It’s tough to imagine a way that either of these two teams could top the game that was played last night, but you should probably watch and or listen just in case. The Cincinnati Reds are riding a 12-game winning streak after last night’s victory that put an end to Atlanta’s 8-game winning streak. The match up between the two first place clubs is set for a 4:10pm ET start.
Starting Lineups
Atlanta Braves
|
Cincinnati Reds
|
| Ronald Acuna Jr. – RF | Kevin Newman – 3B |
| Ozzie Albies – 2B | Matt McLain – 2B |
| Austin Riley – 3B | Jonathan India – DH |
| Matt Olson – 1B | Elly De La Cruz – SS |
| Marcell Ozuna – DH | Spencer Steer – LF |
| Travis d’Arnaud – C | Joey Votto – 1B |
| Eddie Rosario – LF | Nick Senzel – RF |
| Orlando Arcia – SS | TJ Friedl – CF |
| Michael Harris II – CF | Curt Casali – C |
| Jared Shuster – LHP | Graham Ashcraft – RHP |
Starting Pitchers
| Pitcher | IP | ERA | WHIP | BB | K |
| Graham Ashcraft | 65.0 | 6.78 | 1.62 | 30 | 50 |
| Jared Shuster | 41.1 | 4.57 | 1.38 | 22 | 23 |
| Links: Graham Ashcraft’s Stats | Jared Shuster’s Stats |
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Graham Ashcraft
Cincinnati activated Graham Ashcraft from the injured list prior to the game. He’s missed the last two weeks, last pitching on June 8th. After a strong to the year where he posted a 2.00 ERA in his first six starts, Aehcraft posted a 12.72 ERA in his next seven starts before hitting the injured list.
Right-handed hitters have had more success against Graham Ashcraft this season, but after struggling early, lefties have been doing quite well more recently. Since the start of May, left-handed hitters are hitting .453/.493/.656 against him. They hit .071/.188/.161 against him in April.
Splits
| Split | PA | H | 2B | 3B | HR | BB | K | AVG | OBP | SLG |
| RHH | 164 | 42 | 6 | 2 | 6 | 18 | 24 | .300 | .387 | .500 |
| LHH | 133 | 33 | 7 | 1 | 3 | 12 | 26 | .275 | .346 | .425 |
Pitch Usage
| 2-seam | Cutter | Slider | |
| Velo | 96.6 | 96.5 | 88.5 |
| Usage | 7% | 56% | 37% |
Jared Shuster
The lefty has been better against left-handed hitters this season. The rookie, however, hasn’t been all that effective when it comes to controlling the strikezone as he’s walked 22 batters this season with 23 strikeouts and that doesn’t matter much if he’s facing a lefty or righty. Shuster’s been a fly ball pitcher, but he’s kept the ball in the yard so far, giving up just two home runs in 41.1 innings.
Splits
| Split | PA | H | 2B | 3B | HR | BB | K | AVG | OBP | SLG |
| RHH | 134 | 29 | 7 | 2 | 1 | 15 | 15 | .246 | .336 | .364 |
| LHH | 41 | 6 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 7 | 8 | .188 | .317 | .313 |
Pitch Usage
| 4-Seam | Slider | Change | |
| Velo | 91.9 | 85.7 | 83.0 |
| Usage | 45% | 35% | 20% |
When and Where
- Game time: 4:10pm ET
- Where: Great American Ball Park
- Watch: Bally Sports Ohio, MLB.tv
- Listen: 700 WLW AM (Cincinnati area)
- Forecast: 86°, cloudy, 15% chance of rain
News and Notes
Ben Lively out, TBA for Sunday
The Reds rotation can’t catch a break. The club announced that Ben Lively will be unable to make his scheduled start tomorrow as he deals with a sore pec muscle and that for now the starter is TBA. Levi Stoudt is tomorrow’s scheduled starter for Louisville and is on the 40-man roster, so he could be in the running. Update: The team just placed him on the injured list, retroactive to Wednesday. no corresponding move was announced.
Alan Busenitz optioned to Triple-A
With Graham Ashcraft being activated to start today the Reds optioned reliever Alan Busenitz to Triple-A Louisville.
Joey Votto and others on the Reds, Elly De La Cruz
After last night’s game, Joey Votto had a whole lot to say about this team and Elly De La Cruz. We also took a look at what some in the national media are saying, too. Check all of that out here.
