The Cincinnati Reds jumped out to an early lead, scoring two runs in the 1st inning. But they failed to score after that and Milwaukee battled back to take the lead and held on from there for a 3-2 win as the Brewers opened up the series with a victory.
| Final | R | H | E |
|---|---|---|---|
| Milwaukee Brewers (33-28) | 3 | 5 | 1 |
| Cincinnati Reds (29-32) | 2 | 8 | 0 |
| W: Civale (1-1) L: Singer (6-4) SV: Megill (12) | |||
| Statcast | Box Score | Game Thread | |||
Cincinnati didn’t take very long to strike first in this one. TJ Friedl led off the bottom of the 1st inning with a double into the right field corner. Elly De La Cruz then lined a single into left-center to plate the first run of the game. Tyler Stephenson followed with a single to put runners on the corners. Spencer Steer then laid down a safety squeeze bunt up the 1st base line, bringing in De La Cruz and picking up a single – then taking second base when William Contreras threw the ball into right field on the play to give the Reds a 2-0 lead.
In the top of the 2nd inning the Brewers got their offense rolling with some help from Brady Singer. Sal Frelick started the rally with a 1-out single and he moved up to third base on a double by Andruw Monasterio. Singer then issued back-to-back walks to bring in a run for Milwaukee. Brice Turang then hit a sacrifice fly that tied the game up, but the throw to the plate was cut off by Garrett Hampson who caught Monasterio drifting too far off of second base and turned a double play to end the inning. Milwaukee would take the lead in the next inning when Christian Yelich hit a solo home run off of the batters eye.
Both offenses went quiet after that. There were four hit between the two teams over the next five innings and three of those hits were infield singles. In the bottom of the 6th inning the Reds had two singles, leading to two men on and just one out but a strikeout and a ground out squashed any sort of rally that was happening.
Cincinnati entered the bottom of the 9th inning still trailing 3-2 with the bottom of their lineup due up. Milwaukee sent closer Trevor Megill to the mound. He needed just 13 pitches to seal the 3-2 win for the Brewers.
Key Moment of the Game
Christian Yelich hitting a go-ahead home run in the 3rd inning that turned out to be the game-winning run.
Notes Worth Noting
The Reds have lost every game this year in which they were trailing after the 6th inning.
The Reds have lost 30 of their last 40 games against the Brewers.
TJ Friedl continues to get the job done. He went 2-3 with a double, walk, and a run. He’s now hitting .305/.387/.427 on the season.
The 6-9 hitters went 1-16 for the Reds on the day.
Santiago Espinal went 0-2 in the game after coming off of the bench to pinch hit. He’s now zero for his last 17.
Up Next for the Cincinnati Reds
Milwaukee Brewers vs Cincinnati Reds
Tuesday, June 3rd, 7:10pm ET
Hunter Greene (4-3, 2.63 ERA) vs Freddy Peralta (5-3, 2.77 ERA)
“The Reds have lost every game this year in which they were trailing after the 6th inning.”
0-24?
No fight in ’em. So different from ’23.
They’ll have to learn how to do the rain dance and implement it whenever they’re losing going into the 5th.
You think the Reds are serious about winning? With Conner Joe and Garrett Hampson in the lineup…I don’t think so!
Honestly I don’t think Krall knows how to put a winning team on the field even if he had more money/assets.
I agree Melvin … he’s absolutely CLUELESS
Loves the retreads / scrap heap / bargain basement types
The need for Red’s offense has been obvious since Castellanos and Winker left. The offseason attempt to fix the offense was half-hearted which is evident in the last two games. Wins are needed in the next two games with the top of the Reds starting pitching on the mound. If not, it’s another season of ‘play out the schedule.’ If the experience of Francona is going to be utilized, a change in the front office by ownership will be needed.
Thats been obvious for a few years now. The Candelario deal was absurd at the time and alot of the fans were understandably excited for anything that gave us a chance to win. Alot of folks here also argued that was the market, and other teams would’ve done it too. Well, they didn’t and Nick Krall did. To me the Pagan deal was the jaw dropper. There was no reason at all to give that man that much money at the time. Krall is searching for bargains most of the time and he just isn’t sharp enough to do that well. The proof is in the pudding at this point. To trade all that talent a couple years ago and still are signing the Connor Joes of the world because there is noone on the farm is frustrating. The lack of talent development is incredible with this organization and it even pre dates Krall, its just worse with
him.
There is a complete lack of accountability with him also. He threw Bell under the bus after signing him to an extension the year before and to me that showed his character. He is a yes man that will do anything to save his own backside. I am not a Nick Krall fan.
I feel like a lot of these players are average or slightly above average players with maybe a few exceptions for the hitters. After watching this team pretty closely the first 2+ months it sure feels like the best this team could be is right around .500.
The pitching overall has been pretty good. I feel like I’m starting to see some wear and tear though on the bullpen especially. I think the starters will continue to do a solid job. I keep saying if we could get several hitters batting around .260 to .280 maybe we could score some more runs. Home runs are nice but they are not everything. Other than Elly I don’t really count on any of our current players hitting more than 25 home runs. Guys have potential but that potential has not shown itself enough to be consistent threats. The owners are too cheap to go out and get a thumper too.
Yes, somehow they found a way to replace Farichild with another Fairchild.
At least Fairchild played above-average defense. Joe doesn’t even have that.
This team is becoming unwatchable. Poor recognition of the strike zone, bad clutch hitting, list can go on. Maybe it is time to admit this rebuild is not working and fire Krall. I know Burbs is good and will probably be up this year but Jac Caglionne is being called up by the Royals to provided a lift for their offense. And for those who think the Reds should trade for an outfielder, there are about 1-2 difference makers worthy of a trade. Also once again free agent outfielders at the end of the year are few and far between.
