After splitting a doubleheader on Saturday the winner between the Cincinnati Reds and Pittsburgh Pirates on Sunday afternoon will take the series. The Reds send Tyler Mahle to the mound to face off against Zach Thompson. First pitch is set for 1:40pm.
Starting Lineups
Here are the lineups for this afternoon’s NL Central contest:
Pittsburgh Pirates
|
Cincinnati Reds
|
| Ben Gamel – LF | TJ Friedl – LF |
| Bryan Reynolds – CF | Brandon Drury – 3B |
| Michael Chavis – 3B | Mike Moustakas – DH |
| Daniel Vogelbach – DH | Tyler Stephenson – C |
| Yoshi Tsutsugo – 1B | Tyler Naquin – RF |
| Diego Castillo – SS | Kyle Farmer – SS |
| Jack Suwinski – RF | Colin Moran – 1B |
| Michael Perez – C | Albert Almora Jr. – CF |
| Cole Tucker – 2B | Matt Reynolds – 2B |
| Zach Thompson – SP | Tyler Mahle – SP |
Starting Pitchers
| Pitcher | IP | ERA | WHIP | BB | K |
| Zach Thompson | 15.1 | 9.39 | 2.22 | 10 | 13 |
| Tyler Mahle | 25.2 | 7.01 | 1.71 | 14 | 26 |
| Links: Tyler Mahle’s Stats | Zach Thompson’s Stats |
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Tyler Mahle
In his career, Tyler Mahle hasn’t really shown big splits. This season his splits aren’t that big, but lefties have certainly caused him some problems as they’ve walked more than they’ve struck out. They aren’t hitting for much power, but they are hitting .292 and drawing a ton of walks.
It’s been a tough start to 2022 for Mahle, who is giving up plenty of hits and his ERA currently sits at 7.01. He’s probably pitched a little better than his ERA suggests, but he has not looked like the version of Tyler Mahle we’ve all seen over the last two seasons.
Splits
| Split | PA | H | 2B | 3B | HR | BB | K | AVG | OBP | SLG |
| RHH | 61 | 16 | 5 | 0 | 1 | 4 | 17 | .281 | .328 | .421 |
| LHH | 59 | 14 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 10 | 9 | .292 | .407 | .417 |
Pitch Usage
| 4-Seam | Cutter | Splitter | Slider | |
| Velo | 93.3 | 87.1 | 85.5 | 83.9 |
| Usage | 47.9% | 11.0% | 25.6% | 15.4% |
Zach Thompson
It’s been a struggle for Zach Thompson this year as he’s given up 16 earned runs and been charged with five unearned runs in just 15.1 innings this season. He’s given up four home runs and walked 10 batters – struggling with control, but also giving up a lot of hits when he does find the zone. It’s been righties that have really done damage against Thompson, posting an OPS of 1.157. Lefties haven’t done as much damage, but have been solid against him.
Splits
| Split | PA | H | 2B | 3B | HR | BB | K | AVG | OBP | SLG |
| RHH | 40 | 15 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 5 | 8 | .429 | .500 | .657 |
| LHH | 42 | 9 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 5 | 5 | .250 | .333 | .444 |
Pitch Usage
| 4-Seam | 2-Seam | Cutter | Change | Curve | |
| Velo | 92.6 | 92.4 | 86.8 | 86.4 | 78.2 |
| Usage | 22.2% | 19.6% | 29.3% | 17.4% | 11.6% |
When and Where
- Game time: 1:40pm ET
- Where: Great American Ball Park
- Watch: Bally Sports Ohio, MLB.tv
- Listen: 700 WLW AM (Cincinnati area)
- Forecast: 58°, cloudy, 15% chance of rain
News and Notes
Reds call up Joel Kuhnel, DFA Robert Dugger
The Robert Dugger experience lasted one entire day before the Reds designated him for assignment and called up reliever Joel Kuhnel from Triple-A. You can read more about Kuhnel from our story from today.
Pham having a rest day it seems
Pham but not Farmer who inarguably needs it more. He hasn’t had a hit in over a week and only 6 in the last 40+ PAs.
I wonder if Farmer is playing with an injury. He had that abdominal Hernia during the 2nd half of last season. His swings don’t seem to have much umph to them
Maybe, but Farmer is a utility player not a full-time everyday player. That he’s a gamer isn’t in question. But he is a below average starting SS and should be given some rest days. Reynolds could have played SS and Lopez at 2nd. But it’s not the Bell way. Go to stick with his old and less than stellar players.