Standings
| Team | W | L | GB | Playoff Odds |
| Reds | 41 | 35 | 0.0 | 24.0% |
| Brewers | 39 | 36 | 1.5 | 48.6% |
| Cubs | 36 | 38 | 4.0 | 19.3% |
| Pirates | 35 | 40 | 5.5 | 4.3% |
| Cardinals | 31 | 44 | 9.5 | 12.0% |
| Playoff Odds via Fangraphs | ||||
Great crowd at GAPB For Hunter Greene Jersey Day. The shirts are actually pretty nice
Enjoy the game. Bring back a win!
Ashcraft needs to go to AAA and figure it out. The Reds need to bring in some pitching help.
Let the miracle continue. 🙂
I understand the whole “we need to start Newman instead of somebody good because we are facing a LHP”, but I don’t think that means they need to bat him 1st and drop Friedl down at 8th?
Especially since Frield provides more on the bases, and is hitting 50 points higher than Newman vs LHP.
With Ashcraft pitching, the Reds are going to need a lot of runs, and hopefully Newman getting the most AB’s in this game doesn’t come back to hurt them…
I think most agree with that. But at least TJ finally got to start vs a lefty.
When they change pitchers, it could get Fraley in that spot. Or Benson.
Eh, Newman has a better OPS than Friedl against LHP.
The REAL person who should be leading off is Nick Senzel. He has been absolutely demolishing LHP with a 1.192 OPS against them. He’s also faster than Newman, meaning he’s more beneficial on the bases.
But whatever, I learned long ago David Bell doesn’t actually care about stats, he just makes his lineups based on his “gut” feeling. Really makes me wonder if a better, more analytical manager could really unlock this team’s full potential, but I guess there’s no guarantee a new manager would follow the stats, either.
All things considered, Newman isn’t the best choice to leadoff, but he’s not the worst, either. With David Bell, I guess that’s good enough. All I can say is Bell is lucky he has players like EDLC and, until recently, Matt McLain who could keep bailing him out of his bad decisions.
Bell is the downside to Reds doing well this year. He’ll be back next year and the Reds actually need someone better. His pitching management alone should get him replaced.
It’s not just that David Bell should be fired, but that the Reds need to really do their due diligence and scout the right replacement. The appointment of his successor is crucial. I mean, really. This could, possibly, make or break the next decade of Reds baseball.
I don’t know who it should be, but there have to be plenty of candidates out there seeing the way this team is playing and realizing what they could do with their potential.
The Red would be dumb to get rid of Bell. This team plays the way it does because of Bell. How is that not obvious?!
Newman has batted leadoff several times during the current resurgence. Bell is reputed to pay attention to analytics, but he also has access to trainers, coaches, advance scouts, deeper-dive analytics and the players themselves. Of course he wins because of the players. All managers do. Boy, it didn’t take long.
@greenmtred, if he even looks at “analytics “, I’d be surprised. And if he does, he’s innumerate.
LDS: baloney.
Small thing.
Why not keep Busenitz with the club today, then swap him with Stoudt tomorrow?
They could use him if there’s a Reds blowout today.
I had the same thought. Why play short when you don’t have to?
They aren’t playing short. They now have 8 bullpen pitchers instead of 9.
Disregard my last comment. Just realized Lively to il
Interesting lineup today, however my concern is the starting rotation and injuries. All things considered the coaching staff of the reds deserve credit for the team recent successes.
I won’t get involved in the whole Newman thing as it has grown redundant
I have a T-shirt that says Department of Redundancy Department! Maybe I should send it to Bell
If Ashcraft is Ashcraft today, Reds should get #13.
However, if Ashcraft is… uh, Ashcraft… then, well…
I see the Teacher’s Pet is batting leadoff! Moves like this indicate that the manager is not serious NOR analytical when making a batting lineup! It is what it is!
I’ve tried to defend Bell where it’s appropriate and he has managed the pitching staff quite well considering all the injuries to the starters!
Let’s do what we’ve done more often than not and win in spite of Bell.
That’s a hard argument to make with a 12 game winning streak in progress. Mismanagement of the pitching staff is, too, when the pen is, unexpectedly, one of the highest performing in baseball. You guys attach too much importance to the manager, so how, if the manager has so much influence, do they play fabulous baseball in spite of him?