What a terrible waste of decent pitching we have.
Bingo @Ksdavis! There simply are no outfielders available by trade or free agency that are true difference makers. Therefore, we need to draft and develop them. Problem is, we haven’t – in many, many years.
Add to this, we have 1 hitter with decent home run potential in the lineup. So if he doesn’t hit one out, we have zero homers in the game. Which means we have to manufacture runs. Problem is, only 2 players are capable of this – Frieldl & Lux. After them, it’s a bunch of guys that don’t impact the ball with any authority – or worse, can’t make contact.
A very boring offense to watch. I wouldn’t be opposed to shake things up dramatically by bringing up 2-3 new hitters not on the 40man to see if we can inject some life. Stewart, Rodriguez and Urbaez can be any worse than Espinal, McLain and Fraley. Designate Hurtibese, Dunn and Zuluetta to make room.
And for Pete’s sake get Rece Hinds up to start developing him. Hampson has no business being on this team.
*can’t be any worse.
When it went to 3-2 i looked at my wife and said ” its probably over”. This offense is pathetic. Why are Joe and Hampson on this team? Elly,mclain,steer,stephenson,all having down years Marte,ces,candy and hays hurt more than healthy.Just an awful start to the year.
I have to disagree guys on a couple of points. I think there are big bat OFs that would help this club. Tucker was a big fish who we lost at the finish line. Totally flawed reasoning but past tense now. I don’t have a thorough list on who I would be calling about but considering we were into Tucker at $25M, then I would first say that anyone in the $25-30M price range is in the wheelhouse. Call some of these other struggling teams like the Angels and Braves and check in on Trout and Acuna. And I totally believe that if Krall wasn’t so blinded by all the HOF guys at Louisville, we could get the big bat in here. He is just so afraid of making a “bad trade” that he won’t make the necessary trade. Tell folks Burns is available and then see if a few big bat OFs become available. Or screw it and do nothing and believe this 2025 team is going to win the Division after your 3-4 year rebuild.
I also don’t agree that Joe and Hampson are worse than Dunn, Hurtebise, and Hinds. Hinds might be a push with his 20 HRs, defense, and 180 batting average vs Joe and Hampson’s versatility and 230 batting averages. But this is really trivia and emblematic of the bigger problem. None of the above 5-6 guys plus Benson and Fraley are going to ignite this offense. They all are below average or worse. And Lx and Steer don’t move the dial enough to talk about. Insert a 900 OPS guy in RF and we are probably 3-4 games better at 32-28. But you got to want to win and not worry so much about how many MVPs Arroyo might win. And you can’t get your butt so far behind that Ohtani couldn’t get you caught up.
Steer and Stephanson have been pretty good. A bit inconsistent but not too bad overall.
Everyone though Mcclain was going to save the club and honestly, he hasn’t been very good. I am really close to closing my season on this team as well but I’ll probably hold out until the end of June and see where things stand.
I don’t know what to think about this team. They are sinking now. They seemed to waive the white flag after the Yelich homer just in the 3rd inning. Where is the fighting spirit? 0-24 trailing after the 6th inning is just ridiculous…This team won many games coming from behind in Bell’s era ….what’s going on?
Losing 30 out of 40 against Brewers doesn’t embarrass Krall apparently who doesn´t care about winning , he’s a lier when says the FO is only looking for winning , he’s only a Castellini’s employee who follows his orders and earns his salary.
It’s pathetic having Hampson for 2nd time hitting in a 1 run game against a righty in the 9th inning…No way..
you know your team stinks when the highlight of the game is two good bunts
When they scored 2 in first inning, but failed to score more with runners on second and third and one out, I said out loud: “they needed to score those two runners then, cause the two runs is probably all they’ll get the entire game.” I don’t think I was alone in this thought. An embarrassing club.
Brewers and Cards are the class of the NL Central the last 7-8 years or so. Cubs I’m not convinced are going to go on some 3-4 year great run. I think they are very good this year, but not sure they are building some dynasty especially if they don’t resign Tucker.
The Reds, I’m not sure what they are building or not building. It’d be good to not have Hampson coming up in key at bats late in the game yes, but the bigger issue is the every-day starting core players aren’t good enough currently to win often.
I think Noelvi Marte has the most offensive talent of any of the young players. I think after the suspension I would have been fine if they traded him, and still wouldn’t totally be opposed to it. But I still like his offensive potential and think if Hays becomes healthy and Marte becomes healthy, perhaps you have a chance to have a consistent offense.
But then there seems to be a mental component missing from this team anyway with not being able to come back, or the bullpen blowing big games even when the Offense has come through.
I’m not sure what Francona is thinking overall. Maybe he’s in this for two years at least, and has prepared himself that this year may not go as planned, and will be patient with the process. I don’t really know. Maybe he’s thinking oh this is a bad situation and this franchise/front office is not very good and I’m going to retire, or try to move to another team to coach. I really don’t know. Counsell and the Cubs weren’t too inspiring last year, and took off this year.
They will trade Hays,Martinez and Pagan at the deadline and probably should. No sense holding on to them when they are not coming back. This franchise is slowly turning into a team FA’S may not want to play for.
I feel like that has been a problem for years. I know we made the playoffs in the shortened season, but we actually had some really good players then. The last 2 to 3 seasons feel like minor moves were made to make it so the team could be at least average. Average doesn’t win enough to be in the playoffs.
I hate to say it but apathy is starting to creep in for me on this year’s edition of the Reds. Just another loss in the long line of many.
Yeah, I usually at some point kind of stop paying attention as much if they get too far out of it, or you just don’t see much potential for improvement. I think the next couple weeks that could happen. But a few times this year they’ve gone on a 3-4 game winning streak or so when I thought they were dead so we’ll see.
Very true, Jeremiah. If somehow they could get hot again it would definitely make me get false hope again for another week or so.
