Redleg Nation - A Cincinnati Reds Experience (OOTP 22)

[jasontoddwhitt]

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Pitching Matchups

4/23 - Sonny Gray (1-0, 0.00) vs Carlos Martinez (0-0, 6.23)
4/24 - Tejay Antone (0-3, 8.59) vs Bernardo Flores, Jr. (1-1, 2.45)
4/25 - TBA (0-0, 0.00) vs Jack Flaherty (2-0, 3.38)

Series Notes

- Reds lead the season series 2-1 against the Cardinals.
- Cardinals are currently 9-9, tied with the Reds for 3rd place.
- The MRI on Jeff Hoffman's elbow came back negative and he has been diagnosed with a sprained ligament. Hoffman has been placed on the IL retroactive to 4/21. Hoffman is expected to miss two weeks. To take his spot on the active roster, the Reds purchased the contract of RP Joel Kuhnel from Double-A Chattanooga. Kuhnel made three relief appearances for the Reds in 2020, registering three strikeouts in three innings pitched with a 6.00 ERA.
- Manager David Bell has yet to announce a starter for Sunday's game against the Cardinals. The discussion is rumored to be either going with Ryan Merritt (4 IP, 2.25 ERA) as the starter or using the Rays strategy of using an 'opener'. That pitcher could be either Cam Bedrosian (6.1 IP, 1.42 ERA) or Ian Kennedy (7 IP, 1.29 ERA)
- CF Nick Senzel is eligible to be activated from the IL, but as of this time, there is no timetable for his return from a sprained wrist he suffered back on April 11th. He is officially listed as day-to-day.

Who's Hot? Who's Not?

Cincinnati Reds

C Tucker Barnhart -- 7 G, 9-for-23 (.391), 3 HR, 10 RBI
SP Tejay Antone -- 2 G, 0-2, 12.46 ERA, 8.2 IP, 2 K

St. Louis Cardinals

SP Bernardo Flores, Jr. -- 2 G, 1-0, 2.02 ERA, 13.1 IP, 9 K

Injury Report

Cincinnati Reds

SP Brandon Bailey (elbow) -- 60-day IL
SP Jeff Hoffman (elbow) -- 15-day IL
SP Tyler Mahle (hamstring) -- 15-day IL
CF Nick Senzel (wrist) -- 10-day IL
CF Shogo Akiyama (hamstring) -- 10-day IL
SP Michael Lorenzen (shoulder) -- 15-day IL

St. Louis Cardinals

CF Harrison Bader (forearm) -- 10-day IL
SP Adam Wainwright (elbow) -- 60-day IL
C Andrew Knizner (back) -- DtD
SP Miles Mikolas (elbow) -- 60-day IL
2B Edmundo Sosa (hand) -- 10-day IL
SP Dakota Hudson (elbow) - 60-day IL

[jasontoddwhitt]

Cincinnati Reds at St. Louis Cardinals | F/12
Apr 23, 2021	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	Extras	R	H	E
Cincinnati (10-9)	0	0	0	2	0	0	0	0	0	0 0 1	3	10	2
St. Louis (9-10)	1	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0 0 0	2	4	0
W: Lucas Sims (1-0) L: Andrew Miller (1-2) S: Amir Garrett (1)

Pitching ruled the night at Busch Stadium as the battle between Sonny Gray and Carlos Martinez morphed into a bullpen battle as the game went into extra innings.

The Reds' defense let Sonny Gray down in the 1st inning, as the Cardinals were able to take advantage of errors by Mike Moustakas and Eugenio Suarez to scratch across a run. The Cardinals were able to manufacture a run in the 2nd inning after Paul Dejong led the inning off with a double and scored on a sacrifice fly after advancing to third on a wild pitch.

The Reds finally broke through on Carlos Martinez in the 4th inning when Joey Votto led the inning off with a double and Nick Castellanos hit a 391-foot home run to left field to deadlock the game at 2-2.

That's where the game stayed. Gray gave up two runs (one earned) on three hits in 6 and 1/3 innings pitched. He walked four and struck out seven in the no-decision. Martinez gave up two runs on five hits in five innings of work. He walked one and struck out seven, but did not factor into the decision.

Both bullpens were also lights out, matching each other in baffling the opposing hitters. Reds reliever Art Warren struck out all five Cardinals he faced. Joel Kuhner, fresh up from the minors, also registered a strikeout in a perfect inning of relief. Reds closer Lucas Sims pitched two innings of spotless relief. For the Cardinals, former Red David Hernandez struck out three of his former teammates while closer Jordan Hicks also pitched two perfect innings of relief.

The Reds were finally able to break through in the 12th inning off of Cardinals reliever Andrew Miller. Deivy Grullon led the inning off with a double and Jesse Winker was able to knock him in with a line drive base hit to left a couple of batters later. Amir Garret came into the game and pitched a perfect 1-2-3 inning in the 12th with two strikeouts to secure his first save of the season.

Cincinnati Reds at St. Louis Cardinals
Apr 24, 2021	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	R	H	E
Cincinnati (10-10)	0	0	0	0	0	1	0	0	0	1	6	1
St. Louis (10-10)	1	0	3	0	1	5	0	1	X	11	15	0
W: Bernardo Flores, Jr. (2-1) L: Tejay Antone (0-4)

Dylan Carson and the entire Cardinals offense demolished Reds pitching to the tune of an 11-1 beatdown.

