The Cincinnati Reds will look to rebound from Sunday’s no-hitter loss as they head to the northern part of Ohio to take on the Cleveland Guardians. Connor Overton will face off against Zach Plesac to begin the 2-game series between the clubs. First pitch is set for 6:10pm ET.
Starting Lineups
Here are the lineups for tonight’s interstate meeting:
Cincinnati Reds
|
Cleveland Guardians
|
| TJ Friedl – CF | Myles Straw – CF |
| Brandon Drury – 3B | Steven Kwan – LF |
| Tommy Pham – LF | Jose Ramirez – 3B |
| Mike Moustakas – DH | Owen Miller – 1B |
| Tyler Stephenson – C | Amed Rosario – SS |
| Colin Moran – 1B | Andres Gimenez – 2B |
| Tyler Naquin – RF | Richie Palacios – DH |
| Kyle Farmer – SS | Oscar Mercado – RF |
| Matt Reynolds – 2B | Austin Hedges – C |
| Connor Overton – SP | Zach Plesac – SP |
Starting Pitchers
| Pitcher | IP | ERA | WHIP | BB | K |
| Connor Overton | 17.0 | 1.59 | 1.06 | 6 | 8 |
| Zach Plesac | 32.2 | 4.68 | 1.35 | 10 | 20 |
| Links: Connor Overton’s Stats | Zach Plesac’s Stats |
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Connor Overton
Through three starts, Connor Overton has gotten the job done. He’s posted a 1.59 ERA and the Reds have won two of the three games. He’s not going to miss many bats, which is a rarity in today’s game. He’s coming off of a game in which he didn’t give up a run, but had four walks with just one strikeout against Pittsburgh. Lefties have done next to nothing against him – posting a .469 OPS against him despite walking more often than they’ve struck out.
Splits
| Split | PA | H | 2B | 3B | HR | BB | K | AVG | OBP | SLG |
| RHH | 24 | 6 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 5 | .237 | .333 | .318 |
| LHH | 38 | 6 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 3 | .177 | .263 | .206 |
Pitch Usage
| 4-Seam | 2-Seam | Cutter | Slider | Change | Curve | |
| Velo | 91.4 | 91.0 | 89.3 | 82.1 | 85.3 | 79.6 |
| Usage | 25.1% | 24.3% | 2.1% | 17.7% | 17.3% | 13.6% |
Zach Plesac
Left-handed hitters have had the better of Zach Plesac this season. They are hitting for a quality average while also getting on-base at a solid clip. Right-handed hitters aren’t hitting much, or getting on base often against him, but they are hitting for plenty of power.
He’s made three starts at home and three on the road this season, and the splits there are weird. At home he’s got an .830 OPS against, but a 3.71 ERA. On the road he’s got a .665 OPS against, but a 5.74 ERA. Hitters are doing more damage against him in Cleveland, but it has not yet resulted in scoring more runs.
Splits
| Split | PA | H | 2B | 3B | HR | BB | K | AVG | OBP | SLG |
| RHH | 67 | 16 | 7 | 0 | 2 | 4 | 11 | .239 | .282 | .433 |
| LHH | 64 | 18 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 6 | 9 | .281 | .347 | .438 |
Pitch Usage
| 4-Seam | Slider | Change | Curve | |
| Velo | 91.0 | 84.3 | 84.6 | 78.4 |
| Usage | 43.1% | 21.5% | 25.2% | 10.3% |
When and Where
- Game time: 6:10pm ET
- Where: Progressive Field
- Watch: Bally Sports Ohio, MLB.tv
- Listen: 700 WLW AM (Cincinnati area)
- Forecast: 61°, mostly sunny, 1% chance of rain
News and Notes
Updates on Lodolo, Minor, and Barrero
Some updates from David Bell
-Nick Lodolo will take a week off from throwing
-Mike Minor could return for the homestand. He has a rehab start on Friday.
-Jose Barrero could start a AAA rehab assignment this week.
