Redleg Nation - A Cincinnati Reds Experience (OOTP 22)

[jasontoddwhitt]

Cincinnati Reds at Washington Nationals
May 25, 2021	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	R	H	E
Cincinnati (26-21)	1	0	0	1	1	0	0	0	0	3	8	0
Washington (18-29)	4	0	0	1	0	0	0	0	X	5	9	2
W: Erick Fedde (2-5) L: Tyler Mahle (4-3) S: Brad Hand (5)

Scoring Summary
SCORING DETAILS			CIN	WAS
CIN	1	Joey Votto singles to right. Jesse Winker scores.	1	0
WAS	1	Trea Turner singles to center. Josh Harrison scores.	1	1
WAS	1	Kyle Schwarber homers to right (12). Juan Soto and Trea Turner scores.	1	4
CIN	4	Nick Castellanos homers to left (11).	2	4
WAS	4	Victor Robles doubles to left. Yan Gomes scores.	2	5
CIN	5	Nick Castellanos doubles to center. Christian Colon scores.	3	5

The Washington Nationals jumped all over Reds' starter Tyler Mahle, scoring four runs before the first out had been recorded, as the Nationals took game one by a score of 5-3.

The four runs were punctuated by Reds killer (and Middletown, Ohio native) Kyle Schwarber's three-run homer that traveled 411 feet into the DC night sky.

Nick Castellanos tried his best to bring the Reds back into the game single-handedly. Castellanos went 3-for-4 tonight with a homer, two doubles, and two RBIs. The Nationals bullpen came in and stopped the bleeding, holding the Reds scoreless over the final four innings.

Nationals' starter Erick Redde gave up three runs on six hits in 5.1 innings pitched to improve his record to (2-5). He walked three and struck out four on 101 pitches.

Reds' starter Tyler Mahle settled down after the first inning, but ultimately took the loss to drop his record to (4-3). He gave up five runs on seven hits in five innings of work. He walked one and struck out five on only 68 pitches.

Cincinnati Reds at Washington Nationals
May 26, 2021	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	R	H	E
Cincinnati (26-22)	0	0	0	0	0	0	1	1	0	2	8	1
Washington (19-29)	2	0	0	0	0	1	0	0	X	3	6	0
W: Patrick Corbin (4-4) L: Jeff Hoffman (2-2) S: Brad Hand (6)

Scoring Summary
SCORING DETAILS			CIN	WAS
WAS	1	Trea Turner homers (7) on flyball to left-center. Juan Soto scores.	0	2
WAS	6	Josh Bell homers (8) on flyball to right.	0	3
CIN	7	Kyle Farmer lines out to left. Nick Senzel scores.	1	3
CIN	8	Joey Votto grounds out to second. Jesse Winker scores.	2	3

The Nationals got a strong pitching performance from starter Patrick Corbin, who stymied the Reds' offense en route to a 3-2 victory at Nationals Park.

Corbin threw seven strong innings, giving up one run on six hits to improve his record to (4-4). He walked one and struck out seven on 105 pitches.

For the second straight game, the Nationals were able to tag the Reds starter in the first inning. Trea Turner's 446-foot bomb to left-center field off of starter Jeff Hoffman gave the Nationals the early 2-0 advantage. The Nationals were unable to touch Hoffman again until the sixth inning when Josh Bell got the Nationals an insurance run with a solo shot to right. Bell went 2-for-4 on the night with the homer.

Hoffman's start will go down as a quality start, giving up three runs on five hits in six innings of work in the losing effort. He walked two and struck out five on 90 pitches.

The Nationals would need that insurance as the Reds' offense finally showed some life. The Reds manufactured a run in the 7th inning and got the first two hitters on in the 8th inning after a Jesse Winker base hit and Nick Castellanos double. Winker was able to score on a Joey Votto ground-out, but the Reds were unable to push the tying run across after Eugenio Suarez grounded out and Mike Moustakas struck out to end the threat.

Brad Hand pitched a perfect 9th inning to record his sixth save of the season.

"It's frustrating to get the tying and go-ahead runs on with no outs and only manage a single run," said Reds manager David Bell. "That's baseball though. As long as we keep putting ourselves in positions to win, we'll get our fair share."

***

Transaction News

-- Reds optioned SP Jeff Hoffman (2-2, 6.32) to Triple-A Louisville.
-- Reds recalled SP Ryan Merritt (1-0, 3.86 AAA | 0-3, 9.00 MLB) from Triple-A Louisville.

