10 minutes prior to the start of Sunday’s game against the Milwaukee Brewers the Cincinnati Reds announced that they had placed right-handed reliever Alexis Diaz on the 15-day injured list with bicep tendinitis. The move was made retroactive to June 16th. There was no corresponding roster move announced. Given that it happened so close to game time there likely wasn’t enough time to get anyone to Cincinnati in time as it was – Louisville is on the road in Durham, North Carolina.
Alexis Diaz has been one of the better players on the Cincinnati Reds roster this season. The rookie reliever has picked up two saves while posting a 2.40 ERA. In his 30.0 innings pitched he’s allowed just 14 hits, walked 16 batters, given up three home runs, and he’s struck out 36 batters. For a bullpen that has had problems finding any sort of consistency, losing Diaz to the injured list is probably not a good sign for Cincinnati Reds.
Earlier today the team made another set of roster moves, too. Cincinnati called up reliever Dauri Moreta from Triple-A Louisville. The Reds also optioned outfielder TJ Friedl back to Triple-A where he’ll join the Bats.
Whatever move(s) that are made on Tuesday when the Reds play next they will have to deal with a new rule that’s actually an old rule. Starting on Monday teams can no longer have more than 13 pitchers on the roster. For a brief period of time today the Reds did have that when both Moreta and Diaz were active, but they are back to 13 with the Diaz move taking place.
Well, crap.
This team can’t seem to catch any breaks … Oh wait they are breaking all over the place to the IL.
If teams allowed their SP’s to go deeper into games, we wouldn’t see Antone, Sims, Diaz, Wilson, et al., on the DL.
Arguably the championship era of the Royals started this bullpen model that every team has copied. The first team to break this mold is going to change the game for the better.
I’m an avid baseball fan and analyst but I really don’t enjoy seeing a starting pitcher replaced by 2-3 relievers in innings 5-6-7.
I respect anyone with a different opinion.