After taking the first game of the series, the Cincinnati Reds are looking to make it two in a row at home over the defending National League champions. The Philadelphia Phillies are hoping for a repeat victory that they had last week when Connor Overton and Taijuan Walker matched up in Philadelphia. Tonight’s first pitch is scheduled for 6:40pm ET.
Starting Lineups
Cincinnati Reds
|
Philadelphia Phillies
|
| Jonathan India – 2B | Bryson Stott – 2B |
| TJ Friedl – LF | Trea Turner – SS |
| Jake Fraley – RF | Kyle Schwarber – DH |
| Tyler Stephenson – C | Nick Castellanos – RF |
| Wil Myers – DH | Brandon Marsh – CF |
| Jason Vosler – 1B | J.T. Realmuto – C |
| Spencer Steer – 3B | Alec Bohm – 1B |
| Nick Senzel – CF | Jake Cave – LF |
| Jose Barrero – SS | Edmundo Sosa – 3B |
| Connor Overton – RHP | Taijuan Walker – RHP |
Starting Pitchers
| Pitcher | IP | ERA | WHIP | BB | K |
| Taijuan Walker | 9.0 | 6.00 | 1.67 | 8 | 10 |
| Connor Overton | 8.0 | 10.13 | 2.25 | 4 | 9 |
| Links: Connor Overton’s Stats | Taijuan Walker’s Stats |
|||||
Connor Overton
Last week the Phillies saw Connor Overton and had plenty of success against him, scoring four runs on six hits and three walks in 4.0 innings against the right-handed starter. That start didn’t go any better than his first one of the season against the Cubs when he allowed eight hits and five runs in 4.0 innings. He’ll look to rebound this time around in his second home start of the season.
Overton is going to have to find a way to get better success with lefties in the batters box. Last year they didn’t hit him, but made elite amounts of contact against him and walked plenty. So far this year they are hitting .467/.579/.867 against him with four walks and just one strikeout in 19 opportunities.
2022 Splits
| Split | PA | H | 2B | 3B | HR | BB% | K% | AVG | OBP | SLG |
| RHH | 63 | 12 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 6.3% | 17.5% | .207 | .254 | .293 |
| LHH | 61 | 9 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 11.5% | 4.9% | .167 | .262 | .185 |
Pitch Usage (from 2022)
| 4-Seam | 2-Seam | Cutter | Curve | Slider | Change | |
| Velo | 91.4 | 91.1 | 91.1 | 78.6 | 81.5 | 85.3 |
| Usage | 25% | 22% | 2% | 2% | 31% | 19% |
Taijuan Walker
This past offseason saw the righty sign with the Phillies as a free agent. Taijuan Walker is coming off of a season with the Mets where he had an ERA of 3.49 in 29 starts. Through two starts he’s struggled this year. In his previous start he faced the Reds, and while he only allowed two runs in 4.2 innings, he walked five batters as he struggled to find the strikezone. In 2022 he never walked more than three batters in any given start.
Last year there Walker didn’t show any huge differences in his splits, but lefties did have a bit more success in getting on base against him thanks to a higher walk rate and hitting for a little more power. Neither platoon side had all that much success, though.
2022 Splits
| Split | PA | H | 2B | 3B | HR | BB | K | AVG | OBP | SLG |
| RHH | 386 | 86 | 15 | 0 | 8 | 22 | 75 | .239 | .288 | .347 |
| LHH | 263 | 57 | 12 | 1 | 7 | 23 | 57 | .242 | .316 | .390 |
Pitch Usage (in 2022)
| 4-Seam | 2-Seam | Cutter | Curve | Slider | Split | |
| Velo | 93.8 | 92.9 | 89.0 | 75.1 | 85.2 | 88.9 |
| Usage | 30% | 11% | 5% | 9% | 18% | 27% |
When and Where
- Game time: 6:40pm ET
- Where: Great American Ball Park
- Watch: Bally Sports Ohio, MLB.tv
- Listen: 700 WLW AM (Cincinnati area)
- Forecast: 77°, cloudy, 15% chance of rain
News and Notes
Andrew Abbott dominates with 14 strikeouts
No pitcher in minor league baseball is off to a better start to the season than Reds lefty Andrew Abbott. After striking out 11 batters with one walk in his season debut where he threw 4.2 hitless inning, last night Abbott topped that. The left-handed starter fanned 14 batters in 6.0 shutout innings without a walk and he allowed just two singles.
