Tyler Mahle didn’t give up a hit until the 7th inning, but the Cincinnati Reds bullpen imploded in the 8th inning as three relievers combined to give up six runs as the San Francisco Giants avoided being swept in the 3-game series by picking up a 6-4 victory on Sunday.
| Final | R | H | E |
|---|---|---|---|
| San Francisco Giants (25-21) |
6 | 6 | 1 |
| Cincinnati Reds (16-31) | 4 | 8 | 0 |
| W: Brebbia (3-0) L: Warren (2-2) | |||
| Statcast | Box Score | Game Thread | |||
The Offense
With two men on and one out in the 2nd inning, Albert Almora Jr. singled in the first run of the game to put Cincinnati up 1-0. That’s where the game remained until the bottom of the 6th inning when Joey Votto doubled into left-center to bring Tyler Naquin across the plate and make it a 2-0 game.
In the bottom of the 7th they got things going when Kyle Farmer lined a single into center, but it was misplayed and got by two outfielders, leading to Farmer standing on third base. After Joc Pederson robbed Mike Moustakas of a hit with a sliding catch in left, Albert Almora Jr. grounded a ball to third and came up firing home to get Farmer at the plate. Or maybe not. David Bell challenged the play and on replay it appeared to be quite clear to everyone that Joey Bart tagged Farmer late and that he was safe. That is, it appeared to everyone except whoever was watching the play in New York, who said the call stands and that Farmer was out to the dismay of all 8,000,000,000 people on the planet.
After the Giants put up six runs in the top of the 8th inning and grabbed a 6-2 lead, the Reds went to work in their half of the frame. Nick Senzel led off with a walk and Tyler Naquin followed up with a bloop single into left field to put two men on. Tyler Rogers won the match up with Tyler Stephenson, though, and got him to ground into a double play. Joey Votto then lined out to end the inning. In the bottom of the 9th a 1-out Kyle Farmer single up the middle got things going, and after a strikeout by Mike Moustakas it was Albert Almora Jr. cutting the lead in half with a 2-run homer that made it 6-4. That was all they’d get, though, as Alejo Lopez flew out to end the game.
The Pitching
Tyler Mahle was looking to put his last start behind him after allowing eight runs against the Cubs and did he ever do that. After a 1-2-3 inning to start the game, Mahle walked Joc Pederson to lead off the 2nd. He stranded him there, retiring the next 11 batters before he hit Thairo Estrada with two outs in the 5th inning, but rebounded by striking out Luis Gonzalez to keep his no-hitter alive through five.
Things got dicey in the 6th inning when Mahle walked back-to-back hitters with one out, but he got a pop up to second base and then struck out Joc Pederson to get through the inning without allowing a hit. He’d return for the 7th inning and struck out Evan Longoria to start the inning. Brandon Crawford put a charge into one, but it was caught just short of the warning track in right-center by Tyler Naquin. That may have been a sign as the very next pitch was laced into right-center for a double by Thairo Estrada to break up the no-hitter. It was the last pitch Mahle threw on the day, finishing with 6.2 innings of 1-hit baseball while striking out eight batters.
David Bell came out and made a pitching change, calling on Hunter Strickland to face Luis Gonzalez and it only took three pitches for Strickland to strike him out and end the inning with the Reds holding onto their 2-0 lead. Jeff Hoffman took over to begin the 8th inning and ran into some problems, giving up a double and a walk before Art Warren replaced him with two on and two outs. Warren got what he was looking for – a ground ball – but it deflected off of Kyle Farmer’s glove and went into the outfield. It was ruled a hit and brought in a run, making it 2-1. Two pitches later Evan Longoria unloaded on a 3-run homer to put the Giants up 4-2.
It wasn’t over there, though. Warren walked Brandon Crawford and then an infield single before being removed from the game without recording an out against any of the four batters he faced. Joel Kuhnel came in and gave up a 2-run double on the first pitch he threw as the Giants extended their lead to 6-2. He would strike Darin Ruf out to end the inning. Kuhnel returned for the 9th and sat San Francisco down 1-2-3.
Key Moment of the Game
Evan Longoria’s go-ahead 3-run home run in the 8th inning that put the Giants up 4-2 with two outs.
Notes Worth Noting
Cincinnati’s 4-game winning streak came to an end.
