After being rained out on Wednesday afternoon in the final game against the Chicago Cubs, the Cincinnati Reds were supposed to play the Philadelphia Phillies on Thursday in the Phillies home opener at 3:05pm. But on Wednesday evening at 5:55pm, more than 21 hours before the start of the game, it was announced that the Thursday home opener for Philadelphia was postponed and would be made up on Friday at 3:05pm ET…. so here we are.
Starting Lineups
Cincinnati Reds
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Philadelphia Phillies
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| Jonathan India – 2B | Trea Turner – SS |
| TJ Friedl – CF | Kyle Schwarber – DH |
| Jake Fraley – DH | J.T. Realmuto – C |
| Tyler Stephenson – C | Nick Castellanos – RF |
| Wil Myers – RF | Bryson Stott – 2B |
| Jason Vosler – 1B | Alec Bohm – 3B |
| Spencer Steer – 3B | Jake Cave – LF |
| Will Benson – LF | Kody Clemens – 1B |
| Jose Barrero – SS | Brandon Marsh – CF |
| Hunter Greene – RHP | Zack Wheeler – RHP |
Starting Pitchers
Stats from 2022
| Pitcher | IP | ERA | WHIP | BB | K |
| Zack Wheeler | 4.1 | 8.31 | 1.85 | 1 | 7 |
| Hunter Greene | 3.1 | 8.10 | 2.40 | 3 | 8 |
| Links: Hunter Greene’s Stats | Zack Wheeler’s Stats |
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Hunter Greene
Opening day didn’t go well for Hunter Greene. A cautious David Bell pulled him in the 4th inning with one out and 83 pitches. Greene will look to do better this time around.
An improved change up and a focus on throwing it more was the talk of spring training, and he showed it off at times. But on opening day Greene didn’t throw a single one. It was only the second time in his big league career that he didn’t throw a change up in a game.
Looking back at last season, Greene pitched better against lefties than righties. He had a solid walk rate against both, but his strikeout rate was much better against lefties than righties and they didn’t hit for as much power, either.
2022 Splits
| Split | PA | H | 2B | 3B | HR | BB% | K% | AVG | OBP | SLG |
| RHH | 257 | 55 | 10 | 0 | 13 | 8.2% | 26.5% | .239 | .311 | .452 |
| LHH | 274 | 49 | 11 | 0 | 11 | 9.9% | 35.0% | .205 | .299 | .389 |
Pitch Usage (in 2022)
| 4-Seam | Slider | Change | |
| Velo | 99.0 | 88.1 | 90.2 |
| Usage | 53.8% | 40.9% | 5.3% |
Zack Wheeler
Over the last few seasons we’ve seen Zack Wheeler go from a good pitcher to one of the best in all of baseball. Since the start of 2020 he’s posted a 2.82 ERA in 437.1 innings with 96 walks and 463 strikeouts.
Wheeler doesn’t really show much in the way of platoon splits. Last season righties hit for a little more average than lefties did, but overall there wasn’t much difference in how often they got on base or how much power they hit for. Where there was a difference last season was when Wheeler pitched at home versus on the road. While in Philadelphia he posted a 1.85 ERA (3.84 road ERA) and held hitters to a .188/.248/.290 line (.710 OPS on the road).
2022 Splits
| Split | PA | H | 2B | 3B | HR | BB | K | AVG | OBP | SLG |
| RHH | 313 | 71 | 14 | 2 | 6 | 11 | 80 | .240 | .278 | .362 |
| LHH | 294 | 54 | 9 | 4 | 7 | 23 | 83 | .201 | .269 | .342 |
Pitch Usage (in 2022)
| 4-Seam | 2-Seam | Curve | Slider | Change | |
| Velo | 96.3 | 95.7 | 81.7 | 90.9 | 89.5 |
| Usage | 43% | 18% | 13% | 25% | 1% |
When and Where
- Game time: 3:05pm ET
- Where: Citizens Bank Park
- Watch: Bally Sports Ohio, MLB.tv, MLB Network
- Listen: 700 WLW AM (Cincinnati area)
- Forecast: 57°, partly cloudy, 5% chance of rain
News and Notes
David Bell out, Freddie Benavides in!
Manager David Bell will not be with the club today. The Reds announced that he underwent a minor medical procedure and is expected to return tomorrow. Bench coach Freddie Benavides will step into the managers role today against the Phillies.
