The Cincinnati Reds and the New York Mets will hit the field this afternoon after each team grabbed a win earlier in the series. They wrap things up today with the winning team picking up the series victory, too. First pitch is set for 12:35pm ET. Today’s game will be on MLB Network as well as Bally Sports Ohio.
Starting Lineups
New York Mets
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Cincinnati Reds
|
| Brandon Nimmo – CF | Jonathan India – 2B |
| Francisco Lindor – SS | TJ Friedl – CF |
| Jeff McNeil – 2B | Spencer Steer – 1B |
| Pete Alonso – 1B | Jake Fraley – LF |
| Brett Baty – 3B | Tyler Stephenson – DH |
| Starling Marte – RF | Nick Senzel – 3B |
| Daniel Vogelbach – DH | Henry Ramos – RF |
| Mark Canha – LF | Kevin Newman – SS |
| Francisco Alvarez – C | Curt Casali – C |
| Kodai Senga – RHP | Derek Law – SP |
Starting Pitchers
| Pitcher | IP | ERA | WHIP | BB | K |
| Derek Law | 18.0 | 3.00 | 1.50 | 11 | 18 |
| Kodai Senga | 32.0 | 3.38 | 1.47 | 22 | 36 |
| Links: Derek Law’s Stats | Kodai Senga’s Stats |
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Derek Law
The Reds are going with an opener today and it’s going to be Derek Law. He’s held left-handed hitters to an OPS of just .636 this season, but they are walking often against him this season. Right-handed hitters are hitting well against him, posting an .806 against Law when he’s on the mound.
Splits
| Split | PA | H | 2B | 3B | HR | BB | K | AVG | OBP | SLG |
| RHH | 38 | 9 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 4 | 8 | .273 | .351 | .455 |
| LHH | 41 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 7 | 10 | .206 | .342 | .294 |
Pitch Usage
| 4-Seam | 2-Seam | Cutter | Curve | Slider | Change | |
| Velo | 96.5 | 95.8 | 92.3 | 79.2 | 87.3 | 90.1 |
| Usage | 17% | 7% | 42% | 14% | 18% | 3% |
Kodai Senga
Through six starts this season, Kodai Senga has struggled with his control. He walked three batters in his first two starts and has walked four batters in his last four starts. He is coming off of his best start of his career in the big leagues, tossing six shutout innings against the Rockies in a 1-0 win.
We don’t have splits for Kodai Senga while he was in Japan, so it’s tough to know if what’s happened this season is something that’s historically held true for him. But we do know that this season he’s pitched much better against righties than lefties so far. Left-handed hitters are hitting for a higher average, walking a little more frequently, and hitting for a little more power. The sample size is pretty small, though.
Splits
| Split | PA | H | 2B | 3B | HR | BB | K | AVG | OBP | SLG |
| RHH | 74 | 12 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 11 | 19 | .191 | .311 | .302 |
| LHH | 67 | 13 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 11 | 17 | .232 | .358 | .411 |
Pitch Usage
| 4-Seam | Cutter | Slider | Splitter | |
| Velo | 96.4 | 90.7 | 82.4 | 84.1 |
| Usage | 42% | 20% | 15% | 23% |
When and Where
- Game time: 12:35pm ET
- Where: Great American Ball Park
- Watch: Bally Sports Ohio, MLB.tv, MLB Network
- Listen: 700 WLW AM (Cincinnati area)
- Forecast: 76°, sunny, 0% chance of rain
News and Notes
Ben Lively expected to pitch
While the Reds are going with an opener, David Bell noted that Ben Lively is expected to pitch “a lot” today. We’ll see when he gets into the game.
They all stink!
The NL Central is collectively 13-32 in May (.289 win PCT or a 47-win season over 162 games) . #solid
— Joel Luckhaupt (@jluckhaupt) May 11, 2023
This record includes six games between two NL Central teams, so outside of that the division is 10-29 (.256 winning percentage).
Standings
| Team | W | L | GB | Playoff Odds |
| Pirates | 21 | 17 | 0.0 | 17.6% |
| Brewers | 20 | 17 | 0.5 | 62.9% |
| Cubs | 18 | 19 | 2.5 | 25.5% |
| Reds | 15 | 21 | 5.0 | 1.1% |
| Cardinals | 13 | 25 | 8.0 | 21.9% |
| Playoff Odds via Fangraphs | ||||
Where is Barerro? Has the team seriously passed on from him already? what a shame if that is the case….he has only played once in this series
Yes, and it was against Verlander! So, I guess since he didn’t get a hit against the Hall of Famer, he is done.
