, you need to be open for business. The only player above that is irreplaceable in 2022 is Castellanos, but he’s gone either way.
ignore – somehow duplicated from reply to BillJ
I hate to admit it but this season is over as far as the playoffs go, I do think they should sell for next year and do all they can to re-sign Castellanos. If they play it right 2022 could be a great year. I know they won’t do this so I will hope for a miraculous run this year.
I would guess they have atleast a 60% chance to resign Nick. Just a guess, but he’s sort of a one year (or 2) wonder career wise and he’s only been a B- hitter on the road. He’s really used GABP well and he’s a team leader as well!
As for both selling and competing in 2022. Its kind of difficult to do both. Miley is the only lefty until Lodolo is ready. They’re 12-6 in Miley’s starts this year (8-2 in his last 10). I’d say he’s one of the team leaders imo as a veteran grinder! I’d deal Sonny if anyone.
Why are so many people down on Aquino? I’d say over half of RLN wanted Shogo over him as late as 3-4 weeks ago. Shogo had to drop to Geno levels before that talk dried up.
Last 5 starts for AA= 5 for 17, HR, 4 walks. The HR was in a 4-3 win. Thats an obp of .428 (.413 for July). Whats wrong with that? Yeah he Ks a ton, but he doesn’t hit into doubleplays. He can run and we’re often outhomered. We just got outhomered by the Mets 7-0 in 1 game! Catcher, 2B, and SS don’t provide much power. 1B, 3B, CF, RF are really only about average when you consider GABP.
Guys like Michael Conforto or Bader on the Cards routinely come in and homer twice in a 3 game series. HRs aren’t everything, but they matter. You better hit them in gabp atleast because they will!
Bottom line we’re way short on speed and somewhat short on power. Even if AA is only a bench piece then he can come in and square up a fastball. He hit Kimbrel last night. I got carried away with Josh Van Meter. I’m wrong on guys, but AA has done nothing to this point to say that he can’t play.
My thoughts exactly on Aquino. Shogo just can’t seem to hit anything but lazy fly balls to left field. That ain’t going to cut it. Good defensively though.
He’s been overmatched from day 1 as a hitter. Japanese pitchers have came over in their 30s and had some success, but evidently its too much for a hitter to come over at 32 and be able to adjust. How in the world did he hit 20 HRs/season with that swing in any pro league?
Never mind. I can’t find any Japanese pitchers that came over in their 30s? Maeda was 28 and Nomo was 26. Most guys are slowing down by 32 and the step up is just too much. I don’t fault the Reds for trying.
It is the strikeouts, just like with Adam Dunn. In his last 2 games, AA has compiled an in game OBP of .400 in each game despite striking out 5 times. By and large people don’t see the good (40% of the time he did not make an out which is good by any standard); they only see that he struck out 50% of the time.
And traditionally I’ll agree, a 38.3% seasonal K rate is insane; but when a guy also has a seasonal OBP of .358 and is hitting home runs at a 40 per season rate what are we to make of it? Factor in AA’s 16.1% seasonal BB rate; and, conclude he is a poster child for 3 true outcome baseball.
I agree with the strikeout stat, and I believe that will go down, but other than that there is no comparison between him and big Donkey. He was a terrible outfielder, while Aquino is a good defender.
@Jimbo44cn> Agree totally about AA being a good defender.
Baseball is a game of adjustments. When a batter gets hot, pitchers try to find a different way to pitch to him. Then, the batter has to adjust to what he’s being thrown. The problem with AA this season is that he isn’t adjusting. Everyone knows he can murder a fastball. So guess what?? He ain’t getting any fastballs in the strike zone (except perhaps by accident). They are throwing every breaking pitch imaginable at him, and he hasn’t adjusted. He is still swinging like they are throwing him heaters. Perhaps he has poor pitch recognition? I am not smart enough to say one way or another.
But when he swings over the top of every slider and curve ball, and consistently chases breaking pitches low and away, his prodigious strikeout rate is perfectly understandable. He must make the adjustment and sit on the off-speed stuff. Once he proves he can hit that, he’ll see more fastballs.
And he needs to stop trying to plant every pitch into the left field seats. If he would try to make solid contact and drive the ball back up the middle and into right-center, he would have a much higher average. Kid is as strong as an onion sandwich – he’d hit 25 HRs a year by accident.