Kevin Newman is available tonight
X-rays were negative on Kevin Newman's left shoulder after the HBP. He was sore but is available off the bench tonight.
— Mark Sheldon (@m_sheldon) April 14, 2023
Standings
| Team | W | L | GB | Playoff Odds |
| Brewers | 9 | 4 | 0.0 | 70.6% |
| Pirates | 8 | 5 | 1.0 | 8.2% |
| Cubs | 6 | 5 | 2.0 | 16.5% |
| Reds | 5 | 7 | 3.5 | 1.6% |
| Cardinals | 5 | 8 | 4.0 | 58.3% |
| Playoff Odds via Fangraphs | ||||
I know I’m stating the obvious here, but, Conner Overton would be a much more effective pitcher if he would cut down on the walks! Again, walks, especially by Reds pitchers more often than not turn into runs! Hoping for a better start by Connor tonight and some early run scoring!
Time to win? 🙂
Time to comeback win
Let’s see if Senzel or Vosler can get a hit tonight. Or if Overton can go at least 5.
Well, at least it took three batters for the first BB tonight. 🙂
I’ve got stuff going on tonight so I won’t be able to watch, will have to listen. But this game may get out of hand early if Overton don’t figure it out quickly.
“Reds Killer” Kyle Schwarber strikes again!
What is the ball boy doing? He almost played that one.
He tried to play Schwarber’s double and missed.
As Larkin said, “Instincts”. 🙂
haha, missed that
Another RISP abandoned at 3rd by Reds hitters! Drat, Drat and double Drat!
“Andrew Abbott dominates with 14 strikeouts”
Pretty cool. He’s becoming more and more interesting all the time.
Another article about him.
https://blogredmachine.com/posts/reds-prospects-andrew-abbott-unfathomable-performance-chattanooga-lookouts?utm_campaign=FanSided+Daily&utm_source=FanSided+Daily&utm_medium=email
Gotta be better than our No. 4 & No. 5 starters! Wouldn’t be the first player to make the jump from AA to the majors!
That’s what I’m hoping. At least very little time in AA and AAA.
Needs to build his innings
“Gotta be better than our No. 4 & No. 5 starters!”
You were saying about Abbott? Call him up now. lol
He’s on a good track so why alter it? We dont see guys called up to the pen much anymore, I’m not against that maybe.
I’d at least find Doug’s article via his website above and give that a read if y’all haven’t.
I guess we might be a LITTLE impatient. lol
Stop with the leadoff walks! Please!
A walk to begin an inning….again. This happens so often that Johnson has to take responsibility for at least some of it.
Straight from the DJ playbook to nibble.
Although the strikes he’s throwing are getting clobbered.
Not a good combo.
Well, at least we threw out the leadoff walk so he didn’t score too. lol
Two (2) HRs in two (2) innings doesn’t bode well for Overton!
Connor Homerton.
LOL
Sliding catch robs Steer
Votto with a hit and scored a run in his first AB. Driven in by McLain.
Steer with a good play. Getting better all the time.
For the lineup, I don’t understand Vosler ahead of Steer, or Vosler & Senzel ahead of Barrero?
Steer is hitting 0.500 over his last 5 games, and Barrero is hitting 0.286 over that same span.
Meanwhile Vosler is 1 for his last 22…
Too much baseball logic you’re using buddy. Cut it out. 🙂
Vosler is left-handed, so that explains him. Senzel makes more money, so that explains him. Performance doesn’t factor into the equation.
Lineups don’t matter. Don’t you know that. 😉
Another inning, another RISP (via a leadoff walk by the Philly starter) hung out to dry by the Reds batters! Frustrating! It’s early, I know, but the odds of Overton going deep into this game are Slim & None, and Slim left town!
Casty does it to us again with ANOTHER double.
I’ve seen enough of Overton this year. Send him down and bring up anybody.