Apathy has been here for a couple weeks for me.
Nick Krall has to be on thin ice. The Castellinis have increased payroll (albeit slightly) the past couple of years and it has resulted in fewer victories. I can’t imagine Phil is thrilled with how the Candelario signing has turned out. They blamed 2024 on David Bell. Nick Krall is likely
the next fall guy. I just wish they would make the move now so someone, other than Krall, will handle the deadline deals.
Exactly. This is his fifth season and he still has yet to build a playoff team, let alone a division winner. We can only hope he is canned soon and they bring in a proven front office guy from Cleveland, Tampa, St. Louis, or Milwaukee to acquire hitters this winter.
I would like to redo my preseason win prediction. And I do not think they are going to win than I thought. There will be better stretches over the year but I feel overall this rendition of the Reds are cooked. They just do not have the offense to string enough hits together in an inning to score runs. So no longer thinking about playoffs, just hoping they can win once in awhile and perhaps develop some players for next year (Reds should put that on a banner and hang it in the park, “there is always next year”). So do they match last years win total of 77 wins? I am thinking they will hit around 75 wins.
I’ve been saying it for a while now. 72-90.
I agree with the comments .
No fire , no fight , no edge once they’re behind even when playing in front of a home crowdWish someone on the team would take a page out of old Lou Pinella’s book .
And McClain sat to spend extra time with the hitting coach ?
What’s the hitting coach been doing all this time ?
if they bring up anybody it’ll probably be Dunn and Hurtibese again. somebody ought to be embarrassed.
Dunn and Hurtibese are hitting terribly at Triple A even and striking out a ton. I wonder what’s going on with those 2? Have the Reds changed the hitting approach or something? I feel kind of bad for both. Usually don’t see guys who had success at least in the minors be that bad now in the Minors.
There is a big difference between AAA and the Majors. I think we are seeing that some of these guys are over hyped by the front office and media. There are some major league players here, but I don’t think anyone except maybe Elly and Stephanson should be considered for an all start appearance on the hitting side. Pitching, they have good pitching, but you don’t win a game by only having good pitching. They need to be scoring at least 3 to 5 runs a game. Problem is every time they get hot and score more than 6 runs a game they immediately fall into a pattern of no runs or 1 maybe 2 runs a game.
I’ve been on this site for about a year and a half and what bugs me the most is the criticism that goes toward the team from the posters on the site. However, it’s not about you guys being criticical of the team, it’s that you are all ACCURATE in your assessment, and that absolutely nothing gets done about it by management. Year in and year out, it’s the same story – those at the top of the organization look for the cheapest way possible to assemble a team and then cross their fingers and hope it works. What does it take to be rid of these guys?
Wash, rinse, repeat. We’ve seen this before. This year it’s guys like Hampson, Joe, and Wynns. On past Krall teams it’s been Myers, Cabrera, Renfroe, Bader, Martini, Vosler… It’s almost comical if it wasn’t so sad how far the Reds have fallen.
Right. What does it take to get rid of these guys?
Redlegscott: What does it take to get rid of these guys? Money. Lot’s of money. Which ownership has or doesn’t have and are refusing to or can’t pay. You may remember this off season when Krall went shopping and spent every nickel ownership gave him. Of course we can argue about who he got but their is no argument about how much he was given to spend. I for one think he did a good job and spread the money around as best he could and made a good trade for India. You are correct that this happens year in and year out. It has been this way for over 30 years and as far as I am concerned it is ownerships problem for the large part. Then never committed to a long term rebuild strategy None of this is going to change until we get an ownership with deeper pockets and a real desire to win and not stay in MLB just for a steady profit margin or the new CBA gets a salary cap and a salary floor.
When asking how do we get rid of these guys, I was referring to ownership, the obvious source of the problem.
I feel summer creepin’ in and I’m tired of this team again!
Well at least we have the pacers. Hopefully they win in 7 to drag it out until late june. Then college football starts in 86 days…. but who is counting!
“Well at least we have the pacers. Hopefully they win in 7 to drag it out until late june.”
Personally I’d rather them win in four. 🙂
That would be fine too! Lol
Good for you for liking other sports. I mean that genuinely.
I only like baseball and hockey, and hockey is almost over. Plus my team (Detroit) didn’t make it to the playoffs so I don’t really care much.
My wife likes football so I watch that with her. It’s enjoyable but I probably wouldn’t follow it if it wasn’t for her.
It doesn’t seem to matter who the Brewers throw out on the mound against the Reds. They could put Eric Milton out there tomorrow and he would put up a quality start.
Ahhh old Milton… Miss … kIdding.. The guy was a terrible pitcher. But you’re right. Seems like the hitters on this team make too many pitchers with 5+ ERA’s into top notch pitchers for one game.
Enough with Conner Joe and Garrett Hampson, and the likes. Get Hinds and CES up now. I’d rather watch the young guys struggle and hopefully get better than watch veteran utility guys struggle. We know they will never be anything. Give the young guys an opportunity. CES and Hinds at least play hard and bring some energy. And each has high ceiling potential. Maybe even give Urbaez a chance…anything but these waste of roster space guys.
Also POWER!. Cannot underrate the value of a HR when our guys strike out so often. I’d much rather have Hinds hitting a homer per week than Conner Joe hitting 3 singles a week
I’ve lost my patience with this organization. It’s always next year. One more year gone until Elly leaves. Leaving Hampson in to hit in the 9th was it for me. They needed 1 run and Hampson wasn’t the answer. Let McLain or Wynn’s try for the home run. I liked the Tito signing but man what are you doing?
Many of us went on and on about David Bell being the problem and there was quite a bit of optimism with the hiring of Francona. And yet, all the preseason prognosticators had this team near the bottom of the division.