That would require playing Lopez. And Bell is fully committed to not giving him a chance. Ever.
Mahle has faced 8 batters….45 pitches
Watching Mahle pitch is freaking Groundhog Day every dang outing
Throw a ton of pitches, walk a bunch of batters, give up HRs
When are we going to stop talking like this guy is going to magically get it together all of a sudden?
All except Overton.
AA with a hr for Louisville, too bad he can’t hit in the majors
Check his stance. Maybe he went back to his original stance where he could actually see the ball.
He only used that stance for one month?
Listen to a half on an inning before muting my TV. John Sadak is just awful. You would think by blind luck the Reds would find a better announcer than Thom but nope, they manage to find one who is worse. I didn’t think it was possible.
Do they have production meetings at all? You would think some producer, somewhere would tell Sadak to talk less.
Guy has a 10 era and he’s mowing the Reds down. 100 losses guaranteed I think. Division is so bad that I think they’re safe from the 62 Mets, but I could see 110+ if they keep using the IL like this
I think they will lose between 100-105 games but that means next year they would have to improve by at least 25 -30 games to compete for a WC next year. For those expecting this team to compete in 2024, I think it’s just unrealistic. The Reds have never been so far away from a title in their 153 year history. They will be lucky to have a winning season again this decade.
How is it the Reds don’t have anyone who can give Farmer a day off. What is he 0 for his last 30? I mean surely there is another player if the roster who can play SS. This is why Nick Krall deserves some of the blame. I mean I despise Phil Castellini but it’s not his job to construct the roster.
From a waiver wire pick up that we need a spot start from, this is bearable, from a rotaion mainstay, with only two years left before FA, this is downright unacceptable. Should have shipped him out this offseason with or instead of Gray. Cant get through 5
I advocated for trading Mahle over the off-season as the big move. I like him overall but don’t think he can pitch in GABP. He pitches scared and then it runs his counts up. He hasn’t pitched awful today with only one hit allowed, but he’s going to be lucky to get through 5 innings.
Hitting-wise, this is just a bunch of utility players being managed by a guy who has been constantly among the worst hitting coaches every season that he has been given the opportunity. How Zinter and DJ have kept their jobs through this is pretty remarkable and I think shows how much ownership cares. Or maybe just how much they lost during covid that they can’t afford to fire guys and pay others.
Out and about on Mothers Day and got to listen to the Cowboy call an inning. He is really really good and does a great job calling pitches and identifying issues. He would immediately say split finger low for a ball or needs a FB at the top of the zone, but a FB and too high for a ball. Or threw his cutter but he’s not getting on top it and you have to stay on top of the pitch.
He also said you need a pitcher to avg 11-12 pitches per inning and at most 15.
Here’s the problem with Mahle and last year Sonny Gray and Amir Garrett and Trevor Bauer 2019 and the Reds pitching staff in general. They are trying are to do what Derek Johnson tells them to do- which is strike out every hitter. DJ says soft contact isnt the goal? Why not? You cant avg 11 pitches an inning – Cowboy goal- if you are trying to strike every one out?
What’s more enjoyable baseball to watch, Mahle and Gray laboring to get 5 innings on 93 pitches and walking guys and missing spots and getting foul balls and still giving up 2-3 runs? Or a master craftsmen who deceives the hitter, locates the ball, changes speeds ,gets weak contact and easy outs and has quick innings with roll over ground balls, OF fly balls and the occasional K.
When Miley was on with his cutter, he’d be 66 pitches in after the 6th inning and the game was cruising along. Reds need to change their pitching approach and focus on throwing strikes , inducing soft contact, and getting outs. People can rip Mahle all they want for his nibbling and pitch inefficiency, but hes following orders. Try to Strike everyone out and avoid contact.
Mahle give up one hit through 5 innings and leaves the game trailing 2-0.
Wow, the Reds are losing a 1-hitter in the 6th inning. And only have 2 hits themselves against a very weak pitcher. Pathetic.
Lots of comments about Farmer the last few days, but Naquin is also scuffling. Maybe he isn’t a full-time player like the Reds thought coming into the season and is better off as the 5th or 6th OF. Looking more like the guy the Indians gave up on right now. Really seems like they are going to have to bring in an OF or two in the next couple of years. The prospects out there are pretty far away right now.
I agree. Between his inability to hit LH’ers and like Senzel, injury prone, I never understood the Reds insistence that he was an everyday player. But then the price was right.