The Reds are off on Monday before opening up a series in Boston against the Red Sox.
Up Next for the Cincinnati Reds
Cincinnati Reds vs Boston Red Sox
Tuesday May 31st, 7:10pm ET
Luis Castillo (1-2, 4.35 ERA) vs TBA
Inexcusable, pure and simple.
I’m so angry, I could spit nails.
Bad bullpen strikes again and Hoffman himself again. Bad management Warren ain’t that good period
Warren should NEVER be brought in with men already on base. He can’t handle that situation. But Bell replaced two far more experienced pitchers (Strickland and Hoffman) to go with Warren. No figuring out his brain. Bell definitely cost them a game here.
David Bell has inflated the era’s of Diaz and Hoffman by bringing in Warren and Cessa with two outs. When is He going to learn to trust the ones that are getting the job done. What is he doing, trying to save management money or trying to win games?
I didn’t watch the game but I wonder why David Bell thought Warren was a better option vs Joc Pederson when Hoffman has been their best relief pitcher this year.
Bell needs to quit worrying about individual player welfare and start managing to win every game. I’m guessing he wanted to save Strickland from wear and tear, so he took him out, but what’s the point of using him, and taking him out when he’s doing well, only to lose the ball game. What did he accomplish?
If the point of this season is sorting, then sorting is what they need to do. Winning is more fun, no question, and the Reds have looked better lately. But is it realistic to believe that this team, as currently constructed, has any chance of going deep into the postseason? So sorting involves seeing if a pitcher like Warren, who has good stuff, can learn to use it effectively in a pressure situation. He has been decent in his past several appearances. He wasn’t today. He may not prove to be going forward, but better to find out this year than in a year or two when they might in fact be contenders.
In thinking about this some more, maybe I’m wrong. Perhaps Strickland is limited in that he can’t go back out and pitch after sitting in the dugout for 10 minutes. Maybe he can’t bridge innings, he cools off too much and he can’t get his arm/shoulder loosened back up. So, knowing that, Bell took him out after only 3 pitches in the 7th.
If that’s the case, you have to wonder if Bell should use Strickland primarily in the 9th (and maybe that’s why Bell used him to close that one game) because he knows Strickland can’t bridge innings.
Hi, Joe P.,
I considered your statement. Good point. So, I checked a little bit out. Bell already used Strickland twice this year for more than an inning, giving up 0 runs each time. As a matter of fact, Strickland has been one of our best relievers this month.
The prior season, several times Strickland pitched more than an inning.
If Bell was thinking that, he was simply dead wrong.
@Steve
We never know all of the thinking that goes into these decisions. … It’s possible that Strickland wasn’t at 100 percent. Or many other possibilities.
To suggest that Bell isn’t aware of his past usage of Strickland in judging his availability for yesterday’s game seems off-base to me.
Hi, Vegas,
I wasn’t implying anything about Bell with my post. I was responding to Joe P. professional inquiry.
That’s the problem with the Red’s current manager; not managing with the ‘hot hand’ to win every game without immediate concern how an individual player is being treated. All that really counts is a win.
TR, your reasoning might apply to a settled team that was competing for the postseason. That does not describe this year’s Reds. It’s more important to find out which players are good fits going forward. Warren was terrible. He’s pitched around 18 innings this season, and a bit over 50 for his career (in which he has a 3.50 ERA). So this season–all 18 innings of it–seems to be the outlier for him. The Reds don’t have enough good relief pitchers to give up on a guy with the physical talent on the basis of 18 innings of work.
After an off season gutting and a 3-22 start, Bell has managed the team to a .590 winning percentage over the last 22 games. Maybe we should simply cheer him on and not pretend we could do better.
I could do better, not have Warren come in high leverage situations!!!!
True but I’ve seen Warren “implode” four times now. He should not be brought in during pressure situations. Strickland or Diaz should always get the nod over Warren in the 8th & 9th.
hmmm…wasn’t that long ago that Strickland was the butt of many comments here.
First thought, losses like this happen all the time. Guy takes a no-no or great outing late into a game, then the wheels come off. There is a psychology there, and I’m guessing it involves players losing their concentration once the pressure eases, just like they do in games every day. Baseball is a game where failure is the norm, not the exception. And no one is exempt. My second thought is I’m glad I didn’t do the Peacock tap-dance to watch this thing. Peacock, Apple, it’s a joke.
