The Cincinnati Reds had to come from behind on Tuesday night in San Diego, but they did just that. The Reds didn’t score until the 8th inning when they tied the game up at 1-1, but that was enough to send the game into extra innings where Jonathan India came through with a big time clutch hit and then Alexis Diaz shut down the heart of the Padres order to seal the win.
| Final | R | H | E |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cincinnati Reds (13-17) | 2 | 6 | 1 |
| San Diego Padres (16-15) | 1 | 6 | 1 |
| W: Law (1-4) L: Garcia (1-3) SV: Diaz (5) | |||
| Statcast | Box Score | Game Thread | |||
The 1st inning started out well for the Reds after Jonathan India reached on an error by Manny Machado and then TJ Friedl singled into left and advanced to second base on the throw to third. No outs and two runners in scoring position, but Cincinnati’s offense came up empty against Blake Snell and wasted a golden opportunity to grab an early lead.
In the 2nd inning Henry Ramos had a 1-out walk and Curt Casali was hit by a pitch, giving the Reds two men on with two outs. Once again they failed to capitalize on the chance in front of them.
After two scoreless innings Graham Ashcraft ran into some problems in the 3rd inning with two outs. Manny Machado singled and then scored on a double by Juan Soto into right field to put the Padres up 1-0. He would lock in from there, firing two scoreless innings to keep the game at 1-0.
Cincinnati tried to put together a 2-out rally in the top of the 6th when Stuart Fairchild walked and moved up to third on a single by Jake Fraley, with Fraley taking second base on the throw to third. That brought Nick Senzel to the plate and for what feels like the first time in a week, Senzel made an out as he flew out to shallow center as the Reds failed to come through with a hit when they needed it most once again.
When Graham Ashcraft returned for the 6th inning he was greeted rudely by Juan Soto, who led off with a double. After back-to-back ground outs, Soto wound up at third base, but he’d be stranded there thanks to a sliding grab by TJ Friedl on a line drive to center.
The next inning saw Ashcraft back on the mound and Ha-Seong Kim led off with a single. That led to David Bell heading to the mound. On his walk there, Ashcraft said “I got him”, but Bell had made up his mind and called on Lucas Sims to enter the game. Austin Nola laid down a sacrifice bunt on the first offering from Sims, moving Kim up to second base. Sims then struck out pinch hitter Trent Grisham and Fernando Tatis Jr. to end the inning and keep it a 1-run ballgame.
When the Reds came to the plate in the top of the 8th Cincinnati was ready to try and make things happen once again. TJ Friedl had a 1-out single and then he stole second base. With two out Tyler Stephenson came off of the bench to pinch hit for Stuart Fairchild and he walked. Jake Fraley then came to the plate and he finally got a hit that the Reds needed as he singled into right field and watched Friedl round the bases and score on a headfirst slide just ahead of the throw from Tatis Jr. to tie the game up. That was all they would get as Senzel would fly out to end the top of the inning.
Ian Gibaut took over on the mound for the Reds in the bottom of the 8th and he went through the heart of the Padres order of Machado, Soto, and Cruz with ease as he threw just 11 pitches to send the game to the 9th inning all tied up. San Diego sent Josh Hader to the mound to face the bottom third of the Cincinnati lineup and it went as one would expect in that scenario as he retired them in order.
With the game tied up in the bottom of the 9th the Reds called on Derek Law to try and get the game to extras. After getting two pop ups to begin the inning, Law walked Ha-Seong Kim and put the winning run on first base, but he rebounded and struck out Austin Nola to give everyone free baseball.
Matt Reynolds began the inning on second base as the free runner in the 10th for the Reds and Jonathan India at the plate. He would be facing Luis Garcia, who was taking over for Josh Hader. The first pitch that India saw he grounded by the shortstop and into left-center and drove in the go-ahead run. TJ Friedl followed up by lining the first pitch he saw into right field to put a runner into scoring position. Spencer Steer grounded into a double play, erasing Friedl from the bases in the process with India moving up to third. Tyler Stephenson would ground out to end the inning.
Holding a 1-run lead, the Reds sent Alexis Diaz to the mound to try and pick up the save in the bottom of the 10th. San Diego began the inning by pinch running for Austin Nola with Brett Sullivan. Diaz led off the inning by walking Trent Grisham. That turned the lineup over and brought Fernando Tatis Jr. to the plate. Diaz needed just three pitches to strike out Tatis Jr. He needed more pitches against Manny Machado, but got him to line out to TJ Friedl in left for the second out of the inning. Juan Soto then stepped in with the game on the line and Diaz struck him out looking to end the game and even up the series at one game apiece.
