The Cincinnati Reds had a two run lead with two outs and nobody on base in the 8th inning but saw their lead evaporate after an infield single and a game-tying home run. Cincinnati then stranded the bases loaded in the bottom of the 9th before blowing the game in the 10th inning, dropping their 4th consecutive game.
| Final | R | H | E |
|---|---|---|---|
| Washington Nationals (47-63) |
6 | 7 | 1 |
| Cincinnati Reds (59-53) |
3 | 7 | 0 |
| W: Machado (2-0) L: Diaz (3-3) SV: Finnegan (16) | |||
| Statcast | Box Score | Game Thread | |||
Cincinnati didn’t waste much time getting on the board. Nick Senzel and Matt McLain went back-to-back with solo home runs in the 1st inning to put the Reds up 2-0. Two innings later the Reds added to their lead when Elly De La Cruz hit his 9th homer of the season – a solo shot with one out that made it 3-0.
Graham Ashcraft was cruising through the Nationals lineup until the top of the 6th inning. That’s when Lane Thomas hit his 17th homer of the season to make it 3-1. That’s where the score stayed until the 8th inning. Ashcraft was still on the mound and got the first two outs on a strikeout and a pop up. But then Lane Thomas picked up an infield single on a play that he seemed to be out of the running lane for, but you can not challenge that and play went on. Five pitches later the game was tied up as Joey Meneses hit a game-tying 2-run homer.
With the game tied in the bottom of the 8th Matt McLain beat out an infield single with one out. He was stranded there when Kevin Newman grounded out to end the inning. Alexis Diaz entered the game in the top of the 9th and made easy work of the Nationals, retiring them in order.
The Reds had Joey Votto, Will Benson, and Tyler Stephenson due up and needed just one run. Washington sent left-handed reliever Jose Ferrer to the mound. He promptly walked Votto on five pitches and then Cincinnati sent TJ Friedl to first to pinch run for Votto. Benson got ahead 3-0 while showing bunt each time, but after taking the 3-0 pitch he flew out to center. With Stephenson at the plate, Friedl stole second base to get himself into scoring position. Stephenson got ahead 3-0 and the Nationals at that point opted to intentionally walk him. Then they made a pitching change, bringing in right-handed reliever Andres Machado to face Stuart Fairchild. Friedl took off and stole third base without a throw, but Machado would strike Fairchild out. Elly De La Cruz was intentionally walked to load the bases for Nick Senzel. He’d strand all three runners with a broken bat pop up to second base.
Alexis Diaz returned to the mound for the 10th and no one was loosening in Cincinnati’s bullpen. Washington’s inning began with Ildemaro Vargas on second base as the free runner. He’d come around to score when Jake Alu led off with a double, giving the Nationals their first lead of the day. A sacrifice bunt followed, moving Alu to third base with one out. After striking out CJ Abrams, Diaz gave up a 2-run homer to Lane Thomas as Washington took a 6-3 lead. That was it for Diaz as the Reds turned to Daniel Duarte for the final out of the inning.
Needing at least three runs in the bottom of the inning, Nick Senzel began the inning at second base for Cincinnati. Matt McLain struck out to start the inning. Spencer Steer would do the same after missing a 2-run home run by a matter of feet to the wrong side of the foul pole. That left the game up to Kevin Newman. He grounded out to end the game.
Key Moment of the Game
Lane Thomas hitting a 2-run home run in the 10th inning that essentially put the game out of reach.
Notes Worth Noting
Graham Ashcraft was only the second Red of the season to complete eight innings.
It appears that Jake Fraley was unavailable for the game, with Jim Day noting late in the game that he had not seen Fraley in the dugout all game.
The top three hitters in the lineup had five hits and three home runs. The rest of the lineup went 2-23 in the game.
Up Next for the Cincinnati Reds
Washington Nationals vs Cincinnati Reds
Saturday August 5th, 4:10pm ET
Andrew Abbott (6-2, 2.35 ERA vs TBA
This game leaves a pretty bad taste.
The email updates for this thread haven’t kicked in for me yet. I’m sure it’s just a glitch and they will soon.
At the game. This was a managerial loss.
Fraley not given a PH opportunity late against a righty.
Votto auto out against lefty starter. Newman …
Diaz gets given a huge leesh for 2 inning of hold work – something he’s never done
Agreed. Fraley being hurt changes it a bit. Hated the pinch running Benson for CES. Benson should’ve been used as a hitter for Newman. Diaz has been overworked, so dumb giving him a 2nd inning. Votto should not start vs LHP. Newman should be sent to AAA at first opportunity. Hitting Senzel 2nd and Newman 5th was inexcusable.