Went to the game
Awesome day
Dont let this loss ruin a great weekend
Game changed when farmer got the 2 base gift to lead off 7th inning and end at 3b with no outs. Moose hit soft pop up LF and didnt do his job
Almora should have suicide squeezed farmer in to get the run in to go 3-0 with 6 outs needed. Hes not hitting a long fly out sac fly there
Bullpen is a roster construction issue
Had La stella and Yaz lefties 1/2 and no good lefty bullpen arm available and 8 th inning blew up
Mahle great
Good pitching on both sides . How Cobb ERA over 6
Idk. He was tough.
Moose is slow and old. Still recognizes pitches but bat to ball isnt there anymore
Pham not missed
Senzel is a physical specimen
Votto hit to the opposite field
Stephenson is our future . He could win a batting title . Sprayed a tough pitch to right then hit a screamer 3b leaped to catch
Tough to overcome a 3-22 start….If you are going to do that, you have to win these games like today. The Reds have blown a number of those games now and as a result, they have not been able to get over that hump. I know I might sound crazy when I say this about a 16-31 baseball team. They are getting better, they have talent. If they could find someone to take the place of some of the guys obviously hurting the team. Guys like Moustakas and Art Warren? We would have a pretty good team here! They need more offense! They are leaving way too many guys on the bases that should have scored! Can’t wait to get back Mr. India! Hopefully Schrock will come back and pick up where he left off. Need to get Barrero up here and see what they have in him. Have to keep Farmer in the lineup though. Super sub maybe? I don’t know but he is a good ballplayer! They have to do something about a couple of guys in the bullpen. They are not getting it done.
I think we saw Mahle auditioning for Giants. How much more of this can any of the Reds’ starters take? It has been going on for years and years and years. IIRC it was on then NYTimes sportspage that they referred to the Reds’ “historically bad bullpen.”
Who can argue with that assessment?
I don’t know what the relief pitching culture is on the club but it so often seems that relievers come in obviously unprepared to pitch. Walking the first batter seems almost a given. Same with clearing the bases with inherited runs. Bell’s over-‘managing’ certainly plays a role, but this has been going on for a long long time.
Ask Castillo about his run support …
Great weekend. Series win and great starting pitching. Hoffman is a pleasant surprise out of the bullpen. This team is better than the one in April. Foe sure!!!
Great weekend, indeed, and fun day at the park – good, energetic crowd and gorgeous weather. Disappointing outcome, but two out of three from the Giants is a good series. Can’t understand the home plate call, what’s the point of replay if not for that exact circumstance?? And all six runs came after the Farmer tootblans… should have been end of the inning. What can you do?? I’m guessing grandma wasn’t too happy with that…
The Reds have two games this season where have taken the other team through a no-no into the 7th inning but both of them have ended in losses. What a manner of waste excellent outings from the starters…. Warren struggles frequently when he finds runners on base…
And Art Warren had a hand in losing both of those games.
Warren was incredibly shaky and lucky last time out. You absolutely can’t use him in this situation today. Ugh.
Nice to see Mahle returning to form. Extend him.
I’ve been thinking about this a lot. The other day, watching Ashcraft, I thought his intangibles were off the charts. We already know that about Hunter. But anchor this staff with one vet and Greene/Ashcraft, then between Lodolo and the kids, the rest will sort out. If they extend one of either Castillo or Mahle, I think I’d go with Luis, again based on intangibles (and that FB/Change combo). I do like Mahle and I think he also has quite a bit in that inner strength, too. I just prefer Castillo.
Start extension talks now with both Castillo and Mahle (that way you’re not ruffling either’s feathers). Get one deal done and trade the other for a stud corner outfield bat.
Schrock has hit okay. But I think most expecting far too much from him.
He also can’t stay healthy to be counted on for much more than a bench bat.
Barrero is who I am excited to see. Hopefully nearly everyday at SS. He is supposed to be a part of the future. Farmer is not.
Farmer will be busy as a super sub.
You’re forgetting the managing habits of David Bell.
How can we not play on Memorial Day? Seems unpatriotic. 🙂
Strange. It used to be routine to have doubleheaders on Memorial Day, 4th.of July and Labor Day with big crowds to go along with Opening Day.