Key Moment of the Game
Alexis Diaz striking out Juan Soto with the tying run on second base in the bottom of the 10th to end the game.
Notes Worth Noting
Graham Ashcraft walked just one batter on the day. It’s the first time since his first start of the season that he walked fewer than three batters. The righty had nine ground outs with three ground outs on the day. He also lowered his ERA on the season to 2.00 by allowing just one run in his six innings pitched.
TJ Friedl had three hits and a big time catch in the game. Those three hits raised his average to .313 on the season.
Alexis Diaz struck out two batters, giving him 21 strikeouts and three walks in 10.0 innings this year.
The victory was the first in San Diego for the Reds in their last 10 games at Petco.
Up Next for the Cincinnati Reds
Cincinnati Reds vs San Diego Padres
Wednesday May 3rd, 4:10pm ET
Luis Cessa (1-3, 9.55 ERA) vs Seth Lugo (2-2, 3.58 ERA)
Great pitching tonight starting with Ashcraft.
An argument can be made that Ashcraft is the “ACE” of this staff. If not he’s one of them. Considering his teammates are Greene and Lodolo that’s saying A LOT.
Apparently, Abbott pitched a good game in AAA tonight. Could we have a really good 4 man rotation all home grown soon.
Yep. I wish these Reds owners would realize what a rare thing they have and get on the ball to help make this team a winner.
I think Ashcraft is clearly the ace of the staff. He’s got really good stuff and an absolute Bulldog mentality…the kind of pitcher that can take you far in the playoffs when you put the pieces around him. I think they need to lock both him and Diaz up to long-term contracts. Diaz just has the closer’s mentality the good ones have and the stuff to go with it, while Ashcraft is completely fearless and always wants the ball, which is what a #1 looks like.
Ashcraft reminds me of Brooks Lawrence, a solid pitcher who had a few real good years with the Reds in the fifties.
Agreed Ted
Satisfying win. Have not beat the Padres in a while I think. Great pitching game.
“TJ Friedl had three hits and a big time catch in the game. Those three hits raised his average to .313 on the season.”
So a very good hitter against lefties and righties who was out of the starting lineup the last three games. That shouldn’t happen again.
Funny thought
It is mind numbing watching Bell do what he does overcand over. And Fraley too… big hit after big hit.
No it shouldnt… but it probably will
Yes, it will. David Bell wants to play the Left-right matchup game, and will sit down the team’s best hitter at this moment, who has good splits against left handed pitching, to play Nick Senzel in CF, and get Newman (Newman!) into the game. Or Matt Reynolds.
But a great night for Graham Ashcraft, who was tenacious, and the bullpen that held the Padres scoreless.
Blake Snell did not pitch last night. The starter was Michael Wacha.
Absolutely correct. Friedl should not be out of the lineup unless or until he shows he does not deserve to be there. I cannot fathom how Bell thinks.
Agreed. It is super frustrating.
I think Steer needs to stop pressuring himself. He needs to remember what he is good at. Be patient wait for your pitch.
Gotta say it’s nice to have a pitcher we can count on to close out games. Sure he won’t do it every single time but, He seems to have that mental toughness needed to end a game.
Freidl should be the Reds everyday centerfielder. Senzel should be the 3rd baseman at least 5 days a week. Senzel just looks so much better at third than in the outfield. Hopefully Abbott will be up soon and keep it rolling. Sims changes the bullpen. Hope he stays healthy. Go Reds!
We have a plethora of infielders coming up. Either they need to get some outfield work in the minors, or Bell absolutely should continue to give Senzel and Barrero occasional playing time in the outfield.
The infield is going to be very crowded soon.
I’m all for giving those guys outfield work in the minors. You are correct. The infield is going to be very crowded soon.
To optimize Senzel’s chances of not getting injured, Bell needs to play him mostly in the infield. The guy’s too fragile for all the leaping and diving and rolling and sliding and fence-banging that happens out there in the meadow. Playing the outfield in MLB isn’t like it is in Little League, where you just stand around drinking Coke and picking dandelions and knocking back copious amounts of Nyquil. It’s unforgiving.
uhhhh what kind of league did you play in as a kid
Perspective for everyone to chew on. It wasn’t until May 25th, 2022, that the Reds Won their 13th game of the season. Honestly, it’s a nice improvement and I hope the trend continues with this team fighting hard every night.
