The Reds and Rockies meet this afternoon in the rubber match of their current 3 game series at Coors at Coors Field in Denver. Game time is 3:10 ET. A win for the Reds today will earn a 4-2 road trip comprised of 2 winning series.
Starting Lineups
| REDS
SP: Graham Ashcraft |
ROCKIES
SP: Austin Gomber |
| 1. Jonathan India (DH) 2. Nick Senzel (3B) 3. Spencer Steer (1B) 4. Stuart Fairchild (CF) 5. Kevin Newman (2B) 6. Wil Myers (RF) 7. Jake Fraley (LF) 8. Jose Barrero (SS) 9. Luke Maile (C) |
1. Charlie Blackmon (DH) 2. Jurickson Profar (LF) 3. Kris Bryant (RF) 4. Elias Diaz (C) 5. Ryan McMahon (3B) 6. Harold Castro (2B) 7. Michael Toglia (1B) 8. Brenton Doyle (CF) 9. Alan Trejo (SS) |
Starting Pitchers
Right hander Graham Ashcraft goes for the, Reds versus leftie Austin Gomber for the Rockies.
| Pitcher | IP | ERA | WHIP | BB% | K% |
| Graham Ashcraft | 43.1 | 3.95 | 1.34 | 10.7 | 17.7 |
| Austin Gomber | 40.0 | 6.30 | 1.45 | 9.2 | 16.1 |
| Links: Graham Ashcraft’s Stats | Austin Gomber’s Stats |
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Graham Ashcraft
The Reds big righthander makes his ninth start of the season today. Overall, Ashcraft has done his job by providing the team a solid foundation and giving them a chance to win which is reflected in the team’s 5-3 record in his previous starts.
However, Ashcraft’s two most recent starts have were not up to the quality of his first six in which he allowed no more than 2 runs in any game. On May 8 He had a malodorous 1.2 inning start giving up 8 earned runs followed up by a mediocre 5.2 inning 4 run (3 earned) start versus Miami on May 12.
The Reds need Ashcraft to return to his early season form if they are to win the game today and secure a series win versus the Rockies to complete a 4-2 winning road trip.
Splits
| Split | PA | H | 2B | 3B | HR | BB | K | AVG | OBP | SLG |
| RHH | 102 | 26 | 6 | 1 | 2 | 12 | 14 | .299 | .386 | .460 |
| LHH | 85 | 12 | 4 | 1 | 2 | 8 | 19 | .156 | .235 | .312 |
Ashcraft has a strong reverse split on batter handedness. His .846 OPS versus RH batters is troublesome to say the least however.
Pitch Usage
| 2 Seam Fastball/ Sinker | Cutter | Slider | |
| Velo | 96.6 | 96.2 | 88.1 |
| Usage | 7.5% | 54.4% | 38.1% |
Austin Gomber
Austin Gomber is a 29 year old leftie looking to cement his spot in the Rockies starting rotation. After making 23 starts in 23 appearances in 2021, he split time between starting and the bullpen almost right down middle in 2022 with 17 starts in 33 appearances. Today will be his ninth appearance and start of 2023.
Gomber is a stuff pitcher versus being a power pitcher. His fastball velocity is just over 90MPH on his 4 seamer and occasional sinker. He features a knuckle curve at 78MPH as his primary breaking pitch (21%) but also throws a slider in the mid 80’s on nearly 15% of his pitches. Batters also must be alert for his straight change (21%) which comes in a click above 80MPH.
Splits
| Split | PA | H | 2B | 3B | HR | BB | K | AVG | OBP | SLG |
| RHH | 134 | 30 | 12 | 0 | 5 | 12 | 22 | .248 | .361 | .471 |
| LHH | 40 | 12 | 3 | 0 | 3 | 4 | 6 | .353 | .410 | .706 |
Like Graham Ashcraft, Gomber has reverse batter handedness splits. Unlike Ashcraft, even his strong side OPS split is well over .800; and, his weak side OPS split is a whopping 1.12.
| 4-Seam | Sinker | KnCurve | Change | Slider | |
| Velo | 90.7 | 90.4 | 77.6 | 81.8 | 84.4 |
| Usage | 42.9% | 1.4% | 21.2% | 20.7% | 13.7% |
Bullpens
Reds
The Reds pen covered 3.1 innings Tuesday night. Ian Gibaut threw 15 pitches. Nobody else threw more than 9. Gibaut may be questionable off the short turnaround. Everyone else should be good for at least an inning.