Winning home stand, but I hate losing before an off -day.
Mahle is a good pitcher. He nibbles and at GABP sometimes struggles mightily. But, on the road and through his career he has a track record of durability, K’s, and innings. Hes not going to bring back Ft Knox but hes a legit #3 and I might approach him about signing an extension through the 2025 season. Pay him a signing bonus now and pay him ahead for 2023 plus 12/14 mil per in 2024/25.
If he says no- trade him
Castillo is a legit 2 and potentially 1. He’s going to command 100 mil+ in new money. MLB.com had an article up on the 5 trades they wanted to see and Castillo to the Mets sooner rather than later was #1. Mets have a #4 overall prospect catcher in baseball who is major league ready plus add a top 75 prospect and its too easy to move Stephenson to 1b and be back up catcher 40 games a year.
Stephenson can flat out hit.
I think the Reds could land the Met’s catching prospect Francisco Albert and SS Ronny Mauricio for Luis Castillo. I would even include Tyler Mahle if they would sweeten the pot a little.
Sorry typo Francisco Alvarez
Normally, I don’t like making trade proposal but I do believe the Reds and Mets match up well.
Something like
Mets get: Luis Castillo and Tyler Mahle
Reds get: C Francisco Alverez, SS Ronny Muaricio and 3B/OF Matt Vientos
Or Castillo for Alverez and Muaricio
This would give us a couple of good young bats to go alone with the young pitching. Eventually, Stephenson could move to 1B when Joey retires.
This trade or something similar would have 2024-2027 as our new window.
May be more realistic of trading one of the two pitchers for two of the four prospects.
Except it will be Castillo/Mahle and Moose’s contract for a bag of peanuts and call it a day.
This is the best post I’ve read all year. Period.
Doug, Fraley not in the lineup for Louisville and not even on the roster? Any idea? Possibly taxi squad for series against Boston?
We should target Pasquantino from the KC organization in a trade. He’s hit well at all levels since being drafted and can be the replacement for JV at 1B. He looks to be blocked by Prato. KC needs pitching and have some other good prospects too in AAA and AA. What do you think Nick?
Another late inning loss that will be blamed on the Reds bullpen! The blame lies squarely with the Manager! D. Bell should be sued for malpractice! The BP carrousel DOES NOT WORK! Disgusting!
I have to agree. I mean, I will blame the players first for lack of execution. But, for Bell, there was no need to replace Strickland at that time. Simply needless.
Thank You!!!!! lol
Brewers are a perfect example. a 7th inning guy, 8th inning guy and Hader to close. When they are winning and almost always they win.. with that combo.
I still believe like last year your dominant pitcher should be your closer. Last Year Atone, and this year Diaz. Satallin to me can be your 8th guy and Warren or Hoffman your 7th inning guy.. I also say Strickland, and Detwiller can be in the mix. My point is Bell just uses whoever he feels like using,
No, don’t limit it to a civil case. Bring criminal charges! A couple years in the pen would be about right, and I’m not referring to the bullpen. As for the bullpen, since it covers 4 or more innings every game, how many relievers do you think the manager needs to use on a regular basis?
Greenmtred most posting here couldn’t mange pony lleague team. They have little understanding of how the game has changed. Pitch counts and 3 batter rule.
Most complaining about Strickland are the same ones complaining g about Bell using him very tecentlyz
There is a strong recency bias among lots of fans, I think: A player has two or three good games and exceeds his recent performance, and we want him playing every day. One or two bad days, though, and nobody wants to talk about him or, if they do, it’s to say that the manager is an idiot to play him.
@gmr
I agree with you
I do think its time to move on from Pham very soon as he’s not in the long term plans and his recent behavior undermines a winning culture with a franchise transitioning to a youth movement.
Also think Moose needs to be off the roster in 2023 as its time to turn the page.
As for the bullpen- Bell is limited. Krall needs to invest in a good lefty reliever in the offseason and give The manager options
Santillan and Diaz need to be given high leverage opportunities to sort further.Warren has hit his ceiling it would seem .