"Ryan has been looking good down in Louisville after he accepted the assignment, so we felt it warranted bringing him back up for another shot in the major league rotation. He's currently slated to start Saturday against the Cubs." - Reds GM Nick Krall

***

Cincinnati Reds at Washington Nationals
May 27, 2021	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	R	H	E
Cincinnati (26-23)	0	0	0	1	0	0	0	0	1	2	4	1
Washington (20-29)	0	0	3	0	0	0	1	0	X	4	6	0
W: Max Scherzer (3-6) L: Sonny Gray (5-1) S: Will Harris (1)

Scoring Summary
SCORING DETAILS			CIN	WAS
WAS	3	Juan Soto homers (6) on flyball to right.	0	1
WAS	3	Kyle Schwarber homers (13) on flyball to left-center. Trea Turner scores.	0	3
CIN	4	Nick Castellanos homers (12) on line drive to left-center.	1	3
WAS	7	Trea Turner homers (8) on flyball to left.	1	4
WAS	9	Nick Castellanos singles on line drive to right. Joey Votto scores.	2	4

The Washington Nationals pushed ace Max Scherzer up a day to start today's tilt against the Reds, and Scherzer did not disappoint. Scherzer outdueled Reds' starter Sonny Gray as the Nationals completed the three-game sweep of the Reds with a 4-2 victory.

Scherzer produced his strongest start of the season in what has been an up and down year so far for the 36-year-old hurler. Scherzer gave up one run on two hits in eight innings of work to improve his record to (3-6). He didn't surrender a single walk and struck out nine on 109 pitches.

Gray was not very pitch efficient today but did give the Nationals fits for most of the game. The third inning would be Gray's undoing, giving up home runs to Juan Soto and Middletown, Ohio's own Kyle Schwarber in the frame to give the Nationals a 3-0 lead. Gray gave up three runs on five hits in 5.1 innings of work in picking up his first loss of the season. He walked three and struck out 11 on 108 pitches.

Reds reliever Cam Bedrosian got the rare four-strikeout inning in the eighth inning after he uncorked a wild pitch that evaded battery mate Tyler Stephenson. The Nationals were unable to take advantage.

***

MLB News

5/24 -- Rangers announce SP Kyle Gibson (1-6, 6.99) suffered a torn UCL in his elbow that will require Tommy John surgery. He is done for the season.
5/25 -- Mariners RP Andres Munoz suffered a setback in his recovery from Tommy John surgery. He is expected to miss an additional 6-7 weeks.
5/25 -- Red Sox RP Phillips Valdez (1-2, 7.06) suffered a partially torn UCL and is done for the season.
5/27 -- Royals SS Yordan Manduley (.275, 1 HR, 15 RBI) suffered a ruptured Achilles tendon and is done for the season.

[jasontoddwhitt]

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Pitching Matchups

5/28 -- Wade Miley (5-2, 5.59) vs Kyle Hendricks (3-5, 3.93)
5/29 -- Ryan Merritt (0-3, 9.00) vs Alec Mills (0-0, 0.00)
5/30 -- Luis Castillo (2-6, 5.37) vs Zach Davies (5-3, 4.31)

Series Notes

-- Reds lead season series 2-1.
-- Reds are currently leading the NL Central with a record of 26-23, 1.5 games up on the second-place Cardinals. The Reds rank 2nd in the NL in runs scored (271) and 9th in runs against (233).
-- Cubs are currently in 5th place in the NL Central with a record of 22-27, four games behind the Reds. The Cubs are six games behind the Braves and Mets for the final wild-card spot. The Cubs rank 9th in the NL in runs scored (215) and 10th in runs against (239).
-- Both teams come into the series having been swept in their previous series by the Nationals and the Pirates respectively. Both teams are also 5-5 in their previous ten games.

Who's Hot? Who's Not?

Cincinnati Reds

RP Ian Kennedy -- 14 G, 1 SV, 0.95 ERA, 19 IP, 17 K
RF Aristides Aquino -- 12 G, 1-for-21 (.047 AVG), 0 HR, 2 RBI
SP Ryan Merritt -- 2 G, 0-2, 11.42 ERA, 8.2 IP, 6 K
3B Mike Moustakas -- 7 G, 2-for-27 (.074 AVG), 0 HR, 1 RBI

Chicago Cubs

RF Josh Reddick -- 24 G, 3-for-22 (.136 AVG), 0 HR, 1 RBI
RP Ryan Tepera -- 21 G, 2 SV, 7.71 ERA, 16.1 IP, 15 K

Injury Report

Cincinnati Reds

SP Brandon Bailey (elbow) -- 60-day IL
CL Lucas Sims (elbow) -- DtD
SP Michael Lorenzen (shoulder) -- 60-day IL

Chicago Cubs

2B David Bote (finger) -- 10-day IL
SP Kohl Stewart (elbow) -- 60-day IL
CF Ian Happ (triceps) -- 10-day IL

[jasontoddwhitt]

Cincinnati Reds at Chicago Cubs
May 28, 2021	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	R	H	E
Cincinnati (26-24)	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	6	0
Chicago (23-27)	2	0	0	1	2	0	0	0	X	5	8	0
W: Kyle Hendricks (4-5) L: Wade Miley (5-3)

Scoring Summary
SCORING DETAILS			CIN	CHC
CHC	1	Javier Baez homers (8) to left-center. Kris Bryant scores.	0	2
CHC	4	Jason Heyward singles to center. Joc Pederson scores.	0	3
CHC	5	Joc Pederson doubles (10) to center. Anthony Rizzo scores. Javier Baez scores.	0	5

Cubs squelch Reds offense in shutout win
The Chicago Cubs got a stellar performance from starter Kyle Hendricks, who handcuffed the Cincinnati offense en route to a 5-0 victory at Wrigley Field. The Reds lost their fourth straight game.

