The Cincinnati Reds welcome the 63-89 Washington Nationals to Great American Ball Park tonight for the start of a 4-game series. Every game from here on out is a must-win game for the Reds if they want to have any shot of making the playoffs. First pitch is set for 6:40pm tonight.
Starting Lineups
Washington Nationals
|
Cincinnati Reds
|
| Lane Thomas – CF | Jonathan India – 2B |
| Alcides Escobar – SS | Tyler Stephenson – C |
| Juan Soto – RF | Nick Castellanos – RF |
| Josh Bell – 1B | Joey Votto – 1B |
| Luis García – 2B | Kyle Farmer – SS |
| Keibert Ruiz – C | Eugenio Suárez – 3B |
| Carter Kieboom – 3B | Delino DeShields – LF |
| Andrew Stevenson – LF | Jose Barrero – CF |
| Patrick Corbin – SP | Luis Castillo – SP |
Starting Pitchers
Luis Castillo
Since the beginning of June, Luis Castillo has made 20 starts and posted a 2.76 ERA in 124.0 innings with just 10 homers allowed and 133 strikeouts. Somehow he has only faced the Pirates once, in his second start of the season.
The splits for Luis Castillo are similar, but different. Righties have hit .259/.309/.422 against him this season. Lefties have hit .248/.349/.376 against him this season. The difference in OPS is just 7 points, but righties get there with more power and far fewer walks. Lefties show less power but draw walks more than twice as often. He’s pitched significantly better at home. His OPS against is 105 points lower in Cincinnati and his ERA is 3.19 (5.08 on the road).
Pitch usage from 2021
| 4-Seam | 2-Seam | Change | Slider | |
| Velo | 97.1 | 97.2 | 88.1 | 86.2 |
| Usage | 29% | 24% | 29% | 18% |
Patrick Corbin
To say it’s been a tough year for Patrick Corbin would be an understatement. He is 8-15 with a 6.17 ERA and he’s given up a league worst 36 home runs in just 159.0 innings. In the last two years his strikeout rate has been in a free fall.
The lefty has had plenty of success against left-handed hitters, who have managed a .226/.287/.321 line with just 2 home runs in 152 plate appearances against him. But right-handed hitters have put up MVP caliber numbers, hitting .307/.361/.575 with 34 home runs in 546 plate appearances against him this season. On the road he’s posted a 6.05 ERA and hitters have an .821 OPS against him.
Pitch usage from 2021
| 4-Seam | 2-Seam | Change | Slider | |
| Velo | 92.2 | 92.6 | 81.5 | 80.6 |
| Usage | 28% | 29% | 4% | 37% |
When and Where
- Game time: 6:40pm ET
- Where: Great American Ball Park
- Watch: Bally Sports Ohio, MLB.tv
- Listen: 700 WLW AM (Cincinnati area)
- Forecast: 62°, cloudy, 15% chance of rain
Notes Worth Noting
Jesse Winker’s injury
David Bell noted pre-game that his intercostal injury is not as bad this time around as it was the previous time. The plan for the next few days is to start pushing forward to see how he responds.
Tyler Naquin update
He’s still struggling to improve. David Bell noted that he doesn’t foresee him returning in the regular season.
NL Central Standings
Playoff odds via Fangraphs
| Team | W | L | GB | Playoff % |
| Brewers | 91 | 61 | 0 | 100.0% |
| Cardinals | 82 | 69 | 8.5 | 94.7% |
| Reds | 78 | 74 | 13.0 | 2.9% |
| Cubs | 67 | 85 | 24.0 | 0.0% |
| Pirates | 57 | 94 | 33.5 | 0.0% |
As much as we dislike them, the organization that gave us Bob Castellini has pulled off another miracle in completing a 4-game sweep in Milwaukee at the end of the season. Whatever it is, they have it in spades. 12 straight and you can bet they won’t lose 4 more games between now and October 3.
Like it or not, they are a class franchise. 2nd all time World Series wins.
Known as the Yankees of the National League.
The know how to win consistently and strive to do so as an organization. Bottom line.