Yeah, we don’t need CES at the major league level now. Sure, he’s better off in AAA.
Give me a break. This team needs all the hitting help it can get. CES would absolutely help.
Hats off to TJ. He’s been one of the very, very few offensive stars on this team.
Friedl has been awesome at leadoff. Hard to expect more from him.
Hampson as your only hope? Where are McLain and Wynns? Francona said he was saving McLain to Pinch Run—HUH??????? Time for Tito to go—Fast and Far. Krall can go with him, they’re both out of their minds. Francona’s not the right person for this job or this team, Krall never was.
The current situation/
– Marte – Rebounded and got hurt
– Hays – Plays great but hurt twice
– McLain – coming back from missing entire season and struggling
– Steer – sapped by shoulder injury
– Stephenson – injured but maybe coming around
– Candy – way under performing and hurt
– CES – Under performed and hurt
There’s enough talent for a winning record.
This current situation (and similar to many other seasons) is why we are where we are. These are all starters that we counted on at the beginning of the season. That’s 7 of 9 starters! This team has no money for depth or to seriously roll the dice on a expensive free agent or quality AAA guys to call up. This is exactly why we have the Connor Joes and Garret Hampsons of the league roaming our beloved GABP (who’s dimensions, have, do and will scream for a big power hitter).
It’s just frustrating and disappointing. I’m not throwing in the towel yet, but my interest in watching every single game is waning. The West Coast swings may be easier to miss at this rate.
OK, enough negative to start the day.
I can tell that most on this board are just sick and tired of losing. Many had hoped that this year would be different but for me this year is as bad, or worse, than any. The decisions this team has made are unbelievable, all one has to say is Garrett Hampson and that is the end of the story. The team has no life and is as boring as can be. I thought Tito would help but he seems to have made things worse. The team never runs and some of his moves or lack of moves are baffling. Why is Wynns on this team he never plays and not batting him in the 9th last night was a managerial crime.
Agree don’t understand why Wynn’s is not getting into any games. Why is he on the roster? He could pinch hit at least a few times a week. How is he supposed to produce when he never plays now. They guy had a great start to the year. I doubt he could keep that up now never playing.
When will this nightmare end? It’s like a bad dream on loop and we cant wake up. I think it’s just better not having any expectations of the team and being pleasantly surprised than believing we are good enough only to be disappointed.
I wish it werent true and, yeah, I know it’s a long season, it’s a long career, but it sounds like many on here are starting to acknowledge that lack of toughness and winning attitude I was attacked for mentioning on here a few weeks back. This team does not show the mental makeup of even a professional team, let alone a winning one, imo.
Welcome back, my friends
To the nightmare that never ends….
Well, every year has been pretty much a tease since 2012. We’re close, we just need one more player, we can get better, wait ’till the rookies adjust to the Majors, and on, and on, and on.
Face it. The Reds have neither the talent, resources (money) or management skills (Front Office) to put up a winning (finish above .500) or even and competitive team.
it makes me a little sad, but then again, it’s just a game. Being a fan for a long time, the level of mis-management and satisfaction with mediocrity is a bitter pill to swallow.
So if Krall is on the hotseat, who would replace him if he gets fired? I shudder at the thought of who the Top Men owning the Reds would hire next.
Nothing much to add here. Presuming there are no roster moves during the day on Tuesday, my main attention this evening will likely be on the AAA Bats with half an eye on what’s happening with the Reds.
I can hardly believe I just typed that last sentence on a Hunter Greene day. However, I did. And it reflects how I feel right now.
I’m also keeping an eye on AA.
The current AA group could turn into a crew like EDLC, McLain, and CES were at Louisville in 2023. Maybe I should include Benson in that 2023 AAA group, too; but, he just sort of dropped in for a “long month” then was back up.
Besides the prospects, there were several solid 4A guys who have logged MLB time (Nick Martini and Jason Vosler come to mind). And Barrero (whatever category he fits in) had a .873 OPS on the rebound from 2021-22’s MLB disaster.
As I recall, the team was 10 games over .500 when the serious callups started and finished at +2 (75-73).
Speaking of Benson I’m not sure what’s going on with him lately at the plate and in the field. He was doing really well then all of a sudden…….
Another disheartening loss. One of the key failings last night was Singer walking the 8 and 9 hitters in the top of the 2nd. That’s unacceptable, but somehow he and the rest of the staff still pitched well enough to win. We watch Hampsen and Joe instead of Marte, CES, Hays and Hinds with McLain and Wynns on the bench. I know the first three are hurt or rehabbing, but Hampsen and Joe might not start at AA, let alone in Cincinnati. I’m eager to see if Hunter Greene is back to full health and effectiveness, but I won’t be glued to the games again until FIVE key Reds are back in the lineup instead of the sad sacks filling the bottom of the current lineup. Come on.
But even so, the pitching staff held the opponent to three runs. They have consistently done this all season with losses to show for it. The offense is the problem. And signing guys like Joe and Hampson are a slap in the face.
I thought the key moment was Benson not getting the run home from 3rd with only 1 out in the first inning. Granted, there was a lot of game left at that point but with the Reds struggling to score, they have to take advantage of those situations.
Work schedule has changed so wont be able to watch as much. 3-2 seems like they cant get over the hump late in games. Baffling to me. De La Cruz cant do it all
Charlie Goldsmith on the “chess match” that Tito had little chance of winning last night.
https://charlieschalkboard.substack.com/p/mondays-chess-match-underscored-the?utm_source=post-email-title&publication_id=3342490&post_id=165066473&utm_campaign=email-post-title&isFreemail=true&r=5rk8fn&triedRedirect=true&utm_medium=email
Francona said, “He was going to pinch-run in the ninth.”
Wow you need one run and there’s 2 outs and you send a guy to the plate who has no place in baseball. Sometimes he is as clueless as Bell.