How is it that we have so many relievers taxed when we are doing so good?
Simply put, we are winning “in spite of” manager, not “because of” manager. He just hasn’t cost us any wins during this stretch.
I’ve lived in Tampa for close to 30 years and have become a casual Rays fan over time. I’ll occasionally wander over to one of their sites. You should see the wanna-be managers over there lol
Relievers all around baseball are taxed, Steve. Starting pitchers average fewer than 6 innings per start. Reds’ starters are mostly young and still learning their craft. They aren’t generally very pitch-efficient.
Here’s hoping we see the more recent versions of Newman and Senzel. That’s what I’m asking for 😀
@ Steve…What would your plan be when your starters are giving you next to no length? The Reds starters barely go 5 an sometimes 6. The manager has to use his best relievers every game since they are in every game. Some of the relievers are on strict 1 inning limits. What would you do differently?
I agree with you the bullpen is taxed. I disagree that David Bell is the reason for it. He has had to use how many different starters and relievers? Personally I think it is one of his strong suits.
Buckle up, Cupcakes … recent history says we’re in for a wild ride!
Time to Kick this Pig!
EDLC hasn’t got it going from the right side yet, maybe today will be the day. But that split against RHP is mind blowing:
.435/.500/.826
I picked 1921 for Babe Ruth without looking at other years, his was:
.390/.535/.885 (!) in 508 plate appearances against RHP
also was .342/.433/.748 against LHP
And lastly, his home split was: .402/.545/.926
Ruth’s stats are almost indecent.
His opportunities have come mostly from the left side, but I hear what you are saying and have observed the same. Was hoping he would find the Crawford Boxes in Houston. He’s on a major roll, so maybe today … 😀
With Lodolo, Greene and now Lively in IL, and with Weaver and Williamson struggling in every outing there’s not a reliable starter left aside from Abbott. Ashcraft condition is yet to be seen today. Time to look for alternatives.
On a different note, I’ve always kind of been annoyed by John sadak’s announcing because sometimes I think he talks too much…but his enthusiasm is starting to grow on me. It seems like him and Larkin have a pretty good rapport with each other… and maybe it’s just the fact that the Reds are playing so well and Elly Mania and all the rest of it, but I’m starting to like him more as an announcer.
Glad you’re coming to terms with him. I still won’t tune him in unless there is absolutely no option. The crowd last night here on RLN confirmed his head pretty much exploded at least 2x, especially when EDLC stroked that triple for the cycle.
Missed one yesterday didnt I… was at a party….but but but that was not an excuse…
You missed TWO but … but … buts, my friend. 😛
but but but thats right
What can this team possibly do for an encore after last night? Maybe a GA no-hitter?
Seriously, let’s just win and NOT start in a 5-0 hole!
Bash Bell all you want, but Atlanta has the best record in the NL and their guy still let Votto beat their righty. I’ve noticed atleast 10 wins this year where the other guy made a key mistake that would catch Bell untold flak if he did it.
Need Ashcraft not Ashcrash today. Keep’em honest inside and keep the ball down
Some of the decisions from the Bravos were puzzling last night, but that’s still a team that did what they do in their half of the 8th. The mistake to Joey is well noted.
I’m a bit less critical of HDTBell of late, aside from what I see as the risky use of BP arms (which ended up working out). However, I still maintain he wouldn’t be the Field Manager for any of the other 29 teams. Nepotism still plays strongly into his tenure.
Regardless, we ride this horse as far as we can. And we still have each other here on RLN. That’s a good thing.
He’s working inside alright
Very much so … let’s hope that’s a blip on the radar.
Hoping for the ground ball Ashcraft. But opening withan HBP isn’t great
We’ve seen this movie before, haven’t we?
I’m a fan of Casali behind the plate, but if you’re going to bat .170 and then you don’t catch an easy foul pop up and then you follow that up with a brutal catchers interference… sorry….can’t have you on the team as the third catcher
Casali slow to react to foul ball and catcher’s interference. Not helping Ashcraft much.
How did Albies reach base?
Catcher interference
Thank You both!
Catcher interference
You can’t make that throw Nick.
Terrible fundamentals by Senzel. That throw has to go to second and keep the double play on order.