Click here for Reds bullpen details
Rockies
The Rockies pen covered 4 innings Tuesday. Peter Lambert threw 27 pitches. Count him out on the short turnaround. Justin Lawrence threw 17 pitches Tuesday and has a high 3 day count. He is probably also out for today.
Click here for Rockies bullpen details
News and Notes
If you couldn’t stay up for the end of last night’s Reds win, Doug’s RLN recap covers all the action
Matt McLain’s former teammates at AAA Louisville celebrated his call up to the Reds by opening their week Tuesday with another offensive show featuring strong outings by Elly De La Cruz and Christian Encarnacion-Strand. Catch up on their escapades and the rest of the Reds farm action at Reds Minor Leagues
Want some early returns on the impact of the off season rule changes? Note the linked article in the subtweet is behind a paywall; but, at least this juicy tease gives us some food for thought.
I learned some amazing stuff while writing this column.
* We're headed for 1,000 more SB this year than last
* And 1500 more runs
* And the most first-to-thirds on singles in a lonnnng time
* And LH hitters' AVG on "hard-hit" pulled ground balls is up about 70 pointsLots more! https://t.co/w7Tcy6cKPQ
— Jayson Stark (@jaysonst) May 17, 2023
A Final Thought
The NL Central division crown or a wildcard spot are incredibly not out of the realm of possible for the Reds 1/4 of the way through the 2023 season. However, the Reds desperately need a big power bat in the middle of their lineup. Christian Encarnacion-Strand has hit at all MiLB levels and is currently devastating AAA pitching on an almost nightly basis. The Reds should stop their song and dance routine with the designated hitter spot and install CES there now. Even if he does no better than the guys the Reds have been using at DH, at least he will see MLB pitching and can be sent back to work on the issues it gave him.
NL Central Standings
| Team | W | L | GB |
| Brewers | 24 | 18 | 0 |
| Pirates | 22 | 20 | 2 |
| Reds | 19 | 23 | 5 |
| Cubs | 19 | 23 | 5 |
| Cardinals | 17 | 26 | 7.5 |
Details:
- Time: 3:10 pm EDT
- Place: Coors Field, Denver, CO
- Weather: 75 degrees, mostly cloudy with a slight chance of rain
- TV: Bally Sports Ohio
- Radio: 700 WLW
Good write up Jim. I always enjoy your reading your game write ups and facts that you add. Let’s go Reds!
Thanks. My eyes and fingers don’t work as well on their own let alone in concert with each other as well as they used to but Doug deserves a breather for all the work he does here and I try to help out.
Good job Jim. So what do you think about the lineup today? 🙂
@Melvin> Given Gomber’s reverse splits so far this season, I am glad to see Fraley in the lineup but wish he wasn’t clear down in the bottom 3rd of the order.
As I said below, Fairchild is slotted 4th most likely to open the way to drop Stephenson into his normal slot as the game progresses.
I guess everyone has to get their playing time off the bench to stay sharp. However, how about McLain in the mix for India? MMc has played a fair amount at 2B after all; and Newman with his ~.800 OPS vs LH pitching could have been the DH.
A .205 hitter — Fairchild — batting cleanup.
Somebody please explain the logic of that.
Bell was once told as a child by his grandfather, Gus, that left handed hitters can’t hit left handed pitchers, and vice versa. It’s basically they only thing he knows about the sport of baseball. So when a lefty is on the mound, Fraley MUST bat at the bottom of the order, and righties move up. That’s the rule. Who cares if people who actually understand baseball can look at the splits and see how little sense it makes. It makes sense to Bell, and doggone it, grandpa said it works.
