Avisaíl García’s defense just crushed the Cincinnati Reds chances at a win on Wednesday night as two critical plays led to runs not winding up on the board in a 4-1 Milwaukee Brewers win.
| Final | R | H | E |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cincinnati Reds (69-59) |
1 | 5 | 1 |
| Milwaukee Brewers (78-49) |
4 | 5 | 0 |
| W: Woodruff (8-7) L: Castillo (7-13) |
|||
| Statcast | Box Score | Game Thread | |||
The Offense
Cincinnati got the leadoff hitter on base in each of the first two innings but couldn’t capitalize on either opportunity as Brandon Woodruff shut things down. And he kept doing that, too, until the 6th inning. Tyler Naquin would single with one out. Nick Castellanos would then flair a ball down the line in right field to move Naquin up to third, but Castellanos was thrown out trying to stretch it into a double in a bang-bang play at second base that was challenged by the Reds and upheld by the review. Joey Votto lined out to left field to end the inning. With one out in the 8th inning Max Schrock, just called up before the game on Wednesday, hit a ball into deep right-center but Avisaíl García jumped at the wall and brought it back in to rob him of a homer.
Trailing 4-0 entering the 9th inning, Nick Castellanos made sure that the Reds wouldn’t be shut out as he hit one 435-feet into left-center for a solo homer. That was all they would get as Jake Cousins struck out the other three batters he faced in the inning. It was their 14th, 15th, and 16th strikeouts of the game. The Reds didn’t walk a single time.
The Pitching
Luis Castillo had allowed no hits through the first three inning innings of the game, yielding just two walks in the process. But Milwaukee broke through with back-to-back doubles to lead off the 4th inning to take a 1-0 lead. Avisaíl García had the second of the two, but he was thrown out at third base on the next play by Kyle Farmer as he tried to advance on a grounder to shortstop. The Brewers didn’t get anything else going that inning. Or for the next two innings, either. In the 7th inning a hit batter began the inning for Castillo and after a strikeout an infield single put runners on 1st and 2nd with one out. That hit batter would come around to score on a ground rule double by Jace Peterson. It would be the last batter Castillo would face as David Bell turned the game over to Lucas Sims with two on and just one out in a 2-0 game. Sims would strike out both batters he faced to keep the game at 2-0 and send it to the 8th.
Things started to get away in the 8th. Amir Garrett walked the leadoff batter. After a pop up, Christian Yelich reached on a throwing error by Mike Moustakas that put runners on 1st and 3rd. A wild pitch moved Yelich up and then the Reds just moved forward with an intentional walk to load the bases. An excuse-me check swing led to an RBI infield single and a pitching change as Jeff Hoffman entered the game. The next play was nearly identical, but this time Moustakas completed the out at first base, but Milwaukee had their 2nd run of the inning to make it 4-0. Hoffman walked the next batter to load the bases once again, but got a strikeout to end the inning.
Notes Worth Noting
Tejay Antone had a bit of an ominous tweet during the 8th inning of the game.
Thank you for the endless support from everyone. As much as I want to, I can’t control everything in life. No one said life would be easy. But no matter what I will work my hardest to return from this.
— Tejay Antone ? (@TejayAntone) August 26, 2021
Up Next for the Cincinnati Reds
Cincinnati Reds vs Milwaukee Brewers
Thursday August 26, 2:10pm ET
Sonny Gray (5-6, 4.15 ERA) vs Brett Anderson (4-7, 4.15 ERA)
You have to credit the Brewers. They went out and got Adames and Escobar (and beat us again without them). They got rid of Shaw. And before that they went out and got Wong (why the Cards let him go is beyond me), and all these other guys Narvaez, Urias, Peterson, Tellez, etc. all decent players who have elevated their game. They are a more athletic team and they have more speed than do the Reds. And of course, their pitching is outstanding.
They kept their payroll open enough to be able to make the moves and the Reds didn’t.
Been saying all season the Brewers were the team to beat in the division. I just hope we can hang onto the wild card. Team has to hang in there and keep pushing to win and fight hard just like they have so far this season.
Hopefully we can get at least one win against them tomorrow.