Carson went 4-for-5 on the day with a double, a homer, two RBIs, and three runs scored to pace a Cardinals offense where every position player got at least one hit. Paul Dejong went 1-for-4 on the day with four RBIs, his three-run homer in the 6th inning off of Reds reliever Cam Bedrosian put the bow tie on the Cardinals victory.

Bernardo Flores, Jr. gave up one run on five hits in 7 and 1/3 innings of work. He walked two and struck out six to improve his record to (2-1).

Reds starter Tejay Antone was constantly pitching under duress, giving up five runs on ten hits in 4 and 1/3 innings of work. He walked one and struck out three to drop his record to (0-4).

The Reds' lone run came on a Nick Castellanos solo shot in the 6th inning, his fifth of the year.

After the game, David Bell announced they would be skipping the 5th spot in the rotation and Luis Castillo would get the ball against the Cardinals on Sunday.

Cincinnati Reds at St. Louis Cardinals
Apr 25, 2021	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	R	H	E
Cincinnati (10-11)	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	1	7	0
St. Louis (11-10)	0	0	1	2	0	0	0	0	X	3	6	0
W: Jack Flaherty (3-0) L: Luis Castillo (0-5) S: Jordan Hicks (6)

Luis Castillo seems to be getting back on track with his pitching. The problem though is he can't seem to get any run support. For the second straight start, Castillo pitched well enough for the win. Unfortunately, the Reds were only able to muster up one run as the Cardinals eked out a 3-1 victory.

Cardinals starter Jack Flaherty fooled around with Reds hitters while he was in the game. Flaherty gave up one run on four hits in 5 and 2/3 innings pitched. He walked two and struck out eight to improve his record to (3-0).

The Cardinals bullpen continued the domination, as Ryan Helsley and Andrew Miller combined for three strikeouts and two hits allowed over 2 and 1/3 innings pitched to get the ball to Jordan Hicks for the 9th. Hicks gave up a single to Tucker Barnhart but struck out Kyle Farmer and Deivy Grullon to end the threat to record his sixth save of the season.

The Cardinals offense was paced by Tyler O'Neill, whose two-run homer in the 4th inning put the Cards ahead for good.

Castillo gave up three runs on five hits in six innings of work. He walked one and struck out six as he lost his fifth consecutive start.

A very frustrating day for the Reds, as evidenced by Nick Castellanos. Following a called third strike that was a touch outside, Castellanos slammed his helmet down on the plate in frustration, which caused the umpire to immediately run him from the game.

***

MLB Headlines

4/24 - Diamondbacks manager Torey Lovullo blasts the media for "reporting fake news" after a 3-2 loss to the Braves. The team is 1-10 over the last 11 games.
4/24 - White Sox RP Matt Foster is placed on the IL after surgery to repair a torn meniscus. He will be out for four to five months.
4/25 - Giants announce that 1B Brandon Belt has signed a 4-year, $67.6M extension. The fourth-year is a vesting option, requiring 135 games to activate.

[jasontoddwhitt]

Team Headlines

If the Reds are going to have any hope of contending in a weak NL Central, they need Mike Moustakas and Eugenio Suarez to rebound.

Coming off two seasons where Suarez received MVP votes, an offseason shoulder surgery led to his worst season since 2016, which would see Suarez slash .202/.312/.470 with an OPS+ of 100. The club was hoping for Suarez to rebound in 2021, but a slash line of .171/.292/.316 with an OPS+ of 65 is not building much confidence in the fanbase.

Moustakas saw a slight dip in his number from 2019 to 2020, slashing .230/.331/.468 with an OPS+ of 105. Moustakas has also gotten off to a horrible start this season, slashing .184/.267/.329 with an OPS+ of 61.

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On the injury front, the Reds are hopeful that Tyler Mahle will be ready to come off the injured list in time for the Cubs series later this week. Mahle has been on the IL since April 14th after suffering a hamstring strain in his start against the Giants. Mahle appeared to build on his strong 2020 with an even better start in 2021, going 2-1 with a 2.89 ERA. His strikeout rate has been down this season (8.7 vs 11.3 in 2020), but his walk rate has come down as well (3.4 vs 4.0 in 2021).

As for Nick Senzel, there is still no timetable for his return. Senzel sprained his wrist making a diving catch on April 11th in the Reds' 8-4 defeat to the Diamondbacks. It was expected he would be activated after spending the ten-day minimum on the IL, but that time has come and gone. He is officially listed as day-to-day.

Team Batting Stats



Team Pitching Stats



***

American League Standings



National League Standings



MLB Power Rankings



Players of the Week

RF Edward Olivares (Royals) - .545 (12-for-22), 6 R, 2 2B, 1 3B, 1 HR, 2 RBI, 1 SB
2B Ozzie Albies (Braves) - .480 (12-for-25), 7 R, 5 2B, 2 HR, 6 RBI

Did You Know?

Which center fielder leads MLB in hits?

1. Alex Verdugo (Red Sox) - 34
2. Starling Marte (Marlins) - 29
3. Cody Bellinger (Dodgers) - 28
4. Dylan Carlson (Cardinals) - 27
5. