The Cincinnati Reds are looking to avoid being swept by the St. Louis Cardinals today after they dropped the first two games of the series. Cincinnati will send Graham Ashcraft to the mound for just his second road start. St. Louis will counter with Dakota Hudson. First pitch is set for 2:15pm.
Starting Lineups
Here are the lineups for this afternoon’s NL Central match up:
Cincinnati Reds
|
St. Louis Cardinals
|
| Nick Senzel – CF | Tommy Edman – SS |
| Brandon Drury – 3B | Nolan Gorman – 2B |
| Tommy Pham – DH | Tyler O’Neill – LF |
| Joey Votto – 1B | Nolan Arenado – 3B |
| Kyle Farmer – SS | Brendan Donovan – RF |
| Matt Reynolds – 2B | Juan Yepez – 1B |
| TJ Friedl – LF | Albert Pujols – DH |
| Aristides Aquino – RF | Harrison Bader – CF |
| Aramis Garcia – C | Andrew Knizner – C |
| Graham Ashcraft – SP | Dakota Hudson – SP |
Starting Pitchers
| Pitcher | IP | ERA | WHIP | BB | K |
| Graham Ashcraft | 23.2 | 1.14 | 0.85 | 5 | 13 |
| Dakota Hudson | 58.2 | 2.76 | 1.21 | 25 | 34 |
| Links: Graham Ashcraft’s Stats | Dakota Hudson’s Stats |
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Graham Ashcraft
Among pitchers with at least four starts this season in Major League Baseball Graham Ashcraft’s 61% ground ball rate ranks 4th. That’s what you’re going to get when he’s on the mound – tons of grounders. He’s seen more lefties than righties and so far that hasn’t worked out for opposing managers as he’s held them to a .378 OPS in 54 plate appearances. Righties have hit better against him, posting a .627 OPS.
Splits
| Split | PA | H | 2B | 3B | HR | BB | K | AVG | OBP | SLG |
| RHH | 37 | 8 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 5 | .242 | .324 | .303 |
| LHH | 54 | 7 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 8 | .135 | .167 | .212 |
Pitch Usage
| 2-Seam | Cutter | Slider | Change | |
| Velo | 97.4 | 97.8 | 85.7 | 90.4 |
| Usage | 24.4% | 44.0% | 30.1% | 1.5% |
Dakota Hudson
The splits for Dakota Hudson are weird. Left-handed hitters are not hitting at all against him but they also walk as often as they strike out against him. They make plenty of contact, draw plenty of walks, but when they do make contact they are not at all being rewarded from it. Righties are making plenty of contact and they are hitting better than lefties are, but they aren’t showing much power.
Not shown below is that his home and road splits are pretty big. At home opponents have an OPS 102 points lower than they do against him on the road, hitting just .206/.280/.289. His ERA at home is 1.35 versus a 3.94 road ERA.
Splits
| Split | PA | H | 2B | 3B | HR | BB | K | AVG | OBP | SLG |
| RHH | 106 | 24 | 3 | 0 | 3 | 8 | 16 | .255 | .314 | .383 |
| LHH | 133 | 22 | 5 | 0 | 1 | 17 | 18 | .193 | .301 | .263 |
Pitch Usage
| 4-Seam | 2-Seam | Slider | Change | Curve | |
| Velo | 92.1 | 92.2 | 89.3 | 86.4 | 80.9 |
| Usage | 13.3% | 41.2% | 27.4% | 5.9% | 12.2% |
When and Where
- Game time: 2:15pm ET
- Where: Busch Stadium
- Watch: Bally Sports Ohio, MLB.tv
- Listen: 700 WLW AM (Cincinnati area)
- Forecast: 90°, partly cloudy, 15% chance of rain
News and Notes
Graham Ashcraft and finding his cutter
Charlie Goldsmith of the Cincinnati Enquirer wrote about Graham Ashcraft’s journey through the minors and the unique cutter that he and the Reds developed over the past few years.
In 2020, before COVID, we were trying to get more rise on my fastball because with the way it was moving, it was getting hit a ton,” Ashcraft said. “After a while, Jagers and (former Reds pitching coordinator Kyle Boddy) looked at it more in depth and realized nobody has the movement like this.
Well we can at least enjoy our awesome young pitcher today and also our Hall of Famer #19 while we still can. If he keeps hitting like he has since coming back from Covid he will easily be our All Star representative. As a matter of fact if he keeps it up the rest of the year, which I wouldn’t be surprised, he’ll be in the MVP discussion again too.