Hendricks pitched superbly, scattering five hits across 6.1 innings of work. Hendricks walked two and struck out four on 94 pitches to improve his record to (4-5).

The Cubs got all the offense they would need from Javier Baez's two-run homer in the first inning off of Reds' starter Wade Miley. Baez would go 1-for-2 in his four plate appearances, drawing two walks and scoring two runs in addition to the two RBIs from his first-inning homer.

Miley struggled for the Reds, giving up five runs on six hits in only 4.1 innings of work. He would walk four and strike out three on only 89 pitches to drop his record to (5-3).

Reds manager David Bell announced a change to the rotation, swapping Luis Castillo and Ryan Merritt's starts. Castillo will start game two tomorrow, while Merritt has been pushed back to Sunday.

Cincinnati Reds at Chicago Cubs
May 29, 2021	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	R	H	E
Cincinnati (26-25)	0	2	1	0	0	0	0	0	1	4	9	1
Chicago (24-27)	0	0	2	1	0	0	1	0	1	5	11	0
W: Craig Kimbrel (1-2) L: Lucas Sims (1-1)

Scoring Summary
SCORING DETAILS			CIN	CHC
CIN	2	Mike Moustakas homers (12) to left-center.	1	0
CIN	2	Nick Senzel homers (4) to right.	2	0
CIN	3	Joey Votto homers (7) to right.	3	0
CHC	3	Javier Baez infield single to third. Alec Mills scores.	3	1
CHC	3	Anthony Rizzo grounds into fielder's choice at second. Nico Hoerner scores.	3	2
CHC	4	Eric Sogard doubles (4) down 3B line. Jason Heyward scores.	3	3
CHC	7	Javier Baez singles to center. Nico Hoerner scores.	3	4
CIN	9	Jesse Winker homers (9) to right.	4	4
CHC	9	Javier Baez reaches on E6. Eric Sogard scores.	4	5

Baez delivers walk-off win for Cubs

A wild and crazy game would see the Reds score all of their runs via the long ball while the Cubs manufactured every single one of their runs, with a helping hand from the Reds at the end.

The Reds would jump out to an early 3-0 lead thanks to solo shots by Mike Moustakas, Nick Senzel, and Joey Votto. Votto would have a big game today, going 2-for-3 with two walks and the home run.

By the fourth inning, the Cubs battled back to tie the game. Reds' starter Luis Castillo did not have his best stuff today, as the Cubs managed to make a lot of contact on his pitches. A lot of those batted balls were finding holes in the Reds' defense.

Cubs starter Alec Mills settled down after giving up the three solo home runs. He gave up three runs on six hits in 4.2 innings of work. He walked two and struck out three on 84 pitches in the no-decision.

The Cubs were able to take a 4-3 lead in the 7th inning. After Castillo got the first two hitters of the inning out, he gave up a triple to deep center off the bat of Nico Hoerner after Senzel went crashing into the ivy trying to make a spectacular play. Javier Baez stroked a single that landed in front of a hard-charging Senzel to plate Hoerner.

Castillo left the game after giving up four runs on eight hits in seven innings of work. He walked one and struck out only four on 94 pitches.

The Reds loaded the bases up in the 8th inning after Cubs reliever Rex Brothers walked the bases loaded after recording the first out of the inning. Unfortunately for the Reds, pinch hitter Aristides Aquino promptly grounded into the teeth of a drawn-in infield to complete the 5-2-3 double play to get the Cubs out of the inning clinging to a 4-3 lead. The Reds would leave nine runners on base tonight.

Craig Kimbrel took the ball in the 9th inning for the Cubs facing the top of the Reds' lineup. Kimbrel would overpower Christian Colon on three pitches. Jesse Winker would come up to the plate and drive a 1-1 pitch 402-ft to right field to tie the game at 4-4. It would be Kimbrel's first blown save of the season. Kimbrel would finally force Votto to fly out after an 11-pitch at-bat and froze Nick Castellanos with a fastball on the black to get out of the inning.

The Reds would give the ball to Lucas Sims in the 9th, who seemed rather rusty after having not pitched the past week. Sims would get Jake Marisnick to fly out to center but would give up three straight base hits to load the bases. Reds killer Baez would come up with the bases loaded and hit a hard grounder to shortstop Eugenio Suarez that should've been an inning-ending double play.

Unfortunately, Suarez booted the ball for his ninth error of the season and the Cubs raised that W flag for the Wrigley faithful. The Reds have dropped their fifth straight game and have fallen a 1/2 game behind the Cardinals in the NL Central.