Go Reds.
Full credit to you for saying it all season. Thanks for the reminder.
They simply have more talent than us or maybe better utilize the talent they have. The team is ran far better than the Reds, so you are correct. They are also a small market team that does what it takes to win. You have to tip your hat to them. They address their weaknesses.
Plus their manager is a lot better
The Brewers are a better team but not allot better. They have very good starting pitchers and a great bullpen with defined roles. CC is a very good coach and makes moves based on winning and not worried about hurting a players feelings. The Reds are a good team, scrappy and fun to watch. They do make some head scratching moves sometimes. I am not sure why we signed Shogo and I only think he should come in off the bench. I am not sure why we signed Moose either? AG is just terrible this year and should only come in when we are getting blown out. Play JB at SS and slide Farmer to 3RD!
Agree. Brewers is a better team in general. However I still think the Reds and Bengals are the same: they fail when the stakes are high. Silver lining: they are still leading WC2!
Cards won today but Hopefully the Dodgers can beat up on the Padres again tonight. I think the Padres had a lead last I looked 1 to 0 but it was pretty early in the game yet.
What do do with Amir Garrett, I know the error didn’t help him tonight, but he has not been good all year, except for one small stretch. He needs to pitch in games consistently is what I hear to be okay, but if you bring him in a game where he hasn’t pitched for a while, then he walks batters, and then the other team gets a hit, and he usually has baserunners on, trying to dig himself out of a hole. Osich wasn’t the answer, and Doolittle wasn’t the answer. Reds need to pay some money to get a reliable left handed pitcher for themselves. I know we have J Wilson, but need another left hander….and one that is pretty darn good!
What to do with Garrett? Most fans have given up on Garrett because he’s been awful, especially with all the walks and control issues, but he’s really been awful this year only.
I think fans feel that way about Garrett because the bullpen as a whole has struggled, and when that happens it puts the spotlight on those who guys who are struggling the most, like Garrett, and there’s little chance to give those guys opportunities to work out of it when every game is important.
When a guy has a really bad year, most teams are willing to give that guy one more year to try and get it back together.
My only suggestion is to use Garrett a ton with a nice lead, but how many times does that happen? Also, I would try to get him to back off the max effort and throw strikes regardless of velocity and work towards having a nice easy repeatable delivery. Again, a guy who needs a bit of a makeover and may need an off-season to regroup.
For the life of me I can’t figure out why we have 5 starters who get the job done most games giving us 5-6 strong innings and we can’t find BP pitchers that can consistently give us 1 inning of quality relief. It doesn’t make sense unless we just don’t have much quality in the pen. By quality I am referring to getting good teams out. Not the Pirates, Cubs and Marlins.
Reds pitchers have trouble throwing strikes. They have allot of walks but they also put the hitter in a good hitters count. 3/1, 3/2, constantly.
Simms came in last night and threw strikes right from the start for a change.
The BP has been getting us beat all season.
I argued that they should have tried to move him at the trade deadline. I think they would have gotten a taker who would have given something of value.
Here’s what I would do with Amir Garrett. I would tell him he’s starting tomorrow. I would remind him the Brewers took out NC and tried to take out JI. I would tell him to pitch inside… way inside… until he is kicked out of the game. Then bring in Gray. Can not let this garbage go unaddressed. This is how the Reds became the Cards little brother and now they will with Milwaukee too unless the Reds send a clear message.
I like it. A lot. +500
Another suspension for Garrett!
That will get you nothing but a bad gall bladder!
For some reason Tuesdays and Wednesdays we have not been able to win much this month. Of the 8 games played this month we have only won 1 on a Wednesday the first week of the month. On the flip side we have played very well on the weekends in Aug.
Just an interesting fact I thought I would share.
This season Suarez doesn’t hit well on days that end in “Y”. I hope he can turn it around. Just an interesting fact I thought I would share.
Corey, that made me spit coffee on my screen laughing!
The Brewers are more athletic, but if the Reds make the basic defensive plays tonite then they only get 1 or 2 runs. Castellanos got thrown out to cost us 1 run then they jumped over the fence to stop another run. We’re 6-3 in Milw so our guys aren’t scared of them. Its just who plays better on that night.