Right now the Reds have four possible All-Star candidates for one spot with Stephenson on the IL: Votto, Diaz, Drury, and Farmer. If Votto continues hitting the way he has since returning from the IL, he’s a shoo-in.
Just here to watch Ashcraft today. I have no interest in watching the bullpen.
Here’s hoping for the first complete game of the year. 🙂
Greene pitched the 1st complete game for the reds.
Was it 9 innings or the 7 in the rain out? Either way here’s hoping for another one. 🙂
Morbid curiosity isn’t enough, JB?
The fascination of the abomination.
Greene and Ashcraft a good 1-2 punch. Lodolo as well
THe Rotation is becoming set for Next year. Greene, Ashcraft, Lodolo, Overton plus Maybe Dunn. I am comfortable Trading Mahle, Not too off on trading Castillo as well. Obviously got no problem getting rid of Minor
Is Ashcraft day more exciting than Greene day? I don’t know that answer yet, but it sure is fun.
Betting Votto, the Under (8) and the under on Ks as well 3.5 Hope we take the finale against the Birds. RN I would say that the All star game rep is Vottos to lose
I like the under as well.
I’m going dark horse and saying it’s Ashcrafts to lose
Alright, no no hitter today!!!
I am ok with that non catch by Aquino. As is the TV crew evidently. Saved a Run
and that happens…. How did Okey look yesterday
Yankees 8-1 over Cubs in the 2nd. Can’t wait for the Reds to go to Yankee Stadium.
Opening line is Reds +6.5
Gave it right back though.
Catch the dang ball.
Why do we even do this
Every day it’s something different.
Am I missing something. Game days has it 0-0 after 1 inning
Now I see it 1-0 cards…
After 1 inning:
Hudson: 8 pitches
Ashcraft: 26
Just go ahead and buckle in again everyone…
Five or six innings tops for Ashcraft — maybe less, considering that the TV crew said the “feel-like” temperature in St. Louis is 104.
Yeah ieas thinking the same Tom. Do you think the heat is effecting his slider from snapping more?
Was not ieas, whatever that garbage is
So Ashcraft has 1 bad inning and your suggesting “buckle up” it is 1-0 relax
You’re right, I should have so much faith in this Reds team by now
Not like our bullpen has blown two games in a row
Why is Friedl in the Lineup, where is Almora? wasted opertunity there
They didn’t say and I was wondering as well. Bottom of the order isn’t scaring anybody today.
you say this and watch Aquino have his weekly homerun
You’re being nice. *monthly*
They do do, a hit every inning and a run every inning, hit every inning fluctuates depending on the pitching matchups any where from the +300 to +800. A one dollar bet on a run for every inning will net you 10,000 dollars
My question is why is Lopez even on the team if Bell refuses to play him. Are we hoping Phillips gets hot before India gets back to trade him or something?
Because he’s going to get two hits and not get picked off.
Cue the Benny Hill music.
What kind of odds can one get for a double play every inning?
it is so High that it is not offered
Lol I was just thinking that.
TV Crew was right, should have bunted. But no. Tired of Garcia as a starter. Why didn’t the Reds just do the right thing and clone Ty Steve. Don’t tell me “cause its too expensive” or “ethical concerns” or “the technology doesn’t exist” cause we need Ty Steve back
Most of this forum could have figured this out — but The Cowboy said it first. “Do you want to risk hitting into the third DP in a row with a guy who’s not hitting the ball well, doesn’t this scream bunt?” Yes, said Sadak, but the Cardinals are not buying it. Next pitch, you saw what happened. This is why I don’t like David Bell, either he has no common sense or his players don’t know how to bunt.
Didn’t look like Bell was watching the game at that moment. He was busy talking to someone else.
So the Reds go to Arizona next, home for two series, then all the way to San Fran for one series on the West Coast. What kind of schedule is that?
Cowboy ruffling some feathers today. Questioning the logic of Ashcraft pitch selection. Join the crowd Cowboy.
I love it. He doesn’t rant like Marty did at times but keeps it to the facts and baseball logic. He has reached the level in his career that his job is secure because the fans know that his baseball skill and respect by the fans far exceeds the ownership and field management.
cowboy making a play for Pitching Coach. bases loaded for farmer. No outs…can we see something
and farmer gets a brusied Rib Eye lets see Renyolds
Yeah, that was very strong second-guessing of the gameplan. Very, very unusual from this team’s broadcasters.
It’s cool and refreshing. Kind of like Coca Cola. 🙂
So now we complaining about Ashcraft pitch selection. That didn’t take long. LOL
COwboy is on the TV
Cowboy is the one that brought it up. And you are who? Oh that’s right ……nobody.