These are the games the Reds have to win. They don’t seem to have a sense of urgency about anything. This team seems to have no focus, no killer instinct.
The Reds are 7-5 in extra innings this year, for a .583 winning percentage. They’re 4-1 vs the Nationals. What am I missing?
Chicago had already lost. The Brewers were losing. The Reds were leading 3-1. Beating a mediocre team shouldn’t be too much to ask. These are the circumstances when a good competitive team shows up. The Reds aren’t there yet. They are more fun than they’ve been in recent years. But they aren’t really serious contenders and will quite possibly be in 3rd place before Greene returns.
LDS, i’m afraid you’re right. These are the teams they have to beat to stay in the race. If they lose this series, it’s a very bad omen.
I’m only here for the articles …
Hit the deck!
A, and, the?
🙂
Great Job by Ashcraft going 8 innings tonight, but the HR killed us. I have noticed the last couple months with Ashcraft, he gives you a good 6 innings, then when he is left end to pitch the 7th inning, he gives up a run or runs. Tonight, gives you 8 innings, but thought maybe 7th inning would be his last inning, but…..he pitches the 8 innings and gives up the 2 runs. Reds need to hold fast when he goes for 6 innings and thats it, or 7 innings and that is it. But then, you take a chance on either Farmer or Sims pitching a shutout 8 innings. The big thing tonight though, is the Reds have to find a way to get that run home in the 9th inning. Fairchild needed a sac fly.
What is a sacrifice fly? People keep using this term. Is it something baseball players do?
I like another term, a productive out! The Reds don’t use it much anymore. Guess it’s an old school thing, just not cool!
When you hit the ball and your out and the player or players on base are able to advance to the next base
Nick Krall and David Bell lost this game tonight
Bell. Get used to it. Thanks Nick Krall!!!
I think we should get used to it we have the opportunity to do do something that we haven’t done in a long time and that’s be in a position to make the playoffs but we couldn’t even get a decent starting pitcher at the trade deadline we got one average reliever and that’s really not even our weakest position at some points this year the bullpen has been better than our starters
Where do we go from here Reds faithful? Is the team regressing? As they say, youth exuberance can get you so far. August are dog days and on big boys prevail. Is it what’s happening to the Reds? Or is it just a rough patch and the team will rise from ash again? I don’t care about how many games were trailing or leading and playoff positions and what not. I am only talking about how h the e team plays.
Had a chance to bunt runner over in 9th or 10th and just sat there. Multiple generations of baseball knowledge but non-action because of buying into managing games the same way as everyone else and not as a winner. Billy Martin bunts. Successful managers and teams win.
Micro managing starting pitching and relievers every 30th pitch is not winning baseball and does not lead to more wiins. It’s a fugazi
We need better before this team turns a corner and wins games that matter.
Why on earth would they bunt in the 10th, when they needed 3 runs?
It was the 8th or 9th – not the 10th. Benson flew out instead of having him bunt.
Frequent complaints from RLN: 1)Bell pulls starters too early. Last night, Ashcraft pitched the 8th inning. Check. 2). Bell never lets relief pitchers go more than one inning (a false assertion, but never mind). Last night Diaz pitched more than one inning. Check.
Diaz is one guy who should never pitch 2 innings. He’s your most valuable relief pitcher and he’s already leading the league (at last count) in appearances.
Senzel went crying to Bell and Krall about his (deserved) lack of playing time and Bell all of a sudden started increasing his opportunities and slotting him near the top of the order.
The proper response here would have been for Krall to trade him at the deadline. The second-best option would have been to keep him and play him sparsely as they had been. Management of course has chosen the worst choice of the three.
I’m not saying it’s the right thing to do necessarily but he does have options left I believe.
If the players like playing for Bell as much as claimed, he wouldn’t have had to have the meeting with Bell, Krall, and his agent, Scot Boras. Clearly, they were wanting a trade. Krall either couldn’t swing it or chose not to. To keep the Bell is loved myth alive, Senzel has to play more. I would suggest that three errors in one game was a mental issue(maybe from still being a Red after trade deadline) and Bell should have given him an attitude adjustment instead of indulging him.
I understand Senzel is kind of looking out for his own career. I can respect that on some level, but do platoon players make news stories often about their desire basically to be traded at trade deadlines? Even the writer bringing that out of him a little unfortunate. I don’t know if that is a Boras thing too, but not professional by Senzel I think
Yep, not a Boras fan. He’s a popular agent clearly. But I’m not convinced that he always acts in his client’s best interest. He does seem to be successful at convincing owners to overpay, sometimes irrationally sp.