Cincinnati Reds at Chicago Cubs
May 30, 2021	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	R	H	E
Cincinnati (27-25)	3	0	0	0	3	0	0	3	0	9	11	0
Chicago (24-28)	0	0	1	0	1	0	0	0	0	2	5	1
W: Ryan Merritt (1-3) L: Zach Davies (5-4)

Scoring Summary
SCORING DETAILS			CIN	CHC
CIN	1	Nick Castellanos flies out to left. Christian Colon scores.	1	0
CIN	1	Eugenio Suarez doubles (8) down 3B line. Jesse Winker scores. Joey Votto scores.	3	0
CHC	3	Kris Bryant singles to center. Rafael Ortega scores.	3	1
CIN	5	Jesse Winker homers (10) to right-center. Christian Colon scores.	5	1
CIN	5	Tyler Stephenson flies out to center. Nick Castellanos scores.	6	1
CHC	5	Jason Heyward inside-the-park homer (3) to right.	6	2
CIN	8	Nick Senzel doubles (9) to left. Tyler Stephenson scores.	7	2
CIN	8	Christian Colon singles to right. Nick Senzel scores.	8	2
CIN	8	Joey Votto doubles (15) to center. Christian Colon scores.	9	2

Reds snap 5-game losing streak

The Reds got back into the win column with a complete 9-2 victory over the Cubs, avoiding the series sweep and snapping their five-game losing streak.

Reds' starter Ryan Merritt, making his first start since May 12th after being demoted to Triple-A Louisville, kept the Cubs completely off balance as evidenced by the five infield pop-outs he forced in the first three innings. The Cubs struggled with the soft-tossing Merritt, as he only gave up two runs on four hits in eight innings of work. He walked one and struck out four on 109 pitches to win his first game since 2017 with the Indians.

Jesse Winker was a major contributor for the Reds today, going 2-for-3 with a home run, a double, and two walks while scoring twice and driving in two runs. It was Winker's two-run homer in the 5th inning that chased Cubs' starter, Zach Davies, out of the game.

Davies would give up five runs (two earned) on five hits in four-plus innings of work. He walked two and struck out two on only 73 pitches as his record dropped to (5-4).

"It was good to get back into the win column," said Reds skipper David Bell. "Today was a very satisfying win. Everyone in the lineup contributed. Ryan had an amazing start. He scuffled at the beginning of the season. Maybe that was my fault for shifting him between the bullpen and the rotation at the start of the season. A couple of weeks starting in Louisville seemed to get him right and he comes right up and throws this gem today. Couldn't be happier."

***

MLB News

5/28 -- LF Justin Upton (.188, 6 HR, 23 RBI) drills three homers in Angels' 12-9 victory over the Athletics.
5/29 -- Mets RP Jeurys Familia (1 SV, 0.00 ERA, 9 K) is ruled out for the season due to a torn elbow ligament.
5/31 -- Mariners RP Yusei Kikuchi (2-0, 3.68 ERA, 17 K) is ruled out for four months after suffering a torn labrum.
5/31 -- Mariners RP Erik Swanson (0-1, 3.24 ERA, 26 K) is ruled out for the season due to a torn labrum.

[jasontoddwhitt]

Team News

Where's the love for Nick Castellanos?

MLB provided the latest update in All-Star voting this week, and once again, Reds' LF Jesse Winker is the only representative listed. Winker has garnered 263,902 votes so far, good enough for third place behind Arizona's Ketel Marte (266,431) and Los Angeles' Max Muncy (265,651). Obviously, we are happy for Jesse and frankly, he should be the starter as he leads all NL left fielders in multiple categories.

But no mention of Nick Castellanos.

Obviously, right field is stacked. Washington's Juan Soto is leading all right fielders with 359,683 votes. Los Angeles' Mookie Betts is not far behind with 355,586 votes. Philadephia's Bryce Harper is sitting in third with 288,042 votes.

Wait, Bryce Harper?

Let's compare Player A with Player B.

Player A: .280/.404/.484, 9 HR, 28 RBI, 135 OPS+, 2.3 WAR
Player B: .351/.430/.670, 12 HR, 44 RBI, 187 OPS+, 2.5 WAR

If you are a Reds fan, you would know Castellanos is Player B. Player A is, of course, Harper.

We get that the All-Star game is a popularity contest and Bryce Harper is a player with national appeal. But it would be a travesty if Castellanos doesn't make the All-Star team. The only knock on Castellanos is his defense, as his -5.5 zone rating would say he is by far the worst in all of baseball.

But to not even make the top three in voting for the position? How about some love for Nick Castellanos?

***

Reds 2B Max Schrock has been placed on the 60-day IL and ruled out for the rest of the season after rupturing a tendon in his foot in Louisville's 4-3 victory over the Toledo Mud Hens on May 27th.