Just remember the Reds went no where with Adam on the team…and I am an Dunn fan…loved him in DC to, but much the same.
AA is a much better all around player than Dunn. Defensively he was much worse than even Winker with less speed and a weaker arm (and much heavier). I actually believe AA will hit above .260 given enough time to adjust.
Love the line. “It will be interesting to see how many games Nick Castellanos is suspended for because of these actions.” Thanks for the laugh… that’s all you can do with this team…
So the Reds traded Rasiel Iglesias for Noe Ramirez (and a guy in AA who isn’t doing much). Ramirez now has a 2.57 ERA for the D-backs (though he did struggle a bit for the Angels). Iglesias is about to be one of the most coveted relievers on the market and the Angels may get back more than they sent to the Reds for him initially. It’s a low-level Chapman deal all over again. Reds’ FO has been terrible about maximizing the value of their players.
The Front office is incompetent when it comes to trading players. They probably won’t trade anyone in the next few days cause they don’t want to lose their shirts again and get embarrassed.
So is there a rule about having too many players on rehab assignments at the same place at the same time. Same day they move sims to Louisville for rehab, they move Felez rehab from Louisville to Dayton
I don’t think so. But if you spread them out it means you aren’t keeping other guys from getting their work in, too. If you have two rehabbers in the bullpen for Louisville that’s two guys that aren’t getting work in on that roster. Send one to another destination and it’s easier to work with from a “get everyone their mound time” perspective.
fair enough….. what are the roster implications if any with rehabbers on the various minor league rosters?
Starting lineup for tonight:
Jonathan India (R) 2B
Jesse Winker (L) LF
Tyler Stephenson (R) C
Joey Votto (L) 1B
Eugenio Suarez (R) 3B
Tyler Naquin (L) RF
Kyle Farmer (R) SS
Shogo Akiyama (L) CF
Vladimir Gutierrez (R) P
Bell got the guy that was on base 5 times Sunday back in the line up and hitting 3rd and the guy who hit 3rd last night is back on the bench with Shogo taking his spot and hitting 8th.Thats Bell of course and his right left lineup that will not matter much at all once he runs out of players and pitchers around the 8th.Bob is happy with Suarez playing and hitting 5th.Aquino must remember he struck out 3 times last night and his walk and hit in the ninth off Kimbrell means nothing of course.Maybe Bell liked Shogo taking strike 3 right down the middle off of Kimbrell last night.Good thing is the Reds will win despite the owner and the manager.
they should at least flip flop Suarez and Farmer
Here is something to consider about the lineup. When Garrett came back, Lopez was sent down which left them with a 4 man bench again. If Stephenson and Aquino both start, Bell has zero right handed hitters off the bench. Even his best hitting pitcher who might be a semi reasonable PH, Miley, is a LH hitter. Note this isn’t strictly Bell’s doing, the GM sets the roster.
14 pitchers, 9 of them supposedly relievers, and they can’t hold a 2 run lead or even stay tied through the final 9 outs of regulation play.
This is never going to end with Bell 1/3 of your 9 players are almost automatic outs, you can’t in this way. Bell please go away or become a manager that makes better decisions.
Albert Einstein–insanity–doing the same thing over and over again and expecting a different result
So true. Bell learns nothing from his mistakes. He puts in a reliever who blows the game. Next night in the same situation he puts the same guy in. And is astonished when the lead gets blown again. Duh.
I strongly believe the guy got his job due to the Bell name. And keeps it for the same reason. I wish Reds would fire him but they won’t. This is a major league baseball team. Quit worrying about players getting their feelings hurt and put the best team on the field.
Are they going to rename the Mendoza line to the Suarez line?
Mendoza was a hitting machine compared to Suarez.
I would like to know the exact reason he is still in the lineup and batting 5th. Is it an order from above or is Bell that oblivious to the mechanics and approach of Suarez.
It might be from the front office but, if it is, Bell has to have the backbone to do what is best for this team at the present time. We all have been in situations where you have to do whats right even if it hurts you personally, I know, as a former High School basketball coach, I had to often do what I felt was right for the team even though it may have upset some people. It may have not always worked out but, I had no trouble looking in the mirror.