Normally I agree with you JB. On this I couldn’t disagree more. Francona isn’t anywhere near bell. To suggest he is as clueless as Bell is a insult to Francona. Truly
This might be the 2nd or 3rd mistake Tito has made that was glaring this season. Bell at this point in the season would have had 30 glaring mistakes at this point.
As I have said before no manager is perfect but sometimes the obvious eludes them as well.
Just a quick glance at Fangraphs on reds positional WAR and that really informs the gaping holes on this team. Outfield isnt as terrible as a category as one would think due to the strong performances of Friedl and Hays. But, the problem is when you take Hays out of the mix with his 3 injuries, then the OF and offense becomes atrocious..
The good- CF/C/SS and LF/DH
LF with Hays 15th in team WAR- but just 30 games with some Lux productivity.
CF- Friedl having a great year WAR 8th overall in MLB
C- 12 th in MLB
SS- 10th in MLB
DH- 9th- stephenson, Hays, and Lux solid here.
The bad
3b- Reds fWAR so far ranks 26th in MLB at 0.0
2b-Reds fWAR ranks 26th in MLB and negative WAR
RF- Reds fWAR 21st in MLB and 0.0 WAR
The atrocious
1b- Reds fWAR dead last in MLB- ( negative 1.8)
The injury to Hays when he misses time really pours gasoline on the the futility of 2b/3b/1b and RF
The failed season of McLain at 2b is destroying this offense.
The bad production of the RF platoon with Fraley/Benson/Joe/Espinal
The terrible production at corner infield with preseason depending on Steer/Candy/Marte/CES in some capacity
The good news is perhaps CES and Marte could be long term solutions by the AS break. Doesnt help in the short term while the season is on life support. But, 3b,2b,1b,RF have been gaping holes the size of the Grand canyon and LF as well when Hays is injured.
Not sure where I saw this but Elly apparently going on the bereavement list after tomorrow’s game so he would miss most of if not all of the Dbacks series. Friday nights lineup without Elly and Hays could be one of the worst of the year.
Official Bereavement Leave is a minimum of 3 days and a maximum of 7. With Thursday being an off day, I am not sure if it will count as official bereavement. The Reds said something along the lines that EDLC would leave “post game” on Wednesday. That left me wondering if there is some way that wording would make Wednesday count as day 1 and thus also make sure Thursday counted.
The one free agent I wanted this year was Goldschmidt. Boy wouldn’t that be nice to have a 1st baseman like him. A boy can dream.
That’s a good breakdown old school. With Steer hitting a little better recentl I forget about how bad 1b has been overall statistically this year. So 2b, 3b, Rf, 1b all bottom 10 production in the league. Definitely not going to win much with that combination of below average results daily at 4 positions.
I definitely think Krall is on the hot seat. The lack of offense and having multiple 4A players on the current roster is Krall’s issue. McLain is also lost and his confidence is shot. I think for the betterment of his career they should sit him down and inform they are sending him to the minors. He has to regain his confidence and he should spend hours in the cage facing sliders and breaking pitches. The concern with Krall still at the helm is he overseeing the July deadline. The Reds have some pieces that should allow for a solid return but do we trust Krall to acquire talent that will help the future of the franchise?! Also concerned with Krall and the direction of the 2025 draft. Reds play in a ballpark that you have to have power. Krall seems to prefer defense first, utility type everyday players….
Just way too much recency bias in this comment section day after day it’s becoming less appealing to read. The same folks who were dead wrong on TJ Friedl are also wrong that the Reds are out of it. This team has talent and will be around or above .500 at the break. We have multiple hitters who are upgrades currently on the shelf, it is what it is for now. That’s baseball.
You make valid point. My concern is why is Hampson on the roster and Joe. Yet Hinds is not.
The baffling part to me as I have mentioned lately as have others. 0-25 after six innings. They dont rally to win. That to me isn’t baseball, but a team that is lost
I do not seriously disagree, Sultan, and hope you are right. That said, it was all I could do to make myself sit through watching over the weekend, and even harder last night.
Right now, I’d rather watch the Bats and see one guy who is almost certainly going to come up big in the next few weeks (CES) and another who could well break big by or after the break (Hinds).
Over the weekend in Toledo (Tigers AAA team), it seemed like lefthanded pitcher after lefthanded pitcher came to the mound for Toledo. CES and Hinds both struggled against them. CES had 2Ks on both Saturday and Sunday but did get a hit both days (a 1b and HR). Hinds managed to break even with 2Ks on Saturday and 2BB (0K) on Sunday but did not make solid contact at all. I wonder if these performances, paired with the Brewers’ leftie deep pen, were why we did not see one of these guys brought up Monday.
They may be .500 at the break but in 4th place and 20 games back of the Cubs. That’s the tidbit of reality that you can’t process.
Agree to disagree on the quality of the Cubs pitching staff made up of DFA claims and retreads keeping this up for another 100 games without regressing. They need to hit like the ’76 Reds to maintain this pace.
Key pieces of their talent isn’t available or underachieving though? How many games has Lux batted 4th or 5th with 1 HR….and I like Lux.
We don’t even have speed anymore? Elly is running much slower…couldn’t beat out a key squibber last night. Something like 17th fastest sprint speed now? Friedl didn’t steal when we needed a run as well.
I was considering going to the game tonight but I’ve decided to boycott spending money on the Reds as long as Hampson and Joe are on the roster.