Agree with you, Old-school. But about Warren, I wonder if it’s too soon to draw conclusions: He’s seen limited action in a three-year career and, by record alone, was decent until this season. And, as I said above, he’s only pitched a bit over 18 innings this year. Is the change fixable? I dunno, but the Reds are not awash in bullpen talent–not the amount of it they need to cover four or more innings a game over 162 games. Maybe he’s not a high-leverage guy. Maybe he’s not a MLB pitcher, but this season is the one for finding that out about him and other players.
I always do look to blame players first for losses.
However, Bell I believe can take some credit here, also. I mean, he brings Strickland in for only 3 pitches?! I mean, the dude came in for only 3 pitches, one out, struck the guy out, one of our best relievers, I believe, and Bell takes him out for Hoffman?
I can’t stand the way Bell uses the bullpen. This is disgusting. He kept Tony in there for more than an inning last night. He kept Kuhnel in there for more than an inning tonight. But, he took Strickland out right after a 3 pitch strikeout?
There’s very little how Bell uses the bullpen that makes any sense to me.
To be fair Hoffman has been descent this season,
I think you meant decent!
Yeah, it’s Warren that’s in descent!
You’re right, Steve: It doesn’t make sense to you.
Dude, noBody gets Bell’s act, or yours, for that matter.
Many would disagree with both of those opinions Vegas.
Lots of nonsense posted on this site at times. GMR simply pushes back with a little common sense.
I guess it makes sense to greenmtred. . .Hahahahaha.
No. Doesn’t make sense to me, either, and I should have said that. It was a fun line I read in a book, and I’ve been itching to use it. I’m not a Bell supporter, but my point all along has been that fans by necessity get a limited view of what goes into managerial decisions.And fans, when deprived of the benefit of hindsight make plenty of bad guesses. And that’s okay. It’s fun to argue/discuss.
Warren and Cessa should be dropped and Solomon brought back up. Eventually perhaps Lodolo might help the BP
No problem because Hoffman and Warren have been pretty good.Sometimes it just doesn’t work.I do believe at some point even while sorting the pen it’s beneficial to identify roles.It was a game of inches that got Longoria up so again it happens
With as little into the game as starters get, it seems you cannot establish a seventh inning guy, an eighth inning guy, and a closer. Those three guys cannot pitch every game, and you are going to need relievers every game. You can have two seventh inning guys, two eighth inning guys and two ninth inning guys, giving you five starters and eleven relievers, then two to three additional pitching spots to bridge to the late innings when starters exit early. Reds pitching has trouble getting past the fifth inning, Gutierrez finally just made it through the fifth inning for the first time, barely, so though it sounds good to have a seventh, eighth and ninth inning guy, that is just not practical until starters can consistently get you to the seventh inning.
Agree, Doc.
finally, someone that pays attention to more than just the last game! Until recently, the starters have struggled to get thru 5 innings. Most managers are going to burn 4 relievers a night if this is the case. That is a lot of appearances over a short 2 month span that our relievers have been thru.
Good point and this team is a long way from where they need to be but pitchers like to know when do I pitch.I think it helps them to prepare but what do I know.Example today was I doubt if Strickland knew he had only 1 guy to get or that Hoffman would who is your long man was to pitch the 8th.I could be way off base and maybe both knew just exactly their role on this day.
The Reds sent J.T. Riddle to the Mets today. No word what, if anything, the Reds revived in return.
At the very least the two sides are talking Prelude to a Mahler and/or Castillo deal?
I’m hoping the Reds can pry away their young catcher Francisco Alverez.
Mentioned this in the game thread, but you cannot bring Warren into that situation. He has been absolutely brutal when teams have RISP. To the point where they now have an OPS of 1.374 in 20 plate appearances. With 2 outs and RISP, they have an OPS of 1.667. He is not a high-leverage pitcher and Bell continues to put him in that role. I realize that Bell had a reputation of an analytics driven style, but I have not seen that from him.
Mahle 6’3″ 210 lbs. 104 pitches. 1 hit allowed.
Pull him in the 7th with 2 outs after giving up one hit.
I’d love someone to explain that to Billy Martin or Earl Weaver. Not even Sparky Anderson would work this way.
It is comical how teams handle starting pitchers. It is not so comical that there are more injuries – not less – under this approach.
Today’s version of Kevin Costner’s For the Love of the Game would show him going 4 1/3 IP and his manager would pull him with a perfect game just because.