Seriously who wants Senzel? He has done absolutely nothing but get hurt his whole career. No production at all.Nobody wanted him.
Senzel often starts against lefties. He hits lefties well.
Third option would have been to send him to AAA where he could play all the time and actually earn his way back, while giving Hopkins, Marte or someone else a taste of the big leagues.
“Third option would have been to send him to AAA where he could play all the time and actually earn his way back,”
I like that option. 🙂
Ok, I had to check. To my surprise, the Reds actually have a player with SIX sacrifice flies, and that’s India. I think most of them came in the first month or so, but still, that’s pretty good. Of all people, Newman is second on the team with five sac flies. Then you’ve got Steer with 3, Fairchild and Senzel with 2 apiece, and nobody else has more than one. Barrero and Myers both have as many sac flies (1) as Friedl, Fraley, and Stephenson. Votto, McLain, and Benson are still looking for their first sac fly of the season. How do they not even manage to hit them by accident once in a while?
In a 162-game season this kind of games will be lost sometimes the problem is when will it happens and who is the opponent so from the Reds standpoint losing it tonight hurts a lot.
Four losses in a row… At this moment on the stretch is worrying…
I’m seeing people (elsewhere, mostly) saying Bell’s decisions seems to make more sense when you realize Fraley was apparently not available. Ok, sure, that explains why he didn’t pinch hit Fraley for anyone, but it absolutely doesn’t explain why Senzel was allowed to lead off the 8th inning in a tie game instead of Friedl, who would have given you a better chance to get the leadoff runner on base in front of your two best hitters. And he’s a better defender.
And it also just adds to the stupidity of using Benson to pinch run for CES and then not even bothering to have him attempt a steal. If you know you’ve only got Benson and Friedl on the bench, with Senzel, Newman, and Fairchild still in the game, why on earth are you using Benson like that? It was all on the off chance that Fairchild hit one to the wall and Benson might be able to score?
He’s very very very bad at this. VERY bad.
I concur. Had he not wasted Benson pinch running him, he would have had him to pinch hit for Senzel. Then Benson would also not have had to bat against the southpaw later on in the game, when it would have been nice to have CES batting against the lefty. Bell outdid himself tonight. To say he’s not ready for primetime would be a major understatement. I suspect his moronic moves cost us more wins than any of us could ever imagine.
That Senzel story bugs me the more I kind of think about it. Don’t mean to harp on it (maybe I’m just a little upset the Reds are playing bad), but his quote from the story the other day…
“We discussed behind closed doors that I wanted to play more, get more at-bats, get into more games,” Senzel said. “Obviously, the role I’m in now, I wanted the opportunity to go play. I’m arb-3 [third-year arbitration eligible] next year. They understood that. If it was in the best interests and made sense for both parties, they were going to do something. It just didn’t happen.”
So you discussed behind closed doors and now you are telling a reporter about what you discussed behind closed doors? Senzel strikes me a little of a co-worker you think you can trust, but you better not tell them something too personal as it may become public.
These guys are young and I understand they are looking out for their careers and their families, but I think there’s a little tension with Senzel, India, maybe a few other guys on playing time with this team. I’m not sure it’s all sunshine and roses as they make it out to be…some of it’s human nature though so understandable. Bell’s got to be wise with keeping this team together and being tough when he needs to be and not always being this “player’s manager”. It sounds good, but sometimes I think it sounds wimpy too.
I like what Senzel brings to the club overall, but I’ve always been an Alejo Lopez believer too so I say bring on Lopez maybe at some point!
He’s already made over $10 million in his career, if you include his $6.2 million signing bonus. He’s set for life. I get that he wants to continue playing, but his time will come eventually. Whether he got traded at the deadline or is DFA-ed or traded this winter, he’ll get a chance at everyday playing time with a rebuilding club like the A’s or Tigers.
Something about a closed door meeting and then going to the press about it bothers me. To me the best solution after the trade deadline is to send him to Louisville where he can play every day. Hit .400 for the last 6 weeks, and he will have trade value and a chance to save his career. Do less, and he will have less value and his career has less certainty. He’s made millions and should be pretty well set up for his post career life even if he still has to work. He should not get an additional free ride.
If this meeting is getting him more playing time, then shame on the Reds for letting the tail wag the dog.