Schrock made the club out of spring training but struggled off the bench in 37 plate appearances over 23 games. Schrock hit .125 with no homers and two RBIs. Schrock was demoted to Triple-A Louisville where he became a regular starter for the Bats. He was hitting .343 with two homers and seven RBIs in 11 games at the time of his injury.

The Reds currently have two slots open on their 40-man roster.

Team Batting Stats



Team Pitching Stats



***

American League Standings



National League Standings



MLB Power Rankings



Players of the Week

1B Luke Voit (Yankees) -- 10-for-22 (.455 AVG), 2 2B, 6 HR, 15 RBI, 8 R
3B Justin Turner (Dodgers) -- 12-for-24 (.500 AVG), 2 2B, 3 HR, 4 RBI, 1 SB, 7 R

Did You Know?

Which pitchers lead MLB in career losses?

1. Cy Young (Americans/Red Sox) -- 316
2. Pud Galvin (Buffalo Bisons) -- 310
3. Nolan Ryan (Angels) -- 292
4. Walter Johnson (Senators/Twins) -- 279
5. Phil Niekro (Braves) -- 274

[jasontoddwhitt]

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Pitching Matchups

5/31 -- Aaron Nola (4-4, 3.72) vs Tyler Mahle (4-3, 3.56)
6/01 -- Matt Moore (4-5, 5.13) vs Sonny Gray (5-1, 3.08)
6/02 -- Zack Wheeler (5-4, 3.90) vs Wade Miley (5-3, 5.98)

Series Notes

-- The Phillies are currently in 3rd place in the NL East with a record of 29-25, two games behind the Mets. They are currently one game behind the Braves for the second wild-card spot.
-- The Phillies currently rank 5th in the NL in runs scored (250) and 6th in runs against (233).
-- The Reds are currently in 2nd place in the NL Central with a record of 27-25, half a game behind the Cardinals. They are currently two games behind the Braves for the second wild-card spot.
-- The Reds currently rank 2nd in the NL in runs scored (284) and 9th in runs against (245).

Who's Hot? Who's Not?

Philadelphia Phillies

SP Aaron Nola -- 2 G, 2-0, 2.02 ERA, 13.1 IP, 20 K
CF Travis Jankowski -- 5 G, 3-for-23 (.130), 0 HR, 2 RBI

Cincinnati Reds

RF Nick Castellanos -- 6 G, 10-for-24 (.417), 2 HR, 5 RBI
RP Ian Kennedy -- 14 G, 1 SV, 0.95 ERA, 19 IP, 17 K
LF Jesse Winker -- 8 G, 9-for-27 (.333), 4 HR, 6 RBI
RF Aristides Aquino -- 14 G, 1-for-23 (.043), 0 HR, 2 RBI
2B Christian Colon -- 6 G, 3-for-26 (.115), 0 HR, 1 RBI
SP Ryan Merritt -- 4 G, 1-3, 7.77 ERA, 22 IP, 14 K

Injury Report

Philadelphia Phillies

RP Seranthony Dominguez (elbow) -- 60-day IL
SP Matt Moore (shoulder) -- DtD

Cincinnati Reds

SP Brandon Bailey (elbow) -- 60-day IL
2B Max Schrock (foot) -- 60-day IL
SP Michael Lorenzen (shoulder) -- 60-day IL

[jasontoddwhitt]

Philadelphia Phillies at Cincinnati Reds
May 31, 2021	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	R	H	E
Philadelphia (29-26)	0	0	0	0	1	0	0	3	0	4	9	0
Cincinnati (28-25)	0	1	0	0	1	1	2	0	X	5	8	0
W: Tyler Mahle (5-3) L: Aaron Nola (4-5) S: Lucas Sims (13)

Scoring Summary
SCORING DETAILS			PHI	CIN
CIN	2	Eugenio Suarez homered (7) to left.	0	1
PHI	5	Adam Haseley singled to right. Aaron Nola scored.	1	1
CIN	5	Kyle Farmer homered (6) to left.	1	2
CIN	6	Joey Votto homered (8) to left-center.	1	3
CIN	7	Tyler Mahle singled to left. Nick Senzel scored.	1	4
CIN	7	Christian Colon doubled (5) to right. Tyler Mahle scored.	1	5
PHI	8	Bryce Harper doubled (12) down 1B line. Travis Jankowski scored. Adam Haseley scored. J.T. Realmuto scored.	4	5

Reds edge Phillies 5-4

Tyler Mahle and Aaron Nola both had masterful pitching performances, but in the race to see which bullpen could mess up more, that award went to the Phillies.

Nola was overpowering tonight, keeping the Reds off-balance. However, when the Reds were able to make contact, the ball was finding its way into the stands. Nola gave up three runs via three home runs on the night in six innings of work. The Reds only managed two other hits off of Nola, as he sat down eight via the punch out and only walked one hitter.

Mahle didn't have his best stuff tonight, but he did not struggle with his command on the night, walking only two hitters and through seven innings of work, had only given up one run on five hits.