A result of his lack of experience in RF. Fortunately, it worked out for us this time.
Maybe when every single starting pitcher in the entire organization is injured and unable to pitch, someone will start giving some serious thought to the question of whether it really makes sense to keep worrying so much about pitch counts and limiting guys’ innings to “protect them from injury.” It doesn’t seem to be working. Maybe the plan should be to let guys pitch whenever they’re able to pitch, and let them pitch as long as they’re pitching effectively, and just accept the fact that sometimes guys will have injuries.
It’s systemic to baseball. But your point is well taken. Something has to give in this era of “babying starting pitchers” since we still see the injuries pile up.
I think it’s likely that 3rd time through the order has a good deal to do with short outings by starters. I don’t recall pitchers being injured as much 40 years ago as they are now, so it isn’t just about 3rd time etc., but it’s not obvious to me why pitchers aren’t more durable now.
Poor choice of a throw from Nick followed by a couple of great plays … the last one absolutely FANTASTIC.
Now it’s time to pour it on and nail these Bravos early and often.
It’s a little different animal to play right compared to the other outfield positions. Senzel is finding that out today.
Definitely. Hardest of all the outfield positions. He’s there out of “necessity” and learning on the fly.
That’s the 5th time in the last 3 weeks our RFer has thrown to 3rd with no chance to get him, and cost a base.
Some here think that isn’t on the manager, and it’s OK because they’ve won 12 straight.
Strive for excellence folks.!!!
Snow cone alert! Senzel can’t throw and shouldn’t be in RF. Noticed last year they were testing him.
No damage despite 2 bad defensive plays! Lucky! Lucky! Lucky!
Where are you Fairchild? Senzel in RF is tough to watch.
You know who would be good in RF? Okay, yeah that was a good play, but a bit lucky there.
It seems like EVERY game a Reds outfielder makes either a terrible throw to the right base, or a throw in general to the wrong one, as Senzel did.
What is going on with that? Seriously, it’s all of them. All I can figure is it’s all Bell’s position swapping. Noone can ever remember where the heck they are.
You’re forgiven Nick. Now get a hit. If you think about it Senzel has played all over the place. Kinda hard to get a good grasp on positioning.
3B and LF seem to be his best. His athleticism makes him adequate in CF. He can handle 2B in a pinch and SS in an emergency. RF is probably the hardest of all positions he’s played for us.
Quite a catch by Senzel. What’s with Ashcraft? He gets 2 strikes on the hitter and then goes wild.
Ashcraft still has a no hitter intact.
+1,000 😀
Remember, I called in my earlier comment!
Shuster struggles to throw strike consistently. I like our chances next inning with the guys who battle and stay in the zone. Hopefully Ashcraft can get us another 0.
Well there that goes. Fastball up and away. Same pit h he hit out yesterday.
We are behind. Right where we want them
Bit of a cement mixer there.
Well, there went the No-No and the shutout! So, we’re behind early! What else is new?
My weather station will be new after I order it and it arrives. It sustained some damage in the wind burst we had a week ago.
Newman just keeps on hitting to those who appear blind to it.
+1,000
Stop with the hard evidence, will you? 😛
Singles hitter. He deserves a spot on this roster ahead of CES?
Newman supporters like to mention he has a good OPS for a middle infielder. But Newman has received plenty of starts at 1B, 3B, and DH this season- all of which could have gone to CES. That’s not Newman hate, that’s a dislike of how the team has handled this situation.
Nice throw from Newman. A bullet over to Joey.
Yep. He’s playing very well.
I don’t know if Ashcraft can be counted on any more than Weaver at the moment.
Looks like Ashcraft is back to throwing the 2 seam sinker and getting grounders today. Hopefully that stays consistent. Thats what he did last year. (If I remember correctly)
yep
In the bigger scheme of things, a solo dinger from a guy who has been stroking the ball in that direction isn’t the end of the world. And now we get to “come from behind” … so there’s that 😮
Nice play Newman!
The Braves won the HR contest last night but lost the game! Let’s hope today is a repeat!
Down and in to a lefty low ball hitter.
Rinse repeat this comment.
Not good, guys. Not good. Gonna have to score to beat these Bravos.
Steer made a great snag after that late start.
Ashcraft needs to go back to AAA and see if he can figure something out. Can’t keep running him out there.
