Luis Cessa pitched well as he covered the first four innings of the game before turning things over to the Reds bullpen. The offense came through in the 6th inning with a 3-run homer from TJ Friedl and a solo blast from Colin Moran, and the bullpen took things over from there to hold on for the win. Cincinnati will go for a sweep over the Nationals on Sunday in Washington.
| Final | R | H | E |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cincinnati Reds (50-75) |
6 | 12 | 0 |
| Washington Nationals (42-85) |
2 | 8 | 0 |
| W: Gibaut (1-0) L: Espino (0-6) SV: Diaz (6) |
|||
| Statcast | Box Score | Game Thread | |||
The Offense
Kyle Farmer wasn’t going to wait around very long to get the Reds on the board, taking a 75 MPH slider from Paolo Espino and hitting a solo homer – Farmer’s 8th of the season. Cincinnati wouldn’t score again until the 6th inning. Farmer was in the middle of it again, starting a rally with a 1-out single. Donovan Solano then doubled and Farmer raced to third base. That led to a pitching change as the Nationals brought in lefty Jake McGee to face TJ Friedl. It didn’t work out for Washington as Friedl crushed a go-ahead 3-run homer. Colin Moran then followed an out later with some more lefty-on-lefty crime with a solo homer of his own to make it a 5-1 ballgame.
Cincinnati would pad their lead in the top of the 9th inning. Jake Fraley beat out an infield single with two outs. That opened things up for Jonathan India who crushed a 2-2 fastball into center for an RBI double to make it a 6-2 game and give the Reds a little more breathing room.
The Pitching
Luis Cessa made his second start in a row for the Reds and he would double up the amount of innings from his previous start. The only run he allowed came on a solo homer from Lane Thomas in the 2nd inning as he got through 4.0 frames on 57 pitches. Tough to ask for anything more than that out of Cessa.
Ian Gibaut came on for the next two innings and allowed no hits while walking one batter and exited with a 5-1 Reds lead. Joel Kuhnel took over in the 7th and worked around two hits to keep the 4-run lead intact. Buck Farmer ran into some struggles in the 8th inning. After recording the first two outs he gave up a double and an RBI single to to Luke Voit that made it a 5-2 game. He would then walk the next batter and that brought David Bell out to the mound and he opted to call on Alexis Diaz to enter the game. He needed just one pitch to end the inning.
Diaz returned for the 9th inning and seemed to struggle with his control. He struck out the first two batters of the inning, but almost hit Lane Thomas with one pitch and then threw another one to the backstop. He would then walk the third batter of the inning while throwing another one to the backstop. After a first pitch ball that was up and in to Victor Robles it was time for a visit from Derek Johnson. Whatever he said didn’t work as the next pitch almost hit Robles in the head, just missing him. Maybe it just took a pitch to register what Johnson said, because he threw three consecutive strikes from that point and got a line out to end the game and picked up the save.
Notes Worth Noting
Jonathan India’s double in the 9th inning extended his hitting streak to 10 games.
TJ Friedl not only had three hits in the game as he continues to tear the cover off of the ball, but he also had some defensive highlights, too.
Hey Mr. TJ ?@TjFriedl1 pic.twitter.com/JV6iBTk2Fu
— Cincinnati Reds (@Reds) August 28, 2022
Up Next for the Cincinnati Reds
Cincinnati Reds vs Washington Nationals
Sunday August 28th, 1:35pm ET
Nick Lodolo (3-4, 4.35 ERA) vs Patrick Corbin (4-17, 6.81 ERA)
Good win by the Redlegs. I’ve got the Mariners/Indians game on and I’m watching Castillo, Suarez, and Casali all playing. Crazy! Let’s Go Cincinnati Mariners!
Winker too 🙂
Winker and Suarez both hitting .228 but Eugenio has 24 homeruns and 72 rbi’s. LC got it done in six innings with 4 hits, one run and 10 strikeouts, but M’s lose the game.
Thanks, forgot to include Da Wink.