I will say to the Reds credit they’ve faced 3 lefties in the last 4 games I believe so I don’t think they’re just playing Senzel because of him requesting more time.
Senzel’s been a nice player this year, but yeah just kind of odd how that became a news story the day after the deadline.
Lopez hitting .296/.390/.414 playing five positions both infield and outfield. :)..switch hitting.
Chuckie Robinson at Catcher tearing it up too. I wonder if his numbers would translate to the big leagues? I think Stephenson’s just having a down year, but curious if Robinson could hit at the big league level.
He didn’t last year. Reds in 2022 are his only MLB stint ever. 7 years in minors.
You don’t meet with your agent and the GM to ask for more playing time.
Senzel was asking to be traded.
He’ll still get slotted in against LHs, such as tonight.
And I understand giving Fairchild a start to see if he holds up to the RLN hype.
He doesn’t.
I expect Senzel to be traded or non-tenured (if that’s possible ) this Winter.
Hey Harry,
Something we agree on 100%, the meeting of Senzel, Boras, Krall, and Bell was to make it clear Senzel wanted out at the deadline. As I have said prior, Boras almost certainly came into the meeting offering to facilitate a deal for Senzel.
So, why does this become public knowledge after the deadline? I’d guess quite possibly because the Senzel camp feels like there was an agreement he would be moved; and, Boras knows a deal that met whatever parameters the Reds gave him as acceptable was there for the taking.
I’m with you on this. To me, Senzel’s biggest weakness is mental. Even some of his injuries were due to lack of awareness. I was really rooting for him to have a huge turn around, but the more I see and hear his interviews, the less impressed I am with him. This interview shows who he is playing for…himself. Guys who aren’t team players need to be shipped out. He should be thankful to be part of this team…it’s not like he has earned anything convincingly. And this interview should not have been disclosed to the public in order to prevent being a cancer or distraction on a first place team…but so it seems to go with Boras clients.
If they couldn’t trade Senzel they should have sent him down to AAA just for going public about a closed door meeting. Bell has set a bad precedent by playing a guy more just because he complained. This team looks lost and they are not having as much fun as the days of America’s team. That seems like a long time ago. Even though they are technically only 1/2 game out they are in a bad place and Bell has to take a lot of the blame. I would not be surprised if they finish under .500 but at least they have the best manager in the majors for 3 more years, what a joke organization.
He didn’t just set this precedent with senzel. Castellonas complained about being a defensive replacement and it never happened to him again. There are other examples as well.
I wrote a couple of weeks ago that our young guys were not playing with the same mojo, energy, bold, daring loose style of play. Kind of like the young guys team was vanishing. A Mgr with a glass jaw that prefers popularity over being successful. Throw in a bad apple and soon you get vinegar.
What happened to the aggressive base running. Who stopped McLain at second base on what clearly was a triple last night. The next batter hit a deep fly ball that would have scored McLain easy. Reds would have won in 9 innings.
Mark, you’re drawing the wrong conclusion. Senzel is not playing more because he complained, he’s playing more because they’ve been facing lefties and Senzel hits lefty pitching well.
Bell is a Baseball manager, not a Den Mother for the Cub Scouts. His goal is to win games, today, tomorrow, and in the future. His job depends on it.
I don’t think this is true. I believe David Bell has a job until he decides he no longer wants it. There was no good baseball reason why he was extended now. The prudent move would’ve been to wait until the season ends and evaluate at that point. To me, this looks like an ownership move not a Nick Krall move. Nick Krall has shown himself to be a shrewd baseball man and this move was anything but that.
Unfortunately, I expect Joey Votto‘s option to be picked up any day now. Again, I will not see this as a Nick Krall move, but again ownership. I’m not arguing that Votto shouldn’t be extended, but it would certainly be the wrong time to do so. Can we wait until the season plays out? And if not, why not? Same with Bell’s situation.
Pete do you REALLY think that if the Reds lose 95 games in 2024 that Bell won’t be fired? I’m fairly certain that Bell doesn’t believe that. A common narrative is that he’s here because of nepotism and economics. That ignores that Bell previously worked for the Cubs, the Cardinals, and the Giants. Why did he have jobs with them? Are they not well run organizations?
In the end every manager is judged on his won loss record. When, not if, he is fired by the Reds (because eventually all baseball managers are fired) his ability to find another managerial job will be determined in large part by his won loss record with the Reds. Arguing that Bell is anything but determined to win seems far fetched.
As to a good baseball reason to extend Bell, I’ll give you two. One, the team is in contention a full year before anyone expected them to be. And two, a manager on an expiring contract carries less weight with the players than one that will be there for the foreseeable future.
