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    2017 Reds

    Recap: Welcome to the second half!

    Chad Dotson 18
    FinalRHE
    Washington Nationals (53-36)590
    Cincinnati Reds (39-50)070
    W: Gonzalez (8-4) L: Adleman (5-7) S: Grace (1)
    FanGraphs Win Probability | Box Score

    The Good
    –Adam Duvall had two hits, including a double.

    –The Reds bullpen — Ariel Hernandez, Asher Wojciechowski, Drew Storen, Tony Cingrani — pitched 4.2 shutout innings, surrendering just two hits and striking out seven.

    The Bad
    –The Reds were shut out, for only the second time all season. Only four hits before the ninth inning; heck, only two runners advanced as far as second base until the final frame. That’s bad, right?

    –I think Tim Adleman may have hit the wall a little bit. Tonight, Adleman gave up 5 runs on 7 hits and 3 walks — thanks mostly to Bryce Harper (2 home runs), who is a good baseball player — in 4.1 innings. That’s five straight starts in which his ERA has gotten worse; it’s now at 4.99.

    Adleman has been adequate this season, and I’m very pleased with what he’s done for the Reds. But let’s not be delusional about his ability. I’m inclined to like the guy — because he has a cool story of perseverance, plus he went to my alma mater — but he’s just okay.

    –Tucker Barnhart legged out an infield single and appeared to come up hobbling. He stayed in the game, though.

    Not-So-Random Thoughts
    –What else to say? That was a meh game if ever I saw one. I would’ve posted a pic of Milton, but I didn’t want to burden you with that after the first game of the season’s second half.

    –The Reds lost. Whatever. I’ll be at GABP the next couple of days, so I’m pretty sure the Reds will bring home a couple of weekend wins. Hashtag-good-luck-charm.

    –Luis Castillo vs. Max Scherzer tomorrow. I legitimately can not wait.

    Today’s Tweets

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    Chad Dotson
    Blame Chad for creating this mess. Chad launched Redleg Nation in February 2005, and has been writing about the Reds ever since. His first book, "The Big 50: The Men and Moments That Made the Cincinnati Reds" is now available in bookstores and online, at Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and wherever fine books are sold. You can also find Chad's musings about the Cincinnati Reds in the pages of Cincinnati Magazine. You can email Chad at chaddotson@redlegnation.com.

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    18 Responses

    1. Pen did good but other then that well it just wasn’t a good night.We struggle against a left hander and although Gonzales is good he sets at just 90-91 so you would have thought we would have done more.Get em tomorrow.

    2. Didn’t see the game but wondered why the box shows two guys hitting in the low .200’s were used to ph while Winker still sits. I’d rather see him even against a lefty.

      1. Amen. I was at the game and I cringed every time I saw who came up to pinch hit while Gennett and Winker sat

      2. It’s almost like Price has something against Winker . Hope this it the last “second half ” of his managerial career with the Reds. Time for him to go …

    3. I was hearing Slip Slidin’ Away by the end of the first inning; and, I found other things to occupy myself. Checked back a little later and it was 5 nil in the top of the 5th;Adleman done. Turned the sports TV off and got on with life. Don’t understand why they keep wasting opportunity on Adleman. He would still be there later down the road if they really needed him just to fill a gap. For now, they should be giving prospects his starts.

        1. How is Adleman and the starting pitching sorting process synonymous? The Reds should get on with the sorting of their young pitchers if they are going to be a contending team in the ensuing years. It’s not a brilliant deduction to figure Adleman could have a role in the relief corps or be included in a trade.

    4. It’s obvious that Winker is here so they have an extra body and to give him a well deserved week at major league pay. Since he’s not here for real, there is limited upside in giving him any real time and they don’t want to risk him getting hurt and losing half a season of service time on the DL.

      No, Bryan Price doesn’t get to unilaterally determine how the organization’s top prospect is handled…..he likely has very limited to zero input on when Winker plays. Nor would Joe Maddon nor would Joe Torre. This is a billion dollar business, not little league.

      1. Unbelievable that you continue to make this same argument, over and over and over. Quit making excuses for Price’s ineptitude. Not playing him because they are worried bout him getting hurt , really ??? That’s flat out weak !!!

        1. I’m not making any excuses. I don’t believe I’ve ever stated anything positive about Price. I at least recognize what he can control and what he can’t control

          You’re the one who can’t seem to grasp that managers….especially one’s who have 3 months left on their contract….don’t decide how the organization is going to handle their top prospect. Winker is an assets potentially worth millions to the organization. A guy with 5 direct deposits left isn’t the one that decides when he plays.

          1. I grasp it completely – Worried about him getting hurt as a reason to not play him – ???? You could say that about any single player they have on the roster. I don’t care how many more months he has left on his contract – he fills out the lineup card, takes it to home plate before every game, and hands it to the umpire . He has a complete roster of players at his disposal . If they are so worried about getting Winker hurt , shut him down for the year. Obviously , I’m not positive about Price either. I’m certainly not gonna give him a crutch that he can’t play Winker because he’s being told not to. That doesn’t make sense. Let the guy play already for crying out loud. This shuffling back and and forth between Louisville without getting any meaningful playing time is plain insanity. If this is what hey are doing with Winker , how are they gonna handle Greene?

          2. Lets look at this not from a fans perspective, but a hypothetical Dick Williams perspective:

            1. I’m committed to my 3 current outfielders….for now.
            2. If I take time away from Duvall or Scheibler their agents are going to be pissed since I’m lower their arbitration comps.
            3. A lot is riding on Hamilton and I need him to play out the year before I make some major decisions.
            4. Giving Winker a handful of at bats doesn’t tell me anything.
            5. If Winker gets hurt in Louisville it’s unfortunate. If he gets hurt on the MLB roster we lose almost half a year of service time.

            I’m not defending or endorsing any of these reasons, but Dick Williams has to think about the Reds over the next few years and most of us just want them to beat Washington today

      1. I don’t know about that? With the exception of Scooter, Price rolls the same lineup out every time. Is he going to sit Duvall, Hamilton or Schebler? Don’t think so.

        1. If Billy is not going to steal in the first inning, you might as well have Winker lead off

          He might have created some Mo there after beating out the infield single. He bluffs twice and then gets doubled off and Gio settles in

          Sigh

    6. I actually thought Winker would get some playing time but of course I think that every time he comes up.Not sure what the plan actually is for him but they do have a plan and I can only hope they have shared it with him.Jason’s column on Getting to the Big Leagues told me they do have a plan for each player and they have a reason for everything they do.I would think its safe to say Winker is the top prospect as far as position players are concerned and if Schebler or Duvall had faltered he would have already been here and playing.Since the front office is driving the boat without much input from Price then it is obvious that they will let Billy continue to play center and lead off so that kind of says Winker sets.We will see how it plays out but last night was against a lefty and it was only the first game back so who knows.

    7. Old School you are right on.Why wouldn’t somebody in the media ask about the plan for Winker or better yet why wouldn’t they just announce the plan.Surely Winker knows and wouldn’t you think the other outfielders would know as well.I believe they have to because as Steve said Price is trying to keep the clubhouse motivated and one way to lose the team is by not being honest and straight forward with all parties involving playing time.

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