Yep, can’t have a #5 in Cessa going out every 5th day with a 10 E.R.A.
Yep, I’m worried about today’s game with some of their bats, but maybe Cessa will surprise us.
Luke Weaver is the “3rd starter” and Luis Cessa is #5.
David Bell, to his credit, put Ashcraft in between them, because maybe he does know how weak those two are as starters.
And yes, although Cessa’s ERA got shot to pieces against the Phillies, I don’t expect him to beat the Padres today.
Maybe Abbot is the answer….soon. Maybe.
Lively, a veteran at AAA, is also pitching pretty good.
And neither Lively or Abbott are on the 40 man…yet. But Hunter Strickland is. And that’s on Nick Krall.
Strickland is not on the 40 man roster.
I still wonder if Lucas Sims could be stretched out and take Cessa’s place in the rotation? He looked sharp last night and seems to have starter-like stuff. I recall we acquired as a starter.
The pitching, fielding and base-running all looked sharp tonight. Exciting game!
Fraley went 2-4 and accounted for one of those RBI’s, the one that tied the game in the eighth. He had a walk off the other day too. I like his approach at the plate, and the clutch hitting.
Did we need to trade Mahle to the Twins ? Guess that’s water under the bridge at this point. We have Friedl and Fraley, why not Maile and Mahle ? (one too many I know)
This win was big for the Redlegs !
I uh… think what we got in return for Mahle will be more than enough to outweigh the wordplay of Mahle and Maile.
For me, the guy not to have traded to the Twins (or anybody else) was Sony Gray. Gray was under contract through the current (2023) season; and the return on him Chase Petty (RedsMinorLeagues.com #9 prospect), while good was not outstanding.
Completely agree with you on that one. The Mahle deal was awesome; loved that trade.
Good Morning and what a pleasant surprise this morning. A good ole fashion pitching duel. Reds bullpen comes through again and sounds like Ashcraft didn’t want to come out, like Lodolo in his last start. I like that mentality.
Looking at schedule and with off days coming up , or just in general why not go to a 5 man bench?
Big win as it guarantees a .500 west coast road trip. Especially with Cessa starting tomorrow (today). And what a performance by the bullpen. This would be a tough team to beat if the bats woke up a little bit.
Can’t remember the last time the Reds had a .500 west coast trip! That loss on Sunday with Bell’s throwaway lineup hurts as this could have easily been a winning road trip!
Nice game. Got a shot to go 4-2 on west coast road trip.
Really need to take advantage of our scoring opportunities. We have had a few opportunities with guys on third with less than 2 outs and have not capitalized.
The S.D. lineup has a lot of offensive lumber to face. A great job by Ashcraft and the relief staff combined with some timely hitting late in the game.
Very nice win and good to see some key players developing for the Reds who will be part of the future. Ashcraft is 5th in the NL with an ERA of 2.00. Diaz looks like the Reds best closer since Iglesias and has no fear in high leverage situations on the road against All star caliber players.
I still think the Reds have a chance in 2024 to win the NL central with some strategic additions and continued development of its young players. A mid-rotation good FA SP, elite lefty bullpen arm, good lefty bat and a good defensive catcher would be the minimum.
Mahle has been shut down for a month, Suarez has 2 home runs and a .636 OPS and Winker had an illness and missed time and has no home runs as a platoon DH in may. Still a great OBP though. Also got booed in Seattle when the Brewers visited. Sonny Gray is leading the world in ERA right now.
Get a win today and the Reds come home in fair shape from where they were 2 weeks ago.
Well, well, well … what a pleasant surprise I woke up to. Hard-nosed game and we gritted our way through it. Nice work by Ashcraft again.
Continue to think that CES should replace Steer and McClain should replace Barrero. Abbott should move Cessa to BP. Then an infield of Senzel, McClain, India, and CES with Stephenson and Robinson as catchers should be good going into the second half of the season.
Barrero needs to be sent down to work on hitting a breaking ball and Steer the same as well as both need to work on their fielding
Reds need to add a fifth SP and outfielder with some power as well as EDLC in 2024.
Will we ever see Joey Votto in a game again? Sure seems like this is becoming more and more unlikely.
How do we know though CES and McLain will hit mlb pitching?
That to me is the question. Steer and Barerro need time to develop and this is what a young team goes through. My thought is to reevaluate come all star break. See how everything shakes out.