The Reds were able to do some damage against the Phillies' bullpen. Mahle helped his own cause by knocking in Nick Senzel to put the Reds up 4-1. Then 2B Christian Colon, the lone Red to get multiple hits tonight, laced a line drive over the head of Bryce Harper to plate Mahle to cap off a two-run inning in the 7th. The Reds would end up needing that insurance run.

Mahle came out to pitch the 8th inning and the wheels immediately came off, giving up two base hits with a wild pitch and a hit batter thrown in for good measure. The Reds would send Teejay Antone out to face Harper with the bases loaded. Harper delivered, lacing an inch-perfect line drive past the glove of Joey Votto (who was hugging the line to no avail) that cleared the bases. Antone would bear down and sit the next three hitters down via two punch-outs and a pop-up to the catcher.

Lucas Sims would work around a single base hit in the 9th inning to pick up his 13th save on the season.

Philadelphia Phillies at Cincinnati Reds
Jun 1, 2021	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	R	H	E
Philadelphia (29-27)	0	0	0	0	0	0	1	0	0	1	4	0
Cincinnati (29-25)	0	0	0	1	0	0	1	0	X	2	7	1
W: Sonny Gray (6-1) L: Tanner Rainey (0-1) S: Lucas Sims (14)

Scoring Summary
SCORING DETAILS			PHI	CIN
CIN	4	Eugenio Suarez doubled (9) to center. Joey Votto scored.	0	1
PHI	7	Alec Bohm homered (6) to left.	1	1
CIN	7	Nick Senzel homered (5) to left-center.	1	2

Gray Ks 9, Reds win 2-1

He may officially be the number two starter, but Sonny Gray is pitching like the staff ace. Gray outdueled Zack Wheeler as the Reds eeked out a 2-1 victory over the Phillies.

Despite only walking one hitter, Wheeler was not very pitch efficient as the Reds constantly made him work. Wheeler gave up one run on four hits in 5.2 innings of work, getting pulled after 97 pitches. He walked one and struck out four.

Gray on the other hand was magnificent. The Phillies didn't get their first hit until the 5th inning, Gray struck Bryce Harper out three times, and the only blemish was a solo shot to Alec Bohm in the 7th inning that tied the game at 1-1. Fortunately for Gray, Nick Senzel put the Reds back in front with a solo shot in the bottom half of the inning.

Gray gave up one run on three hits in eight innings of work. He walked one and struck out nine on 104 pitches to run his record to (6-1). Lucas Sims worked around a hit and struck out Harper for the golden sombrero to nail down his 14th save on the season.

Philadelphia Phillies at Cincinnati Reds
Jun 2, 2021	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	R	H	E
Philadelphia (30-27)	3	0	0	0	0	3	0	0	0	6	12	0
Cincinnati (29-26)	0	0	0	0	1	0	1	0	0	2	12	0
W: Matt Moore (5-5) L: Wade Miley (5-4)

Scoring Summary
SCORING DETAILS			PHI	CIN
PHI	1	Bryce Harper doubled (13) to right. Travis Jankowski scored.	1	0
PHI	1	Didi Gregorious singled to right. Bryce Harper scored.	2	0
PHI	1	Andrew McCutchen singled to left. Alec Bohm scored.	3	0
CIN	5	Tyler Stephenson infield single to short. Eugenio Suarez scored.	3	1
PHI	6	Jean Segura singled to right. Ronald Torreyes scored.	4	1
PHI	6	Bryce Harper doubled (14) down 3B line. Travis Jankowski scored. Jean Segura scored.	6	1
CIN	7	Eugenio Suarez homered (8) to right-center.	6	2

Phillies avoid sweep with 6-2 road victory

It was a getaway day for the Reds, and with three starters given the day off, they played like it was a getaway day. The Phillies jumped all over Reds' starter Wade Miley in the first inning and never looked back in a 6-2 victory to avoid the three-game sweep.

Phillies starter Matt Moore, who has been dealing with some shoulder tendonitis, did not have his best stuff by a long shot, but he gutted it out today and managed to keep the Reds from stringing together a bunch of hits. Moore scattered nine hits across six innings of work. He only gave up one run and only struck out one on 103 pitches.

Miley settled down after a rough first inning, but then the wheels came completely off in the sixth inning. Miley gave up six runs on 12 hits in 5.2 innings of work. He walked three and struck out six on 104 pitches.

The Phillies lineup feasted on Miley, with all but JT Realmuto getting at least one hit. Former Red Travis Jankowski reached base all five times, going 3-for-3 with two walks, and two runs scored. After striking out four times last night, Bryce Harper went 2-for-5 with two doubles and three RBIs.

The lone bright spot for the Reds was Eugenio Suarez, who went 3-for-5 with a solo home run and two runs scored.

The Reds travel to St. Louis for a four-game set against the Cardinals in an important NL Central battle. The Reds currently have a half-game lead over the Cardinals.