So far this series the only 2 Philly batters who have tortured the Reds are Schwarber and Casty!
Overton is truly a joy to watch. I look forward to the many many more games I assume he’ll be starting for this team.
I’m guessing you’re a fan of HR derbys?
Well, looks like a good night for Stanley Cup playoff hockey!
Overton ERA 11.45
That doesnt sound good
Hopefully weaver is ready next wednesday
The surest way to eliminate the fan base is non -competitiveness
I’d settle for the bat boy at this point!
Weaver pitching tonight. Hopefully he does well.
Overton is performing according to his poor numbers. He is a 11.00 ERA pitcher.It is embarrassing . How long is Overton going to start games? The answer could be until Weaver comes back but the real issue is that Cessa has been crushed too…
TJ robbed of a hit.
Philly D is showing up tonight.
Jake picks up an RBI.
Gonna take a few tonight.
Steer is just a hitter.
Overton and Vosler need to be DFA’d
Vosler had a nice week and fun but hes 1-19 with 7 k’s and not part of the future nor part of the new hitting plan
Old guys who arent competitive should never be on the roster
Maybe Herget should get a start. Can’t be any worse.
Let’s start chipping away right now.
Has anyone checked out Votto’s numbers in AAA? 5 for 33 (.152) with 1 double and a home run. Don’t expect him to come up and do any better than Vosler. Ready to shed the $20 million+ off the payroll and hopefully open up some new possibilities.
Votto had major shoulder surgery last year.
Major.
Guy came back to ST to be part of his team, to be part of the vibe and to work hard to get back in shape and up to speed.
He knew it was early.
Everyone knew it was early.
But the Reds had Joey Votto in Arizona instead of hanging out in Canada or Baja.
Yeah, it’s taking some time.
He had major shoulder surgery.
RLN wiseguys want to blow him off because his recovery from major surgery doesn’t fit their timeline.
I think he’s probably doing better than most guys would have in the same circumstances.
Votto’s K rate has been trending in the wrong direction for a few years now. And he’s only hitting 0.237 over the past 3 seasons (was a career 0.307 hitter before that stretch).
If those wiseguys are correct, all these attributes reflect Votto’s performance before the surgery, and can’t be simply dismissed as “shoulder surgery”.
AMDG – In his defense his downward performance might have something to do with him being injured for several years and gradually getting worse. We’ll see how he does when he feels “ready”.
I get it. I’m rooting for him. I’m sure everyone who is on Redleg Nation is. I just went to check out his Louisville stats earlier when I saw Vosler had slowed down and it got my attention.
And yes, it is a big chunk of an already anemic payroll.
So, your saying that Joey Votto had major shoulder surgery? 🙂
Actually, not funny, and honestly, Joey may be done. But I wish the best for him. This outcome was really a strong possibility.
Don’t know what Cincy and Joey do next, because he is really not ready to hit ML pitching.
60 day DL, and more physical therapy, excercises for his shoulder?
David – You may be right about what’s next. Who knows? Votto is a really smart guy and I have no idea what’s going on in his head. I do know in ST at times he will let the ball travel deep in the zone just so he get used to seeing it better for during the season not necessarily trying to hit it every time as the highest priority. I just don’t count him out. I do know he had two hits tonight including a double, an RBI, and a run scored from first with one K.
Glad to see them finding a new way to lose. (Starting pitcher throwing up all over himself instead of bullpen pitcher throwing up all over himself.) Would like to see more errors, though. Particularly slapstick sorts of errors. Remember: you don’t *have* to root for them. You can hope they fail in ever-more-interesting ways. This has made the season far more interesting, from my point of view.
Don’t worry! The Reds find unique ways to lose in most of their losses!
Isn’t the whole point of one of these subpar “innings eating” pitchers, to throw some low-end starter out on the mound who you know will get shelled, but will give you 5 or 6 IP in the process, to save the bullpen?
I ask, because if that is their purpose, why pull Overton after 3 IP?
They did the same thing with Minor last season. They let him pitch long enough to let the game get out of reach, and then they would burn thru the bullpen for the next 5 or 6 innings.