Who else do they have? Everyone is in the infirmary. Or else not very good.
Bigger question then is who do you put on the bump every 5 days to replace him? I agree he needs to work on stuff, but not sure we have the luxury of AAA being an option.
Are you saying the minor league coaches can fix him and the MLB coaches can’t?
There’s nobody else to pitch.
He’s just got to figure it out at MLB.
Minor league win/losses don’t matter. Reds are now in a pennant race.
Was really hoping for a good outing from Ashcraft today but it’s just more the same. Basically batting practice for the Braves. Not sure what happened to him over the last 6 weeks. His stuff still looks good, but like Larkin was saying maybe he’s lost the downward plane and therefore the depth on his pitches.
This is getting ugly and looking a lot like last night! Can’t keep spotting teams, especially good teams like the Braves, 3, 4 or 5 run leads!
Ashcrash is a mess. Came out with the right idea, but he’s basically only got 2 pitches
And, good ML hitters can crush fastballs!
Earlier in the year people were crowning Ashcraft as the “ace of the staff” and a real pitcher not a thrower.
Pitchers are gonna struggle and who would you bring up? Lively is on IL, and Weaver has pitched far worse than Ashcraft
His good pitches are still good, cut down on the bad ones, like the one to Albies
of course
I could see sending Ashcraft down to work in AAA, the only problem is somebody has to pitch in Cincinnati.
No, and yes. This seems like the “work-thru-it” phase of becoming a pitcher. Unless the experts disagree, seems like a world of difference between Ashcraft and Weaver. Get him thru the 5th inning, and see if he keeps us in it.
I retract my comment.
Ashcraft has been leading the league in number of starts giving up 6+ runs. Don’t need an ace, but someone that can keep them in a game. Louisville has an older guy that has been throwing pretty well or just bring up Phillips.
Smart play and excellent execution by TJ.
BANG GOES THE DYNAMITE!!!!
And with 2 out … that’s the way to break a little slump from MattyMc.
McLain HR. Are we still worried about him people? Lol
He must get 3 hits per night
I wasn’t in the first place. Happy he broke his mini-slump.
No it’s not you Mark. Other people act like he is the only person to go in a slump during the year. Newsflash- every ball player goes through at least one
I saw that as well someone mentioned something about Mclain not hitting or 2-12 or something in last few games.
Bell keeping Mclain in the 2 slot pays off. Great job by Bell for putting Mclain in the two spot on a nightly basis. 😀
Give them time Kevin and they will whine about that
😛
Matty Mac Daddy
My wife just called MattyMc “Opie” … 😀
Hey whoa there? Don’t be dogging us Redheads.
Before I went gray, I was a solid chestnut brown leaning red with a pretty red beard. So no dogging from me, sir.
Me redhead 😉
The reality is that Braves line-up is stellar, legit WS candidate.
Let’s see if the Reds are able to come back again
Truth. And our bunch of “kids” is still finding level water in many ways. This isn’t our A+ or A line-up today, but it’s still solid. And we keep finding ways to crawl back into games (and win).
Listen to Sadek try to by an analyst. A bit funny.
Ashcraft does seem to be pitching with a bit more conviction. Healthwise, he seems to be alright. He had no rehab starts. That could have helped.
Yeah … I’ll listen to the analysis from the actual MLB pitcher on the WLW feed. I’m thinking Cowboy knows just a tiny bit more about the game, and pitching in particular.
Hard to win when your starting pitchers gives up a run every inning.
and yet they have won 12 in a row
Law of averages say it will end soon though lol
So Kevin H. do you actually think allowing your opponents to score every inning is a viable option for success? Because, I am going to guess you are alone in that opinion.
Yep, seems like 5 runs in 5 innings is the norm for our young starters!
Of course I don’t Votto4life,
NUTS!! Losing Albies and him stealing just adds to the misery this inning. As Cowboy is saying, the ball was out over the plate where Riley wanted it.
Man, the Braves lineup is sick. They crush mistakes and can still do damage against good pitches. Speed and power. Wow.
Cannot keep grooving stuff to these guys. Every single one of them can put it out.
Let’s call the rotation what it is: Weak. Homer Bailey would be the second best starter right now.
Cannot keep him on the team right now. Bring up Phillips.
Who replaces Lively?