Prospect Andrew Abbott struck out 11 batters
Down on the farm last night left-handed starter Andrew Abbott struck out the first nine batters he faced, and exited the game with 11 strikeouts in 4.2 no-hit innings in the Chattanooga Lookouts season opener. We’ve got more on that, as well as the rest of the stuff that happened on the farm right here – including video of another home run this year from Matt McLain.
Standings
| Team | W | L | GB | Playoff Odds |
| Brewers | 5 | 1 | 0.0 | 67.0% |
| Pirates | 4 | 2 | 1.0 | 9.0% |
| Reds | 3 | 2 | 1.5 | 2.4% |
| Cubs | 2 | 3 | 2.5 | 11.7% |
| Cardinals | 2 | 4 | 3.0 | 65.5% |
| Playoff Odds via Fangraphs | ||||
The Reds have their work cut out for them against Wheeler, but if Hunter pitches to his talent level it should be a close one.
What is everyone’s predictions on the next 13 games? 3 at PHI, 3 at ATL, 4 vs PHI 3 vs TB. I’m hoping for 5-8.
I honestly dont know but Philly will drive that record with 7 games in 13. They are 1-5, Schwarber and Castellanos below the Mendoza line and Harper is out and Bullpen has been rated R. No time better than the present
We should get 9 starts from the big 3 in there too. That should help tremendously.
And all of the Phils are probably salivating at the thought of getting PAs versus the Reds bullpen.
I was looking at this earlier, too. My take? 4-9
Nothing turns around a lousy start to the season like playing the Reds. 4-9 seems reasonable. If they were to actually come out of that stand of games with a winning record, they’d be playing well beyond anyone’s expectations, including their own.
Freddie B for the win today! Let’s kick these Phanatics right in the teeth.
road game opening…
I feel like people make Greene’s opening day outing seem worse than it was. If the bullpen doesn’t walk in 2 runners charged to Greene (one walk the ump screwed Greene on and the other a slap double down the opposite line when the batter was a mile late) and we are taking about 3.1 IP (more if Bell doesn’t pull him too early) and 8 Ks with 1 Run. That isn’t bad other than the high pitch count.
Totally agree on this.
I agree to a large extent. If Cruz had been effective out of the pen instead of throwing gasoline on the embers, the only rap we’d be hearing on Greene was he should have gone deeper which is true.
There are 7 more games beyond the next 13 prior to the next scheduled day off for the Reds. 20 games in 20 days make a treacherous run regardless of the competition.
Bell or whoever is running the Reds pitching needs to be very careful or the pitching could be running on empty before they get to those last 7 games. Keep in mind they are limited to 13 active pitchers and the option or IL turnaround minimum for pitchers is 15 days versus 10 as in the past.
20 games in 20 days with this Reds BP, going to need more antacids than the law allows!
Greene on pace for 27 Ks
And 10+ walks!
Wheeler looks to be on top of his game. Gonna be tough.
Ugh Walks.
What in the heck does Johnson tell him? “Forget your first inning of work. Just throw and nibble a bunch of stuff, especially against a bunch of journeyman hitters. That’s our plan.”
Only 1 run is a freaking GIFT. The Jekyll and Hyde routine really has to stop.
Settle down Philly Fans it’s only a routine fly to center.
That’s the infuriating side of Hunter Greene
He just needs to trust his stuff. He tries to strike people out and leaves no margin for error.
At 25+ pitches per inning, Greene will rarely, if ever, pitch beyond 5 innings!
A very sad +1,000 and “true that”
It also means he’ll never be a “true ace” for us or anyone else.
He needs to get consistently to the fifth inning, then we can hope for getting beyond the fifth…inning, that is.
Can’t walk hitters and with Greene’s stuff he just can’t give them baserunners.Somebody talk to this kid please.
Sadly, I’m thinking it needs to be somebody other than Johnson. Extra days to prepare and we’re still seeing Spring Training like stuff.
This is beyond frustrating to watch today. I’m not sure what I’m seeing, but this is definitely NOT the Hunter Greene we were promised. I know these are good Phillies hitters, but still … it’s just looking “sloppy” to me.
Casty likes to beat up on us. Two doubles already.
Of course he does! Casty was batting about 200 coming into today’s game!