Grandpa Gus was a leftie batter with an .822 OPS vs RH pitching and a .649 OPS vs LH pitching.
Gus made 74% of his PAs versus RH pitching. I am not an expert or even close to it on math stuff, but if ~70% of pitchers are RH and that’s about the % of a player’s total PAs vs RH pitchers, it seems to me the player probably was not platooned a lot.
LOL Jim. It was a joke about the old-school baseball “wisdom” that David Bell possesses, not an indictment of Gus specifically. I just tossed out Gus’s name as a nod to the nepotism that keeps David employed.
There is no logic here, friend. This lineup cannot be explained–but sit down in awe of the genius that is “Sir David Bell of Dartboard Island.”
As much as I am a fan of “Stone Cold” Stewie Fairchild, (whose expression never changes) batting him #4 makes absolutely no sense! None whatsoever! This lineup was either chosen at random and/or David Bell really is that stupid…
Seriously, it’s a wonder that anyone can find any consistency on this team. Bell moves guys around all over the place! It’s like he’s trying to sabotage his own players. So he’s finally gonna give the team’s best at bat a chance against a lefty, but, uhh… he’s batting him 7th?? To “drive in” the automatic out of Wil Myers?
This guy is a joke.
Fairchild hit two doubles today and drove in three.
I guess Bell must be a genius after all. (Ha, Ha.)
Not only that…. Fairchild hitting 4th Newman hitting 5th playing second and Myers hitting sixth… with McLain sitting after playing 2 games…wow. David Bell loves to move his pieces around and play all the veteran stiffs who are way past whatever prime they had and it’s never going to change. He thinks he’s the smartest guy in the room and that will always be the case. Meanwhile, I’m guessing the Pirates are pretty happy with how the trade with the Reds worked out for Newman…ridiculous. Typical Reds. They have a real chance with what they have down AAA in coming through the system to be good again, but not under David Bell. Just like yanking Williamson yesterday when he was pitching great and had thrown 72 pitches. It was a typical Bell stupid decision that he got very lucky didn’t cost them the game.
Couldn’t one argue that Williamson, who has been shelled in Triple-A this year and walked a bunch of hitters, should have been pulled at the first signs of trouble in a ballpark where anything can and usually does happen? It’s not like Bell pulled Kershaw after 72 pitches when he was throwing well. He pulled the guy who had an ERA of 6.62 in Triple-A this year.
David Bell also likes to pretend he’s an architect, named “Art Vandelay.”
IMO Fairchild is slotted to be replaced by Stephenson as the game develops. TS goes to 1B Steer over 3B and Senzel to CF when it happens.
Bell has been using spotting Fairchild like this almost every time he starts and plugging in Fraley, Friedl or Stephenson for him.
Fairchild has not grabbed the brass ring in the opportunities he has been afforded; but, the opportunities have been somewhat limited by this substitution pattern. He did have strong to good series in Oakland and last weekend in Miami; but, I don’t know how a guy is expected to get into a groove when he is always being called back to the bench even when he having decent games.
At this point I think both Fairchild and the team would benefit if he were sent back to AAA and played entire games 5 or 6 days a week. Maybe like Friedl last year, he would work on his offensive issues and emerge as a enough of a force to help the Reds later in the season or as a trade piece.
Fairchild and Barrero both need to go to Louisville and play everyday. That’s not happening with Bell and neither are progressing with spot play. And the Reds need OF help – Myers & Ramos aren’t delivering and Fraley can’t hit LH’ers, though it’s good to see that he’ll get a chance today.
Incompetence, it what he does does best. His the front runner for the recipient of the worst mgr of the year award. There is no hope for him. With a better mgr, the Reds should be at least a 500 or better ball club. In the meantime, CES is slugging away in Louisville…
Correction: Incompetence it’s what he does best. Bell is the front runner for the recipient of the worst mgr of the year award. There is no hope for him. The Reds should be a 500 or better ball club. In the meantime, CES is slugging away in Louisville and EDLC should be the shortstop instead of Barrero or Newman. Good grief, haven’t we seen enough mediocrity and misery in the Queen City…
Yes, I remember everyone predicting above .500 record, if only we had a good manager maybe this team would exceed expectations.