Treating pitchers like delicate fine china is ruining the game. An endless parade of pitchers after the 5th or 6th inning even if a pitcher is working on a no no or a shutout. Let the pitchers pitch. It’s what they train to do.
This x 1000.
The more they baby the pitchers of today, the more injuries there are.
This was a typical situation where the game was lost due to poor manager’s decisions. As outlined above, no squeeze play with Farmer on 3rd and Almora at bat with only one out in the bottom of the 7th, replacing Strickland after only three pitches and bringing in Warren in such high leverage situation.
Any stats on how often squeeze plays work? Besides, bunting seems to be a lost art. The thing about those decisions is that after the game, we can see that Warren blew it. Hindsight is, after all, 20/20. But when the decision is actually being made, the outcome is unknown: Decisions are good when the players execute, and bad when they don’t. Your preferred relief pitcher might well have blown the game, too.
Excellence in execution in situational baseball is the difference between winning and losing most games.
Reds had 2-0 lead bottom 7 and farmer gifted 3b by CF with 2 base error.
Moose as a lefty with some pop best way to score is hit away and hope for a hit or long fly ball. He failed.
Alomora had a seeing eye 6 hopper RBI earlier in the game but this time SF infield was taking out the run. I was sitting there and saw how tight the SF infield was and said at the time they need a suicide squeeze. I dont know how good a bunter Almora is but hes a little guy. He hit a grounder right at the infielder and the inning was wasted( x Farmer was safe despite the ball getting their 5 feet ahead but ruled out)
Almora hit a meaningless homer in the 9 th when the giants pitcher was pumping in fast balls with a 4 run lead.
That said- good baseball game till the Reds bullpen hiccupped. More sorting for sure
The first sentence of Old-school’s comment is the one to take to the bank. There is always a time for a sacrifice, squeeze, hit and run, etc. but the good manager knows when to use it depending on the “situation” at the time. Taking out a hot pitcher after 100 pitches or always going with the 52% probability is not good analytics because it ignores the players involved, tenor of the game, and the “situation.” Bell is far from the only problem on this team but he is not a good situational manager (and/or his players are unprepared to execute the kinds of plays that should be mandatory from anyone donning a glove on this field.)
Bad loss but a series win. And any series win should be celebrated.
The series was won Saturday. So everybody thinks it’s ok that they blow a 2 run lead with 5 outs to go, just because they won the series..
Every game is an individual entity.
Treat it as such, not some collective of sets.
The Reds are not in the competitive hunt for the NLC win, but they are in the hunt with the Pirates and Cubs for third place. A sweep or series win makes a difference.
Personally I don’t get too caught up in another loss. This season was over before it began. Just expect to lose and if they don’t then its like a surprise party!
Lost in the shuffle was a nice game from Albert Almora. I think he’s a better 9th hitter then Senzel is at leadoff. Their career ops is the same and AA is hitting .267 to Nick’s .241. The drawback to AA is he doesn’t walk, but the same could be said about Drury and he’s on pace to easily beat his career high in walks. Thats where a hitting coach comes in. Nothing wrong with continuing to look at Senzel, but AA was a nice addition either way. He’s better then a ton of starting OFers out there. He’s as smooth defensively as they come and not an easy out. A good team could bat him 9th and win alot of games.
There is already an AA on this team. Maybe we need to call him Al-Al to keep from confusion.
AAJ maybe?
Earl Weaver called reliever Dan Stanhouse, Full-pack. He smoked a full pack when he brought him in to close a game. I called Warren 6-pack because I want to drink a 6-pack when Bell brings him in during critical situations. Just can’t do it anymore. Strickland and Diaz over Warren should be SOP.
Missed in this meltdown was the horrible, continually freezing broadcast by yet another provider that isn’t ready for primetime. Already cancelled my Peacock plus. Seriously starting to get mad on this subject.
My broadcast on Peacock didn’t freeze up once all game.
Plain and simple we don’t have a closer, and only questionable 8th inning guys. Santillan, Warren, and Diaz have potential, but they are clearly not ready for that pressure.
Zeuch, Tucker and Keuchel prime targets for Krall? He seems to like former high round draft picks that are released by other organizations. Wouldn’t be surprised to see them in the organization sometime soon.