It comes down to pitch selection. Nick C kills fastballs…
Fastball right down the middle
It’s not sloppy. It’s philosophy. He is attacking until he gets 2 strikes, then trying to get them to chase strike 3, which when they are patient results in inflated counts and a ton of fastballs. He needs to understand you canbget strike 3 without making them chase out of the zone. I feel like Reds coaches don’t teach that philosophy.
+1000 Luke. I hate the term pitching to contact. Because you’re not pitching to let them hit it. But if you execute the pitch you plan in the zone (like Ashcraft did last time out) you get weak contact. Greene just did that in the 4th inning here.
I believe what you say is true, but Greene got behind on Marsh, Clemens and Cave in the 4th, too.
Pitching strategy might be good or ill, but control is still an issue.
He’s got good stuff to keep the lid on things so far. Would like to see him start to do the tighten up as we saw the end of last year.
In the 5 losses the Phillies have, the opponents have beat up their bullpen, which may be as bad or worse than the Reds! Doesn’t look like the Reds are going to get the opportunity to “test” the Phillies BP today!
What do you know, you can get outs with out the K. Greene needs to stop chasing the strikeout. His stuff is good enough to get one when you need one. We need him to go deeper.
Way deeper than 5 innings with the Arson Squad waiting to escape the Reds bullpen!
Steer is a hitter but I am not sure yet if he is a 3B. Maybe a 1B, LF, or DH?
alright…. tied up
Yay! I see Benson finally got a hit! Yes, even a blind squirrel finds an acorn once in awhile!
Also walked.
that walk seems as important, since that is a big part of his game, and we didn’t see a single walk from him in spring.
Snuck that one through the same spot where Turner snagged it the last time.
That makes me feel a bit better.
2 very good plate appearances for Benson and Barrero
yep.
Good AB By Benson and big hit from Jose!
Thrall and Cowboy were saying Benson should have taken a HUGE lead to try and distract Wheeler since he couldn’t step off or throw to 3rd. Missed opportunity there.
Now, now. We know the Reds only figure these things out after they have been burned several times by other folks doing them to the Reds. 😉
Good AB so far by India with 2 on and 2 out. At least sounds like it.
Oh bother.
Well, that was short-lived
Jose B 1st AB…107 mph
96.8 mph on the 2nd one
Lesson learned???
Slider Down and away to Nick C.
Bell must be well enough to call or text Freddie with instructions 😉
+1,000
Yeah … “aces” go more than 4+ innings. This is a problem I thought we wouldn’t see based on the changes he was making. It’s frustrating to watch, at least for me.
That’s the “sloppy” I was referring to earlier.
It’s april. Relax.
Luke – I have no idea who you are or how long you’ve been on RLN with the rest of us. Suggesting I “relax” is a pretty juvenile comment, though if you haven’t experienced my posting history.
LOL I’ve been here a long time, thanks. My comment wasn’t juvenile, it was in fact because I AM aware of your history. Heck, you’ve made backhanded comments about Greene not veing a real ace 3 times in this post alone.
Wheeler got rocked and went 4 innings his first start. Even aces do this early in the season. It means little.
Wheeler has a tad more experience than Greene. I’m not giving up on him … but the lack of in-game adjustments and too many pitches for both starts is concerning. I thought I had seen better in his ST outings.
It was 80 degrees in spring training. It takes time to adjust to april in the north. I’m not concerned. I actually saw in game adjustments. The next inning he came out and pitched to contact and got 3 quick flyouts. That’s all I meant when I said relax. You are jumping to significant conclusions way too soon.
Luke – I get it. And it is BRUTALLY cold there today. Such is baseball in April in places like Philly. It’s all good. And at least he’s not on the hook for a loss thanks to us tying things up.
Sorry man. This is why I tend to stay out of the game threads. Many people here tend to live and die with every pitch. I can’t handle that very well.
Greene out at 93 pitches……
This call will be reversed
Good job Young. I would send him back out to go against the 3 LHH or at least force PHI to substitute early.
Yes please.
+500
Hopefully Steer gets the lesson learned too.
Know what to do if the ball is hit to you.
And Vosler could use some insight to set up on the inside front corner versus the center of the bag. The 6″ or so added to his stretch would have made the difference on that play.
Little things like this sometimes turn and decide games.