That pitcher Castillo looks pretty good. Seems like we used to have a pitcher like that. 🙂
from that 2016 reds calls of outfield prospects- Jose Siri, TJ Friedl, and Taylor Trammell I always thought Friedl would have the most difficulty making it to the bigs. But now, he is playing the best of the three. Still wish they would have stayed the course with these three though
Can’t have a ML player named Siri on your roster, even the Reds! Imagine the meltdown on the i-phones!
I remember even Friedl was left out of the 40-roster when the rule 5 draft applied to him so the Reds considered losing the guy at that moment, that was practically like a kind of release although no team picked him up either…In fact this Friedl is totally dilf ferent of the player who lined up as lead-off hitter in first half of this season before went to AAA, it seems obvious he worked on in some adjustments because he hit better while the stint with Louisville…
Freidl’s story may hinge on the next round of adjustments. They hadn’t caught up with him a AAA in 2 months; but, at MLB somebody will figure him out then everyone else will copycat. At that point, TJ will have to stay a step ahead by adjusting on his end again.
Here’s hoping he is up to the task.
i think for the rest of this year and next year i am only going to attend and watch games that the reds have a 50/50 shot to win. maybe if fans didn’t show up to games involving a small vs large market teams the league may take notice, i don’t know.
I just have no interest in watching the reds get blasted by the mets and dodgers anymore. Life is too short! lol. these last 2 games have been fun because we are playing a team in our same weight division. i looked at next year’s schedule and the picking are slim for winnable home games. we play the A’s, tigers and Royals all on the road. so it looks like i will mainly be going to pirates games next year
The Reds promising young lefty, Lodolo, goes for the sweep today against the rebuilding WSH Nationals.
I’m beginning to like this TJ Friedl cat. A lefty who can hit lefty’s – with power even. He will probably finish with more extra base guts than senzel in 200 less at bats and plays better defense.
Friedl, Farley and Fairchild need to play the outfield – with a smattering of late inning Aquino replacement for defensive highlights.
I might be willing to pencil in cessa as a 5th starter in 2023. Junk ball pitcher that can sometimes survive for 5 innings a start. I’d still like to see Conner Overton get some starts before year wraps up.
*hits not guts.
Always nice to watch a reds win.
TJ is using his playing time well. Not hard to imagine him in CF next year. Farley is also showing some ability to at least be a platoon option.
Getting Barrero going would be a huge bonus. If he can start hitting and demonstrate that he is our longterm answer at SS it will have a huge effect on the whole organization. Right now the uncertainty is keeping the organization from using other minor league options at positions of need or trading some to fill other areas. His performance is a key for this team in building a winner. He is great in the field but hitting has been a struggle. I do see a more patient approach being used by him. Hopefully he continues to cut down on his K’s draw a few more walks. He has talent and is getting the opportunity. He needs to take advantage of it.
His defense hasn’t exactly been stellar either.
If we were to assume Fraley and Friedl will be penciled into the opening day line up 23. Who joins them in the OF?
FA OF, De La Cruz, Gilliam, Hopkins, Aquino, Senzel, Fairchild, Schrock, Steer, India, McLain
True or False?
Friedl>Senzel
In the outfield -True
Sample size too small to make a statistically valid judgement. You know that when a player can raise his average by 50 points in just a handful of games his sample size is way too small to judge.
Agree Doc but he has shown a ability to field the position and following him at Louisville prior to his promotion he seems to have found a hit tool. Want him to continue to play and see how the season plays out.
Average, yes. Extra base huts, no. Senzel has 25 extra base huts in over 300 at bats. Friedl has 12 in 120 at bats. I held my tongue all year on senzel. The jury is in-and it pains me to say it- but senzel is not a starter in Major League Baseball at any position.
Senzel has 15 xbh vs 12 xbh for Friedl. iPhone correction is a bear.
In CF Tj is a better option then Senzel. But I want to see him there everyday the rest of the year.
True. Friedl plays better defense, runs bases better and hits for more power. Only thing he doesn’t do is play infield.