I don’t get that extensions for Bell or Votto aren’t “prudent” because they are done a mere 3 months before you think they should be done. Was there a good baseball reason to extend Hunter Greene?
I stand by my point Hunter Greene is what 23 years old? It certainly makes sense to extend him to save the money. I will tell you this if David Bell does somehow lose his job in Cincinnati, which he won’t, he will never manage another major league baseball team. Same as a Dick Williams was never going to be a general manager of any other team. I will also guarantee that they screw this up with Nick Krall he will almost certainly get another MLB job right away. Should tell you all you need to know.
There was no need to extend David Bell at this time. I don’t think he was in great danger of taking another job. In the meantime. Same with Votto – at 39 years old, it would make sense to wait to see the season play out and what things look like at the end the year. But the reason they were extended early is they don’t have to answer the hard questions if things go sideways.
So it makes sense to extend Hunter Greene early to save money, but it doesn’t make sense to extend David Bell to make money? OK … If David Bell wins the manager of the year award, his price goes up (just like Greene’s price would be likely to go up). Money is money, and this is a business. The save money element (which is a reasonable assumption based on this ownership group) was going to be my good baseball reason #3 but I didn’t want to belabor the issue.
It doesn’t matter whether you or I like or dislike Bell. What matters is what the FO thinks, the players think, and the results on the field. Don’t look now, but all arrows are pointing upwards.
I challenge you to look through my comments and see if I ever nitpick David Bell or criticize Joey Votto. I don’t. I pray and keep my fingers crossed for both. Because they are Cincinnati Reds first and foremost, but secondarily neither are going anywhere until they decide it is time for them to do so. It’s just the way it is in Cincinnati. people need to be realistic about it complaining will not do you any good. I hope that he wins manager of the year that would be fantastic. And I hope Joey Votto finishes extremely strong and next year plays as well as he does this year.
All that said, I don’t take away one word that I’ve written before this. Extending either of these guys was not a bright baseball move. We shall see.
At this point I think they love torturing us. Can’t wait for the next 3 years of David bell….not
I think we are seeing that India is much more valuable than many thought. Team leaders are important, and he is a gamer.
I’ll be glad to see him back & healthy. Also though, if you’re the leader lead. You’re still in the dugout & clubhouse. And maybe he is behind the scenes, but it has to be more than putting the viking gear on people. Sometimes you have to get testy.
Wasn’t it Bench that said that, Perez & Morgan policed the BRM teams? Correct me if I’m wrong.
It has to start with Bell though.
Yes, as I have heard and read it, Tony was the glue in the BRM era clubhouse and Joe’s strong personal friendship with Rose was the liaison between the players of differing ethnic/racial backgrounds.
For the younger folks, bear in mind the BRM “regular 8” was comprised of guys 6 guys *not* predominately of European DNA admixture; and, one of the remaining 2 has always self identified as having significant Native American influence in his gnome. Meanwhile with just a couple of exceptions the bench and pitching staff were of predominately European admixture.
A real tough loss with outstanding pitching from Ashcraft plus both Brewers and Cubs lost.
We have to win when AA, GA & BW pitch, if we expect to go anywhere.
Stats show major league managers over a season have little effect on adding more wins, so all you really want is a manager who doesn’t regularly make poor decisions to lose games, unfortunately, the Reds have one of the poor decision makers.
Joe Boyle tonight for the Midland RockHounds:
6IP 3H 0R 2BB 8K
93 Pitches
I wonder if someone tweaked a minor mechanical flaw. It will be interesting to see what his back to back outings look like.
Yeah possibly. We will see after several starts and what the future holds. I’m not jumping the gun or trying to make a point here. I just plan on keeping up with him. I hate trading away a guy with that much potential. And even though the trade does make sense on paper, I am not a fan of it. I am certainly in the minority in that opinion.
Yeah, facts are reality. I’ll be curious as to your findings. That’s a big time arm that I hope that holds up for him & shame on us if we missed a tweak. Starter arms are golden. Especially with his size & velo w/movement.