***

MLB News

6/01 -- Tigers RP Daniel Norris (1-3, 1 SV, 4.76 ERA, 22 K) was ruled out for the season with shoulder inflammation.
6/03 -- Braves ink 1B Freddie Freeman (.315 AVG, 10 HR, 38 RBI) to a 6-year, $237M contract extension. The sixth-year is a vesting option requiring 550 plate appearances.

[jasontoddwhitt]

Month in Review

With a record of 15-13, the Reds posted a second straight month with a winning record and vaulted into first place in a very tight NL Central. Only three games separate the Reds from the Cubs who are sitting in the cellar of the division. Many pundits said in their season previews that the NL Central would be tight, and the first two months have proven that will be the case.

The Reds' offense hit another gear during the month and now ranks 2nd in the NL in runs scored (293), batting average (.272), on-base percentage (.349), OPS (.817), batting WAR (12.3), wOBA (.345), and home runs (78). About the only thing the Reds don't do well is stealing bases (ranked 13th with 10), but according to FanGraphs BsR, they are the best baserunning team in the NL with +15.6 runs above average. Meaning the Reds are doing very well in taking the extra base and avoiding getting caught stealing when they do steal.

If the Reds pitching staff could catch up with the offense, then we would be in a very good position. The Reds rotation ranks 11th in the NL with an ERA of 4.52. While Sonny Gray and Tyler Mahle are pitching very well, the rest of the rotation has been struggling. Luis Castillo followed up a poor April (1-5, 4.42 ERA) with an even worse May (1-1, 6.66 ERA). After an April that was more in line with his time in Houston, Wade Miley regressed in May (1-3, 9.00 ERA) with numbers that were in line with what he did in 2020 while trying to pitch through an oblique injury. Ryan Merritt (1-2, 7.02 ERA) and Jeff Hoffman (1-1, 5.59 ERA) have been getting very familiar with the trip down Interstate 71 to Louisville.

The Reds' makeshift bullpen, however, is holding it together on their end with an ERA of 3.23, which ranks 4th in the NL. Closer Lucas Sims (1-1, 1.47 ERA, 21 K) is tied for the NL lead in saves with 14. Since moving back to the bullpen, Tejay Antone has allowed one earned run in 10 appearances. Casey Sadler has not given up a run in eight appearances since coming over from the Mariners and Ian Kennedy has only given up three earned runs all season. Manager David Bell seems to be giving these guys more opportunities out of the pen while the rest of the bullpen (Garrett, Bedrosian, Hembree, and Doolittle) have had their struggles.

Hitter of the Month

Eugenio Suarez - .293/.426/.511, 5 HR, 12 RBI, 20 R, 5 2B

There were many directions we could've gone with this. Nick Senzel, Jesse Winker, Joey Votto, and Nick Castellanos all had great months. Ultimately though, we went with Suarez. After posting a .173 batting average in April, Suarez posted numbers in May that are more in line with 2018-2019 Suarez. Suarez is currently on a 30-game on-base streak that dates back to April 28th, and just had a 15-game hit streak broken on May 29th. He's still striking out a ton (on pace for a career-high 194), but fans can overlook that if he continues providing the run production he has been this past month.

Pitcher of the Month

Tyler Mahle - 3-2, 4.31 ERA, 31.1 IP, 8 BB, 25 K, 1.21 WHIP

Another situation that wasn't so cut and dry. Mahle and Sonny Gray have been carrying this rotation. If Luis Castillo could get back to form, the top three of this rotation would be right up there with the top rotations in baseball. Some people would argue that Gray has the better ERA, therefore he should've won this award. It's not that cut-and-dry and if you look past ERA, Mahle had a better FIP (3.88 vs 4.22), fewer baserunners per 9 (11.49 vs 12.71), and fewer walks per 9 (2.30 vs 3.71). Yes, we're splitting hairs here, but we wanted to put Mahle on the pedestal this month.



Louisville Bats - 16-10, T-1st (+1 GB) Midwest Division, Triple-A East
Chattanooga Lookouts - 16-10, 1st (+3 GB) North Division, Double-A South
Dayton Dragons - 14-12, 2nd (-1 GB) East Division, High-A Central
Daytona Tortugas - 11-15, 3rd (-5 GB) East Division, Low-A Southeast

Top Prospect Notes

1. 2B Jonathan India - .250/.407/.591, 88 AB, 8 HR, 4 SB, 168 wRC+, 1.7 WAR (AAA)

In 2019 between High-A and Double-A, India hit 11 homers. After not making the club coming out of spring training, India's debut in Louisville is screaming he needs to be at the big club right now. India has been flashing the power, slugging eight homers in the first month of the season. Are the Reds keeping him down in the minors to delay starting the clock on him? We happen to think so. Kyle Farmer and Christian Colon are doing serviceable jobs splitting time at second base, but if India keeps showing this power and his batting average holds the same or even creeps up to the .270 he hit in Double-A in 2019, it's going to be harder to keep him in Louisville.