You seem to point out to everybody when they make a comment that they have never hit or pitched in the majors. Just stating to you what you say to others. Stinks don’t it?
Ashcraft will have bad games. I have to think it also doesn’t help that he’s doing it via signs instead of the earwig thingy. At least that’s what I thought I heard.
Garcia sure had the wire hanging from his helmet. Either way don’t know how that would effect performance.
TV broadcast was talking about how Cardinals manager benched a player for lack of effort. Then shortly after, Farmer made his fifth error of the year.
The player was benched, because he didn’t hustle. The manager put his foot down, and the player took ownership. Exactly how it should be….Accountability.
Two entirely different things.
One physical, one mental. Physical errors happen. Mental errors should never happen.
It was Harrison Bader for flipping a bat on a fly ball and turning toward the dugout (after not really running down the line) before he got to 1st.
I would Brantley would be pitching coach.. I miss hearing him.
Does anyone know what the record is for the number of double plays hit into by a team in one game?
Has anyone ever seen Travis Jankowski and TJ Friedl at the same place at the same time?
you know, now you mention it
😮
+500
Yes Spring Training. Jankowski looks to be a foot taller
Brantley is not happy with Ashcraft or the offense not dropping down a bunt. Yeah, let’s hit into another DP. Gotta love this man. He gets it Bell’s gotta go. It’s time.
What is the logic involved to try to steal a base with 2 out and the hitter at the plate hitting about .160? Worse yet, the attempt was not successful and thus Aquino gets a second chance to make an out as the first batter.
Aquino did get a hit last time up
Back from my little trip just in time to see Ashcraft battling a bit (that will happen) and our infield playing some more little league ball. Happy-ish with the 3 runs in the 4th, but really wishing we didn’t keep rolling over on balls for a GIDP.
Feels like a make-or-break inning for Ashcraft.
Oh, my wife has the game on before I came home. The only change was the audio feed 🙂
And I popped in and out yesterday. Complete and utter frustration with how we snatched defeat from the jaws of victory again.
I’m personally not in the camp of a “designated closer” but with the season not going anywhere, it seems we have to sort out something in the BP. Some of them just need to go.
Clearly. It’s insane to keep running Strickland out there. It’s my belief that of the current bullpen, you only have one (Diaz) who projects as a late-inning guy you can count on. I thought after his great game against Boston that Santillan might be ready to take that step, but then he came right back against Arizona and had horrible location both in and out of the zone. The next closer this team develops is probably going to be one of the many starting pitching prospects in the organization.
@tom How about Joe Boyle late inning guy in the future? I don’t think we move him there now, but I like his stuff as a one inning guy in the future.
“3rd game in a row where the Reds made 2 errors”
Well if THAT isn’t a depressing stat, I don’t know what is.
And a passed ball that resulted into a run.
They said on TV that was scored as a wild pitch.
Barrero 0-4 with 4Ks. I think its almost time to resign Kyle and IF Barrero makes it then we’ll deal with that later. I guess its still his spring training, but if those AAA retreads are dominating him then it doesn’t look good.
Wrist surgeries can be very difficult to recover from for baseball players. It may take most of this season.
They next excuse will be “well everybody else has been playing 4 months, and he’s only been playing 2.
They really need this young prospect to realize his potential. It’s tough being patient when you see other team’s top prospects come up and succeed so fast.
Not like Greene and Ashcraft, aye? In two stints Barrero has yet to show me he can hit big league pitching, so personally I am not expecting great things.
I really don’t get all the hate for Jose Barrero. Nick Senzel has done nothing for three years in the majors. If you want to talk about a bust, look to centerfield.
what is that?
the reds hir into a double play every inning? Must be going for a record, i guess it’s Bell’s fault,
hit into
Ashcraft is battling today. His fielders, the heat and his stuff.
AS soon as I finally and officially throw in the towel on Aquino, he’s 2-2 and hitting line drives.
When he hits consistently over more than a month is when I will change my opinion on him.
+1,000
Wouldn’t he have to actually play a month first? 🙂
If he could walk more that would also help. He seems to have regressed in this area since he came up.
Have to admit…he’s a survivor. 🙂
Forget Brantley as Pitching coach, make him the manager.
Wait a second…did we just sacrifice bunt?
No. You imagined that. You also imagined it led to AA scoring on a short but successful SF by Nick.
Aggressive tag and run, but it worked. Bad throw. Nice slide.