India is projected to return next week. thalp a lot. Senzel has turned into a major distraction for this team. Either send him to triple A or dfa him. His limited talent isn’t worth the drama. I’m sure Barerra another triple A player would like to be the twenty-sixth man on the reds roster.
that will…
With Milwaukee, they were clearly outmanaged by Counsell and the team’s vulnerability to good pitching was clearly seen. In Chicago, they just hit the floor when they realized that another division team can whup then just as hard as Ali, Frazier, or Foreman (take your pick). Those new factors came into being just as some old factors reassert themselves (play in crucial games). Needing a turnaround today against a weak team, this loss may be the toughest of all. Talk about about being snatched away. Can’t blame Ashcraft for only one clear mistake or Diaz because of what he has done all year. I still wonder why Sims didn’t get the call in the 9th. He was also on 2 days rest and Diaz seems to get stretched for 2 innings and did throw a big mistake. Of course, the Reds should have won in the 9th, Bell’s “decisions” certainly didn’t help but 0-10 for RISP harks back to a time earlier in the season that if not corrected will be the finisher for this playoff hope.
The frustration of Senzel is understandable. In the last couple years, during a period of non-injury, he should have been traded. This year started out well for him, and then the young guys arrived and he’s been relegated to part-time. Senzel needs an opportunity with another team to play fulltime. He’ll be traded or released by the offseason or before.
I doubt that Senzel really has much trade value, because he’s pretty much a replacement-level player. His finding the right spot may give him the opportunity to prove that he is more than a replacement level player.
The Reds probably should just non-tender him over the winter, making him a free agent. With little trade value, it allows Senzel to pick where he thinks he will get a fair chance to play.
You don’t ever non tender a player like Senzel who can play multiple positions and mash left handed pitching. You at least trade him for a prospect no matter what the level.
Senzel’s career bWAR is -1.5. He is by definition a replacement-level player. He got very hot against LH pitching earlier this year, but has tailed off. Last year, in more ABs against LH pitching, he had an OPS of .595 against lefties.
He can play a lot of positions, but he doesn’t really play any of them well. He can run fairly fast, but he doesn’t steal bases at a productive rate and is getting thicker and slower. At age 28, he does not figure to improve.
We all wish that Stenzel had worked out better for the Reds, but it didn’t happen. His draft year turned out to be a bad draft, and the Reds did not necessarily make a bad pick with Senzel. The Reds just got unlucky to have a high pick in a bad year.
If they can trade him for a 20-year-old pitcher with an outside chance to be a bullpen piece, that is fine. But that is about all he is worth, and the kind thing to do is to non-tender him so that he can pick where he thinks he can succeed. Marte will arrive some time in 2024, and that will be one less position available for Senzel to play; there really is no room for him on the Reds in 2024.
Having said all that, I don’t understand the vitriol thrown at him in this thread. He did hit a homer in 5 ABs, and only McLain had a better game at the plate. As for his “closed door” meeting, I don’t mind a guy wanting to play more. I’m sure that he’s frustrated that he is finally healthy but only getting limited ABs against RH hitting. I think that Senzel is better than Newman, and I will even root for him to prove me wrong about not having a spot here next year.
OBE>> I agree with you. I also think Boras had found the Reds a needle in the haystack; and, then for whatever reason the Reds did not follow through. Now, as a result, the whole seamy underside is getting played out in public.
The entire face value of Senzel’s contract ~$1.95M is now a sunken cost for the Reds. The remaining amount to be paid is ~$650K. Perhaps the Reds should pass him through waivers; and, if he clears, release him. If he subsequently signs elsewhere, the remainder of the $650 would at least come off their books.
remaining $650K NOT $650 😉
The Reds have lost what made them fun. Too many guys are swinging for the fences, and they are generating fewer and fewer runs with speed and moxie.
Last night, they were facing the pitcher who led the league in hits allowed, and got 4 hits in 6.1 innings off him. Two of those hits were from the first 3 hitters of the game, and the Reds did not record a single off him. Votto in particular needs to step up and get his teammates back to what they were doing when they were good and away from homer-happiness. Alas, Votto and India have become homer-happy themselves.
Tyler Stephenson is a mess. He barked at the ump over called strikes 2 and 3 that were clearly strikes. He is poor offensively or defensively. Maile is the better player.
+1000 @OBE!
The players have stopped doing what made them good – making contact. If you don’t make contact then base running will never come into play.
Stephenson is a total mess – no way would I extend him. Senzel is a mess – mentally and has shown himself to be a poor teammate. Why didn’t we trade him for a bucket of balls! The Fairchild experiment should be over – get Hopkins or Blake Dunn up here.
The offensive team has become content after scoring a couple runs – we don’t add on like we used to.
The only way to earn the Viking helmet is to hit a home run. They don’t get to wear it for playing sound fundamental baseball. The culture of this team has definitely changed and I really don’t know why. The team is playing the same type of baseball that we have been accustomed to during the Bell era.
