The Cincinnati Reds need a win today if they want to attempt to split the series against Milwaukee after the Brewers took the first two games of the 4-game series at Great American Ball Park. The two teams will take the field this afternoon with first pitch set for 1:40pm ET.
Starting Lineups
Milwaukee Brewers
|
Cincinnati Reds
|
| Christian Yelich – LF | Kevin Newman – DH |
| Owen Miller – 3B | Matt McLain – SS |
| Rowdy Tellez – 1B | Jonathan India – 2B |
| Jon Singleton – DH | Jake Fraley – RF |
| Andruw Monasterio – 2B | Spencer Steer – 1B |
| Blake Perkins – RF | Tyler Stephenson – C |
| Brice Turang – SS | Nick Senzel – 3B |
| Victor Caratini – C | Will Benson – CF |
| Joey Wiemer – CF | T.J. Hopkins – LF |
| Adrian Houser – RHP | Ben Lively – RHP |
Starting Pitchers
| Pitcher | IP | ERA | WHIP | BB | K |
| Ben Lively | 22.2 | 1.99 | 0.93 | 5 | 24 |
| Adrian Houser | 24.1 | 4.07 | 1.60 | 7 | 17 |
| Links: Ben Lively’s Stats | Adrian Houser’s Stats |
|||||
Ben Lively
Coming off of his best start so far this season, Ben Lively is looking to keep his outstanding return to the big leagues going. Through five games he’s got a 1.99 ERA and has racked up 24 strikeouts in 22.2 innings.
This season in the big leagues has been limited, but while there are some splits for Ben Lively he’s been strong against both lefties and righties. The only real difference so far is that left-handed hitters have hit for a bit more power than righties have. Both sides are under .200 with low walk rate against Lively.
Splits
| Split | PA | H | 2B | 3B | HR | BB | K | AVG | OBP | SLG |
| RHH | 40 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 12 | .189 | .250 | .270 |
| LHH | 48 | 9 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 12 | .196 | .229 | .370 |
Pitch Usage
| 4-seam | 2-seam | Cutter | Curve | Slider | Change | |
| Velo | 91.3 | 91.6 | 88.8 | 75.9 | 80.6 | 84.7 |
| Usage | 31% | 19% | 11% | 9% | 21% | 8% |
Adrian Houser
After having back-to-back outings without allowing any runs, Adrian Houser allowed six earned runs on 11 hits and three walks in just 4.1 innings against Toronto that nearly doubled his ERA on the season (he’s only made five starts this year).
This season both lefties and righties are hitting over .300 against Houser, but they are not hitting for much power so far. A big time ground ball pitcher, Houser doesn’t miss too many bats but he keeps the ball on the ground and in the ballpark.
Splits
| Split | PA | H | 2B | 3B | HR | BB | K | AVG | OBP | SLG |
| RHH | 63 | 19 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 11 | .317 | .349 | .417 |
| LHH | 47 | 13 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 6 | .310 | .362 | .357 |
Pitch Usage
| 4-Seam | 2-Seam | Curve | Slider | Split | |
| Velo | 94.1 | 92.8 | 80.6 | 83.8 | 84.8 |
| Usage | 31% | 38% | 7% | 15% | 8% |
When and Where
- Game time: 1:40pm ET
- Where: Great American Ball Park
- Watch: Bally Sports Ohio, MLB.tv
- Listen: 700 WLW AM (Cincinnati area)
- Forecast: 82°, sunny, 0% chance of rain
News and Notes
Andrew Abbott is getting called up
This morning the Reds added left-handed pitcher Andrew Abbott to the taxi squad and announced that he will start tomorrow. He is starting in place of Hunter Greene, who is being pushed to Sunday as he deals with stiffness in his hip. If you want to read more about Abbott, we’ve got you covered right here.
The Legend of Elly De La Cruz just gets bigger
Last night saw Elly De La Cruz do another thing on a baseball field that when described to you doesn’t make sense and seems made up. But since it’s 2023 we can also show the video and well, just go watch it.
Joey Votto’s rehab
Last night saw Joey Votto play in his first game on his rehab assignment. He started at DH and went 0-4. He made contact in all four at-bats. But more important, at least to my eyes, his swing looked 1000% better than it did in his last rehab assignment. His swing was more smooth, athletic, and his bat speed was better. Every single thing about it looked better and it was easily noticeable when compared to what things looked like in April. He’s back in the lineup for Louisville this afternoon and he’s in the field today at first base.