Eventually they’re going to have pay their 3 stud starters $25-30 mil apiece or whatever and 1/2 will leave, but they’re a load.
I still like our lineup better when Wink is available. I wish they’d finish with the best record ahead of LA so we could beat SF once and then play Milw best of 5.
The Brewers have won 5 straight over the Reds, and the first 3 of those 5 came in Cincinnati after the all-star break when Winker was playing. The Brewers are clearly the better team. They remind me of the Cubs teams from a few years ago. But you’re right about their pitching. They’re going to have pay those guys and/or choose which ones to keep or let go.
The Reds have the athletic players who could to as well as the guys they use but they stick with the guys who aren’t as athletic. Barrero should be playing every day and the rotation at catcher should be flipped. There is even a place for Schrock at least till Winker is back.
That is what I was referring to above when I said the Brewers are better managed than the Reds. Either Bell is a terrible manager or someone up higher is interfering with who gets on the field. Whichever it is, we see what we are seeing. You can only put lipstick on a pig so long. When you have 3 of Suarez, Moose, AA and Akiyama on the field at the same time that is 4 unproductive bats in the lineup (counting the pitcher). That is roughly 44.44% of your offense. You can’t spot an out for the opposing team for roughly half your offense.
But..but…what about Tuck the good guy with 2 GGs
Great point Jim and thats why there is hope going forward.As I said last night TY Steve has hit all year and Barrero hit in AAA and they are just better options right now to play the rest of the way and I like giving Shrock a shot in left field.Reds just have to put their best players out there to have a chance especially against a good pitcher which if they play a wild card game is exactly what they will see.
+999 Jim!
Most of those wins vs. the Brewers weren’t against their best pitchers. Wins are wins though…They were close in both games against their studs.
Good chance the Barrero fan club gets to see their man tomorrow and maybe even at SS due to how many hard bellyflops Farmer’s made lately diving for balls. India could be ailing in the wrist also may sit or even CF is an option just to get another RH batter in there against the left-hander. Option one might even quell the lovely disparagement brigade some?
That ball in the 7th I think it was (all ran together toward the end) I swear he fell as he started to bend to reach out for it as opposed to diving for though. And Moose with another poor play on the throw because he can’t pivot or twist and has to step around to turn his body. I’d get Schrock and Barrero both in tomorrow except that the Brewers are scheduled to start a lefty. So, Barrero and Suarez I guess.
It’s obvious that Moustakas is not in good physical shape. Who to put at the key offensive position of third base, at this point, is a real quandy.
Good point Jim! Barrero at SS and Farmer at 3RD!
Been saying Farmer at 3B and Barreo at SS for a while. Add Schrock to LF also.
Reminiscent of last year’s post-season team,..i.e can’t even score a run in the big games against good pitching. At least Nick prevented the shut out. Reds are a long way from competing with the big boys. And did I mention that the Brew Crew have a good manager? Craig Counsell is smart,..unlike Tinkerbell. I was wrong about Aquino. I thought he just needed some games to get going. He should be sent to the minors, or traded if someone will take him. And Shogo is dead weight,..no bat. And the clutch Reds players are few and far between.
Great points. Tyler Stephenson has been clutch, but Bell hasn’t given him a start in either game.
I was also wrong on Aquino. I thought he would get better with more at bats, but it hasn’t happened yet. I still believe he is a capable backup at the right price, but that’s all. However, he doesn’t look like he is willing to accept a role as a long-term backup.
Craig Counsell was usually at the center of trouble for the Reds during his 6 years as a player for the Brewers. He’s become a level-headed, competent manager.
Maybe tomorrow we’ll use our best possible lineup. Maybe one of these days.
Don’t hold your breath.
This season has been such a rollercoaster. I was at the Reds/Cubs game last week. The team really looked lethargic losing 2 of 3 games at home . Then they turn around and sweep the Marlins in a four games series.
Just seems all the news this week has been
Bad. Tejay’s injury, the word that Castellanos will test free agency ( it wouldn’t surprise me if he ends up in St.Louis or Milwaukee) and now they are looking at being swept by the Brewers.