Couldn’t agree more about the need to call up CES as soon as possible. Note how the Mets are making a very similar move: https://www.espn.com/mlb/story/_/id/37668660/mets-call-slugging-prospect-mark-vientos-sources-say
Did anyone else watch the Lookouts game today? Nuke LaLoosh, er, I mean, Joe Boyle, pitched 5 innings, giving up zero runs on 3 hits and 9 walks.
Hasn’t Joe Boyle been hurt? Glad to see him back and in good shape.
He’s started 7 games this season, so if he was hurt, it wasn’t for long.
Its a RLN pastime to dissect Bell’s lineups so I’ll chime in. Biggest issue is newman playing over McLain. No problem with Barrero getting reps at SS as 2 months from now that could….er…will be EdLC . Perfect game to let McLain play 2b and give India’s legs 2 days off x hitting today
Fairchild should never hit 3/4/5 which he has done all 3 in the last week. He does need to play though in Coors big outfield and also to see if he can cut that 30+% K rate as its getting late early for him.
Myers and 3 catchers were decisions made months ago and that wont change until august.
I think McClain should have batted 2nd, and played….2nd base!
Move everybody down a notch, and Newman should be on the bench.
I am also fine with Maile catching a day game after a night game, and Stephenson caught last night.
I am also fine with Fraley batting 8th, as I doubt this lefty starter goes through the lineup twice. By the time Fraley bats a second time, he will likely be gone.
David Bell just HAD to get Newman in the line-up. 😉
Weird.
And maybe he has a good day, as he does hit well against lefties.
Play ball!
Yep, if you just play McClain at 2nd base hitting #2 I don’t have much of a problem with it…but that’s the whole point. It is just a huge red flag that shows you who David Bell is and will always be.
Pretty sure Casali caught last night. Just saying.
Re: CES – “Even if he does no better than the guys the Reds have been using at DH, at least he will see MLB pitching and can be sent back to work on the issues it gave him.”
I’ve argued to wait until June to start the callups, but trends are pulling both ways on this – Newman/Myers/Ramos not on fire, CES/EDLC/Marte loudly banging on the door. If Williamson and McLain both sustain over the next week, make lots of changes now.
Also unlikely anyone else can make trades necessary and run away from the rest of the division.
The Brewers are likely odds-on favorite to win the division.
Pirates and Cubs coming back to earth, and the Cardinals are now playing better and winning, to climb back in the race.
The Cubs did call up some of their AAA talent to bolster the line-up. Their AAA club was loaded with offensive players.
And yes, I would call up CES sooner than later. And with the bad news about Lodolo, Abbott will likely get the call sooner, too, unless Blake Lively pitches really well in his next few starts. And though Williamson was really good last night, I have my doubts about his sustaining that. Although….he’s TALL!
The Brewers and Cardinals have holes in their lineups, and pitching issues. Both still favored to some extent, but the Reds have more younger talent proving itself – none of which are flopping, even though some have hit flat spots. if Fraley/Friedl/India/Senzel avoid serious injury time the big offensive empty spot is power – hence, CES now, EDLC soon.
If Blake does pitch well, let’s hope she can talk her husband into buying the team! 🙂
Why do we have to deal with a manager that does not give the team the best chance to win.
Frailey batting 7th
Newman batting 5th
Fairchild batting CLEANUP!
I know McClain is not going to play everyday but come on. Here is the lineup I would have used using the same players Bell did.
1. India
2. Senzel
3. Steer
4. Frailey
5. Fairchild
6. Barerro
7. Newman
8. Myers
9. Maile
Just want to point out I don’t even like this lineup though either. We have a chance to take another series go for it. Don’t put in players that might have an ok day. I was honestly torn about putting Maile ahead of Myers I have lost all faith in him having any kind of a good season (Myers) I’m sure he will run into one every now and then, but the guy has been nothing of what I expected.