Could the same treatment that Matt Shaw received help Mighty Mac too?
https://blogredmachine.com/matt-mclain-might-need-same-wake-up-call-that-fixed-cubs-rookie?utm_campaign=FanSided+Daily&utm_source=FanSided+Daily&utm_medium=email&sc=c3a8b03aa4675c74ec4c35e25be58c93e3c61b5ef7e6fc8f70a8923b59647687
Ryan O’Hearn a good trade target? Could be.
https://fansided.com/reds-dream-trade-deadline-addition-to-fix-this-glaring-weakness-orioles-ryan-ohearn?utm_campaign=FanSided+Daily&utm_source=FanSided+Daily&utm_medium=email&sc=c3a8b03aa4675c74ec4c35e25be58c93e3c61b5ef7e6fc8f70a8923b59647687
https://www.mlb.com/player/ryan-o-hearn-656811?stats=splits-r-hitting-mlb&year=2025
And what would Baltimore want in return? Ah, there’s the rub.
Nothing of course. 😉 haha As the article says last year of contract so shouldn’t be an extreme amount.
29-32. 9.0 games back. 2nd to last in division. Offense is right around the middle in all NL team stats. Same with pitching. Allowing too many steals. Last in the NL in DP. 2nd to last in Assists. Bullpen has allowed the most HR/9 in the NL. Bullpen has the highest FB% in the NL. So does the staff as a whole.
Mediocre stats and results for the first 1/3 of the season. As it warms up now, bullpen HR’s is a major concern – especially for Santillan and Pagan.
During the offseason, my concern was with out philosophy. It appears we still believe in pitching up in the zone. More 4-seam FB’s. Less 2-seam FB’s. That leads to a lot of flyballs, and HR’s. That’s why you see so low of DP’s (no ground balls).
It’s the cheap owners and the pitching philosophy that’s holding us back.
Stats lie though. 24-2 and some of these other explosions hide the fact that they don’t score much on a daily basis. A couple with 6 runs where the Cubs blasted them anyway
I think Tito is also an issue. He seems burned out with little emotion when interviewed after game. Just says obvious things that broadcast crew has already pointed out like reviewing plays that led to loss. No passion like saying the status quo is unacceptable. No attempt to manufacture runs. In the ninth inning he ends the game with Hampson and does not insert Wynn or McClain to pinch hit? Ninth inning is Trevino, Joe, and Hampson? Not sure they would be the starters at AA.
Why not replace these retreads with younger players who will have some passion and more exciting for fans to see. The current team is boring and none of them show any emotion. How about an occasional throwing of the helmet or slamming the bat in disgust after taking a third strike or grounding into a double play.
GABP is a home run hitting park but I think almost half of the Reds home runs have come from one player.
The Reds should be sellers at this point and try to recreate the line up with good AAA players from other teams. Martinez and Hayes should be traded and Fraley, ,Joe, Hampson, McClain should all be sent down or DFA’ed. Bring up Rodriguez, Stewart, Hinds, Burns, CES, and Maxwell now. They cannot be any worse and at least a message is sent! The current bunch including the coach has given up.
Yet people would still complain about those players too.
Amen!
Tito said they feel a sense of urgency with each game. Sadly, Krall and the ownership do not. Otherwise, they’d do something to fix the likes of Joe and Hampson. I fully suspect that Francona is questioning his decision to sign on with this unserious organization. But, as long as fans come out, and Phil & Bob bring in the Benjamins, forget the fans and winning. It doesn’t matter. Again, no one realistically expected to a playoff team this year. OTH, some of us thought that the FO & ownership would be more serious after signing Francona. They haven’t been. Krall continues to be the worst PBO in the league. It’s time to further break up the old boys’ club in Cincy and bring in some serious professionals.
“I fully suspect that Francona is questioning his decision to sign on with this unserious organization.”
I think he’s used to dealing with sane, level headed, common sense organizations who strive to win. Poor guy. He is getting $5 Million a year so hopefully he’ll stick it out long enough to turn things around. Provided Krall gets replaced with an outsider from the Reds organization.
Serious owners, FO people, managers/coaches, players, or all of the above?
Plus IMO, fans who don’t put up with such stuff that has gone on over the last decade. We need to get over the small market, shallow pockets version of the Stockholm Syndrome that surrounds the Reds and demand they do better, or hand off the baton to someone who will.
I’ve never bought the small market canard. Milwaukee is small market. They don’t suffer these problems. Others as well. The Reds are simply a money laundering scheme to line the Castellinis and their partners pockets. And we are the ones that enable that.
The Reds five year winning percentage is .470.
Last season their winning percentage was .475. This season to date it’s also at .475.
I can live with some degree of frustration if I can see progress. The organization is lacking in either casting the correct vision for success, failing to implement the correct vision, or both. The result is a stagnant organization and that rests heavily on the shoulders of Nick Krall and the Castellinis.
The Reds all-time W-L record is barely over 50% since 1882.
No peaks and valleys….memba?
The Reds are 165 games over .500 for their history. Take away the BRM and the Sparky years, a mere 9 years and 277 games over .500, and the Reds are 112 games under .500. They’ve never been a winning franchise over extended periods of time. The Castellini years have simply been one of the worst streaks in their history. They wasted the Votto years. They’ll waste EDLC, who will not sign an extension as Joey did. He’ll move to a team committed to winning. Players want to win. Generally, they are competitive by nature. The Reds don’t value winning and invest little to promote winning. Consequently, Cincinnati isn’t a destination of consequential FAs or guys with no-trade clauses in their contracts. And we’re stuck with the result. Signing Francona is beginning to feel more and more like a con job from the FO – “Let’s see what we can make the fans believe this year”. Charlie Brown had better results kicking the football with Lucy.
This team is a joke.. as a former catcher it’s crazy no one on that team can stop a SB if I was the other team I would steal every time I had a base runner it’s sooo free. The front office obviously don’t know how to build a winning team when is enough enough
And the minor league win loss records are atrocious which does not give us much hope for the future. Unfortunately, it has been this way for a while so the Reds draft choices and free agent foreign signings/scouting needs to be totally revamped.