Not to be sass, but we could have had 1 year of Tyler Mahle for about $7M. Of course wee would have had a couple prospects less than what we gained. But yes, we can get 1 year guys for $10M.
That really wasn’t what I was arguing. I am assuming that the Reds management is done with this fraud show and will look to improve the team via select spending in 2023. We all know that we are not going to flip some switch or something in 2024 and go from 68 wins to 89 wins. There has to be incremental gains next year. Maybe 75 wins. That will require 3-4 real players like Naquin, Gray, Wink, etc.
If Barrero can lay claim to SS next years infield should look like this.
India 2b
Senzel 3B
Barrero. SS
Stephenson. C
Looking for Votto replacement. 1B
Outfield
TJ CF
Farley LH platoon. LF or RF
Still need 2 outfielders
Starting rotation
Greene
Ashcraft
Lodolo
2 openings Overton, Williamson are options
Bull pen
Diaz
Detweiler
Many question after these 2.
Barrero simply can’t hit.Re-sign Farmer to a 2 year deal
Next year he starts at ss then in 2024 he’s a sub with DLC the starting SS
@burt still a bit early for me to come to that conclusion. I’ll give him the rest of the year.
Hey Burt, Saying Barrero simply can’t hit is quite lazy. You do realize he hit .303 BA, .380 OBP, .919 OPS, with 19 doubles, 19 home runs in only 330 at bats (which is around a bit over a half a season) in the minors last year. He is also coming back from a hamate injury which takes some players a year to adjust. Yes, he is struggling at the major league level but so did a guy last year for the Reds in which people questioned his ability to hit…..that same guy won Rookie of the Year, India, I believe his name is.
Barrero has had a grand total of 195 at bats at the ML level and you say he cannot hit. Hyperbole much? Sheesh. Give the kid a chance. He is a stud athlete that may need time & coaching like Jonathan India got. Just think of the possibilities if this kid pans out.
Interesting you ignored the rest of his time in the minors which was borderline awful
AAA is the hardest level, I’d say that was growth as a player matures and gets better. YOU ignored that.
Reds don’t have anybody on their roster named Farley.
LMAO!! Thanks Doc!! The Nuns from my parochial education would appalled by my spelling.
Sure they do. His first name is Chris and he lives in a van down by the river.
+500 And ironically Farley was also a nickname used for Ryan Freel back when.
For those not following the Reds “back when”, Freel was a Kyle Farmer of sorts between 2003-2008 but with 2004 being the only year he had enough plate appearances to qualify as a regular.
Freel started as an infielder but ended up being primarily used as an OF. He played all positions except SS, C, and 1B during his tenure with the Reds.
In 6 years with the Reds Freel compiled 9.2 net bWAR and an OPS+ of 91.
Sadly, Freel died by his own hand in December of 2012. He was subsequently determined to have suffered from CTE, the brain injury/ condition typically associated with American football players.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ryan_Freel
And a big Sunday morning oops from me. Freel’s nickname was FARNEY not Farley. Moral of the story is to take the time to read your credit sources first not just cherry pick dates and info.
Sorry. But still a look back at a sad story.
@ Jim
RIP Ryan Freel.
He made one of the best in person catches Ive ever seen in CF. Big august game against Cards and I think it was Pujols who hit a tracer into right center with runners on and Freel dove all out on the warning track and made an incredible catch got up and fired it back into the infield. He got a 2 min standing ovation. Was also great with kids taking pics and signing and such.
OS> The Wiki article zooms in on the horrific warning track collision between Norris Hopper and Freel inferring without specifically saying that it might have been the beginning of his CTE. However, Freel also was involved in so many plays like the one you recounted that who is to say?
What the Wiki article didn’t say that I recall is that with Hopper and Freel both down, Hopper who remained conscious throughout the ordeal slipped the ball which was on the ground under them into the unconscious Freel’s glove; and, the Reds got an out call on the play. Despite the out call, some sharp eyed observers immediately questioned whether the ball had actually been caught. Over the ensuing days Hopper all but directly admitted to the deed. Such was baseball back then just 15 years ago.