Shakes head, just don’t get the logic.
If Fraley is starting against a lefty, why in the world would you want him hitting at the top of the lineup. He has been very, very bad against lefties this year, last year, and in the minors.
I don’t mind him starting, but why complain he’s batting too low in the lineup.
With Bell managing it is literally a little league team. Everybody gets to play and bat where their mom and dad want them to. It’s just hard to watch Bell make all these crazy moves. With a decent manger and a solid front office, even with the Lodolo news, this team has the ability to compete, but it won’t under the current regime.
Joe Boyle threw five shutout innings for Chattanooga today…with nine walks!!! I really hoped and expected that he would work hard on his control during the off-season and be a top SP prospect at some point this season, but it appears he is destined to be a reliever. It makes me wonder if he is struggling to learn better control or if he is just too stubborn and unwilling to make changes. You know control has had to be priority number one to work on for each off-season since he was drafted. 32 walks in 26 innings so far this season! It is disappointing to see such a lack of progress.
Has anyone said anything about work ethic or offseason preparation? I’d expect it is much more a higher level league, with higher level talent discipline and umpiring. The ERA is coming down, and if he can bring the WHIP numbers down over the next 6-8 starts that may show that it was adjusting to AA – if so, keep him starting.
Also, are their secondary analytical stats for MiLB readily available – does he have normal BABIP, hard hit %, FIP?
I would definitely like to see him continue to start and be given as much time as possible to put it together. His stuff seems to be about as unhittable as anyone else’s. But his walk rate is even higher than last year.
So much for Nightengale’s “McLain is the everyday SS”. Anyone watching the Reds the last 5 years knew that Bell would bench McLain shortly – two games and the 23 YO is exhausted. And while I think Barrero needs to start daily or be sent down, there’s no logic for starting Newman. McLain could have started at 2nd. He’s a better fielder there than at SS. All you Bell apologists, sharpen your rhetoric, because as the old saying goes, you guys are full of horse hockey.
Exactly right. I knew as soon as McLain wasn’t 5 for 8 with 2 HR to startchis MLB career …but instead only 2 for 8 the first two games that it was time for a break under David Bell… MLB manager mastermind
extraordinaire…. where we instead need to play everybody, ala kids rec ball 101. I wonder when the Bell defenders will finally see this for what it is???????
Yeah and your full of it too.
Wow @KevinH, you admit to being a Bell apologist? That’s something I guess. But, didn’t several of us state this would happen?
Yeah, agreed. I think most of us could see that move coming from a mile away with Bell. McLain should be starting at second with Newman on the bench. And Newman certainly should not be hitting in the five hole.
Why shouldn’t Newman be hitting in the five hole? Look at our team’s stats versus lefties.
Your all’s constant Newman complaining is tiring. Look at numbers first.
(I will accept any complaints when Newman starts against a righty).
To answer your question and address your points…I guess I am just coming from a different angle or seeing through a different lens. I know some here, including Doug, see a chance of winning the division. I see very little chance of that. They are sitting right about where I thought they would be. I want to see the rebuild all the way through, which in my eyes, starting a guy like Newman often and sitting young guys, hinders the rebuild. I want to see the young guys getting consistent at bats and consistent playing time at their likely future positions.
Newman is not a power hitter or an RBI guy…even compared to the rest of this low producing offense. I see the five hole as an important RBI spot in the order, because the 1-4 hitters are most likely to get on base. That is why I hate seeing Newman there.
I don’t mind you seeing it differently…just my opinions
That makes sense DW. And there is a fine line between what’s best for developing the team long-term and trying to win now. I prefer a little of both.
“there’s no logic for starting Newman”
.805 OPS versus lefties this year. .837 OPS versus lefties last year. Now check the rest of our teams stats against lefties.
What was that about being full of horse hockey??
I do agree McLain should be in there too.