Plus Weaver is struggling
They could do a bullpen day for Lively. Mariot has thrown a couple of good games in a row for Louisville, so he could be an option. They might have to run Weaver out there another time or two, but Ashcraft hasn’t had it for months now.
Boy, that was just a piece of good hitting. Olson just reached down there and golfed that thing out. Yeah, Ashcraft will get hit with it, but that didn’t look like that bad of a pitch to me.
And it was in the center of the plate. So it wasn’t a terrible pitch at all (said Cowboy) but the location didn’t get by Olson.
It would’ve bounced right behind home plate. This Braves lineup is unreal. The pitch to Riley was down and a ball as well. The rbi by ozuna earlier was 8 inches off the plate. Tough to pitch when even the balls get hammered.
Babe Olsen gives them a 3 spot after starting 2 up 2 down.
I’d like JB to explain to me how a team makes the playoffs with no starting pitching?
Haha the flip flopper is back people. Now that they are losing he is going to jump off the bandwagon and point out the flaws.
Pretty easy actually.
Win every game 10-8
I have enough of Graham Ashcraft to last a lifetime. Place him back on the IL and next time let him prove is ready by pitching in Louisville.
How does a guy hit a ball 6 inches off the ground over the fence? He has to be tipping his pitches. 6 runs on 9 hits in four innings is not going to help the bullpen.
The 2 out, nobody on curse strikes again! Is it a lack of concentration!
Dennis, a great point
it does seem he for some reason lacks that mentality that he had earlier in year.
Excuse me defensive swing for a bloop single. That’s how good things start.
And BANG AGAIN!!!
As Thrall said, he annihilated that one.
Obvious to me from that bang and his catch today that Steer wants to play every day.
And Joey causes confusion and mistakes even as I type.
Heavy weight fight. Just enjoy the show
No matter what happen at the end of the game, cannot say Reds are giving up, and I appreciate that.
+5,000
Lets go Nick time to heat up again!!!
Not a terrible outcome as Joey should have been out. Nick hustled enough to make it happen. Close to a GIDP, but didn’t happen.
Over to TJ for his chance.
It’s too bad that Ashcraft is awesome for a handful of games to start the year, and then terrible for the rest of the season.
First 4 games in 2022 & 2023
1.51 ERA & 1.01 WHIP
Rest of 2022 & 2023 games (24 total)
7.21 ERA & 1.68 WHIP
With Ashcraft, Weaver, Lively, and Williamson combining for a 5.97 ERA, that winning streak is going to eventually end, as the Reds can score 6 runs every game for the rest of the season. Something has to give…
Maybe Casali can run into one here
Would you run Ashcraft out for the 5th? I am inclined too, I mean the starters gotta start getting innings put together.
Your thoughts?
I’m not the manager so I don’t know who can go today or not. Everybody seems to think that Bell is going to burn the bullpen out so using that philosophy , send him out.
Way to go Curt! Waited him out and chased Shuster.
Back to the top for Newman to do his part.
Just too bad Nick didn’t get a better read on that ball that rolled away. He’d have scored.
It will be Fraley or Benson….i hope.
If Bell is going to play the platoon all the time, how in the world does he not hit for Newman there?
Braves new pitcher is averaging over 2 innings per appearance. I thought there were rules about that 😛
Chipping away at a lead is good. Got to hold them down for a couple innings to make it work.
Would you bring ashcraft back out? From what you guys are saying its not like he has alot of mistake pitches, its the braves are that good putting bat on the ball??
He’s left too many in the center of the plate. So the pitches weren’t terrible, but against a solid team like the Bravos, they were more on the “mistake” side than not.
I would look at the scoreboard and see the Braves had score 6 runs off Ashcraft the past three years innings. Not rocket science.
Thanks Mark, appreciate your input
Getting behind and then grooving one to d’Arnaud isn’t gonna cut it, Graham.
Bell fell asleep at the wheel with 2 on and allowing Newman to bat against the righty.
Bit of a missed opportunity. Benson or Fraley and move Senzel to 3B. You get better RF defense and a chance for a blast. Not that Newman isn’t capable of a blast, mind you.
This is why I still question Bell. Pinch hitting Benson or Fraley was the obvious call. It would have also improved the defense with Senzel going to third.
Absolutely. Mind-boggling.