It’s just a guess but an educated one, I truly believe there was a power struggle between Nick Krall and the Bell family within the organization regarding David’s extension. Unfortunately, the Bell clan won out. Time will tell how the fans will fare.
Maybe they compromised and agreed that one Bell would go and one would stay.
This team has no idea what fundamental baseball is. Hitting behind the runners and moving them up. Taking pitches and running up the count of the pitcher. Bunting and moving runners over. Stealing a base when it’s basically provided to you as the catcher has crappy pop times. Swinging for the fences when all you need to do is put it in play. Runner takes off(Belanger) and not one person in the infield yells to the pitcher to step off and throw him out. Why on earth you would bat your slowest runner ( Maile) 9th between Benson and Elly? Just a lot of head scratching stuff that you do not see from other teams when the Reds play them. One step forward two steps back. Oh well at least we get to see Weaver again on Tuesday.
+1000
Agree wholeheartedly. I also saw the replay on the bunt back to Diaz that he just auto threw to first when the guy would have been out at third easily (concurred by The Cowboy). Doesn’t Stephenson tell him where to throw or did he make up his mind already? Mental errors, fundamental baseball, moving runners along, plate discipline, the same things we have talked about for years but still not improved to any degree. However, except for saying “things aren’t going to change” or trying to fire up his team by getting thrown out of the game, David Bell always seems content to stay the course and not fundamentally change anything since “we’re working so hard so we have to believe the process.” I still don’t understand what he means by that. Perhaps his “process” is the fundamental shortcoming. And that Senzel stuff, how does that happen? A few more losses and Bell may really have to lay down some “tough love” here, but has he ever been able to exercise that kind of authority?
What a bummer. I hope we can cut off another late season fade? Just seems like get mentally & physically fatigued and quit doing what got us this far. Thing is everyone plays a ton of games & travels. Nobody will fill sorry for you. Stuey has a chance for an easy walk off w/contact and Ks again. He’s a scrub. There I said it and I don’t like it
Funny game though, literally every competitor lost but SF. SD 4 back of the Reds
Wouldn’t surprise me if Philly, SF, and SD were the wildcards and Cubs win the Central
Feel sorry..lol. Find myself being more of a Bell defender with the RLN always complaining, but he had a rough night. Was only partially watching late. So their big boy tied it with 2 outs in the 8th? Why let him see Ashcraft again and again? Diaz just got a 4 out save not long ago
I think the Cubs are the team to beat in the NL Central. I watched them a bit back about a month ago, and thought they were a lot better than their record. Getting Candalerio was a big improvement. Stroman is now hurt, though, with the dreaded hip fatigue, so that does not help.
The Reds rely on a ton of young guys who have never yet had to grind this hard and this long, so a slump like this was probably inevitable. But they still have time to right the ship. They are only a half-game out, with more off days coming up than any other team.
@IRM
“…I hope we can cut off another late season fade? Just seems like get mentally & physically fatigued and quit doing what got us this far”.
Preparing and running the team to navigate the “dog days” and September sprint is a huge part of the manager’s job. Barring one or more significant additional injuries, the bottom line is on Bell given these guys demonstrated what they were capable of over a long stretch.
Lefties the last 3 out of 4 games exposed the Reds because the platoon guys are just not as good at the plate or in the field as the regular lineup.Its made worse by Bell’s batting order against lefties and does Joey set or play(please note he always hits 6th regardless)of who is on the mound.Bell has to then manage more against lefty pitchers and the more he manages well the more exposed he becomes.Not hammering on Bell because its the same for all of the managers.The ship will get righted when we face righties if this team gets back to doing what they should be doing like JB just said above.I might add this team must cut down on the punch outs.Pitchers are figuring them out some and they must put the ball in play more.One more thing and its about the batting order.Stats say it doesn’t matter and players like to know where they will hit but NOBODY on this team has enough stats or has earned the right to hit in a certain spot.I am sure that Bell promised Joey where he would hit but thats just respect shown to Votto.I won’t get in to who I think should hit where but the batting order for the most part makes little sense to me.I won’t give Bell a pass on the order just because the team is winning or maybe he doesn’t want to rock the boat or put to much pressure on this guy or that guy.Its his job to put each player in the best position at the plate and in the field to win games.This is not little league where we don’t want to hurt the players feelings.I’ve gone to far so I will stop
This was Indias team and India kind of got kicked to the curb.