I am sure Tito regrets his decision but I think it’s more about him then the team, as bad as they are. Many people come out of retirement only to quickly realize it’s just not the same and they just don’t have the energy they once did. Sadly, I think this is Tito to a tee. I look for this to be his only season with the Reds. I think the team will struggle the rest of the year and he will announce he isn’t coming back in September. It just hasn’t worked out and there is a lot of blame to go around. I may be wrong but I look at some of his decisions and his energy level as my evidence. I do hope I am wrong but I doubt it.
How could the owners be influenced to sell the team? That seems like the only logical solution.
More and more empty seats. Lower TV ratings. People telling the team’s sponsors they don’t like the way the team is run and do not have a favorable view of it, or companies that are sponsors.
Every journey starts with a first few small steps.
Right. A good, old-fashioned boycott is what it’s going to take.
The Reds drew more than 2 million fans last season. I don’t think attendance is going to be a factor.
@votto If the boycott is not en masse, there’s no chance of changing anything. We’ll have to wait ownership out. No, thanks.
It’s a group of owners that just occasionally rearrange the majority owner. The league shouldn’t allow this type of ownership if there’s not gonna be a salary cap and basement.
There is the problem. I think there needs to be a cap. Look at the teams in 1st place this year. Almost all of them are huge market teams who have 200 to 300 million to spend on good players. The Reds are not even willing to go past 150 million. I believe they have never done that for team payroll so far. How are they to compete. Now Money is not everything and like someone above mentioned there are several small market teams that have winning seasons, playoff seasons, and even a World Series now and again. This is not the Reds.
I agree that ownership groups should not be allowed unless they spend a certain minimum payroll each year.
The Castellinis are at the root of the problem. Managers, GMs, players, scouts, etc. have all come and gone and yet the Reds continue to be lackluster. The constant is the Castellini’s. Until this changes it won’t matter a whole heck of a lot who is managing the club or who the GM is. There is a low ceiling for this organization until the Castellini’s place a much higher priority on winning or the sell the team to an owner who really values winning. Hopefully it is the latter.
Good move to add La Sorsa to the 40 man roster.
Why? No evidence that he’ll ever be a ML pitcher. He’s very hittable with lousy control and 27 years old. Let someone else waste space. The Reds are wasting enough 40-man slots on inconsequential players, e.g., Hampson, Joe, others, and now La Sorsa.
He has already been a ML pitcher with the Rays and Nationals and is currently pitching better than Moll, Phillips and Zulueta, who are already on the 40 man roster. That’s why
I was asked by a nephew during spring training how I thought the Reds would do this year, I pondered for a bit and responded by saying that if they don’t make the postseason even as a third wild card I will be very disappointed. Apparently I was hoping rather than thinking realistically. This season has become a disaster, and we’re only in early June. Charlie Goldsmith wrote that the players need to play better, I agree with that. No one on the roster has been anywhere near effective let alone consistent. Many on this site want to paint Tito as a victim, I don’t. Although upper management and ownership of this entire organization is a complete joke and has been for decades, Francona hasn’t helped at all. By my count he alone has thrown away 12 games this year, starting with opening day, and we’re barely 60 games in. Tito needs to be better as well as everyone else needs to be better, start managing to win everyday and not constantly surrendering like he did last night. We deserve better. Cincinnati deserves better. We’ve seen it before, Jim Leyland with the Rox, Lou Pinella withthe Cubs, even Jack McKeon eventually with the Marlins, they knew when it was time. Hopefully Tito will realize this by season’s end.
I don’t see last night as a surrender. More it was a lack to players. If he PH for Hampson and actually got the run back, how does he fill out the lineup card? The fundamental problem is that the Reds have too many platoon players that can’t hit the offhand pitcher. Consequently, he had gutted his bench. That’s on Krall. Sign some everyday players and knock off the cheap, dumpster-diving BS. Until they do, Francona is badly handicapped. Nonetheless, despite their record, the Reds have made some progress. The question is whether Krall & company will add the tools necessary to move to the next level.
If it was Bell, you’d say it was a worse surrender then the British at Singapore. They atleast ran under Bell. They made a ton of dumb outs, but atleast they were aggressive. Elly didn’t run last night. Friedl didn’t run with Lux at bat and 2 out. Lux is a singles hitter and hit a single. What is the math for getting consecutive hits to actually score? Francona knows the game better then we do. Elly didn’t run with Stephenson at the plate so I was expecting 6-4-3 at any moment. Espinal #2 for who knows how long? I’ll say the same thing for Tito that I said for Bell….he’s only the jockey and needs good horses, but I’m disappointed in him as much as anyone except McLain
Still, huge difference between Francona and Bell. Even with these less than ideal players, Tito will get a better outcome and hopefully move the culture of the team more towards the winning side. He has yet to make inane comments like it’s just one game, etc. Again, Bell couldn’t have won with the BRM. He demonstrated that unequiovally.
I think you’re both right. Tito is better than Bell, but Tito has made some bad decisions that have helped lead us to where we are now.
Wynns has not batted since May 23rd. Why is he on the 26 man roster? On a team with no flexibility on the bench and pronounced handedness weaknesses at the plate, this is crazy. Hampson and Joe are simply not major league quality players. I am a big fan of Espinal, but he is not an everyday player. We need to choose between Fraley and Benson, now, and look for a real right fielder for 2026 if Hinds isn’t the answer.
I like many others think it’s time to bring up CES and Hinds and hold our nose this year if they stink it up. We need Marte back to see who shows up, 2024 version or 23/25 version. If Steer’s arm is cooked, he should get it fixed so he’s ready for 2026. If he can throw, his versatility helps the manager slot players roster wise.
Time to sell high on Hays(if he can stay healthy for a month),Martinez and Pagan.
Send McLain down and let him find his swing, which he will.