Cards are a class organization that has a goal every year of winning a World Series. The Reds goal is to make the playoffs.
I think for Big Bob it’s more like the goal is just being competitive enough to not be embarrassed and keep the fans interested.
DeShields? That name keeps popping up in the starting lineups. Sounds familiar for some reason. Probably just coincidence. 🙂
Probably because he’s one of four active outfielders on the roster.
I think Schrock is now considered an outfielder too.
Does Barrero count as an active OF or is this just a cameo appearance? 😉
Yeah Jim. Since when does players playing in the correct position mean anything this year anyway. lol
It will be interesting to see lineups once the Reds are officially eliminated. They are unofficially eliminated now but each day makes it more and more far-fetched If you cant make the playoffs- it would seem you play Barrero at SS to give him developmental time. There might be a labor stoppage for a long time in 2022. Barrero could benefit from 40 mlb at bats and 10 games playing every day at SS.
Bryan Price in late 2016 famously doubled down on Jesse Winker and Phil Ervin not playing the last 10 games of the season when fans were clamoring for them to play over Duvall, Hamilton and Schebler in a 95 loss season when that OF was the worst in the NL despite both Winker and Ervin having some success. Price said he wasnt sure they would make the 25 man roster the next season.
Maybe David Bell can pull his best Bryan Price this week and say Barrero might not make the 26 man roster in 2022.
2017 maybe. Price got fired in 2018.
Old School I was wondering something similar, but mine was about Moreta will it be late stressful innings maybe even a closer situation. I’m worried it will be a bad outing by a starter and gets meaningless 3rd,4th,5th innings mop up time. I want his outings to be in meaningful time tie game late or extra inning start with a runner on 2nd
I’ll Bell will dance with the ones who brung then wrung him. He will give Farmer every opportunity to build his best arbitration case and Barnhart his best shot at getting the option rolled over or his best deal somewhere else.
We are getting into STL must be cheating somehow territory.
Reds home season ends Sunday.
Time to give Nick Castellanos standing ovations every bat in appreciation for what he’s done and how he’s done it. Sad to see him go but he’s earned whatever he can get.
Thank you Nick C.
Home season ends Monday now with the rainout makeup game with the Pirates!
Now that the Reds in reality have been eliminated and the pressure is off I expect them to start playing much better and padding their stats.
STL is making the impossible and incredible. Of course, they have been lucky since they are combining their wining streak with the sad Reds moment and the weird losing streak of the Brewers though it must be named the Padres’ fall too…
If there is a silver lining, it’s that the Padres dive was much steeper and longer than was the Reds dive.
The Cards have 7 games remaining against the cubbies and 3 against the Brewers. That 7.5 game lead looks a tad shaky That Brewer series might be very interesting
I have lived my whole life in Virginia. I was a Reds fan in my childhood years, got away from things over the years, but have kept an eye on them from a distance. This season, I was wondering if this might be nearing the end of the line for Votto, so I got MLBTV so that I could watch the games. I also made it to my first ever game in Cincinnati, a lifelong dream of mine, and saw him play, and they got the win back in August.
Is there any way that Votto retires, decides not to return next season? I hope that is not the case. But, no matter what, I plan to be along for the ride, again, next season
Hey Doug, Nick, Mark and all you RLN followers! I made it! I’m at GABP, Section 132, Row L, 7 rows behind the Reds dugout! A little cool at 65 degrees but awesome!
Make sure to relay to David Bell the advice of all of us on here; writers and posters. 😉
I can almost touch him! Where’s my taser?
Lol.
hahaha!!! Come on now. lol
A good SS can generally play a good CF or most anywhere for that matter. Not the reverse though.
Dennis; Have a good time, I wish the game meant something, but going to a big league games is always fun. On a side note when you watch this team now you really have to wonder how in the world they ever got 12 games over .500.
Going to minor league games is also a lot of fun…and affordable!
Going to Louisville Bats game tomorrow night!
Right now the Reds are playing like a minor league team and have been for over a month. I am still concerned about finding 4 more wins to play over .500 for the first times since 2013. If you count post season last year was 31 and 31.