How did India get kicked to the curb? Until he went on the IL he missed like 2 starts all year. If I remember correctly India got put into arguably the most important spot in the lineup, the 3 hole. His lack of production has been the only thing sitting on the curb.
FO should try to improve the bench roster during the offseason, not sure what are the stats against LH pitchers but seems to be really lopsided.
Feels like a stick the fork in it kinda moment. Hopefully the team isn’t done cooking, and we go on a nice run, but this has been rough.
I think we’re seeing the young guys being exposed to the full season of top competition for the first time. In addition, look at the pitching – the duct tape is finally wearing thin in places. It’s why the frustration with not trading for at least one good starting piece was so palpable. We’ve got twice as many “can’t miss” infield prospects as there are positions, so we ARE gonna have to trade folks at some point, and the Cards only have a bad season once a decade, the Brewers about once every 5 years, the Cubbies…. So waiting around for the rest of the division to catch up seems like a bad idea when you’re right three. Sure, we’ve got Greene and Lodolo and Antone etc coming in late August, but if we lose half the month, it’s not gonna matter, is it? Trying to be an optimist, but the Reds are making it hard right now.
/right there. OOF, wish there was an edit button ?
The Enquirer not mincing words this morning:
“Bell stuck with his right-handed platoon hitters against right-handed pitchers on Friday. Senzel and third baseman Kevin Newman both took at-bats in the eighth inning when the Reds had a chance to take the lead. And Senzel took the biggest at-bat of the game in the ninth inning.
Friedl, Fraley and Benson have all had stretches this year where they were some of the most productive hitters in baseball against right-handed pitching. The Reds didn’t get to see any of those hitters in those matchups on Friday.”
Bet that was written by the new “old” guy and not Charlie. 😉
Bell can justify every move he makes.Data driven,gut, know things you don’t know and so on and so on.NO different then any other manager.Bell just got a 3 year extension and we know what Krall said was the reasons.Believe it or not he is here for 3 more years.Senzel/Newman hitting 2nd and 5th went 1 for 9 with the GABP special homer by Nick.He is a poor in game manager and am glad the new guy said something.Will it matter of course not.Bell was not held accountable for 2020,2021 and 2022 so we play on for the next 3 years.Bell is just Bell.Done with Bell comments.Waste of my time and energy.
I don’t know who said it but they are right Fairchild is awful and should not be on the team, he gives nothing and struck out when all he needed was good contact. Three or four in the minors would be better including Barrero. End of my rant, one more thing as my wife says every game Bell is the worst manager in baseball, she screamed when she found out about the extension, I thought something bad happened, I guess it did.
Its easy to manage a game after it’s over. Were mistakes made, yes of course. If CES gets thrown out at home on a ball hit in the gap then it would have been (Why wasnt Benson pinch running). Reds have been on the wrong end of the strike zone for whatever reason the last few games. They dont help themselves when they constantly swing at terrible pitches and take pitches right down Broadway.
Oh stop. Nobody would have asked why Benson wasn’t running if CES had been thrown out at home on a double. Everyone would have understood why you don’t take one of your hottest hitters out of the game just in case Fairchild hits a double and he’s thrown out by a step or two. The criticisms of Bell are mostly rational, and mostly point out the irrational things he does. Not one of us would have subbed Benson and then not had him attempt a steal. Only Bell would have done that — because he’s not good at this.
Fraley would’ve definitely hit if he was available. He’s the best clutch hitter they have. I’d take Ramos over Newman in a heartbeat. Senzel/Steer/CES cover backup infield.
Bottom line is they need 4 wins with this 6 game homestand so better get busy
I think the question as big as the loss is where was Fraley? Is he hurt or ill? Family emergency, if so, they have maternity and bereavement leave for these situations.
I get that Bell is something of a throwback in trying to keep who is and who is not available secret from the opponents. However, apparently, Fraley had not even been in the Reds dugout all night. When the RH pitcher was brought on to face Fairchild in the 8th, I think the Nats had counted noses, done their homework, and knew Fraley wasn’t going to PH for Fairchild.
Saw where Fraley has a broken bone in foot, goes on IL with Hopkins recalled. So now we get a steady diet of whiney Senzel and his stellar .220 BA.
Just went over to the site formerly known as Twitter and saw this. Interesting to me they went with the pure OF Hopkins over the hybrid IF/OF Barrero. Big question come Tuesday if India comes back on schedule is who is the bubble guy???
The first 7 innings were fun the last 3 were very hard to watch that was probably the worst loss of the season
Winless since the Bell extension and the nine game West Coast trip should be the final nail in the coffin for this season.