A fisted blooper for a weak single.
Moose with good plate disciple and a walk
Stephenson with good plate discipline and a walk
Pham same.
Nets a run.
Moose is seeing the ball a lot better.
Stephenson is just a good young hitter.
I like Pham. He gives you a good Ab and plays with passion.
Reds need to get back to fundamental baseball. Throw strikes, field your position well, take what the pitcher gives you, hit the ball hard somewhere, run the bases well and dont give the other team extra outs.
Seems to be the case for Moose. He should stay at DH unless it’s a dire emergency.
MLB needs to have an AAAA division and a MLB+ division until they decide to legislate some parity. It is clear that the Reds “replacement” team was no match for five of the elite teams in the National League, but they do match up well with the Pirates.
And they would match up OK with Detroit, KC, Miami, Oakland, Seattle, Texas, Arizona, Orioles, and Nats. BTW the Pirates with 11 wins would currently be the leader of that group of AAAA teams. Then the best players from the AAAA could be drafted to the MLB+ teams and the “poor” AAAA teams would be able to stay in the black ie by developing players for the MLB+ teams. The real question is how the Guardians, Twins, and Rays have been able to stay so competitive over the years ?
Interesting graphic during the game. The NL East and West divisions are led by New York and Los Angeles, and that the AL East and West divisions are led by New York and Los Angeles.
What a coincidence! 🙂
Back from some errands and my light workout. I checked the score and shook my head earlier, knowing we were facing a Pie-rats pitcher about as bad as our staff. Just watched TySteve work a walk and then Pham get a 4-pitch pass. Here’s hoping Hembree does for them what he did for us all too often.
Bases juiced and nobody out … we’d better come away with something.
And that’s Kyle with a “K”.
Time to wake things up, Colin. Show us what you used to do to us. You are facing Hembree after all.
COMIN MORAN SLAM
Colin*
Former Pirate slams it off the former Red
+500
There you go, Colin. Remember how that feels?
I’m glad to see the Pirates manager can screw up managing their bullpen too.
Well, it’s Hembree, so …
Moran with the rally killer.
Queue the ugly 1989 Riverfront Stadium scoreboard “Walks will Haunt” visual.
Lookouts up on the Trash Pandas 3-0 early in the game.
As bad as the Reds have been so far, they have a good chance to catch this Pirates team by the end of the season. I think the DL stints and the brutal schedule have made it look worse than it is, though I’m not saying it is good either. Playing the AL East in interleague isn’t going to help though.
They need to figure out what, if anything, they have in Senzel, Barrero, Friedl, and some of the young arms this year. India and Stephenson are keepers, but is anyone else? That needs to be the goal.
Interesting graphic during the game. The NL East and West divisions are led by New York and Los Angeles, and that the AL East and West divisions are led by New York and Los Angeles.
What a coincidence! 🙂
“Money talks … but it can’t sing and dance and it don’t walk …”
Now you got me singing Neil Diamond what the heck
Yeah and MLB is complacent. They are killing the goose that laid the golden egg and apparently to see it.
*Can’t see it
I really love this blog, but I do wish editing comments weee possible.
Cowboy commenting that Moreta looks completely different out there today.
Until that shot, I’m thinking … 😮
Did he say hunter strickland… i mean i know we have a short bullpen due to the DH yesterday but….
That’s the way, Colin!!
Trash Pandas score 4 unanswered runs and now lead 4-3 over our Lookouts. Still in the bottom of the 3rd.
5-3 …
Our Sam McWilliams isn’t fooling any Pandas today. 66 pitches and he’s done.
Reds over (8) when Mahle starts at home, comes through again.
We are about to win a series. Progress
+500
That’s one of the keys to a turnaround but winning is the first key.
Does Tommy Dough Boy make Moose look trim to you?
Asking for a friend …
Indeed.
Reds finally have a 1st baseman that bangs again. (insert sarcasm emoji)
Nice catch by TJ on that one. Stole a hit from the Rats.
It’s down to JVM
It took a postponement, but that is a series win.
Now to try for that elusive win streak.
Happy Mothers’ Day to all!! I’m cooking burgers on the flat-top per my wife’s request. they’ll be ready in about an hour.
I went early- waffles, bacon and eggs. Outstanding!
So the key to getting something from Moose & Moran is to let them play their former teams?
It would appear. We’ll see how that theory plays out tomorrow.
And Pham