Standings
| Team | W | L | GB | Playoff Odds |
| Brewers | 31 | 27 | 0.0 | 58.6% |
| Pirates | 30 | 27 | 0.5 | 20.6% |
| Reds | 26 | 32 | 5.0 | 2.0% |
| Cubs | 25 | 32 | 5.5 | 12.6% |
| Cardinals | 25 | 34 | 6.5 | 29.9% |
| Playoff Odds via Fangraphs | ||||
Of all the reds pitchers, I actually feel pretty good about running Lively out there today with the way he’s been pitching. Gonna need some big hits today
Big game today from a confidence stand point I think. Is this reds team probably gonna keep pace all season? No. But would picking up the next two be a good “look guys – we can play ball with the top” kind of boost for a young team? Absolutely.
Good to hear the observations about Joey’s swing. If he can work that back to some semblance of “normal” he can still make an impact.
Will be interesting to see how the boys perform today after coming up short last night. We really need to split this series, so that means we need today and tomorrow. But today has to happen first.
Good to see Abbott coming up. Hopefully Lively and Weaver can continue to pitch decent. Greene has pitched well but still throwing way too many pitches early in his games. I think Ashcraft will continue to struggle. He may not be hurt, but something is wrong.
On the offensive side, De La Cruz and CES should have been brought up before the Milwaukee series. Will they be here for the Dodgers? I’m guessing they probably won’t be.
If there is any validity to the theory that the Reds are waiting for 200 PA, like they basically did the last two seasons before promoting EDLC to a higher level, then it shouldn’t be too long. Before the game today he had 181 PA. He’s already had two more today.
OK, just about time to Kick this Bernie Brewer Pig!!
Would rather see barerro in there than senzel today. Senzel back to hitting infield choppers again. Play him or send him down to AAA where he can get at bats. Barerro has much more potential to help this team in 2024 than senzel does. By Playing him once or twice a week we will never find out.
I hope you are kidding. Barrero couldn’t start on the Louisville Bats right now. Whatever the fascination is with Barrero I would love to know. Senzel on his worst day is light years better than barerro any day of the week.
They were basically the same player stats-wise in May, except Senzel is older and has had more chances.
He’s young. his potential has been touted for some time. Look, if they’re giving Newman starts why not Barredo? We have to see what he has to give. He got screwed before when he was rushed up. It’s not like playing Barredo is going to cost us a playoff slot.
I agree. I don’t see any reason why Newman should be starting so many games.
It may very well be a “showcase for a trade thing”. The Reds do need backup players and none of the young guys should be sitting on the bench. Having said that I’ve been looking at where Lopez has been playing in AAA. Within the past week he’s been at 2B, SS, 3B, RF (which means he can also play LF), and DH. The knock on him has always been he’s just a “singles” hitter. So far this year he has 14 doubles, a triple, and four home runs. Of course he’s also a switch hitter. His line before today’s game is .279/.355/.426.
Against RH pitching with 130 ABs – .285/.377/.462
Against LH pitching with 60 ABs – .267/.302/.350
Not a bad “backup” that doesn’t need to play every day but very versatile and gives you a switch hitter off the bench. Most importantly to someone like el cheapo Big Bob he’s cheap. 🙂
He’s even pitched one inning without giving up a run. 🙂 lol
Against RH’ers, Barrero has better numbers than Newman, roughly 100 pts on OPS+. But, he has potential and Newman is Newman, a veteran presence with a mediocre career. In other words, exactly Bell’s kind of player.
Senzel is having a solid season so far. Glad he is healthy and doing well.
Okay lets roll, positive vibes only lol.. For this fan
For anyone into streaming an additional source, the Bats game today appears to be the free game of the day on MiLB
https://www.milb.com/
Well, that’s not a good start. Shades of yesterday 😮
How do you make that emoji?
Kevin – it’s a colon and lower-case o
😮
😮
From the looks of it, the Reds have several guys who have played in CF this year who would have given that one a stronger effort and quite possibly caught it. But not today. A day late and a dollar short for Benson on that effort.
Yeah … it kind of drifted from what I saw. Not sure it was catchable even with a perfectly timed jump. But Benson did kind of look like a spectator.
Lively off to a good start
Newman gonna hit a lead off homerun. Callin it
or not LOL
Greene to miss a start. Lively has no command. This thing could slip away fast, but it’s still a team with alot of potential.
Easy to forget Levi Stoudt, but he’s got a live arm. I’m sure he’ll get some chances this summer.