Why should he? He a utility guy with no role in the future success of the Reds. In fact, he should never have been signed. Barrero at SS and McLain at 2nd, Senzel @3rd, and Steer at 1B, with India at DH should probably be the starting infield for a few weeks. I don’t care if Newman ever gets another start, let him PH.
I’m simply addressing your comment of no logic for starting Newman. The numbers above show there’s at least some logic in it.
I could understand getting bench players playing time to keep them fresh for pinch hitting but with the dh in both leagues, pinch hitting opportunities are greatly reduced. If McLain was going back and forth between 2nd and short with Louisville, no reason he cannot do it now. No need to play Newman over McLain at this point, let McLain play and see if he is ready
Today’s theme is “Movin’ On Up!” Reds are now tied for 3rd in the NL Central Division and ONLY 2 games back in the very early chase for a NL Wild Card spot!
Need to win today to complete another series win and then head bsck to GABP to face the Yankees!
Hoping Ashcraft can twirl a gem today. Good to see Senzel continue to stroke.
McLain could of played 10 games in a row and a few armchair managers would be upset. Who knows why he is out of line up. Reds are 19-23 and playing decent baseball.
The bell bashing is getting very tiresome. And no I don’t like his style, however they are winning and pitching better than last year.
All valid points. My frustration is Newman over McLain today since it isn’t a Lefty/Righty thing at all.
Then again, Newman is on 2nd with only 1 out right now, so that’s a good thing, right? 😀
Newman and Barrero getting it done.
Newman should be in there. Have you seen the rest of our team versus lefties (minus Senzel)?
However, I’d certainly have McLain in there too.
For whatever it’s worth to anyone the broadcast said that Bell already planned for MMc to be off today when he was called up.
Yessir he makes his lineup in advance,regardless of how a player is playing
If I’m correct, McLain had already played every game for a week straight plus one more (Sunday through Tuesday) and did the short-notice travel to Denver … am I getting that right?
I guess it’s just the way I think. I don’t know but I can see why it may be important not to let an older guy play a whole week without a day off but I do not understand why it’s so important for a guy like McLain.
As you know, I am NOT a big supporter of Bell. His lineups are his and they are what they are! The most frustrating thing is today, like other times this season, we have a chance to win a series and I don’t see a sense of urgency to go for the “kill shot”! I hope Bell proves me and other doubters wrong today and makes the necessary moves (pitching & batting) to win today!
And, of course, as I just sent the reply to Kevin, Maile hits a double and drives in a run! Just Win Baby!
Just win!!! LOL@ Dennis
Ashcraft’s best friend and 2 more bike helmets.
Aggressive move by Jose there … Can’t say I hate it. Don’t like the result, but we have to score early and often at Coors Homerun Park.
I agree. Barrero was probably keying on the throw being over the reach of the cutoff man. It was a good play and strong throw by the catcher to get him.
Reds should have no problems scoring on this guy
Luke wants to play more
Who loves 3 catchers? Raise your hand – you in the back there.
+500
😀 😛 😉
@LDS,
Suggesting people who support bell is of horse hockey to me is very ignorant as the implied is read. A bell “apologist” what does that even mean. Bell isn’t the worse manager and this is 2023 not 1975. Do I like bells in game decisions at times no. Do I like that McLain isn’t playing today? No, however the issue is you basically saying people are well….. and that isn’t cool.
I do apologize for posting back as I shouldn’t do that either.
Bell is one of the worst managers in baseball. His tenure demonstrates that. We’ll disagree on that. But as I said, a good number of us said Bell would bench McLain quickly. It’s just his pattern.
Rockies SP is at 51 pitches thru 2 innings! Doesn’t look like he’ll have a complete game today! Let’s keep putting up those crooked numbers and give Ashcraft a cushion!
Ashcraft @24 pitches through 2 IP is exactly what I like seeing from him.
Through 2 Innings, 6 of 9 guys have been on base. Lineup so far so good. Hopefully Steer, Fairchild, and Myers can get hits in their next at-bats.
I don’t think we should be negative toward each other, but let’s all agree that it’s hard to understand some of Bell’s moves. Who bats a .205 hitter 4th?