— Charlie Goldsmith (@CharlieG__) May 17, 2022
Joey Votto plays in the field tonight
Votto is moving his rehab assignment to Dayton tonight after spending two days with Louisville. Tonight will be the first time he’s going to play in the field, and he’s back in the leadoff spot.
Lucky i looked at this because I thought it was a 640 start time. Is there a concert in Cleveland or something? Unusual start time 610 is
Where’s Nick Senzel?
Everything I’ve read says he’s about ready to start a rehab assignment.
Hopefully to a team that can keep him healthy
Hoping to see some extended consistency from Overton tonight. And since “Major League” was about a Cleveland team, let’s hope Jobu wakes up bats for us and not them tonight.
Every day I look at the lineup and wonder at what point during this season of “building for the future” that the Reds will actually begin playing more than one or two young guys and actually start building towards the future. Hopefully around the Allstar break we trade a couple “veteran role players” and actually see what these young guys are capable of. When/if Barrero returns and is successful at the AAA level will also push the Reds to backup their statement of building towards the future.
I’d prefer to see the younger crowd given where we’re likely headed, but who on the current position player roster are you going to play that isn’t playing?
I would like to see Lopez get more playing time but otherwise with the injuries you are right
Lorenzo Cedrola and Ronnie dawson. Won’t happen until Pham is moved. Lopez over Phillips. Start from there.
Wrong thread. But that was to Mark.
I got it. Thanks.
I don’t know the names aside from Lopez. I realize he hasn’t had much playing time (not a good thing), but his spot pretty much belongs to India when he’s back. Not sure who the Phillips you noted is.
Moving somebody like Pham is a domino that needs to fall. We’re aligned on that one.
Sorry. I meant Reynolds. I don’t think Lopez is the long term answer to anything. But he should get a chance over Reynolds while India is out.
Phillips? you mean that dude BP
Guardians’ catcher showing TySteve his hockey-style mask. I still think that’s the way he should go if he’s going to continue catching. Good to get input from another MLB catcher, not just coaches.
Stephenson wearing a mask with absorbing springs and also considering a hockey mask
Overton 6 outs on 16 pitches
That helps. Good to break the scoring drought. Let’s keep it up.
and the no hitter is done
Reading about lodolo. He can’t catch a break.. Hopefully he can return sometime mid June..
Pretty alarming when we consider him a cornerstone of our future.
Stuff like that happens though. At least it isn’t his pitching arm.
If it stands its a great play, if it doesn’t then it was still a good play
I agree
But maybe just touch the bag at 3b and taking the easy force and lead runner
Now its 2/3 1 out
thats gravity and inertia right there. Drury was moving in the opposite direction from the bag
Dan’s nephew Zach has scattered 4 Reds hits. Overton is pitching well. Neither one is racking up a high pitch count so far.
Forgot the Dragons had started. Joey’s first AB was a long fly to LF in the little notch.
Only can follow the game on Gameday, but it is so nice to watch a pitcher who appears to know how to pitch.
Note: The Dragons’ logo is cool. The QC River Bandits have really upped their game with their logo. Used to be just a baseball with a red bandana over it. Much better now and includes a “trash panda” (aka racoon).
I just like TySteve. I really do. Great plate discipline and willingness to go with the pitches he’s given.
Slower and Slowest DP there.
Moran is looking bad, time or Votto to come back.
is anyone else having issues with the sound for the tv broadcast
Joey still looks “off” to me. This isn’t elite pitching and he’s not recognizing the pitch well. Just K’d on one we’d usually see him foul off or flare to LF.
After two at bats Joey is hitting .122 better in big leagues than High A with a 50% strike out rate.
Finally got a single in third at bat.
Overton just ruined his no K start
6 innings
2 hits
0 BB
1 K
73 pitches
This is what I want to see
Connir Overton is pitching like the Reds ace right now. It is a strange year so far.
Any comps on Overton?
Dan Straily?
He’s the “anecdotal” comp
Greg Maddux
Yeah.