Reds need to teach pitchers how to throw strikes. Nibbling around the edges. Throw strikes! If you are afraid to throw a strike, then you don’t need to be in the Bigs. We walk more batters than any team I’ver ever seen,..and they always come back to haunt us. No excuse for that! 2 walks and one swing,..behind 3 – 0. Pitiful! THROW STRIKES!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
The constant nibbling by Mahle is what frustrated me so much. Really hate to see that as, at least to me, it indicates a lack of command and a tendency to “throw” rather than “pitch”.
Hopefully Abbott takes Barrero’s spot on the 26. Send him down to play everyday. Sitting on the bench to pinch run is a waste. His hitting isn’t going to get better sitting on the bench. Did the same thing to Lopez last year. Sat on the bench most of the week.
He needs a pitcher’s spot if I understand the rules correctly. 26-man needs to be 13/13. And you’d have to DFA Barrero to make that happen anyway. Need a 40-man spot.
I don’t believe it must be 13/13, just that you can’t have more than 13 pitches. You are allowed to have fewer than 13, though.
That’s why I said on the “26” man spot. There are plenty people Drop from the 40. I can pick one right now in Kuhnel
Thanks, Doug. I know the “exception” involves a 2-way player based on the specific rules that govern that role.
Looked it up:
https://www.mlb.com/glossary/transactions/26-man-roster
Doug is correct. 13 pitchers max with the 2-way player being an exception.
Agree, Barrero needs everyday ABs. He knows what he needs to work on. Once EDLC comes up, he needs to play n AAA everyday! He’s out of time w/ younger players improving faster than he is. Maybe allow him to thrive n AAA & package n trade IF he can’t play 4 Reds @ ML level??
You can brag all you want about the stolen bases in this series, but the fact is they lost both games and trail 3 – 0 today to a team that quite frankly isn’t that good.
But apparently cant bunt when the situation calls for it in the 10th. I’m done watching until they bring up the right people.
This is why I am not in favor of keeping David Bell as a manager after tgis year. Yeah he’s okay bumping along but when the pressure ratchets up his teams play tight and he manages tight and you get your ass kicked three days in a row at home. Had they won these three games they’d be tied for first…as it is they’re six games out. Teams are usually a reflection of the manager and the Reds are a reflection of David Bell…not big time. He’s okay, but he’ll never lead you anywhere that matters.
Lively has settled in nicely. Now lets get a rally going!!
He was bailed out 2x that inning by the defense. Not sure I’d call that “settled in”. Though I will grant you the walk issues aren’t there.
The curse of no tv, thanks for letting me know lol..
Fraley and Steer with some nice plays that inning. Got to hold the Bernies down if we want to climb back out of the hole.
Down 10-1 yesterday and came back, in a loss as we know. That showed me this team is good and never quits
Someone stocked up on happy pills))
thank you for the compliment
I’m not quite that optimistic until they show me something. I agree they seem to keep at it. That’s also key to winning a comeback game.
And would they have been down 10-1 with better pitcher management? No. Bell has given away the last 3 games. He let Herget get shelled on Thursday, Ashcraft on Saturday. On Friday, no thoughts of small ball and scoring in extra innings. Newman is starting and leading off against a RH’er despite only one hit in the last 3 games. The Reds are going no where. Probably won’t lose 100 games this year, but with their pitching, it’s still possible. A 3-22 streak could happen at any time, especially once Myers, Ramos, and Votto are back and starting.
Funny if Bell would of pulled Ashcraft I am willing to bet you and others would of complained he pulled him too soon. Again we dont know who was and wasn’t available in the games you mentioned. Bell didn’t lose those games. The reds inability to score with runners in scoring position lost those games. The other team maybe just maybe was better that day. My God not everything is David Bells fault.
It is so easy to sit here on a website with a chat feature and criticize everything Bell does when in fact you or others don’t know all the ends and outs of the bullpen that day, who is available and who isn’t. This isn’t little league or church softball we are talking about this is major league baseball and it isn’t as easy as some of you suggest.
You’re right, it isn’t little league or church ball. Yet Bell manages as if it were. Excuse Bell if you choose, but we’re on the 5th year with the same patterns being repeated over and over again. If you think Bell is the guy to lead a young team forward, more power to you. As for failure to score with RISP, who decides who bats, who bunts, who steals, etc. These guys aren’t Joe Morgan, Ricky Henderson, et al., they don’t have green lights to run wild. If the division wasn’t so pathetic, the Reds would be back in last place to start the week.
And as for pulling pitchers, Lively is clearly past his expiration date and needs to come out.