Agreed Kevin. Prospects are just that, prospects. The major league team is playing better than expected. But there is no play off spot for the Reds this season. It would be a fools errand to rush the young players in pursuit of it. If they play well, they will have a shot to make the team out of Spring training in 2024.
Disagree with this a bit. Need to bring up these guys one per month starting in June, based on performance. McLain this first, then probably CES. Perhaps Abbott in August, and others if they’ve had a good 2 months.
If someone falters, back to AAA for the final month or two to reset.
Don’t want more than one MLB debut to start next season.
NO, Steer should not be sent down. Geez, he’s scuffling a bit right now, but that happens with players. Steer is solid, and will be just fine. The knee-jerk reactions are ridiculous. Move Steer down in the lineup with a day off, and he’ll be fine. That kid can hit, and will hit. Agree with your other points though.
I agree, Chris.
You want to send Barrero down to work on his fielding but you have no problem promoting McLain who has 4 errors in 27 games.
A good road victory against tough team who has owned us! Ashcraft looks to be our ace now. Fraley continues to deliver. He has to be in the lineup everyday. Forget the lefty-lefty matchup. Same for Friedl. Finally, Bell slots Senzel higher than Newman. Sheesh.
Reds trade Chase Anderson to the Rays. No word on return.
Fraley continues to deliver because of how Bell uses him. Fraley is currently the worst hitter on the team versus lefties. You think 2023 is too small of a sample size to use. In 2022, the was also the worst, except for two catchers and some guy named Taylor Motter (I watched most games and have no idea who that is).
Lefty/righty splits matter a lot in MLB.
@wkuchad exactly. Welsh mentioned Frayley’s issues with lefties on the broadcast Sunday. Lefties are subbed out quite a lot all over baseball.
MLBTR just posted that Chase Anderson is headed to the Rays. No details available yet.
Kevin Newman now with a -1 WAR on the season.
Yes, I know Barrero is at -0.6 himself, but there’s at least the possibility he will be better than Kevin Newman. Newman is who he is at this point.
Someone explain to me why Newman should play over Barrero? Someone explain to me why Newman should be playing AT ALL?
Because Newman is a solid utility infielder and sadly one of our best hitters versus left-handed pitching.
Now, I agree he should never start against a righty, unless of injury or an infielder needing a day off.
Newman is at a .258 split against lefties so far this year.
Harry, look at OPS. That will tell you a different (and more accurate) story.
He shouldn’t. Barrero needs to play. It’s not that complicated. The Reds are not more likely to win any particular game with Newman playing and Barrero on the bench, nor are they somehow more likely to get better with Newman playing and Barrero on the bench. Barrero needs to play.
Agreed, but after Barrero’s really poor at-bats Monday, last night made a lot of sense to give Jose the night off to get in some extra cage work. Still a believer.
I have to think that Bell’s propensity for playing journeyman is affecting players like Barrero and Steer. They know that they only have so many games before they will be at best platooning with a Newman or Reynolds. The Reds need to have a manager in place similar to what the Buffalo Sabres did in hockey. The Sabres played the youngest lineup in the NHL and by the end of the year were playing with the best in the league. With players like Mclain,CES, and EDC coming along the Reds need a coach who isn’t afraid to play and develop young players.
I don’t think Barrero will ever be better than Newman; that’s how bad Barrero is. The kid is a mess, and is anything but a professional hitter. Newman may not be someone to get excited about, but until McLain is called up, I’d much rather see Newman than Barrero. Barrero is horrible.
This team is in no position to rattle off a long winning streak, but in time they will and things could get interesting. Abbott will help stabilize the rotation, and guys like Sims and Legumina will firm up the bullpen in front of a truly elite closer. Just having more certainty in what you’re going to get every night will be huge. To that end, I don’t know what Friedl has to do to officially be considered an everyday player because he gives you that certainty. Others have shown flashes (Senzel, Steer, Fairchild, Barrero) and so I get why their playing time is less consistent. I just don’t get it with Friedl.
Bulldog start by Ashcraft. He could’ve easily gotten frustrated that the offense twice had 2 men on base with no outs and couldn’t score, but he didn’t let it affect him.
Eventually they’ll come, but it almost feels like the Reds will never hit another home run at the moment.
Friedl gets a lot of playing time. He’s 10 at-bats behind India (who leads the team). Friedl has been maybe our best (and most consistent) hitter versus right handed pitching. He’s been below average vs left handed pitching, but holding his own.