Manufacturing a run! Wow! Didn’t know we could do that. 🙂
noone wants to talk about how Aquino has hit half the cycle lol
I think we all are in shock at the moment.
but wont finish it as he joins the injury parade
Or that perhaps that he’s injured now, too.
Probably be the last inning for Ashcraft if he can get through it.
Well I will win my under on the Ks and since baseball games cannot end in a tie I will lose the over. Need 2 more H/R/RBI from Votto
Rough day for Ashcraft, but they will happen.
Time to spin the wheel of misfortune with our BP and some inherited runners, no?
He battled, which was nice to see. He left with the game tied and he gave his team a chance. Oh and the relief pitcher walks the first batter. The beat goes on..
Warren gets a successful 50/50 …
So what are the odds he gets to start a clean 6th inning?
Zero … the odds are zero. After 3 days rest, apparently 3 batters is his limit in a game where we’ll need half the BP today. That’s the kind of stuff from DTBell that just boggles my mind. 😮
Just got home. I was counting on Ashcraft, looks like the sweep is imminent now. And after all the bragging several of us did a couple days ago, about Aquino’s ability to stay healthy, he injures himself. Oh well, it’s the Reds.
Warren! Good job.
Seven pitch inning. Amazing the difference between the pitch counts of Hudson and Ashcraft. Pretty similar stats but 20 pitch difference despite going an extra inning and a third.
Donovan worked Ashcraft. That was a key at bat there in the Cards getting one run in the 5th to tie. The Reds got lucky the ball Pujols hit bounced over the fence or it would have been 2 runs. I thought Ashcraft would get Donovan out but he had an at bat that reminded me of Pete Rose and lined a single to the opposite field. Good situational hitting there by Donovan.
I said the exact same thing about the GR2B from Pujols.
Waaaayyy too efficient by Hoffman.
There’s no way he can continue.
Might have to. Not much left in the bullpen thst didn’t pitch yesterday. Still have Tony left.
Reds need to get back to a finding a lineup through trades/development of hitters with a track record of plate discipline who work the pitcher and dont give in. Cardinals do that.
Winker did that.
India did that
Stephenson did that.
Castellanos mostly did that.
Votto does that.
4/5 are gone and thats the problem.
Senzel does that except he’s lost all power and just doesn’t barrel up baseballs anymore.
Perhaps the biggest reason to trade Castillo is to get a big young lefty bat and a high minors elite SP to fill that spot.
This team desperately needs good young lefty hitters.
Fredl….never doubted. MIKE!!!!!! The Bulls are playing the Bats this week!!!!!
MARK!!!!!! that was supposed to be MARK
I haven’t been to a Bulls game in a few years. That is a great stadium.
Of course it would be the week when it’s supposed to be a bazillion degrees almost every day 😮
lol yea, I mean I can walk to the Stadium from here.
Friedl triples! Almora sac fly.
Brendan Donovan literally bounced off the warning track. Thats gotta hurt.
Well THAT was unexpected and very pleasant way to generate 2 runs.
yes, Did you see the Bats are comming to Durham?
Yes. Just responded to your comment above
Wondering if RoY will make the trip? Would love to see him play in person.
That is exactly what I am thinking. If it is still the Rehab specials…. I am getting tickets. If everyone gets reactivated….not so much.
OK, will we see Tony the Tiger or Tony the Lazy House Cat?
Everyone piles on Bell and I get it, but some of us were saying lets give Hoffman more of a shot in high leverage. Bell goes to him and he fails too. Only so much he can do. Nobody gets consistent outs but Diaz and he’s a rookie.
Diaz’s brother will be a FA next year, I say we bring in Edwin Diaz as our closer!
He gave up a couple of singles. I would have left him in the game instead of bringing in Santillan. Seemed like an overreaction.
I hear you. And I realize the talent in the BP is well below optimal.
What puzzles me is the inconsistent decisions (at least as I see it). Leaving guys in to get hammered and then using Warren for 2 batters after 3 days rest. It’s almost like the choices come via a dartboard system at times.
At least this worked out (this time) and we move forward with a 2-run lead.
Typically in a game that the Reds are leading, Bell would have used Diaz by now. Wonder if he is holding Diaz for the ninth?
How many pitches was his last outing and was that yesterday or the day before?
Not sure.
I’d be surprised if Diaz is available. He pitched two innings on the 9th and then another one yesterday.
Thanks for clarifying. I hadn’t considered that.
If he actually does have a plan, Bell seems to be using Diaz against opponents best hitters.