So who would you bring in to pitch for Lively? Since you are the manager, who is available to pitch out of the bullpen today? How many innings are they available? How many bullpen pitchers do you want to use today?
All of them if necessary. The goal is to win. I know that as Reds fans we have forgotten that. But that’s still the goal.
Couldn’t get much closer than that a 1B. Nice bare-handed grab and throw.
Gonna overturn this one.
Newman/Senzel vs righties = 1 for 8
Stephenson/Fairchild/Barrero = 2 for 12
Getting a little old
What are you talking about? Barrero hasn’t played in 3 days.
When he does play
That… Makes no sense.
It’s quite amazing that Stephenson still has not hit lower than 6th this entire year, when he’s been essentially terrible at the plate all year long. He has come up in so many big scoring situations this year and basically gone o-fer the entire…amazing. I just don’t get it… why is he not batting 7th or 8th every single day that he’s playing? Of course part of it could be that from 6 through 9 the order is basically terrible and that’s because the Reds won’t bring up the guys from AAA that can actually hit and help them win games.
2 challenges in 4 innings and we won them both. We’ll take all that action we can get.
Nice adjustment by Lively to tap the bag.
Watching Paul Blackburn pitch for Oakland at the sportsbook while I watch this one. He’s not that bad. Made 21 starts for the A’s last year w/a 4.28 era. They could probably get him if they wanted
Can he drive in runs?
Feels a bit like 2019
Reds traded for Sonny gray offseason and signed him to extension then traded for 1.5 years of bauer in summer 2019
They need SP
And we benefit from that carry. Bring him across now and start climbing out of the hole.
It is obvious that the Reds don’t care about winning this season. If they did there is no way that EDLC and CES would not be up. They must have convinced themselves that they can’t compete at this time so they should let them develop more, what a joke and an insult to the fans.
I mean, you should have been tipped off to the fact they weren’t planning on competing the second they signed Wil Myers and Kevin Newman.
But you’re correct, the Reds are still a year away. They don’t have the pitching to compete yet, and their young players are still too inexperienced. What the Reds need to do is get Newman and Myers off the team and let the young players play so they can see what they have going into next year.
Unfortunately they didn’t sign Newman, they gave up a reliever that just went the whole month of May without allowing an earned run. Just a horrendous trade.
Ugh, even worse. They gave up something in order to acquire a player who is preventing the younger players from playing.
People love to say “Newman is playing well!”. I say, “So what?” How does that help the future of this team at all? Newman is about to turn 30 years old, he is not going to be part of the Next Great Reds Team. He’s a below-average hitter (OPS+ 91 as I type this) who plays below average defense. (-0.3 WAR as I type this). He might be a decent bench piece on a good team. But if he’s a starter on your team, you cannot expect to be taken seriously as a contender.
So I say, if the team is not going to compete anyway, why not get rid of all the “gritty vets” and go with a full youth movement? We’re starting to see some signs of that with McLain, Hopkins, Abbott and Benson on the team, but they still need to ditch Newman and Myers to open up two more spots on the 40-man.
The real insult to the fans is losing and also not letting the young players develop. I can tolerate losing if the kids are gaining experience. I can’t tolerate losing if dead-ends like Newman and Myers are getting significant playing time.
Lucky Rowdy snagged that one. Too bad McLain had to freeze there.
OK, Rake … it’s time.
Nuts. Just missed it.
Rally attempt killed. Inning over. Hole still as deep.
Stink. Fish. Pot!!!
McLain would’ve made 3rd on that throw across the diamond and without sliding. Cost us a run. Hope they talk to him later
Yep. As soon as the ball gets released you run. Should already be 10-feet off the bag.
No doubt about that one. To the #8 guy after falling behind in the count and offering up a cookie. Hole now deeper.
And he’s tossing batting practice.
Clearly doesn’t have it, but no urgency to get someone else in there. Disappointing.
The problem is obvious today, home runs, they are constantly being out homered. That is more reason to bring up EDLC and CES, they might actually hit a few out of GABP. The thrill of the 5 game winning streak is all but gone.
We sweep at Wrigley; take 2 of 3 at Fenway; come home and barf up 2 lungs (so far) …
I don’t have the answers. I have plenty of questions same as y’all. Some of it is on HDTBell’s approach. Some of it is on the lack of plate discipline. Some of it is due to a very young and inexperienced team.
It’s not like I want my $100 back for this season’s MLB.tv subscription. But I sure don’t want to do the math on cost per win.
