The Cincinnati Reds have activated right-handed reliever Brad Brach from the injured list. To create room on the 28-man roster the team also optioned infielder Alejo Lopez to Triple-A Louisville.
The 35-year-old Brach last pitched on August 7th when he allowed two earned runs in 0.2 innings against Pittsburgh. Earlier this week he went on a rehab assignment to Triple-A Louisville. He pitched in two games for the Bats, throwing a shutout inning in each appearance. He gave up one hit, walked no one, and he struck out three batters between his two games.
The season began very well for Brad Brach with the Cincinnati Reds. He made his first appearance with the big league club on May 21st and over the next 20 games he posted a 2.25 ERA in 20.0 innings with 9 walks and 24 strikeouts. Things fell apart from there, though. Beginning on July 6th and stretching over the next month until he hit the injured list he made 13 appearances and posted an ERA of 13.00 as he allowed 13 hits and had 8 walks to go with 8 strikeouts in 9.0 innings pitched. Over that stretch of 13 games opposing batters hit .342/.458/.711 against him.
Alejo Lopez has been with the Reds since the start of September. He was recalled from Triple-A Louisville when rosters expanded. He played in both games of the doubleheader on the 1st, going 0-3 with two strikeouts on the day. He would also get an at-bat on Friday in the 15-5 blowout loss to the Tigers where he flied out to left field. Lopez went 4-5 earlier this year on July 1st in a start against the Padres. It was only one of three starts he’s gotten out of his 14 games played. He’s gone 2-18 in his other appearances with the Reds this year and 1-14 since that game on July 1st. For now he’ll head back to Triple-A Louisville and join the Bats.
Activating Brach makes zero sense
Doug, any news on Art Warren? Shouldn’t he be getting close to returning by now?
He’s on rehab now. It’ll probably be a bit, though, given that he hasn’t pitched in two months.
Why Brach, this front office continues to make decisions that make no sense. The team has enough arms in the pen and Brach is not a help at all.
Yes. You are correct again! Neither Bell nor the front office have no clue. We need Brach about like we need a hole in the head. The Reds needs clutch hitters (Lopez), and not broke arm pitchers (Brach) and dumb managers (Bell). And the Reds need someone with a brain in the front office (which we don’t have). It doesn’t take a genius to figure all that out.
Well when they get Warren back and they cut Deshields they will 16 pitchers if my math is correct, unexplainable, no team in mlb history has played a season with this many pitchers active all year and a shortage of bench , don’t understand the strategy, love this team but really confused
If you think you need ELEVEN arms in the bullpen, behind this starting staff, I question whether you know much about the game of baseball.
And if you think you need eleven relievers but don’t include Dauri Moreta in that total, I know of a certainty that you don’t know anything about the game of baseball.
This reliever is not named… DAURI
Apparently, this team beliea competitive bullpen needs right-handers, left-handers, closers, set-up men, long relievers, AND relievers who can’t get anyone out. They felt themselves a little shy in that last category, and this move will remedy the deficiency.
And Moreta remains in Louisville. Because ….reasons.
So Bell said yesterday that Senzel got a second opinion and is unlikely to return in 2021. This team should have nothing to do with player knees….ever. Votto in 2012, now Senzel in 2021 both with arthroscopic surgery’s to clean up cartilage in the knee supposed to be out a month and miss half a season.
Who is the ace team of doctors that are supposed to work on multi-million dollar athletes that mess this up so bad so many times.
Kremchek’s group?
Brach is pitching batting practice. Right where he left off two months ago. . Remind me again why he was bought up?
I see Brach is back in every sense of the word. Glad I’m not watching the game today. The Reds are not producing yet again. Guys like Votto & Farmer in particular need a couple of days off. And how, in the middle of a WC chase, do you keep a guy whose L/R splits are (BA/OPS) .295/.816 and vs righties .279/799? Sorry, Bell isn’t trying to win or doesn’t know how. And the FO continues to make unfathomable moves. And cutting DeShields? I don’t see that happening. My guess is he’s there for a while.
That’ll really spark confidence in the bullpen!!! And our ace, Luis Castillo, is on his way to loss #15. Our other 4 starters combined have 22 losses between them. Do you really think the Marlinscwould trade Alcantara straight up for Castillo? I don’t. And isn’t it amazing how the Reds stole pitching coach Derek Johnson right from under the nose of the Brewers? Whose pitching coach would you rather have, DJ, or Chris Hook? The Reds have so many players that NEED to go…meaning not be here in 2022. Namely, the following:
Moustakas (fat,out of shape,and frankly, no longer any good)
Suarez (teams have figured him out, and he’s now the 2nd coming of Dave Kingman). Trade him to an AL team.
Aquino (ditto Suarez’ comments)
Brad Brach, Luis Castillo, Amir Garret ( if you can get some peanuts and Cracker Jacks, you’ve made a good deal), Jeff Hoffman, Asdrubal Cabrera (if you can get Miguel Cabrera for him, do it),
Kingman was way better than Suarez. Look it up.
Thank goodness that Suarez and Aquino where there on the bench to rally team cause Tigers closer was a lefty , oh wait sorry, but thank God we have 15 pitchers and no bench
You got that right. And no manager and no front office. And few if any clutch hitters. We are overloaded with chokers though. We’ve got our share of those and someone else’s share too.
If you look at he faces of the players you can tell they see it slipping away. The only positive I can find is the next 3 against the Cubs, but they are playing well so that might not even be true. I do feel good about Gray Monday, but the bigger concern has to be the offense or lack there of. Nobody is taking the bull by the horn and saying follow me to the wild card game. To me the biggest failures recently are Votto, Castellanos, India, Castillo, even Farmer, Really everybody not named Naquin.
We mostly need Winker. That, and a new manager and a new front office.
The pitching has been good enough to win. The hitting has been lacking.
The Reds need to activate their hitting, not a washed up pitcher!!