Yes agree 100%
Fairchild! Who’s now batting .200!
T.J Hopkins.
De La Cruz and CES called up for Yankees series. Would be sweet. As @Dennis said Just Win!!
Exciting times these are! Can’t wait to see if “the kids” can compete & contribute at the ML level.
I needs to find a way to budget some of that cool new black gear. Thinking t-shirt and hat.
BTW – anybody else see this update on Wade-the-Hulk:
https://www.mlbtraderumors.com/2023/05/brewers-to-place-wade-miley-on-il-with-lat-strain.html
Nice timing by Steer. Strong, quick through by Senzel even though it was a little tall.
And I’ll take 33 through 3 for Ashcraft all freaking day long.
Yep. The tweet about Miley lost out to the Jayson Stark tease about the impact of the rules changes for tweet of the day in the game preview.
I figured Miley was 2 seasons down stream from the Reds; and, the rules were more pertinent to the Reds. But it was a close call 😉
Ashcraft may pitch 9 innings and less than 80 pitches at this rate. LOL
I’ll bet my pathetic government salary that never happens! But, would be the first complete game by a Reds SP this season I believe!
I wonder what the odds would be … 😮
Yep
Oh, and if we roll back the clock a full year, some of the conversation is the same but there is quite a bit more passion this season. That’s because of what we’re seeing. As Red told Andy … “Hope is a dangerous thing.”
Don’t we know it! What’s for dinner Mark?
Weekly grilling of chicken breasts and yellow/red bell peppers. Probably fresh guac. All in a “street taco” for me (adding salsa and sour cream).
Poor Myers. Now officially under .200. Barrero another hit. 🙂
I do believe all of Myers stats are wretched … BA, OPS, and OBP. Still might have some power left, but seems that’s a bit rare from him.
His appearance is that he’s got nothing left in the hitting department.
We may not have the pitcher batting anymore, but Myers is about the same thing….he is as close to a automatic out as there is…it doesn’t matter if he’s ahead in the count, behind in the count….it’s mindboggling
Seems to me like Myers is unwilling to make any adjustments with his hitting approach at the plate! I don’t get to see many of his ABs but those I have seen it appears that he still sets ups too far from the plate, resulting in his swinging (and missing) most, if not all, of the pitches on the outside (1st base side) of the plate! Just sayin’!
He closed his stance a little, but he’s still so far from the plate. That makes the swing very long and means he’s using longer lumber.
He looks like some of the kids I used to coach in little league that were afraid of the ball. He is stepping in the bucket. I know you can see he is stepping forward, but his body is not going towards the pitcher. Anything on the outer half he misses by a half mile. Time for someone else in RF.
Oh my Luke really, really, REALLY wants to play more.
Wonder if Stephenson is playing hurt?
Well, at least one of our three (3) catchers can hit TODAY!
Senzel ripped it hard. Steer flared it and took 2nd on them. Time for the 14-year-old to convert his first today.
Love the aggressiveness the reds are showing
Stuey looked like he hardly touched that…ground rule double
That’s part of the attractiveness of Fairchild’s game to me. He has a whippy snap to his swing that generates power when it is dialed in.
He looks more like a guess hitter this year than last and needs to adjust especially at 2 strikes to make sure to get the ball in play or spoil pitches until he can walk if he wants to stick around as anymore than bench player.
Isn’t that what a cleanup hitter is supposed to do?
Reds will win it all if Maile and Fairchild slug like this 🙂
That’s my Cleanup hitter.
Singled to death … almost.
Still have a GIDP and bike helmets as a possibility. That’s what I’m hoping for here.
Crap!!!
Recover and breath, Graham.
Ashcraft struggling, may need to get the bullpen boys up!
This is why you play all 9 innings at Coors.
That helps … that helps a LOT!!
Can never have too many runs when you are playing the Rockies at Coors Field!