I’m just frustrated like most of the long-time Reds fans. At least we have this forum to vent and discuss and commiserate. Without that, I’d be totally scrooged.
This home stand is looking like the opposite or even worse than the last road trip. With a loss today they would have to win tomorrow and sweep the Dodgers to have a winning home stand and that ain’t happening. Right now 3 and 4 sounds tough, 2 and 5 or worse is much more likely, very disappointing.
There is an outside chance the Reds will win ONE game on this homestand.
Sorry to say, but I am not surprised that the Reds will likely be swept by the Brewers.
There was YUGE excitement last week when the Reds swept the Cubs and won 2 of 3 from the Red Sox, but this is what they call…a reality check.
They could not keep the momentum going against the Brewers because the Reds simply don’t have enough talent on the field. There are some really good players out there, but just not enough.
Period.
They ended up scoring 8 runs last night and still lost.
One run loss on Friday. (but Spencer Steer got a day off, that was good)
They are being shut out, at home, today.
Anything could happen tomorrow with Andrew Abbott starting. He may shut down the Brewers, may get clobbered, may have a respectable debut outing.
But you can’t put it on a rookie, first MLB start, to end a 4 game losing streak.
And then….the Dodgers.
Well, let’s see. Down by 5, a single here would pretty much lose the game in the 5th inning. But Lively still has 20 pitches left according to the algorithm. I could replace him but probably won’t get as lucky as I did yesterday and it’s also unlikely the team can mount a big comeback after the fiasco of yesterday. All, it doesn’t matter. Need to get a win tomorrow. Throw in the towel and come back strong tomorrow. How about that Freddie… You’re the boss…boss. Ha=ha.
Heavy dose of sinkers and Reds hitters can’t square the bats. Keep it under 8 and we have a chance.
Baseball is a funny game. Reds are a young team and will have these growing pains. While I question Bell’s approach at times, I realize its not all him. Players play and have to execute. Players pitch, bunt, steal, etc etc.. I don’t know who calls what, and I don’t know who is ready to come out of bullpen any given day. Would a different manager make a difference? Probably not, Look at the O’s they stuck with Hyde I think it is and they are now rolling. Give this team time
For those suffering through the John Sadak show, what’s he have to say about this contest?
Just curious 😛
Sadak was talking about wanting to meet Barry Larkin’s dog when I turn the game on briefly a few innings ago. I am betting Larkin only talks to him on game days.
+1,000 😀
Better batter than the endless factoids. I can only wonder why Larkin chose to get in this booth. If he thinks he has a future as a commentator or a manager or whatever he’s wrong, even though he is tolerable unlike the announcer. Can he do whatever he is doing and still fulfill whatever role he has with the actual ball team? Seems to me there is a lack of seriousness all around in this booth and by the men that let them sit there.
Next 8 series they play 5 juggernauts and @ St Louis. It’s over. Hopefully EDLC will atleast give them some hope for the future if they ever actually call him up
Watching Louisville. DFA Karcher please. He shouldn’t be taking a 40 spot. Error on Strand at 3rd, pass ball( should have been wild pitch) wild pitch, base hit on drawn in infield. Karchers day over. Bring in new pitcher( Bracho) gives up three run homer. EDLC looks bored to death at short
Bracho walks next batter and then gives up a two run homer. Pitching is good in at Louisville.
Next batter another homer. Worcester has 8 hits and 5 are homers. Lmao
Next batter hits grounder to third and goes right under the glove of Strand. He should be a DH because he still is horrible in the field. Moving Steer off of first would be the wrong choice.
Frield went down and the offense went down with him. Can’t explain any other way. Hitting Newman lead off has not planned out.
Frield and McLain at the top or I Dian and McLain at the top sets the table nicely.
I have to say McLain is better than an average SS whether the scouts believe so or not.
+500
Steer growing at 1B. Nice snag by MattyMc as well.
After the 1st inning, anyone who had Lively giving us 7 raise your hand?
If you’re going to dig a hole, at least go the distance and keep the pen fresh. I’ll give a hat-tip to HDTBell for not pulling him at this point.
Fair enough, but I am disappointed in the subdued urgency to try to win these games. I’m not sure how that teaches a team how to win. Okay, back to my corner where I will be quiet. 😉
Thrall and Cowboy commenting on the low energy vibe from our guys today.
haha You don’t have to be quiet. You need to vent like the rest of us. I agree with you. The division was there for the taking this weekend. Reds management did little to show they were trying hard to win.
That’s one back 😀
Something has to be done about Stephenson, his contact is so soft.