2. SP Nick Lodolo - 3-1, 3.65 ERA, 37 IP, 1.16 WHIP, 8.5 K/9, 0.5 WAR (AA/AAA)

After only five starts in Chattanooga, the Reds moved Lodolo to Louisville. His first start for the Bats went well, getting the win after giving up two runs on three hits in 5.1 innings of work. He walked three and struck out seven. Is Lodolo on the fast track to the big league club? If he keeps pitching like this, the Reds will find it difficult to keep him out of the rotation...especially if the #4 and #5 spots in the rotation continue to struggle.

3. SP Hunter Greene - 2-2, 2.61 ERA, 31 IP, 1.03 WHIP, 7.3 K/9, 0.7 WAR (AA)

The Reds were curious where Greene was going to be in his development after not having pitched since 2018 due to Tommy John surgery and the pandemic. The strikeout numbers are way down, but the walk numbers are equally down, which is leading to Greene having good success down in Chattanooga. Fans will probably be screaming for him to come up as well, but I look for the front office to take a more measured approach for Greene. Our projection is for him to be up in Louisville towards the end of the season with a chance of making the club next season.

4. C Tyler Stephenson - .305/.359/.524, 82 AB, 3 HR, 132 wRC+, 0.8 WAR (MLB)

Stephenson is proving he belongs to the show, splitting time at catcher with Tucker Barnhart. Stephenson is the future at the position, but Barnhart is having a career year with the bat. The question for the Reds will be can they afford to keep both? Barnhart has a team option next season that will double his salary. If the Reds remain in playoff contention, I don't see the Reds trading Barnhart, meaning Stephenson will likely split time with Barnhart the rest of the season.

5. SP Vladimir Gutierrez - Suspended

Gutierrez still has a month to go on his PED suspension from last season's failed test. It will be interesting to see where Vlad is. Gutierrez was invited to spring training last season before the pandemic shut everything down. Gutierrez is slated to be in the rotation in Louisville once his suspension is up and could find himself in the Reds rotation depending on how his return goes.

ML Ready Prospects

SP Tony Santillan - 3-2, 4.08 ERA, 28.2 IP, 1.40 WHIP, 9.4 K/9, 0.3 WAR (AA)
CF TJ Friedl - .284/.376/.480, 102 AB, 4 HR, 3 SB, 137 wRC+, 0.9 WAR (AAA)

[jasontoddwhitt]

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Pitching Matchups

6/03 -- Luis Castillo (2-6, 5.34) vs Kwang Hyun Kim (2-2, 5.17)
6/04 -- Ryan Merritt (1-3, 6.92) vs John Grant (3-2, 3.49)
6/05 -- Tyler Mahle (5-3, 3.78) vs Carlos Martinez (1-3, 3.74)
6/06 -- Sonny Gray (6-1, 2.82) vs Jack Flaherty (5-2, 3.76)

Series Notes

-- Season series is currently 3-3.
-- The Reds are currently in first place of the NL Central with a record of 29-26, a half-game up on the Cardinals and Pirates.
-- The Reds rank 2nd in runs scored (293) and 9th in runs against (256).
-- The Cardinals are currently tied for second place in the NL Central with the Pirates with a record of 28-26. The Cardinals are currently 2.5 games behind the Braves for the second wild-card spot.
-- The Cardinals rank 9th in runs scored (238) and 5th in runs against (236).

Who's Hot? Who's Not?

Cincinnati Reds

RP Ian Kennedy -- 15 G, 1 SV, 0.90 ERA, 20 IP, 18 K
CF Nick Senzel -- 7 G, 8-for-21 (.381), 2 HR, 3 RBI
1B Joey Votto -- 7 G, 7-for-21 (.333), 2 HR, 3 RBI
RF Aristides Aquino -- 16 G, 1-for-23 (.043), 0 HR, 2 RBI
SP Ryan Merritt -- 4 G, 1-3, 7.77 ERA, 22 IP, 14 K
SP Wade Miley -- 2 G, 0-2, 9.90 ERA, 10 IP, 9 K

St. Louis Cardinals

LF Dylan Carlson -- 6 G, 11-for-22 (.500), 2 HR, 9 RBI
LF Tyler O'Neill -- 11 G, 1-for-22 (.045), 1 HR, 1 RBI
RP Alex Reyes -- 15 G, 0-0, 8.40 ERA, 15 IP, 17 K

Injury Report

Cincinnati Reds

SP Brandon Bailey (elbow) -- 60-day IL
2B Max Schrock (foot) -- 60-day IL
SP Michael Lorenzen (shoulder) -- 60-day IL

St. Louis Cardinals

SS Paul DeJong (finger) -- 10-day IL
SP Adam Wainwright (elbow) -- 60-day IL
SP Miles Mikolas (elbow) -- 60-day IL
SP Dakota Hudson (elbow) -- 60-day IL