He hasn’t hit very well against a lot of bad and mediocre pitchers — this season and last season — and he isn’t playing very good defense. The weird thing isn’t that he’s sitting today, it’s that he’s still on the major league roster at all, because there seems to be a better option in AAA. If anything, I’d say the Reds have erred in his favor.
@J, you are so right. I don’t understand all the Barrero talk. I also don’t understand how some players get bashed, while others are given so much latitude. Barrero has been, well BAD. He can’t hit, he K’s too much, and quite frankly, and this is shocking, but he’s a liability at SS as well. Say what you want about Newman, but he is a solid yet average player. A #1 draft pick that didn’t quite pan out, but is still a lifetime .260 hitter who plays solid D. Yes, bring up one of the kids to play SS, but Barrero is just bad. I don’t know what happened to him after 2021, but he’s a mess.
Was my first reaction as well when I saw the lineup, so I actually did some digging
Newman has been pretty consistent of just shy of 50% games started at SS. He has been there for 6 of the last 13 games and 7 of last 16. He has also gotten two starts at 2B and one at 3B
As the roster is currently constructed – I have no issues with Newman getting a couple starts a week across the Diamond. He’s a fine utility guy; but just that.
However, if the Reds have decided they have seen enough of Barrero and are only going to give him 50% of starts at SS, they need to bring up McClain or EDLC now.
ALL of Newman’s SS starts should go to one of those two. You can keep getting Barrero occasional starts at SS/CF and Newman spot starts on rest days for other IFs as well as late game PH/defensive replacement
But continuing to split Barrero and Newman 50/50 seems to be like the reds are stuck in neutral
Agree on that part DHud….Barrero and Newman or McCLain and Newman shouldn’t be split 50/50.
Barrero, though, has a higher OPS than Myers, and only .003 behind Ramos. It being impossible to be a worse defensive RF than Myers, and Barrero’s having a much better arm than Ramos, I would use him in RF. Barrero’s OPS is also .029 higher than Newman’s, whom it appears that Krall will have to DFA to Bell-proof his usage.
Barrero has played only 5 games in May, and has 3 strikeouts in 18 PAs, so he is getting past the strikeout problem.
Big Old Red –
I agree with you on Wil Myers defense. Some posters here praise his defense, which just baffles me.
Sorry OBR, I screwed up your name in my comments above. My apologies.
Well, OBE, Myers made some excellent plays in right yesterday and Ramos made a killer throw to the plate today. Recency bias on my part or just that we haven’t seen a lot of either one of them?
And yes, Votto, my ears would be burning if I hadn’t put sunscreen on them.
I went back and looked at several box scores for may. Him and Newman are basically alternating days at SS. Not sure that is “giving up” on him. But he sure hasn’t done anything to “earn” his spot either.
Barrero is the Aquino of the infield – minus the hitting power.
I like Newman until EDLC is ready. No point lettings Barrero’s fielding blunders and mostly abysmal at bats needlessly contribute to more losses.
until EDLC is ready? McClain is ready now!!!
Sorry, Mclain
Aquino also had stellar defense. So Barrero isn’t comparing to Aquino on that level either.
I’ve heard that the Reds don’t believe that shortstop is his best position.
He stinks right now. Batting and fielding.
“Aquino also had stellar defense”
Did he really though?
Again, he was somewhat similar to Barrero. He might make an incredible play and gun someone down with a perfect big-arm throw one game, then bungle a couple routine plays a day later. Some of his “great throws” in fact were often necessitated by his mistakes.
He might crush the ball now and then, but for the most part, he was simply not good. Kinda like Barrero…
Yes, Aquino was stellar defensively, and quite frankly should have probably been in the running for a GG last season. Barrero is terrible. Kid is a mess!
Doesn’t appear to be a get-away lineup for the Mets.
Don’t they have to play all their guys too?
Didn’t help the Mets much, did it?
Ramos and Newman. It’s laughable the organization thinks they give you the best chance to win a major league baseball game. But yeah, having 3 prospects beat up subpar pitching in Louisville is the best thing for their development. Have the courage of your convictions to call them up, and if you don’t, cease and desist all the breathless hype you’re feeding us on social media. You can’t have it both ways.
I honestly don’t care about the Newman/Barrero thing any more. I knew as soon as they signed Newman, he would be “Bell’s guy” just like Farmer was, and he would play at the expense of Barrero.