I give this team credit, they always seem to find a way to bounce back. Hopefully, they will do it again this weekend.
I am more than little bummed (not surprised) about the Castellanos news. If he leaves it will create a huge hole in the Red’s offense. There are not a lot of big bats on the market this winter and even if there were we all know the Reds ownership wouldn’t spend the money.
I wish Dick Williams was still the GM. He would make it work somehow. I have no confidence in Nick Krall. I mean even if Uncle Bob gave Krall the authority (we know he won’t) to increase the payroll, I am
not sure Nick Krall would get things done.
Sorry for the long post..just discouraged.
As far as I saw. the Castellanos “news” was unsourced gossip. Castellanos is a Boras client and everyone has known all along he would decline the option unless they thought taking it was safer given the CBA situation. But NC could still sign with the Reds as a free agent after declining the option.
Oh yeah, I know NC was always going to opt out. It still sucks.
I think there is zero chance the Reds will sign him once the bidding commences.
Part of me thinks the Reds should write off the next few seasons and focus on 2025.
Once the bad contracts come off the books and our young players are firmly established, the front office would then
have payroll flexibility to add the remaining pieces.
Then again, I don’t have a lot of confidence that Nick Krall would successfully manage a rebuild.
I also see the Castellanos news as a bit on the forced side at this point. I think NC has, overall, enjoyed his time with the Reds and he sees the potential, so I’m not convinced he’ll, ultimately, leave. But, he’s at his prime, so it’s his decision.
Nothing new happened with Castellanos? He was always going to see what the market might bring, but that doesn’t mean he’s gone. Just means he’d like to cash in on a huge year and get a raise! I think the Reds could bump him up another $6 mil/year if they wanted to. It would help if they could move Geno somewhere.
The way I see it we have 5 weeks to get it together for the wildcard game. To improve the team to compete against the other playoff teams. Farmer has been great, but he should’ve got an error tonite and saved Luis an earned run. Barrero gives the Reds so much more range and we also need another big bat. Same thing with Tucker! He’s been great, but Stephenson is much more dangerous offensively. The Reds need to maximize all resources and do it now! They could platoon Schrock/Farmer in LF. Why not? All Schrock does vs rhp is hit line drives!
Farmer gets it done where ever he’s posted. A very valuable guy on any winning team. Agreed, put Farmer/Schrock in left field until Winker is back. And sooner than soon, Jose Barrerro should cover shortstop.
That was not even close to an error on Farmer. But it’s a play that he makes 95% of the time. That was his 1 time.
Vottoforlife, The Reds are just going to have belly up to the bar and pay NC!
I think he likes here and I think he likes hitting in GABP. After all, he did make his first All-Star team playing here. The Reds have to be willing to pay him and I hope they do because he brings allot of toughness and attitude!
I agree MFG. NC is the one player the Reds can not afford to lose.
Last year, I didn’t worry about Bauer leaving. I knew we had a pretty solid staff and there was no way to guarantee Bauerwould have another CY Young type season even if we signed him.
But there is no other player, on our roster, to step in for NC and provide the same type of offense.
I mean Votto did a great job when Nick was out, obviously you can tell by my screen I am a big fan of his, but I wouldn’t want to depend on Joey to be the guy for 6 months.
History shows that many postseason games are determined after the 6th inning. The Reds are not even in the same zip code as the frontrunner in each league when it comes to pitching in that window.
I mentioned in my post yesterday about good pitching beating good hitting. 13 strikeouts is a lot. And we know that, in baseball, one player here or there does not have the impact that it does in basketball so not having Winker right now doesn’t, in my opinion, make a difference.
The thing that bums me out the most is that smaller market teams like the Reds have small windows of opportunities for success and we can’t have success without a reliable pen. Remember that this was the key the last time we won it all.
Let’s assume we get the 2nd wild card: we will travel to either SF or LA to face a really good starter and a solid pen. Realistically, we will lose the one playoff game we earn and, just like that, the season ends.
We need to be thinking about next year and who will be the nucleus of the team, especially when it comes to pitching.