Greg Maddux? 🙂
He is one exaggerated leg kick away from Bronson Arroyo
Kyle Hendricks
Mike Leak
Miley?
Can he pitch with this command over a long period of time, or is he in his zone?
I’m willing to find out. He’s looking like the 2nd coming of Arroyo at this point.
Bullpen has pitched one inning since saturday
I like this guy so far. I just do not know how he will pitch over a longer period of time. I never heard of Overton until recently.
Overton is Dan Straily 2.0…….which I don’t mind by the way.
Overton just Bronson Arroyoed his way into the rotation permanently I think
+500
Overton is going to make this a very interesting decision when Minor and Lodolo come back. Do they go 6 starters? Who do you send out? Right now he is their best starter.
To me, Mike Minor is the odd man out. Overton has earned a spot in this rotation. I’m sure there will be an injury and/or a trade by then though.
Almost slid right into LF on that one
Pham shoots one through the oppo gap.
Joey hits a humpback liner into RF.
Two good AB’s.
Grounding into 5 DPs in one day is a hitting philosophy problem. Today isn’t an isolated incident either.
Putting ball in play, no problem with that. Not sure how that is a hitting philosophy problem
Rolling over pitches trying to pull them instead of staying back and driving the ball to opposite field.
Might have something to do with the pitcher, too. Hitting them where they ain’t is probably harder than it looks against MLB pitching.
I am willing to bet Votto is active for Jay’s series.
Nope. Late to the bag. He’s safe.
Anybody got any updates on India or Schrock? Haven’t seen any lately. I thought Bell said India was coming back last week.
I think schrock was mid june 4 weeks ago
Thanks
I’m always too drunk when I watch I got my contacts out does he have long hair or a 68 mile an hour curveball?
A good night for Overton. Let’s see if the BP can bail him out and finish this off.
another quality start. Now the bullpen needs to come through for the win.
In comes an ERA of 7
And climbing.
Where is Diaz?
Coming a huge fan of Overton pitching style remind me of cubs Hendricks in a way. Tony got lucky with a pop-up to get out of the inning shock no Diaz
Y not Dettweller, why not Diaz, why not cesa… Y bring in Satallin..
Definitely rooting for 4-5 runs in top of 9th!
What an inning
Manufactured run with 2 outs
Winning baseball!
2 straight innings with great fundamental baseball! Love watching the game played right!
Insurance runs are always nice. Let’s go bullpen.
Great at bunt and stolen base by Naquin to generate a run.
God I hope we don’t lose this bc bell wanna put Warren in to get a save. We need sign someone as a closer this mindset of no closer been hurting us
Joey looks at a 3rd strike. Dragons should win (up 6-1). I’ve seen enough for tonight.
Is Diaz Hurt?
Got a bit distracted … which one of you called for Warren?
Walk the first batter. Smh
Maybe this is the game that gets Bell fired if they lose
We can only hope. What a joke this. Night after night. Worst manager in baseball by far. No way we’re going to ever win with this guy.
Kevin totally wish he is terrible when they have hand him the extension I knew was a rebuild in making
once again, where is Diaz
Finally warming up smh
Warming up … finally
Getting ready to pitch and walk two guys and throw a wild pitch. That’s where he is.
Wow feel sorry for Greene and Overton who been lights out wow Warren sucks Tony got lucky previous inning with pop up wow
I don’t care what anybody says. That’s on Bell for bringing in Warren. Completely wasted Overton’s great effort. SMH!!!
Totally agree
A 2 run homer. It’s laughable how Bell mismanagement his bullpen.
Bell and his bullpen. Diaz, Cessa …no he calls on two guys thst have been struggling this year. And now he has Diaz up.
Frustrating to watch, or follow on gameday or just be a fan of ur team when you have a manager who doesn’t have a set bullpen
WHY WARREN INSTEAD OF DIAZ????
I believe that’s the 2nd game the bullpen has screwed Overton out of a win this year.
Art Warren, the New Sean Doolittle
The Reds are just not a very good team. Nice outing for Overton though.