Go ahead and bring up McLain or EDLC, if you want them to split time at SS with Newman. Newman has “earned” the right to play because he’s a gritty veteran. No matter what these other guys did in the minors, they haven’t “earned” the right to play for the big league club.
When Barrero first came up, he was on a hot streak like what McLain and EDLC are on now. Didn’t matter to Bell, Barrero still rode the pine while Farmer continued to get the bulk of the starts. The exact same thing will happen to McLain or EDLC.
This was supposed to be the season to finally see what Barrero could do. Instead, he’s still being jerked around and not being given consistent playing time in order to learn and grow. The term “arrested development” comes to mind.
I honestly hope they just trade him at this point. And I also honestly hope McLain and EDLC are not brought up as long as Bell is the manager.
I agree with all of that except not caring any more. I still get mad every time I see Newman’s name in the starting lineup.
Barrero has potential to be the next Edwin Encarnacion. The difference is Encarnacion was actually given a chance in Cincy and just couldn’t put it together.
Agree on the comparison to Edwin Encarnacion. We all forget that sometimes players need a little bit of time to put it together. Not everyone is like Harper or AROD or Soto and put it together before they are 21.
Actually, EE was treated by Jerry Narron much the same way Barrero is being treated like Bell. Always being jerked around, always looking over his shoulder not knowing what excuse Narron would come up with to put him in the doghouse next.
If you were on Redleg Nation at the time, perhaps you remember the “Free Edwin Encarnacion!” posts?
https://www.redlegnation.com/2006/07/19/free-edwin-encarnacion/
Like EE, I feel like the Reds are just a toxic environment for Barrero. He’s not being given a good situation to thrive and grow, instead he seems to have a lot of unrealistic pressure on him.
Again, just like EE.
Farmer was the team MVP last year.
Maybe Newman is just better than Barrero.
Nah. He’s not.
But for Barerro “today just isn’t the day.”
It was sarcasm, however I would like to see Barrero play a week straight see what happens.
How are the Reds truly ever going to know if Barrero is a MLB quality consistent player? He never gets a continuous opportunity. When he gets the chance he may feel like he has to set the world on fire in that game because he knows that will be it for a few days. The younger higher ceiling guy, is the backup to the below average stop gap. Bell will never lead this team to any sort of continual winning or developing, because that is not in the analytics. Either rebuild toward contention or suffer mediocrity for a few more decades.
Farmer certainly is and was.
Farmer? You mean the career 84 OPS+ Farmer?
THAT Farmer?
I do. Farmer was very good for this team in the field and mentoring the young. He was having a career year last year and deserved to play. There were plenty of things to complain about last year but Farmer wasn’t one of them.
Farmer put up an 89 OPS+ with a 1.0 WAR last year.
I guess by mediocre journeyman standards, that’s decent.
On this team it was.
Farmer was a solid baseball player for the Reds. despite what “War” says
Kyle Farmer was never more than a utility player.
It’s interesting you cited Farmer’s “mentoring” of young players. People always use comments like that to try and win arguments. The problem is it can’t be measured. So, for example, I could say Farmer was an awful teammate and you would have no way of disputing it with evidence.
Guys, like Farmer and Newman have their place, but not as a starter.
Nice inning from Law.
Leadoff double. I like that.
For those who would wish Mahle back: https://www.mlbtraderumors.com/2023/05/tyler-mahle-tommy-john-surgery-twins.html
I saw that and wish him well. he was a good pitcher for the reds.
Lots of former Reds in the Trade Rumors site today.
I pretty much knew Steer hasn’t been hitting with men on before Sadak confirmed it. I think he can go too or atleast he shouldn’t be blocking CES or McLain.
Getting ready to fail again at small ball((
Or Fraley can save the day. That’s a hard .700 ops for him. Clutch hits time after time
Fraley is the rare guy on the Reds right now who can consistently fight off or mishit pitchers’ pitches and have them drop in for hits.
That works
I like the aggressiveness on these basepaths
Fraley comes through again, would be nice to get him going again.
An oops single from TySteve
Senzel with a rbi double!!!
Go, go Nick!!
I think more or less Bell enjoys Barrero not tearing it up at the plate. It gives him a good what he considers legitimate excuse to play Newman. We’ll see how it plays out when one of these other guys comes up and does hit really well.
Really Melvin? Really lol 😛
I thought the same thing Kevin. LMBO!!