Yep makes no sense to not ph there…plus Senzel was brutal in the Outfield in the first inning even though he got lucky on the snow cone catch he made a terrible throw to 3rd letting the hitter get 2nd for no reason. So you get better defense at 3rd with Senzel and better defense in right field…and you get a left-handed pinch hitter with 2 on and McClain on deck… but instead you don’t do anything?
Bell usually lets the pitcher go out and start the inning , then if they let a man on , he pulls them. Let’s see…
Yep,
Ashcraft to Cruz = Bad to Worse
And yet it works
Let’s face it when it comes to Newman Bell is blind and that is sad because used correctly he has done a nice job.
Beyond frustrating
I think Ashcraft could have a productive role as a reliever. He is NOT a starting pitcher.
Stop
WRONG.
He IS a starting pitcher? Funny… I coulda sworn…
Cruz has pitched well of late, only allowing 4 runs whole month of June. Lets see what he can do
Larkin: “I think it was a positive outing from Graham.”
I kid you not.
If the Reds come back and win this game, we’re going to be hearing that Bell deserves a lot of credit. He doesn’t. You can’t make stupid decisions like he just made and then get credit if your team somehow manages to overcome your stupidity.
Larkin called this a positive outing for Ashcraft. What game was he watching?
Yeah … makes me completely rethink the push for him to be the field manager a few years ago. He was a great player. But as an analyst, he’s mediocre at best.
Bike Helmets to end the inning. Probably my favorite thing to watch defensively.
My biggest fear is that this team will end up playing just well enough for Bell to keep his job. That would be a disaster.
Given their play and the deep nepotism, I’d bank on that happening. He’s cheap and connected, so they’ll extend him regardless. The players love him, you know … 😮
It feels like a small victory when the Braves don’t score. Starters are out, this is where we make our move?
Funny people upset not using Fraley or Benson to ph in 4th inning. I remember a month ago Bell did that used a pitch hitter early in the game and people still complained. Cant have it both ways.
I would of pitch hit, however doesn’t matter.
As I recall, quite a different roster then. But I think we’re of a majority mind here that failing to PH with Fraley or Benson is a missed opportunity (both offensively and defensively).
Have they said anything about Benson? Nursing anything?
Not a peep. Does make you wonder, though.
Valid point Mark, and you are correct. I believe sometimes it doesn’t matter what Bell does people complain at his every move.
In saying that I agree should of pitched hit, however it is still early in the game.
I would have been fine either way, but 4th inning is pretty early to start chasing runs IMO. Especially if you use Fraley bc he is so poor against lefties that you risk him being in a worse high leverage situation later in the game. That’s why the pure platoon players are so tough to have on the team.
Great point
Even without the hindsight of Steer striking out with EDLC on 3rd, I agree in general it’s early, but with a team like the Braves you’ve got to match them earlier, not later. So in this particular case, I think the PH opportunity would be good. Your point about Fraley being extremely “handed” is well taken. I’m not sure how many LH relievers the Bravos have out there.
The pitcher they brought in was a righty, not a lefty.
He murders righties.
So you’re allowing a pretty bad hitter to hit with two runners on base and two outs because you’re concerned about a hypothetical situation just like that — but in a later inning? Runs in the 4th inning count just as much as runs in the 8th inning. The only reason Newman was in this game at all was that a lefty was starting. Once he’s out of the game you substitute your stronger hitter and take your chances. This isn’t complicated.
@J then maybe you should go manage the team if it isn’t complicated. Bell could do everything correct and some would still complain. Jeez
Bell hasn’t done badly managing the Reds to a 12 game winning streak in this sorting year.
So, Cruz threw 6 pitches last inning! Think Bell will send him back out for another inning?
He Should!!!!!
Today, he is … 😀
Sure … walk Elly … that works.
And we see why that mistake hurts them and helps us.
OK, Dennis … did you check that BB off your list?
Yep! Leadoff walk! Nice job by Cruz to leave him orphaned on 3rd base!
and a 4 pitch walk LOL
Nice, fluid play by Newman. I think that was his only play.
Bear down and focus on Riley.
Like that!!!
I’ve got to go set up the grill soon, so I’ll pause commenting. Cedar planked salmon over charcoal tonight … there will not be any leftovers 😀
yeah I gotta go see what is going on this evening so I won’t be as much lol
Heck Ya, great job by Cruz!!! He has pitched well this month
Nice job by Cruz there. Time for the Rally Reds to get it started.