I’m thinking he needs an IL stint. Something is definitely wrong.
He has to be the most over high hyped hitter that I can remember on the Reds in the last 10 years. He rarely hits the ball hard for as big of a guy as he is and he strikes out so often with guys on base it’s not even funny
This just in … Rowdy Tellez can hit stuff that’s basically on a tee.
For one game in Boston, Bell played Newman in the leadoff spot against a lefthanded starter. Which ok, fine, Newman hits left-handed pitchers well, I can’t argue with that move.
But then, inexplicably, Bell seems to have made him a full-time starter and has left him at leadoff to face right-handed pitchers.
Newman does not hit right-handed pitchers well. He has a .238 AVG, .298 OBP, and .572 OPS against right-handed pitchers.
I don’t understand why Bell is doing this. Why not move India back to leadoff? Don’t you want your best hitters to get the most ABs? If you must play Newman, fine, hit him at the bottom of the order.
By the way, for comparison, For comparison, Barrero has a .232 AVG, .297 OBP, and .663 OPS against right-handed pitchers. AVG and OBP are basically identical, but Barrero hits for more power than Newman against right-handed pitchers. All things being equal, why wouldn’t you start Barrero instead?
It seems fairly clear that Barrero is on the outside looking in at this team’s future. There’s not much more the management can do to make that clear.
And why do you think that is, Tom?
And even if the team has given up on Barrero, what point is there in playing Newman? He’s not part of the team’s future, either.
So all things being equal, wouldn’t it make sense to play the player who gives you the better chance to win? In this case, at least based on stats, that would be Barrero.
I can’t say for sure. But when you have essentially moved him to center field and then almost never give him a chance to play there in live action to get “reps” to get better, there is no evident “plan for the future” for that. You have Benson today playing center instead of Barrero. Benson is doing better, but still batting under .200. He shows no signs of being a building block of the future. I can’t answer why the team is handling Barrero this way, but he certainly isn’t getting the treatment of players like McLain, Steer, etc., who are clearly seen as pieces of the future.
I have absolutely no way to know this for sure, but it seems clear that they like Newman better than Barrero. Newman has at least another year of team control.
I have always gotten the impression that David Bell, for whatever reason, personally dislikes Barrero.
I have no idea what happened behind the scenes that caused it, but ever since Barrero was called up 3 years ago, Bell has done nothing but treat him with contempt. When he was first called up, he was putting up McLain-like numbers in AAA, but as soon as he arrived in Cincinnati, David Bell sat him on the bench and only gave him a few spot starts. That treatment has continued the whole time Barrero has been in Cincinnati under David Bell, and I really can’t quite explain it.
So if that’s the case, I hope Barrero is given the Edwin Encarnacion treatment and traded away to a team who will give him a chance to play. I’m not a Barrero fan, per se, but I believe in fairness. I don’t think Barrero has ever been given a fair shot or a positive environment by David Bell, and it seems like he never will.
I’d like to have some hope here … I really would. And we’re not mathematically out of this game yet. But still … 8)
Have a great rest of your Sunday, friends. I’ve got some beautiful Angus T-bones to grill for dinner. That will make up for a little of this frustration.
MMM Sounds good as usual. 🙂
I am alright with the idea of firing Bell now. The Reds are led by a bunch of comedians. ELDC should have been here for this series. I take my hat off to those who supported Bell’s firing previously. You were right. I told you it did not make sense. I was wrong. Look at the players on this field. The best baseball player is in AAA. What a bunch amateurs…
You might say the best two are in triple A.
I have been really impressed with Friedl, McLain, India, Fraley and Steer this season. I think Stephenson will bounce back next season.
In Terms of pitchers, Greene, Young, Lively, Williamson, Salazar, Weaver and Diaz all have looked good at times.
Add a the young players like EDLC, CES and Abbot and the team has a nice core
Moving forward.
The rest of them including Senzel, Benson, Newman, Casali, Ramos, Cruz and the like can all go.
I would keep Maile, Fairchild, Ashcraft, Lodolo and hope they eventually pan out, but I think it would be a mistake to count on them. The front office Team made a mistake by depending on “The big three” this season. Hopefully, they will learn by their mistake.
I forgot Buck Farmer. I think he is a keeper as well.
Oops forgot Jose Barerro…I wouldn’t give up on him yet, but wouldn’t depend on him either.
A 5 game winning streak followed by a 4 game losing streak. Shines the brights on the illusion of Reds being competitive. Same pattern, different year.