The Reds will add two of Steer, Encarnacion-Strand, or ELDC (all with power) to their opening day roster. I am not sure what they do with Senzel but he has had ample opportunity and may be odd man out going into 2023. Solano would be my choice to join this group and I cannot imagine that Barrero will break camp with the big league team unless he can learn to hit a breaking pitch.
As far as pitchers Overton was our best pitcher for the first part of the season so he joins Greene, Ashcraft , and Lodolo and perhaps Williamson or Stoudt or some one year free agent signing.
Getting awfully carried away with Overton. He is a 30 year old career minor league relief pitcher with a 4-5 ERA with only 3-4 starts at the mlb level. Yeah, he would be a very cheap option to resign but to consider him as a possible starting pitching option in 2023 isn’t a progressive move for the team. If you don’t want to improve beyond 65- 70 wins, then OK. But to improve the team for 2023, we need vets who can throw 180 innings and chalk up 10+ wins. 1 year contract guys are fine. Give Overton a chance but lets not build the roster around him or count on him. It is not likely at all.
Which free agent pitcher are you going to get to come to great American smallpark that will take less than 10 million $ in a 1 yr contract and provide better stats than Overton or Cessa (which are slated to make less than 3M$).
I really hope there are some. My intuition tells me there aren’t because their agents tell them they’ll never get another starters contact after pitching a year at GABP.
Friedl (and Fraley) is the perfect example of playing the young guys to see what you have instead of running fringe ML guys out there in a lost season. Friedl may show some things in his time that may answer some questions about him that would have otherwise been unanswered. Getting consistent time without looking over your shoulder to the bench is valuable for evaluation and development.
Read my mind! Thought the same watching yesterday’s game. I’ll take Friedl.
Friedl is using his time very well. Those defensive plays were outstanding and very fun to watch.
Time to see if Lodolo can shut down a weak WSH team today and we score to back that up for the sweep.
Nice win, but why is Colin Moran getting at bats for the Reds? I’m sure he’s a fine human, but there are surely other players who would benefit from those at bats and might prove part of the Reds longer term plans. Colin Moran should not be part of the Reds long term plans.
Also, a tip of the cap to Luis Cessa. I agree – couldn’t ask for more.
I’d wager Moran was a “convenient” call-up based on a few factors. He did fine last night and isn’t starting today. But he’s not part of the next good Reds team. Probably not part of 2023. Maybe not part of the September roster. I agree there are others who we’d prefer to see at this point. But the FO doesn’t really care about what we think or even if we’ll go to games (not an option for me given where I live). After all, where are you gonna go?
College football is all around us same with high school football. Pro football (for circus lovers), Pro Soccer (in Cincy and Columbus both), NHL Hockey camps and exhibition season opening in September. 😉
I’m hopeful that Barrero will get it figured out. I’m really assuming he’ll at least be able to play good defense. On the offensive side, he is coming off that wrist injury, and they really called him up because of a lack of roster depth… so he’s trying to get right against the most challenging pitchers.
I’m actually glad he’s on the MLB roster and getting at-bats. He’s surely got the rest of the season and at least part of next year to start hitting. I honestly don’t care if we win another game all year. This and next season are about figuring out what we have. I’ve not given up on Barrero and being on an awful team is a great opportunity for him. There’s no reason to rush to judgement on him. This time next year, if it’s clear he isn’t hitting…then at least there are 65 other SS in the pipeline.
Fraley and Frield are fun to watch, and I’m pulling for them. But people just seem like they are too quick to assume a player is bad or good based on a month or two.
The one great thing about the team being a dumpster-fire is that we can let these guys play and see what happens. I’d lose a game before I pinch hit for Barrero in a key moment again, if it were up to me. I get that Bell has more skin in the game, and the customary thing to do a year or two after you gut your team is to blame the bad record on the manager and fire him… but I don’t care if we lose 100 this year. I’m wanting to see young guys get some experience and hope there aren’t anymore serious injury’s. My best case situation for the Redlegs is that by the end of next season…we’ve got some real clarity on what this team needs to be competitive in 2024 or 25.