3 hits and a walk….No visit from the pitching coach.
now 4 hits
He’s probably playing Candy Crush on his I-pad
that is a disappointing start for Ashcraft, givin 5 runs & you can’t hold it!
that was an unfortunate inning
That unraveled fast. Like Brantley said the hardest hit ball was too Barrero.
Well going by what he said
The only good thing is that Ashcraft still has a reasonable pitch count! But, Bell will be Bell. Gotta get those runs back!
Oh my – go out for a little recreational garden weeding, and come back to find a Rockies game has broken out.
Fraley doesn’t have any hits to show for it today but he’s not hitting poor either. Sometimes the “splits” don’t tell the whole story.
You just can’t blow 5-0 lead with your best starter on the hill, Colorado or not it just shouldn’t happen. The Rockies bull pen is very good this could easily be a loss.
Total implosion by Ashcraft
Are these young pitchers regressing compared to last year being the rookie year? It seems they may cruise for the first time through the lineup or so and then wham the wheels fall off.
Amazed he let Ashcraft start the 6th
That would seem to be a mistake in retrospect, wouldn’t it?
Sims kind of let it get out of control, too.
Kind of puts Williamson’s pitching last night into a new perspective.
But sometimes when a team starts to get offensive momentum, everything looks good to hit.
What a disappointing game this has become, whether you support Bell or not, the blame has to be on the starting pitcher. The big 3 have been horrible as of late.
Is it a mental thing? Lack of confidence?
You are right though
This is just so frustrating.
Memo to the Reds game running crew:
Pitches don’t bite and break as well at Coors as they do at most other MLB venues.
The bullpen of yore . . .
Sims is like gasoline on a fire…..good god
Sims and Colorado is not a good combination.
Down by 4, time to clear the bench.
OK, I’m out for the day. I’ve seen enough for now.
Maile and Fairchild will help get some runs back :). I might be wrong here but Reds have failed to develop any good home grown pitchers right? Can we count Cueto and Castillo as homegrown? Bailey never developed to be an Ace expected of him right?
eleven straight runs in 2 innings ….the definition of embarrassing
Well, that escalated quickly, didn’t it?
So how long until we hear that Ashcraft is dealing with some kind of injury? Or is he just that bad? The entire starting rotation is a huge concern at this point. Not sure what the answer is, but it’s not looking good.
Of course Bell will be on the postgame mummering about how great everything is going
I wonder if anyone could look up the Reds record the last couple years on the last game of series only. It feels like that record would be terrible, but may just be recency bias on my side.
As it turns out tomorrow is a horrible time for a day off. They will have to sit on this embarrassing effort for 2 days. If you look at the next few weeks this season could get out of control in a hurry if the starting pitching isn’t straightened out in a hurry. Next 23 Home = (14) Yanks – 3, Cardinals – 4, Brewers – 4, Dodgers -3, Away = (9) Cubs – 3, Red Sox – 3, Cardinals – 3. That stretch could easily put this season to bed.
and you also failed to mention; during those games the manager will be David Bell
When Berrero was going good earlier, he was walking more than usual.
Good to see him get 2 walks today…as well as 2 hits.
Well, that went south quickly! Left work with the score tied 5-5! So much for winning the series!
Leading by 6 runs and Colorado pitcher walked 2 hitters :). Dumb and Dumber version of baseball.
Even the faintest of hope…gets dashed by Myers infield pop
why can’t you pinch hit for a guy who is hitting under 200…..Bell strikes again!
There are $7.5 million reasons why. But, yeah, ship him off somewhere. A bit over 1/4 of the season is gone and he’s done nothing
Well he did have two back to back good games that we all attributed to his moving closer to the plate. It turned out that was just dumb luck that is the nature of baseball
The real question is what’s going on with Ashcraft and Greene. We know the answer on Lodolo now. But the big three have seemed to regress significantly. Fairchild, Barrero, and Maile did well. Sims’ hot streak crashed big time. A day off will do them good. The odd thing is Bell sticking to the lineup. Not his typical pattern.
There is absolutely no reason to let Myers bat with the game on the line….not even the biggest Bell apologist can make an excuse for that !