Do you think that may have something to do with the announcement of David Bell’s extension? Maybe to do it before he lost his slim winning record as manager?
Cannot see the game, but the cowboy is saying that Nick could have walked on that AB…. NIck is playing his way into a non optout
I just saw Nick C. walk up there with bases loaded, (basically with walks & error) and swing wildly & strike out on pitches no where near the strikezone….that’s all you need to know about his 2nd half of the season
Two games in a row, Nick C. And J. Votto strike out both times with bases loaded. Votto is well worth 25,000,000.!
Votto has a Top 15 wRC+
Top 5 in MLB in Slugging %
OPS 940
Certainly not worth $25Million
Castellanos was flying high and then the Brewers did a number on him the first series after the All Star game.
I really think that was the turning point of the season. Nick hasn’t hit well since he came back from that injury.
I think at some point, while he was on the IL, he made the decision to opt out. He has just been going through the motions ever since.
That inning showed how the Reds have played this past month, The Nats tried to give them a run and they would’t take the gift. As for Nick C. I may be in a big minority here but I won’t miss him at all. He is a wild swinger and when he is cold, the entire 2nd half, he is average at best.
I am not going to miss him if he leaves. But i am one of the ones that is not 100% sure he will opt out either
They can quit playing that last commercial any time.
Memo to Reds fans
Kyle Farmer is the starting SS in 2022 and cheap way to offset salaries of akiyama moose suarez and votto
Barnhart is 2nd way to save money
Givens and lorenzen not coming back
Barrero is senzel 2.0
Use as a cheap utility option in cf and backup Ss
Castellanos obviously gone
Major shortened season is also plan to cut salary
Kyle Farmer is the SS of the future
I hope Bob takes a good look at the attendance tonight, because that will be the norm next year.
Been a Reds fan for almost 50 years but my patience with this ho-hum organization is running very thin.
Pat Corbin had 6.10 ERA before the game and right hitters really rocked him all season. Well , The Reds with right heavy lineup just have 2 hits (one infield hit) and don’t find the way to score a f**king run in four frames against him… Did you see something like that before?
that last at bat by Nick C. kind of shows his midset right now….the nat’s pitcher just threw 9 straight pitches out of the strikezone, so, fundamental baseball says you don’t swing until he throws a strike or you look for a pitch in a certain zone & take anything else (especially when a walk means a run) Instead Nick C. just goes up there with the idea that I’m gonna drive these runs in come hell or high water…..I’m not impressed….that is selfish baseball to me. At least Votto had a decent at bat and battled before he struck out….That at bat by Nock C. shows exactly why this team has struggled with left handed pitching, especially lately….He is one of the guys that has to do damage against left handers (especially with bases loaded!)
Now in his 3rd AB looked very bad getting the 2nd K on just 3 pitches…
I think Nick C. checked out a few weeks ago. I don’t care any longer if he comes back, but they will need to replace his offense.
His next at bat was worse, up 3 times and 3 strike outs. As i have expressed I think he is gone and i say good riddance. He is not now nor as he ever been a team player. From day 1 last year, where he had a fit because Bell took him out for defense. This team looks absolutely awful, that speaks poorly of Bell, sure am glad he is back for two more years.
Sometime ago I was very worried about Castellanos likely opt out this year. In present day I am not so much.
I really thought they would come out and play a solid, inspired game tonight. I could not have been more wrong. Before watching this I was worried about them playing above .500 now I just don’t care. From the lack of traffic on the site tonight I am not alone.
i think the season ending collapse is part of it, then the “cherry on the top” was the 2 year extension for Mr. Bell…it’s about all any sane person can take
This will be 18 losses in their last 27, but no accountability. Tonight is as bad as they have looked all year, great reaction to the Bell news. The entire organization should be ashamed of themselves. The pathetic thing is I think the fans feel worse than anybody.
Ian Happ, Tsusugo, Soto hit homers as they want. Reds killers from losing teams
AA has just lost all confidence.