Middle of Curds lineup could be up in the ninth.
If we get through the eighth.
Hoffman is just the guy that hasn’t messed up lately. He’s just a different option than the guys that have recently messed up. We all know what Hoffman is.
+100
Pham Bam
Seems like Strickland or Detwiler for the 9th? Unless they think Santillan can finish it
Well, nevermind about Santillan. Not sure why they took him out?
Him out and Warren out after limited pitches is what puzzles me the most about how DTBell manages the BP use.
I think I need to see some more data about the risks/benefits of shorter, more frequent outings versus longer, less frequent outings. Might be advantageous from an analytics perspective to have a guy throw 10-20 pitches every day or every other day, but that seems much harder on the arm and long-term health of the pitcher. But I don’t know if that has been looked at.
Just remember that “analytics” would never have let Seaver or Ryan or Steve Carlton or that crowd do what they did. Heck, I do believe even Tommy John wasn’t limited to the degree we see today.
I’m torn because I hate to see the injuries but I also don’t like the low pitch counts like we regularly seem to see.
Brantley mentioned that he preferred pitching consecutive days. Warren and Santillan have both had trouble this season. Give them a success to build on or another failure to brood about?
At this point Pham shouldn’t cost us anything to trade. He should bring back some value of some sort. Of course, we’re still more than a little limited in terms of our roster options at this point. Still, he took this gig hoping to get showcased to contenders. Mashes like that could do the trick. He does seem a little more focused since the major time-out I think,
Cessa with a clean inning … here’s hoping for the best.
Clean to start I mean …
here is seeing evidently
That was completely filthy
And Welch saying he did something similar in a college game … the batter ended up being carried off with a broken knee.
That was what, 10 pitches for Cessa? So he’s done for the day I’m assuming … 😮
With only 10 pitches in the eighth, Cessa might return for the ninth.
Are we wagering on this, sir?
I’m not confident enough to do that. 😉
Best thing is he picks it up cause he will play and we can get something for him at the deadline.He won’t be here regardless next year so bang on dude.Otherwise he is one and done and we get nothing for him.Reds have no leverage and will take what they can get and should.I hope he does find a home and we can give his at bats to somebody else.Right now that may be the bat boy cause we are losing players daily.
I would love to see Friedl put on about 20 lbs of muscle this next off season. I love the way he plays, he just needs to be stronger.
He could go from a Mark Payton type guy to a poor man’s version of Curtis Granderson.
If he could produce like Granderson and not sacrifice his current ability, I’d say that’s a good plan.
@Mark, if he doesn’t add some power to his game, he will not last in the majors. The outfield has already started coming in on him taking away any bloops.
Almora appears to have re-discovered what he had lost since he was a starter for the World Champion Cubs. He’s not going to be a power hitter, but his defense in center and hitting in the .280 range as he is makes him a clear everyday player for any team, in my opinion.
Getting picked off notwithstanding. 😉
If Senzel cant prove the next 3 months he can hit and barrel baseballs, I dont have a problem with Almora hitting 9th and playing CF as long as Elly D La Cruz is moved to CF for 2024.
Pham big add-on run
My preference is that management would make decisions based on what people produce (Almora in this case) as opposed to what players don’t produce (Senzel in this case). There are still many people who think that eventually Senzel and Aquino are going to become the very productive starters that was hoped for. We’re four years in on both, and I’m pretty sure that what we’ve seen is what we’re going to get.
+1000 Tom. I love his defensive ability. I honestly think the double by Pujols would have been caught by Almore due to the reads he gets compared to Senzel.
The Reds have contract control over him for at least the 2023 season.
Centerfield has been undecided for a number of years. Finally, imo, the Reds have found their centerfielder in Almora, Jr., for now. Good defense with a quick read plus a .280 hitter.
Buckle up, friends!
Good call on the “no bet” Tom 🙂
I can’t afford to give away too much money. 😉
+5,000
Same here
actually getting Diaz a Save opertunity here
One.More.Out.
Still.Need.One.More.Out.
Donovan has had some tough at-bats today. Got to give him credit.
Just never easy, is it?
even Diaz isn’t immune here. Come on. One More Out.
Diaz has a world of talent, is young, and walks guys and throws wild pitches. Can’t currently count on clean innings from him, but I expect that will change.
And it comes down to Sir Albert … SMH Extra Hard.
alright…. that will do
FINALLY!!!
So that’s what a win feels like. Be sure to tell your friends.
Serve up a two run tater and strike out an HOFer on three pitches to nail it down.
Memorable afternoon for the rookie.