Really:)
Or Newman is better today then Barrero. Barrero’s a career .183 hitter and I think he’s taking it to the field
I’m sure that Melvin is right. After all, we all know that Bell doesn’t want to win and will quietly subvert any player he needs to to accomplish his dastardly goal. Even Barrero with his Mendoza line BA and sub .300 OBP. Might change, though: Newman’s been getting a few hits lately–outhitting Barrero by 15 points, so Bell might have to sit him next.
Glad you understand his dastardly plan. Hahaha
Just out in front
Wow! That definitely works.
Okay, Newman.
4-0 after 1.
great way to start
As I said last night, we could count on a Bell special – juggling of the lineup without a strategy. Of course, some here will call it genius because Newman got a hit. But this isn’t how you develop young talent. And for those thinking that McLain, EDLC, CES or others will fair any better in this system – well, you’re dreaming.
LMAO Dude they scored 4 runs and what juggling are you talking about? Newman and Caslie?
India, Stephenson, Friedl, Steer, Senzel, Greene, Lodolo, Ashcraft,
Diaz, have faired well in the system.
I’ve said this a lot lately, but it applies again today. Even IF Newman is slightly better than Barrero right now (statistically it’s a wash), Newman will NOT get better with more playing time, but Barrero might and he might even get a lot better. Newman is NOT part of the next good Reds team, but Barrero might be. If the only way prospects become every day players is by having impressive success in sporadic playing time in their first month in the big leagues, the Reds will never develop prospects into stars. Terrible decision making on the roster (Krall) and lineups (Bell).
Not a wash at all as I posted yesterday. Hopefully, they win today. I think the Ramos experiment has run its course. He’s making Barrero’s hitting look like Tony Gwynn.
Let’s just wait and see, shall we LDS? If McClain, CES and EDLC come up and hit and Bell sits them most of the time, I will definitely eat turkey.
Hoping Lively can give us 4-5 innings of solid ball. Law did his bit for 5 batters.
At least Tommy Boy goes down on a backwards K!
I think Lively is a good story. Drafted by the Reds, and back in 2023 to pitch, I think he had arm injuries? Never gave up and here he is back in MLB.
Fat guy in a little uniform
With Steer’s current struggles and Senzel’s resurgence, is 3B now Nick’s job to lose?
Nah, Bell likes Steer. He’ll be given every opportunity to succeed.
Unlike a certain other player I could mention.
Great point about Bell liking Steer. That is definitely leading to more playing time. I like Steer but convinced that CES will trounce his stats in 123 at bats. Steer shouldn’t have to get demoted for CES to get called up.
IMO, 3B is Senzel’s as long as his batting average stays above .250. But ELDC likely takes that job later this year with McLain taking SS.
Senzel seems comfortable at third base. I’ve never been concerned about his hitting if he’s injury free. Perhaps EDLC will be the Reds long needed centerfielder with Friedl in left and Fraley and Fairchild covering rightfield. I think Myers will be gone before mid-season.
Idk I was very concerned about Senzel’s hitting last year. To put it frankly, he stunk last year. His OPS is around .730 right now and that is acceptable on a 15-21 team.
One wonder if, when we brought Senzel up, we had stationed him at third and forgot about it? I know Eugenio was around, but … ??
If wishes were horses then beggars could ride … 😀
and didn’t tinker with his swing. He did decent his rookie year
Asian pitchers have had varied success in the bigs, but I’ll say one thing….they were taught how to pitch. They change speeds and have atleast 3-4 pitches. It’s like the Euros in the NBA. We invented the game, but they have a better grasp of fundamentals in many instances
Good points. Seems like Japan and S. Korea have a lot more “fineness” pitchers who don’t throw a gazillion MPH but can do a lot of other things. Sometimes it works, sometimes not.
Many times I heard the (the late) Tom Terrific (Seaver) say the 3 keys to pitching were location, movement, and velocity in that order.
At least the no-hitter is out of the way. 😛
That works … it works just fine by me.
Glad the good guys got to Senga early. They left some opportunities out there early against Verlander yesterday and he zeroed in and shut the door. Old braves pitchers with Glavine, Smoltz, and Maddux- If you didnt get them early, you were in trouble.
Older guys still with the same rep…. Spahn (Braves) and Gibson (Cardinals)
1st year Glavine – 9 starts – 2-4 5.54 ERA
2nd Year – 34 starts – 7-17 – 4.56 ERA
Smoltz – 12 starts – 2-7 – 5.48 ERA
Maddux – 6 starts – 2-4 – 5.52 ERA
————-30 starts – 6-14 – 5.61 ERA
It’s why I’ll be very patient with the young pitchers
Agreed. Got to be long term focused.