Please, would somebody tell me why Aquino is still on this team. He is awful, everybody watching knew he was going to strike out.
Remember when this team was fun to watch…..now it’s like poking your eye with a fork
This game is not on our cable network in NC.
By the looks of the comments on RLN, that is a pleasant surprise.
That seems like forever ago. You are right watching them is pure misery. This will be it for me this weekend. Might check back next week to see if things have gotten any better. I am not sure I could be an announcer for this team right now, I would say something to get myself fired. On another note 15’000 team pictures for Sunday’s game. What are they going to do with the 8,000 left over pictures. Dennis I was wrong, sitting through this effort could not have been much fun.
Reds cancelled Reds fest in early July citing need for up close and personal event and return home n 2022
Thats garbage
They cancelled knowing the first week in December was when a long drawn out bloody fistfight between owners and players would start
You wanna know why players quitting and Castellanos mailing it in ??? They know owners are prepared to cancel entire 2022 season and they arent getting paid for a very very very long time . Why didnt Akiyama play this season? Because the Reds know they arent paying him even remotely his 2022 $8 million salary
What happened in August?
Senzel injury and dust up with boras who fought to keep Senzel service time. Players saw this and Castellanos did too as Boras guy and foreshadowing of dark 2022 season and players not getting paid.
Well the players hold WAYYYY too much power in mlb. These salaries? NBA is on TNT the whole season and most of the teams draw well. Baseball seems to be a bad spot for 15-20 of the teams atleast. I’ll take the workers side 95% of the time, but most fans have the perception that owning a baseball team is a license to print money like NFL ownership and thats not true.
Over under on Opening Day 2022
I say June 8
Just tuned in. Looks like a Reds work stoppage in response to the Bell extension. Fans should follow suit.
It’s like tuning in to watch a funeral (without the flowers)
Sounds like the Nature Boy is back tonight..
Shut out by Patrick 6.40 era Corbin? Really? Atleast make some kind of effort. It looks like I was right on April 1. I thought 82-80 might be a little too optimistic, but I wasn’t counting on a 4-20 stretch to close out the season.
Reds players have quit following the leadership of Castellanos who as a Boras client is already putting mlbpa issues above winning.
Castellanos has quit at the direction of Scott Boras . Hes been awful for weeks
Never was good at math. Let’s see… value from Bell’s contract based on runs scored since contract given. I’ve got it! ZERO!!!
Value of Bell’s contract based on number of games played in 2022…ZERO!!!
Suarez seems to be out performing Nick lately…. Schrock saves the game from a shutout
Why Tucker? If he gets on the tying run needs 3 hits to score
Should have let Barrero bat, he needs the experience in pressure situations
I would not want to be a prospect in this organization. Playing in a certain position your whole career, making it up to the majors and then having to move to another position that you have never played before. I get players learning multiple spots but not without some track record in the minors. I started following the Reds since 1970 and this year has been a complete failure at the end.
Goodnight guys. Forget about this crappy collapse. Think about something positive and sleep well. ?
The only guy you cannot let beat you from Washington…Soto…smh…can you say give him four…
There was no reason to hit Barnhart, Barrero will never workout with Bell as coach. The only reason he let India play was because he had to. I can’t believe that people in charge don’t see how bad Bell is,. On to another topic, if Bell was any type of leader he would bench Nick C. you can tell he has quit on the team and others are following him. Bell doesn’t have the nerve to call him out and put his butt on the bench. Be a coach Tinker this season is over and he is gone. He is a cancer right now and will be for the next 9 games, do the right thing Mr. manager.
Castillo has 16 losses …incredible… Lack of run support again …The problem of be defeated one and again and again facing left-hander pitchers is a so big weak that will be present next year unless there be some moves in the offseason and the spring training shows other choices… if nothing new happens then 2022 season will be a very ugly long one…
Lucky to be .500 next yr. It should now be clear to everyone that the reds don’t care about winning. The fans care but by now have each suffered battered fan syndrome.
Why do those who should care the most care the least?
Puzzling but Cincy fans are probably getting used to owners of the local sports team not committed to winning.