By watching at the new generation of baseball players like Tatis, Acuña or De La Cruz you wonder if they may be the next step in human evolution.
No comments about letting Senzel hit against a RHP? He’s even worse than Newman. Could have used Benson there.
I was starting my grill, so I didn’t see it. Should have been an option, though.
Looks like he decided to hold onto Benson for later and hit for Casali instead.
Oh, Iglesius. I definitely wouldn’t be surprised if we win still.
Why didn’t Bell challenge that? Whoever has the “eyes on top” needs to be demoted.
Oh, I see. I thought the fly was a called out.
obvious out, no need to waste the challenge
I thought the fly was called that he caught it. It wasn’t.
Nice play by Votto and Young.
Ugh Ozuna. Nothing I hate more is a wife beater. Well at least he is on the road and she is good for three days.
He’s not the player he used to be, but when he gets one in a groove, that’s what happens.
I agree he’s a bit of a thug.
Braves are pretty relentless on offense.
Really seem like pinch hitting Benson to lead off there with the top of the order up made a lot more sense with his .500 on base percentage in June versus letting Newman hit there.
That was scary 😮
Did Elly foul one off his foot? What’s the injury delay?
Off his knee. Seems to be okay.
Tough sledding today. Braves bull-pen is locked in, and Reds hitters are having to climb uphill from down in the count. These guys can’t panic if they take an L. Taking two out of three from Atlanta would be marvelous.
Whoever said the other day that the Braves would score 30 runs this weekend , was pretty much dead on.
They said Braves would sweep and 30+ . I’m not seeing either.
Would love to see the quote again. I Don’t recall the sweep comment, I do remember the comment about the Braves scorings 30 runs this weekend and they are standing at 17 right now. But yeah maybe the best hitting team in baseball with be shout out tomorrow by TBD.
And, another leadoff walk by a Reds relief pitcher!
Can we go back to the fourth inning when it was still a two run game, runners at first and third, two outs, Newman due up against a right handed pitcher, and we don’t pinch hit because it’s essential to save Fraley for some other situation?
Last time I seen Iglesias in Cincy balls were flying out of the park. Here is hoping the same.
We know Iggy can get popped … but the odds are pretty long. We’ve still got a chance at the series win tomorrow.
And anybody who actually thought a month ago we’d be in this tight of a battle with the Bravos, please stand up and raise your hand … I know I didn’t.
And Fraley says it’s not done yet!!
Yep. Just the way I remembered Iglesias.
Milwaukee lost so that’s good.
1 more baserunner
Yep just like I remembered Iglesias. Lol
OK, that’s completely INSANE!!!
They fought until the very end.
OH well, lets do it again…. now we are in first
need to bounce back tomorrow. No more losing streaks that follow win streaks.
Great game and bullpen gave up 1 run.
Reds are legit.
See? That’s what happens when you bat Kevin Newman at leadoff.
I keed, I keed…… Mostly.
India needs a day off. Not a 3 hole hitter. Also need to get Benson some ABs. Hope he’s in there tomorrow
I give Bell a B grade this season personally, but why didn’t he bat Benson (or Fraley) for Newman when they had 2 on and pulled the lefty for a righty? I think Benson would’ve got 3 at-bats? Senzel too? Terrible vs righties, but Bell didn’t pull the trigger.
Also I’ll repeat it again…Benson hasn’t entered full-time territory imo. Maybe he rakes vs lefties too, but we don’t know?
Correction. Benson has entered full-time discussion imo
At least we went down swinging! Literally!
Great effort with some strange decisions by Bell. Oh well on to Sunday. However, starting pitching is a problem. Right now the best two starters are most likely Abbott and Williamson who are both rookies and Williamson gets that claim by default. Then you have Weaver, enough said, and an Ashcraft who has really gone south. Despite what Larkin said today, 6 in 4, was not a step forward. The Braves were hitting some rockets off of him. The question is where to turn. I guess Stoudt will go tomorrow and I don’t see that going well. I think they must seriously consider bringing up Phillips or making a trade asap.
Well put … I think last night put the hope on hyper-drive. And then those two BANGS in the 9th only fueled it.
Back at it tomorrow afternoon. Will be interesting to see the lineup.