Ramos won’t be around for much longer. He can’t buy a hit and is not even hitting the ball hard.
Yeah. I can see him being maybe a valuable switch hitting bench bat but he’s playing most every day. Not good.
Yes, but he swings LH, and unless it’s Votto (or rejuvenated Vosler for another quick turn), there are no alternatives on the high side of AA.
But everyone knew that on Monday when everyone, including Louisville, was off and it’s a short drive?
Is there some reason we are going with this hodgepodge of pitchers today after 2 off days in the last week? Lodolo has plenty of rest. And then to pile on and DFA Cessa who I am pretty certain could have given us a few solid innings. Just looks like insanity to me but maybe I will be surprised. Heck, Maile may even be in todays plans.
I don’t think you’ve seen the same Cessa as I have
I am wondering if Lively and this home plate ump have worked together in the minors along way because Lively seems to know this ump’s corners, ceiling, and floor.
Okay Why change pitchers here? Lively was doing well or was gameday lying to me lol
Befuddling. He’s gone 5 innings 3 times, and 6 innings twice in the minors
This is the things I question when it comes to how he handles the pitching staff, bullpen.. Lineup sometimes befuddles me and I like that word 😛
Im flummoxed.
and why bring in Sims in the 5th inning of a 4-0 ball game?
Thought he was safe because India didn’t stretch. Did India really think turning 2 was an option on that ball?
Agree. And talk about nuances, last night Barrero caught heck for not being able to pull up and catch a poor throw from India for a force out. Then today, India is standing stationary with the play in front of him and doesn’t get his feet moved around for a stretch when that is the obvious play,
The “Let’s Go Mets!” chant really gets on my nerves. Cubs fans are the worst, but Mets are close second.
And I am also envious.
Yes, Cubs fans are THE WORST!! 😉
I was at a Reds – Cardinals game years ago, and nice family from St. Louis was at the game, sitting in front of us. We chatted about baseball throughout the game. Really nice people. Later, going to car in the garage, started chatting with some other St. Louis fans. They were talking about Cubs fans visiting Busch Stadium to see the Cubs- Cardinals. And they said it first….Cubs fans are animals!
I’m glad you ran into some good Cardinals fans. I’ve had some bad experiences with them more than once. They act like they own the place. Lol
Why are you jealous? The Mets haven’t won a World Series in 37 years.
I am envious of how well they travel. It would be great for the team to distinctly hear “Let’s Go Reds!” at away venues. Of course, it would be nice to hear it at home as well.
Give that Steer his horns
off the ROY favorite.
Steer OPS back to .760 and claims the HR lead.
Steer is for real
Steer smacked that one well. Nice to add at least an insurance run. Wish it had been 2 😀
The 14-year-old for TJ? Hope nothing is wrong with him.
what happened Friedl
Larkin said he headed to the trainer’s room holding his side. Hope it isn’t a strained oblique.
Going for a MRI of his side.
Ramos with a gun at least. 🙂
Reminded me of Aquino.
Me too..not only for his great arm, but he will also probably be playing in Japan next year.
Alas – looks like AA has been sent down to an NPB MiLB affiliate.
Yikes.
Aquino 32 Ks in 68 abs in NPB.
.154 ba
Kind of depressing to see.
Feeling a bit better about the Getaway Game today at this point. I’ve got one more meeting to go, so I’ll be on mute (both audio and commenting) for the balance of the day.
Always fun to hang out with this crowd.
Nice way for Fairchild to open things up. Can we convert a couple more times?
Nope. Now just hoping it’s 3 quick outs and we’re off to South Beach.
I know the record aint great but I got faith in this team
Would you bet on them? 🙂
Not often a bullpen day goes this well.
Only watching on Gamecast, but was this about the most efficient bullpen game you could script? Only 4 pitchers, and the highest leverage guy mid-game vs. the heart of their order?
To the extent it’s a long season and very small incidents often make a big difference, this seems a rare accomplishment for the Reds.
Used 2 semi-starters for 3 innings each. That kind of dictated things.
And … exhale …
Any word yet on why Friedl was pulled?
Something to do with his “side”. Bell said he was sent for an MRI. That’s as much as i have found as of 6:30pm Thursday 11 May