I love the Reds but they aren’t winning any postseason games if they get there. Look to next year now by giving Barrero and others a chance to experience the pressures of a playoff race…it will serve us well next year.
Agree 100% CYRUS. This team has over-achieved this year IMO & it’s due large due to unexpected success for India, Stephenson, Gutierrez, Naquin, the breakout of Winker, & Votto’s big year at an advanced age. I’ve thought from day 1 that they’re a .500 team + or – 5 games. They beat the bad teams, but are a step or 2 behind the good ones. If you’re going to try to win on the cheap, how ’bout trying to raid the front office of a club like TB or OAK?
Serious question. Moustakas (age 33) or Suarez (age 30). If you could trade only one player of the two, which player do you trade? Moose is set to make $16M in 2022 and $18M in 2023, with a $4M buyout in 2024 ($38M total). Suarez is set to make $11.29M each year 2022, 2023 and 2024, with a $2M buyout in 2025 (approx $36M).
Moustakas no question. Package him with Mahle and they could do it.
Would you include Castillo if a team would be willing to take on both of those contracts?
Mahle’s home/road splits are so stark that I think they should look to move him. They could attach the Moose contract or try to get something really valuable (starting CF maybe) in return. I’d rather keep Castillo. Just need him to fake an injury for the first month or two until it gets warm.
Would be a tough choice, but I probably would trade Moose.
Man, Paying Moustakas $18 million in 2023. That’s painful.
Honestly, no team is going to take on those contracts without the Reds paying a chunk of it or sending more talent to the other team.
I would trade Sonny Gray or even Mahle to a team if they would take on one of those contracts.
I agree. Those contracts(especially Mooses’s) are like swimming in the lake with a boat anchor tied to you. When 30 million of your payroll is wasted even before you start, it is a huge hole to dig out of.
Those contracts have become a deadweight. Add Shogo’s $8MM next year and you have a total sunk cost of $35.3 in 2022, $29.3 in 2023 and $15.3 in 2024. If fully healthy, Moose could perform better the next two seasons. Adding Barrero (and maybe Senzel) to the lineup will make either Moose or Suarez (or both) expendable.
The only redeeming quality of this loss is that the dodgers beat the padres in sixteen innings. It’s now one a m in Los Angeles. Goodnight all.
The dodgers won. It went into 16 innings what a game dodgers and the Padres are fun to watch. Thankful dodgers help us out. Reds offense can’t score with guys on base against this team. We should won game one but bullpen blew it. Last night Castillo did great even mahle in game one. Offense hurt us. I hate brewers because month apart they hit India in the wrist when they did to castellanos in July. Reds been bang up this year yet fighting daily. Tho we might or might not lose in the WC this team has fight in them that has missed for years which is good to see again
Stephenson homers in 3 straight games so Barnhart starts 7 of the next 10. Genius!
I keep reading where some think Bell is a good manager. I just don’t see it. He (or someone) mismanages the talent on hand(and there is more talent on hand than meets the eye) and over manages as well. He tries to match up lefty on lefty when he has no lefties. He will do a double switch simply for the sake of doing a double switch. Granted, he hasn’t had much talent in the pen to work with until lately and that has been a large part of the problem. But who controls that? Reds management. Drafting and development has been good lately, the problem seems to be at the Major League level. The question is if it is Bell , Krall, the owner, others or a combination.
Looks to me like you overmismanaged that comment
None are so blind as those who refuse to see. You have people sitting on the bench and in the minors that could help with the problems. It is not going to happen. Suarez, Moose , AA and Akiyama keep getting ran out there and it is futile. The season is almost over. If you haven’t figured it out by now then you probably aren’t going to.
TB is a veteran is a good guy,,,oh and does have two GGs….
And he is from not quite nearby Brownsburg, Indiana which is to Indianapolis much like Middletown is to Cincinnati.
I agree, Indy,..with you and with Alan. We need to be playing some of this young talent instead of the old guys who are having horrible seasons. And we need a new manager. Bell always waits one or two batters too late before he makes a pitching move. Then by that time, we’ve blown a winnable game. It’s his MO. Bells seems like he’s a nice guy, but he’s a terrible manager. We simply will not be able to compete with the big boys as long as he is making bonehead moves and giving away games.