While I agree not good, however when u have a manager who can’t guide his bullpen. Diaz is ur best pitcher, and yet he is no where to be found to start 9th inning
I guess Diaz is the blown saves mopper-upper?
How in the world is Bell still employed? The clear choice in this situation was Diaz but Bell for some strange reason goes to the same guy who did poorly on Sunday. I am getting to the point where I just won’t care until Bell is gone.
My thoughts exactly..
For all of the Bell defenders: This is all on Bell. He just pitched Warren on Sunday. Why bring him and his 6+ ERA back when everyone else is well rested.
plus 1000
Again, walks kill! Always a lead off walk, despite how many runs the Reds may be leading, then BOOM, a game tying HR. Bell is clueless OR doesn’t care if his young starters get a win!
Well I checked in thinking the game would be about done. Sadly, I see we’re getting another David Bell special. What happened to going with the team’s best reliever in the bottom of the ninth with a one run lead?
Bell’s handling of the Reds BP last year probably cost the Reds 20+ wins! Inexcusable not to use Cessa or Diaz in the bottom of the 9th with a 2 run lead!
I agree. Certainly, he cost them a shot in the playoffs. At least, we won’t have that to worry about this year. Making the “playoffs” this year means not finishing in last place.
The owners like Bell. I love the Reds, but cannot stand the owners. They care about their money, not the fans.
I get everyone loves Diaz and great for him
But Cessa is a veteran who pitched for the Yankees . Where is he?
Perhaps bell and Krall are saying see what Warren and Santillan have
I dont have an issue with Santillan. You need to put him in high leverage situations and see what he does but what we are finding out is the Reds are trying out guys for the bullpen because they didnt spend any money on the bullpen
Bullpen doesnt have a pitcher that makes more than $3 mil
I agree Cesa your closer, Diaz 8th inning guy, or flip flop. My thought is you need a 8th and 9th inning guy. Look at Brewers.
I use to defend Bell. Nice guy. I cannot defend him anymore. I would lose all credibility.
OK, Tommy. You have ONE JOB here.
I’m convinced Bell bets against the Reds or possibly he has friends that bet against the Reds. Has to be. No other possible explanation for the way he manages a game.
He used his two worst relievers in this game – a game the Reds were winning and should have won – allowing the opponent to score 3 runs in the 8th and 9th innings.
+1000. Said the same thing a time or two myself
Come on man, I am not a fan of David Bell, but it’s not cool making those type of accusations.
It’s not complicated. Either Bell is simply clueless despite his experience and baseball knowledge. Or he makes these inexplicable decisions for other reasons. I’m open to suggestions.
There is a big difference between disagreeing with a manager’s decision and accusing the manager of throwing games. It’s a classless thing to do or defend.
You didn’t give me a countervailing explanation.
LDS,
it’s a ridiculous assumption that because David Bell makes poor decisions with his bullpen that he is actually throwing games because he has money bet on the Red’s opponents. It’s simply ridiculous and slanderous.
I have no idea who Joe P. is, but I have always enjoyed reading your comments. Come on, you’re better than this.
Thanks V4L, while I agree it doesn’t have to be gambling, there does need to be some explanation beyond not knowing the game. As many have pointed out, he knows more about baseball than I and most of the other fans here. Nonetheless, he makes “odd” decisions that can’t derive from baseball knowledge, e.g. Warren had pitched more recently than Diaz and generally not as well. Is it “analytics”, that absurdity that is destroying sports? Again, the vast majority of analytics are descriptive not inferential, e.g. changing your launch angle doesn’t necessarily mean you’ll hit more home runs nor does increasing spin rates guarantee you become a better pitcher. So again, another viable explanation for Bell but regardless of the reasons, he’s not going to make the Reds a competitive team or even a better one.
LDS, I absolutely agree David Bell makes a lot of bad decisions. I was disappointed the Reds gave him an extension. I thought for certain after their long losing streak this season they would fire him. It baffles me that he still has a job.