Hunter Greene has pitched 125 1/2 innings in the bigs before this year. Last year was his first year. He has pitched at least 5 innings 19 out of 26 starts. He is 23 years old. After one year he is thrust into the number spot and is basically going up against every teams ace. That’s a lot for a 23 year old. You are watching an ace today in Wheeler that was basically let go by the Mets because they thought they had better. Stop complaining and enjoy that Greene is here for awhile
Starting pitchers must get outs as early in the count as possible period.Greene just needs to trust his stuff but the 2 strike pitch has to be close.Must be a philosophy of the Reds cause Mahle and Castillo did it and now Greens and Lodolo do it.Come on its called pitching not nibble nibble.
Wheeler threw 1 less pitch and only got 2 more outs than Greene. Gave up the exact amount of runs as Greene. So was he nibbling or a terrible ace because he couldn’t go 8?
Could care less about Wheeler.You said he got rocked the first time out lasting only 4 so maybe he isn’t an ace but it means little right.Relax.
Fraley with a productive out. TY Steve good AB
When does Friedl regress to his mean?
Offense answering philly
TYYYYYY as in tied!!!!
Zone looks more than a little “variable” again today. I get some umpires squeeze a hitter or pitcher, but the consistency issue is still baffling.
Well, we’re at least tied and that’s a little better. Too bad Steer couldn’t play some add on.
I’ve actually thought the ump has been pretty good. He missed one or two borderline on HG. But HG was also wild today so he didn’t get the benefit of the doubt like Wheeler did.
True enough. Not having solid command usually means you lose any benefit of any doubt. And I know we’ve seen “worse” umpires across the league.
I really have liked the professional patient ABs by Reds hitters this year. I think that will benefit us greatly over the course of the year.
+500 that’s been a HUGE improvement from what I’m seeing. Way less chasing.
It looks like it was a good move by the Reds to change hitting coaches this offseason. Could it be the same result if the Red’s would change managers this coming offseason?
If you’re into such things, take note as to how Realmuto catches the ball. It really is an art to how well he frames pitches.
+1000 VA.
I’m in agreement with Thrall/Cowboy. He’s the best catcher playing right now.
A guy we tried to get a few years back but wouldn’t come here. Liked Philly better I guess.
Or more money
This Norm Charlton guy might be ok.
But can he flatten catchers?
+1,000
I remember that play.
Nice work Mr. Young
Young rewards us all as Freddie lets him go back out. Maybe DTBell didn’t text Freddie after all … :O
Mark, which part of NC are you in? I live in Johnson city tn and am planning on doing the minor league stadiums in NC this summer.
I’m in the Raleigh area, so there are 2 parks close by. One is an A-league for the Bernies and the other is the infamous Durham Bulls.
The closer one was AA for the Reds when we moved here and I got to see a couple of guys play there. That was quite a while back, but fun to see.
Or Freddie turned his phone off after the 1st text. 😉
Great job Alex Young. Now you have to get through the top of the Phillies lineup in the 7th. That will determine this game. The Reds top is back up in the 8th.
Looks like law wasn’t the dawg today…
Framing pitches is an art for sure and it helps your pitcher but soon robo umps will take over.Not because all umps are bad its just that all umps have their own strike zone and thats whats bad.Umpiring balls and strikes maybe the hardest thing to get right in all of sports and I just have to think soon it will be fixed with a robot.
+5,000
It needs more consistency from my point of view. I do get it’s a hard job, but some of these guys are just way too inconsistent within a game. The tech is about ready. It’s time (said the guy who once said he’d never want to see the DH in the NL).
I don’t think the Reds have turned one double play all season.
They’ve turned two, at least.
Phillies fans lose their minds on every fly ball. Also should be 2 outs as that was strike 3 to turner before the single.
Law got squeezed and then served up a cookie. May be hard to come back with only 2 innings left.
I need to start fixing dinner.
Was it Taylor Trammell the prospect that the Reds didn’t want to put in a trade to the Marlins for JT Realmuto?
May have been. That timeframe seems about right.
The Reds must use as many relievers as possible today as they start 20 games in 20 days.
Well that was a fun afternoon. I believe I’ve seen enough.
Back at it tomorrow with Lodolo. Have a great evening, friends.
dedfinatly not a good day
Made it interesting.
4 pitch walk and Jose swings at 1st pitch (also a ball)
Phillies pen was better as was the Cubs pen the last game at home.I believe the pen is better overall then a year ago but its still going to be our weak link.Got to get to the 6th or 7th with our first 3 starters or we will have a bunch of games just like today.Of course that is a recipe for most teams isn’t it?