The Brewers have done more over the last couple of years to put themselves in this position. That said, we put ourselves in position to win this series in Game 1, but blew it. This game just makes the first one worse.
And, by the way, I believe the Reds have a bigger payroll than the Brewers right now. So, I dont think it’s all ownership.
“Amir Garrett walked the leadoff batter.” I’m pretty sure that sentence just stays copied to the clipboard so they just hit ctr+v to get it into the article each game.
Really missing Winker right now, and just when Castellanos is finding his groove again. And Joey has cooled off. If I’m not mistaken, he likes hitting in Milwaukee. These have been tough games, meaning they could have gone either way. Exciting to watch, if not for coming up short…but the Brewers are good and have been for a few months now…you don’t get to almost 30 games over .500 if you aren’t.
Garrett should be DFAed or placed on injured list and asked to add a third pitch like an effective change up or cutter to his regimen. Moreta needs to be added as do Greene and Lodolo. Greene and Lodolo should be three innings once our 6 inning pitchers are done ie Gray and Mahle.
Lodolo just got put on the AAA IL with “slight” shoulder strain I believe (if not then sprain). Saw it tweeted and can’t find it to confirm which. The team site just says he is not active and he isn’t on the transaction list yet.
Listening to the game on the radio last night and at times couldn’t even hear the announcers. Those Brewers fans are loud and 25,000+ show up during the week. Coming out of the wreckage of the Seattle Pilots (who?), they have only one pennant to show in 50+ years of competing. Now, a steadily improving team over the last few years has not peaked and deemed ready for rebuild but seems destined for much greater things.
They have a payroll more than 20% lower than the Reds but have spent it wisely and vastly improved their baserunning and defense to complement their stellar pitching (see good article at 538). They have a wily manager who’s competitiveness as a player has transitioned well into the manager’s spot. They are a team that can break though the wall while others stumble badly on the climb when the next boulder is hard to reach. This game (along with the previous 4) showed the difference and really highlights the issues others bring up about who gets the playing time. The horses are there for the Reds but those picking the right ones, training them, and knowing how to use them seems sorely lacking. That said, a WC berth is still something to build upon. Good luck to both teams in the playoffs.
I would think Schrock would get the majority of LF playing time at least against RH pitching, now. Aqui…no and Sho…no…have really done nothing with the opportunity to play more with Winker out…but then that seems logical
Life is good when you beat up on the Pirates and Marlins but the Brewers pitching, starting and especially, the bullpen, is impressive. Nothing shuts down good hitting like great pitching. Reds are like the Bengals: when it really matters, they fail. This Reds team has been resilient so let’s see how they respond. Winker missed dearly.
The Dodgers have come to the rescue so leave town with a win and on to Miami.
The Reds seem to have a lot of “good guys” in the clubhouse. I wish they had more productive ballplayers on the field.
The Reds have too many “good guys” in the clubhouse. They need more productive players on the field.
The biggest change in this team is that Nick Castellanos and his mix of motivation, supportiveness, edginess and on the field performance woke up Winker and helped Votto find a different self which has propelled him through the year and made him the same kind of leader as NC after years of being into his own small world. This is the kind of “good guys” they need in the room.
If Winker and Stephenson were in last night’s lineup instead of Aquino and Barnhart, we might have had a fighting chance.
Chances of both happening in our one-off WC game? About zero. Bell will be bound and determined to start Barnhart in that game, and Winker may not play again this season (and even if he does, he likely won’t be the same hitter and/or might reinjure himself).
This team will tread water and win the 2nd WC, then get ousted early.
*win the second WC SLOT.
Couldn’t believe Barnhart wasn’t double switched out late after he made the last out in the top of the 7th inning and the pitcher’s spot was due up 2nd in the Reds 8th inning. They must have been saving Stephenson for that big PA against Hader in the 9th which never materialized.
I remember when in spring training most of us on here were saying, we have too many good outfielders, and that was before Naquin was signed…not sure we saw it playing out like this, injuries aside.