I apologize if I was too critical of your comments. I think we all are a bit frustrated with this team. At least I know I am. I really do enjoy your posts. I love talking baseball with knowledgeable people like yourself and many others here.
If it wasn’t for this blog I would be suffering through this season alone. Hopefully better days are ahead.
Yeah, tough season, This and Doug’s minor league site are my main sources. But hey it’s only been 30 years or so since the Reds won the World Series. At this rate, maybe I’ll see it again for my 100th birthday. And no apologies needed and no offense taken.
With the benefit of hindsight I can observe that you guys should have waited before blowing your stacks. The Reds won, and Diaz pitched, but he nearly blew the game.
Sorry Green but Diaz should have been in earlier. Big difference between facing a team in the bottom of the nineth and bases empty and coming in 10th with the ridiculously stupid “ghost runner” BS. Dress it up however you choose but this is another example of Bell’s feckless management.
Not trying to dress anything up. I was noting two things: The Reds won. Diaz and Warren BOTH nearly blew the game.
OK, Mr. Moose. Just lift one, please.
weird zone for the ump. Up and down contracted, left right extended
Ugly calls
lets just take a moment and thank Renyolds, who seemed to come out of nowhere to end up on second, scored the run to take the lead
Reds had Dusty Baker. MLB quality manager. One of a dozen with 2000 career wins.
Replaced by Bryan Price. Now David Bell. Neither is MLB quality manager.
Sandlin is the type of pitcher Krall would trade for after the game.
Tough break on that checked swing call.
OK, Colin, bust one loose here.
Need these outs in the worst way
If the “ghost runner” scores here, is that charged to Warren or DTBell?
Asking for a friend 😮
it isnt, all ghost runners are unearned runs
So, Bell then
Oh my!!!
I’m assuming Bell got nobody up?
Well this ain’t good
Good lord.
I had full faith in Daiz the whole time!!!! With this being a 2 game series, we have secured our 4th non losing series in a row
Whew
Walks, walks walks! And with 2 outs!
Reds win
A win is a win … even if Overton’s stellar effort was squandered by you-know-who.
Glad Diaz settled in and that that WP went into the dugout. Made it a non-factor in the end despite the walks.
Back at it tomorrow.
I have COPD but thanks to that final out I can breathe again!
+100
Hopefully Bell sticking with Diaz there will help give him the confidence to pitch in those situations.
Gotta give Bell credit for this one. Saving his best pitchers for extra innings was brilliant. A lesser manager would have tried to win the game in 9 innings, but Bell is always thinking two steps ahead.
+5,000 and a hearty laugh!! 🙂
Brilliant sarcasm!
Very funny, unfortunately true.
The definition of a travesty. Overton pitches a fantastic game and exits after 8 innings with a 2 run lead.. Warren comes in, pitches one inning, and blows the lead, yet gets the win. I do not understand why Diaz wasn’t pitching in the ninth. It isnt like he is tired. He hasn’t been used that much. His ERA is 0.50. So it is not like he isn’t pitching well. I guess since he struck out the side Bell will sit him for another couple weeks.
Yep! Won’t see Diaz again until next week at the earliest!
Diaz has thrown 16 innings and given up 1 earned run so for now he the best coming out of the pen until he isn’t the best.Bell sent Warren back out there after Sunday’s game and he does the same thing he did Sunday and walked the first guy.We know about Warren don’t we so why do we need to find out more?We know nothing about Diaz so why not him?Warren had room for error in the ninth and Diaz started with a runner at second .Yeah he made it interesting but would anybody bet he gets their best hitter with the game on the line?Let the young guys pitch and play.
Do we know about Warren? How many innings has he pitched this year? He has good stuff and his issue seems to be control. The same could be said for Diaz in this game. Beware the small sample size. My guess is that the Reds are trying to figure out whether he can become a reliable bullpen guy, and this is the year to do it.
Lance mcCalister on his twitter feed has MLP pipeline video of Matt McClains inside the park HR last night. There’s some reason for optimism.