Friedl is proving himself and will continue to play a lot.
Friedl hitting .278 this year against left handed pitching.
Is that “below average”?
The Mighty Newman is at .258 against lefties this year.
Let’s get it straight.
Batting average doesn’t mean much without context. Against lefties, Friedl is neither walking nor hitting with power. Again, he’s holding his own, but yes he’s been below average. And it’s a small sample size. But I stand by my comments.
Okay, so you stand by your comments. Who’s been better than Friedl against lefties, that is playing instead of him? Please don’t say the kid who chews his gum like a horse while stepping in the bucket with his back foot every swing.
No one. Did I say otherwise?
“Bulldog start by Ashcraft. He could’ve easily gotten frustrated that the offense twice had 2 men on base with no outs and couldn’t score, but he didn’t let it affect him.”
I’d say Ashcsraft holds the edge at being mentally tough of the “Big Three” at this point.
I’d say the mission is accomplished at San Diego after taking at least one ball game of this very tough series. Petco Park has become a really fortress hard to breach by the Reds in recent years. Hopefully Cessa could give a good outing today keeping the game on the line as long as the defense and offense support him.
Perhaps it was a special night, but almost a full house at Petco.
Louisville Bats play Wednesday at 11:05am in Columbus.
Should make for an easy drive to Cincinnati for CES and McLain that afternoon. 🙂
Scratch that—read the schedule wrong. But here’s hoping those two can catch a flight to Cincy after this afternoon’s game in Omaha.
Reds are hanging in there for a Wild card spot! Now only 3 games back! Wishful thinking I know!
Chase Anderson to Tampa Bay, apparently for cash. Isn’t there someone who will offer Krall a few bucks for Bell?
Given Cessa, Overton and Weaver’s struggles, I would have enjoyed seeing Anderson get another shot.
This must be a vote of confidence in Abbott.
Or simply a chance to pick up some do-re-mi.
The Rays’ wanting Anderson should have been a signal to the Reds to keep him. They can drop Ricky Karcher off the 40-man, put Cessa in the bullpen, and demote one of he iffier relievers who still has an option.
I almost forgot about Chad Pinder before someone mentioned him in the comments yesterday. I looked him up on baseball reference. He is batting whopping .218 with the Washington Nationals AAA team.
Probably playing a lot of positions, though.
Versatile! Winning!
If he would have just batted 0.250 in Spring Training, Krall and Bell would have fallen all over themselves to have him on the Major League roster.
But CES had “things to work on” in AAA.
Clearly CES did have “things to work on”, such as getting healthy.
CES back didn’t flare up until after he was demoted to minor league camp so that wasn’t the reason he didn’t make the team. Speaking of ST, I thought Friedl’s job was in jeopardy. If he had come out slow, I bet he would have started in Louisville. Not buying that ST doesn’t mean anything. It doesn’t mean much for veterans but it sure means something to players on the bubble.
Some have commented that Steer and Barrero deserve the time in MLB to sort things out (at the expense of McClain and CES) but Steer and Barrero never dominated AAA like McClain and CES. I think when they are given the opportunity, they will prove the team was wrong in holding them down.
@WKU…We do KNOW the CES got hurt while in the minors. If he was with the Reds he might not have gotten hurt.
He didn’t go to the minors to get healthy…he went there and got hurt
I was half joking.
However, we don’t KNOW he got hurt while in the minors. We know he went on the injured list while in the minors.
I have been very critical of many aspects of Bell’s coaching, including the overall culture and attitude of his teams. This team has toughness and fight, though. I’m sure some will say that it has nothing to do with Bell, and that it is in spite of Bell and that the players deserve the credit…and maybe that is true…but I can not fault Bell in this area as long as this team continues to show the kind of grit that they have been. Now his lineups and obsession with handedness, veterans, and utility players is another story.
Great to see a young core with the toughness and fight to come from behind quite a few times this year, though.
+1000
Agreed. We dislike some of Bell’s decisions like playing time and batting order but a decent amount of young players are in fact developing under his watch and the team is playing hard (despite a serious lack of talent). That being said, I am not in his corner of keeping him. The mistakes have been prominent and I hope they find a replacement this winter. We all know there’s no chance he gets fired during the season.
I completely agree Mario. In fact, I think he is one of the worst managers in MLB right now. We really need to get a good quality coach in there for next season and the future.