I know that critiques of Votto on this site are not well received. Nonetheless, I can’t stand it when there are runners at 2nd and 3rd with one out and Votto takes a strike-three fastball on the outside edge. I have more confidence in Votto with one out hitting a borderline pitch and driving in one or two runs than I have in Moustakas driving in the runs with two outs.
I tweeted in real time that the pitch (which as I view the plate was inside corner vs outside corner) was too close to have taken and have already caught the flack for you 😉
Did it flick that front corner of the plate going by like the overhead view they were using periodically for replays at GABP last week showed a lot of those “clearly out of the zone” pitches via the strike box graphics come extremely close to doing or even do? And does a pitch that makes that momentary tangent with a front corner as it passes moving wider by qualify as a strike? Who is to say which is why they are too close to take at 2 strikes.
Correct. And note that the Brewers got at least two important hits on balls away, by going to the opposite field.
The Reds as a team don’t go oppo enough. Suarez would rather take a crowbar to the shin than hit the ball where it’s pitched, and he wasn’t that way 3 years ago.
When it gets crunch time, I would never leave it in the hands of the umps of today. That was probably a strike more often than not on the night. JV has a good eye, but with the inconsistencies of today’s umps, he probably should not have taken it.
@chris> I think it is an interesting contrast between umps of this era and earlier times. As I was growing up and well into my adult life, most if not all of the umps were former players (at some professional level) with a seeming preponderance of pitchers and catchers in their ranks.
Since there was no accurate way of precisely tracking the pitches, Umps became known for their personal zones. They were said to call a high or low or wide or tight zone, etc. As long as an ump was consistent to his zone from game to game and to both teams within a game, he was usually considered a fair and reliable ump. I dare say, for example, more than once a manager juggled his rotation to get a sinkerball pitcher matched up with Paul Runge behind the plate because Runge was famous (or infamous depending on point of view) for his low strike zone.
Now the guys (and gals) make an early career decision to become an umpire, go to an umpiring school then come up through the ranks umpiring alongside players they will work with in MLB games if they advance that far. Reputation is measured against the programmed bias and accuracy of whatever tracking system is currently in vogue with MLB.
As I have said before, I hope the robot ball/ strike ump becomes a helper to the human ump and not a 100% absolute replacement.
Going into this season, if someone had told me I’d be reading comments at the end of August about not being able to win playoff games – because we all think they are going to be in the playoffs – I would have taken that in a second.
This team has seriously over-performed any projections I made or saw from others and the future looks brighter today than at the beginning of the year. I think the year has been great – frustrations and all.
The difference between Winker and no Winker against Burnes and Woodruff is big. He’ll be back by playoff time and who knows. Maybe we scare somebody.
It needs to be the Giants, because the Dodgers would pitch LHs Kershaw or Urias against the Reds, or else probable Cy Young winner Buehler. They are far more likely to beat the Giants in one game as opposed to the Dodgers.
They may have no chance in a 5-game series against the Dodgers, but they had no chance against the A’s in 1990, either.
You’re right – Giants would certainly be the choice.
Saw today’s line up 5th and 6th spots look weak.
I think Aquino will be OK versus an LH pitcher. He has really had some decent PAs the last 2 nights versus tough RH pitchers and got nothing but a walk, a pop out or 2, and several Ks to show for them. He is extending PAs with a 10 and 7 pitch appearance on Tuesday and has rarely chased out of the zone. He has hit 2 rockets, one down the RF line which was foul by not more than a couple of feet, and one with similar results down the LF line. I know, close only counts….. But he has looked better and is the best they have from the RH side for OF.
I’m really disappointed by the play of Garrett and Aquino this year. I am stoked by the play of Naquin, especially since he has filled in with the unfortunate injury ti Winker. I hope that he is back soon, the reds really miss him. Castellanos is playing great, but he is what 29? He is going free agency for a life changing contract . Sadly, the reds will not be able to financially compete for his services. I agree with big Ed, I think we make the second wild card, and I too would rather play the Giants for the play in game. Outside of Buhler, the dodger starting pitching is very good, not great. I’s rather face the dodgers in an extended series. They can’t pitch Buhler every day, and just maybe we could beat them.