I think Tito is like many other good managers who just “age out” after a long career. I think Joe Madden and Tony Larussa were similar in their last jobs. I suspect they start to lose touch generationally as younger players come on the scene and old style managing doesn’t mesh with new philosophies.
Nobody wants Haysil. Guys trying to set the mlb single season IL record and that has “REDS” written all over it. Guy would trip over a bobblehead on Hays bobblehead night and go on the IL
Seems it’s popular these days to bash Matt McLain. The guy missed the entire 2024 season due to shoulder surgery. Anyone who thought he was going to hit the ground running in 2025 had very unrealistic expectations.
But even if one thought that McLain would struggle mightily, that person would still be disappointed with McLain.
“McLain” is apparently the Irish word for “yet another weak fly ball.”
I might argue the Reds organization not only thought he would “hit the ground running” but counted on it. As well as they counted on other players returning from injury or picked up off the discard pile would return to peak form.
Tom Reeves listed all the issues earlier in the thread and he is right on all accounts including this team has enough talent to have a winning team .The issue is the Reds must play games until and who knows when until is.The Reds have no depth to speak of so they as one man has said they dumpster dive to fill out the roster.I don’t get why Hinds isn’t up here for one and any other minor league player that can do anything at all.I don’t understand at all about the third catcher which nobody does and yet we never see him so its a waste of a roster spot.This team is in survival mode and its just not a fair fight against anybody.Finally if Steer and Little Mac can get close to 200 at bats to work things out and hows that going then so can CES.Get him and Hinds up here now and play them.Maybe just maybe the pitcher will think twice about throwing a fastball right down the middle like he would against these single hitters night after night.Good grief what would it hurt.
I kinda disagree with “the Reds have enough talent to win”.
Look at the OPS of Spencer Steer (1st baseman) and see how he compares to the rest of the league at first base. 1st base has to be an offensive strongpoint for any team.
The outfield: beside TJ Friedl (and Hays is hurt right now), the rest are pretty low on the OPS totem pole.
Ditto 2nd base, 3rd base. Their team pitching, while it has two standouts in Greene and Abbott, is not remarkable. I think, generally, that Martinez is moving in the right direction, compared to how he started the season. I don’t know how much longer Lodolo will go before he too, gets “injured”.
Prediction: With Greene pitching against Peralta, who generally torments the Reds, I predict either a 2- 1 loss or a 1-0 loss, unless Greene or the bullpen melt down and the Brewers blow the Reds out of the water. 8 game winning streak for the Brewers right now.
Let me add this then I will check in on the game later.The Reds just aren’t willing to give ALL their players a fair shot and I have never understood that.Some they will give at bat after at bat or starts on the mound or appearances out of the pen and others they just won’t do it.All the while the team loses year after year after year.Why on earth would they even question CES after 395 big league at bats when in 900 at bats in the minors his OPS was right at 1000.You put him at first and let him get 600 or 700 more at bats and lets see.Benson is now back up and should get the same at bats against all pitchers and so should HInds and Marte.I could be wrong but aren’t all of these players in their 20’s with Benson the oldest at 27.Give them a chance give them a legit chance and if they stink it up so be it.The Reds have no clue what these guys will do until they play them and every one of them has shown they can carry a team for a few games in the big leagues or minors.
I heard today that a good comparison to Tito with the Reds may be La Russa and the White Sox. God I hope not but it sure has a lot of the markings of a similar disaster.
Hampson signing had made RLN apoplectic but heres a theory
Article on enquirer about mcLain and tito and both feel hes going to breakout and many quotes from Tito about how good he is at 2b. Translation- McLain is still plan A at 2b and not playing anywhere else- ie backup SS
It was reported Ellys older sister died after a long chronic illness. Perhaps the Reds knew the end was near and unpredictable and Steer arm not ready 3b and Marte candy not ready and CES getting reps and a 1b but timetable too close to tell and lux isnt an everyday 3b so hampson brought in as emergency back up SS and back up 3b as no other Ss other than Espinal behind Elly
Or
Just a dumb move
You’ve been watching too much History Channel specials on ancient aliens.
I’ll buy that. Also, Tito said Elly is managing a hammy or leg issue so not having a backup SS/3B on the roster if Elly was down any length of time wouldn’t be ideal.
Neither of course, is Hampson.
I’m giving Tito the benefit of the doubt at least for the first half of this season. But so far while I like him better than Bell, I’m really not seeing any differences in the W-L results yet. The early returns that changing the manager would be worth 10 wins alone aren’t great.
Next up, is Nick Krall. For the folks that blamed David Bell and thought Tito would solve things…….be careful blaming Krall, while ownership gets a pass. If the fans allow them, they could buy a few more years by firing NK and replacing him with “an established successful GM, etc. etc.” They are the ones ultimately responsible for the decade(s) of “groundhog day” rebuilding, by establishing the budget and crying poor. It is certainly their right to profit. It is certainly our right to pay for a bad product.
I’m really hoping they can get healthy and get on a consistent roll. But, hoping is not a strategy and that’s all we have at this point.
I am with you and I do as well look for some reasoning to the madness.For example maybe Ty Steve or Trevino are just a zig or a zag away from being seriously injured and gone for the season do to some injury the Reds are keeping a secret.This is why Wynns is on the roster and not being used at all.Thats just dumb but it helps sometimes.
Nice hitters and ball players are not going to help this club. That seems like Krall when you think good bat, weak defense guys like Hays and Lux were going to push this offense over the top. They have very much held up their end of the bargain. But I will argue they don’t address the need in this lineup. I thought after last season Krall would go for the big bat OF instead of Hays and Lux. Same last June with the MLB draft when we took the pitcher Burns over big bat Cags. Not belittling Burns but pointing out that Cags may have been the better fit. Somehow, some way, we have got to get this dude. ….like Now.