Steer is 2 years older than CES, but I see CES as the much better prospect and Mclain is only 1 year younger than Barrero and right now he seems to be the better prospect. I am not suggesting they send Barrero and Steer down but I do think in time they can find room for all four prospects along with EDLC and Abbott this year. Soon for all but EDLC, he needs time to get hot at triple A, but it will come and hopefully soon.
I want to see CES and McClain up here…like right now. But it would be prudent to wait a bit longer. Maybe June 1? And I would waive/dump Reynolds and Newman to get them up here. There, I said it. 😉
There is still the issue of Joey Votto, and what is going to happen with him. He occupies a roster spot on the 40 man, and is the highest paid Red. He wants to play, but I have no idea when he will be ready.
And Myers will likely return shortly, probably on the next homestand. Who goes to make room for him on the 26 man roster?
A catcher? Reynolds? Fairchild?
Betting on Fairchild being sent down for Myers. Bell loves Reynolds so he stays. Bell justifies it due to steer’s slump. I may eat a dog biscuit if I’m wrong ?
I know it’s only May but this team is very competitive. I feel with a few tweaks and some luck the wildcard may not be a stretch. Of course the wheels may come off but I’m an optimist. Cancer will do that to you. Bringing up McClain, CES and Abbot may give us a boost. Unfortunately I think if you’re gonna carry 3 catchers Robinson for Casali. Unfortunately I think Myers sticks. Maybe platoon with Fraley although I like Fairchild better. And everyone who says McClain and CES need more time in the minors , what do you think Barrero’s psyche is as he slides back to last year’s production, knowing there’s at least 3 shortstops chomping at the bit
I don’t have stats in front of me (which is a major no-no on this site) but it seems like Spencer Steer took a bit of a slide after the knee tweak. To the eye test, it looks like a combo of bad luck when he does make contact and pressing (chasing pitches out of the zone) which he had not done earlier in the year. Hoping he can get that sorted sooner than later, as he was a nice spark a few weeks ago.
Never fear, the stats are on your side….. 😉
last 14 days for Speer (54PAs) BA/OBP/SLG/OPS>> 160/.204/.240/.444
last 7days (28PAs) (148/.179/.222/.401)
Actually, I am amazed they haven’t found a way to sit Steer several games or drop him down in the order etc. In is one thing to let a veteran have a long leash to play his way through a spell like this but another to allow a rookie such latitude.
His slide actually coincided with his move to 1B. The knee certainly didn’t help. But 1B didn’t work great last year either. He hit .273 at 3rd and .129 at 1B. This year it’s .308 to .115. So 3B or DH, 1B seems to take him out of his game.
I find it hard to believe the move from 3B to 1B caused his decline in performance. Possible, but more likely it’s just part of the highs and lows of his first full year in the majors.
But either way, I’m still playing him most every day at 1B or 3B and let him play through the struggles (to a degree).
Newman starting again today. This is why I say bring up McLain. There is plenty of playing time for him, if there is for Newman.
I bet Fairchild is glad not only to be playing but also to be out of an obvious man to be subbed out spot. That looks like Steer’s fate today
https://twitter.com/Reds/status/1653799998830809088
India DH
Friedl CF
Steer 1B
Stephenson C
Fraley LF
Senzel 3B
Fairchild RF
Newman 2B
Barrero SS
*********
Cessa SP
I like this lineup, except for Newman in there vs a righty. However, this gets India a partial day off, but keeps his bat in the lineup.
Jim I agree. I like Fairchild but not in the top half of lineup. I really like him 9th so there is a fast runner in front of India and Freidl. I would put Senzel 3rd and Fraley 4th. Run those bases.
JB I totally agree. Need to swap Senzel and Steer.
“Newman starting again today. This is why I say bring up McLain. There is plenty of playing time for him, if there is for Newman.”
Good point. How many games in a row now for Newman starting? Five? Has he come out of any of those games? Don’t remember it happening.
There are certain players Bell seems to just fall in love with and will very seldom sit them. Two good examples right now are Steer and Newman.
Right now he only has Stephenson to play first besides Steer. Myers back soon or my pick CES. I would platoon Steer and CES at 1st. Reynolds could play there but he will sub in later in the game. Got to play everybody theory.
No team yet has knocked the Ashcraftsman around (I call him the Ashcraftsman because he has lots of tools), and yet his little friends have been bashed up like toy bowling pins in a place that’s very much not kind to toy bowling pins. That’s amazing when you think about it. You know?