I would think if you are rolling Overton out there, you are already conceding the game. So, instead of letting him go 3 IP with 5 ER, just let him do his job and go 5 or 6 IP while giving up 7 or 8 ER in the process.
Vosler 1-27
Time to act on vosler and Overton
DFA tomorrow
Accountability or no???
These arent proven vets like myers
Time to move myers to 1b and open up OF to 3 f’s and Senzel and if newman doesnt get it together go with senzel and McLain as infield depth
Might be time to pick a 2nd catcher and get rid of the other
This game is an insult to Reds fans
Not competing
Score is 5-2 relax
8-3 actually
That didnt age well
Old -School, I must say I have been impressed with your willingness to change your opinions when faced with a different set of facts. A lot of us like to think we are open to change, but the truth is, most of us take a position and more or less, stick with it.
Last year, I felt your posts were always well thought out, but often, I felt they were overly optimistic. This year though, you have been willing to criticize the areas of this organization worthy of criticism. I appreciate you keeping an open mind. Thank you.
I get it. I’m rooting for him. I’m sure everyone who is on Redleg Nation is. I just went to check out his Louisville stats earlier when I saw Vosler had slowed down and it got my attention.
And yes, it is a big chunk of an already anemic payroll.
Alvarado was a lefty bullpen free agent next year. Phillies just extended him till 2026
I have a feeling we’re going to be very unpleasantly surprised about how much money Big Bob & Son are going to spend on extensions and free agents next year. Hoping I’m wrong or even get new owners by then.
Reality is they have to spend money to fill in gaps . Bullpen is obvious .
(1) SP for sure and to be determined 2 position players – C or DH or OF
Trades too
TB trades last 3 years amazing
Cards missing Arozerano
I agree that’s what they should do but the reality is they don’t HAVE to do anything when it comes to spending money. It’s one reason why I like the salary floor idea. I can see trades as the more likely possibility. We can only optimistically hope and pray. 🙂
OK, ladies & gents, enough for me tonight! Better luck tomorrow!
Well, I think we can all agree that Connor Overton is not part of the future for the Reds. Well….bye.
Does Weaver replace him?
I also noticed that David Bell pushed Ashcraft into the 4th starter spot. This was probably done to break up Overton (4th) and Cessa (5th) on successive days. I think this implicitly indicates that David Bell knows these two are the weakest links in the rotation.
If Cessa pitches badly on Sunday ( a distinct possibility) then who else can slide into the rotation? Maybe Kevin Herget goes into the rotation and Cessa moves into the bullpen?
Overton goes on an extended vacation and Luke Weaver gets mobilized from AAA?
I honestly thought that Tony Santillan had an outside chance to be re-instated as a starter, which he did for his minor league years. And now his knee is on the blink…likely because he is OVERWEIGHT. Tony, push yourself away from the table at supper time.
#4 Overton not working out at all. Reds got to think about another option….Also, not sure #5 Cessa will work out either as starting pitching.
I’ve grown quite tired of having two bad hitting catchers on the roster just so that one of them can perhaps be slightly helpful once a week.
Especially since Stephenson is catching more so far then Bell said he would, which I’m not against as long as he’s healthy. We’re basically just wasting the 26th spot on the roster. Really good teams with great players can maybe afford to do that. I’m not so sure we can. Honestly with David Bell it’s kind of scary in my eyes. Adding a versatile 26th man could just mean more reasons and opportunities to platoon or whatever and keep good even hot hitting players out of the lineup. We KNOW Bell thinks he has to play everybody. Having a third catcher that doesn’t play often could be a blessing in disguise on this team.
It was pretty clear that the big question marks, coming into the season, was the thin starting rotation and unreliable bullpen. The Owners were aware of it, Nick Krall was aware of it, David Bell was aware of it and anyone who even casually follows this team were aware of it.
Ok, my pregame questions were answered: no, Overton can’t go 5, neither Senzel nor Vosler got a hit. Bell seemed to be a bit more lenient with the bullpen, on balance good, but stayed with Cruz too long when it was a bit evident that he was past his point of effectiveness. Kind of felt like the “take the loss and preserve the bullpen for tomorrow “. We saw that often in years past. Oh, well so it goes.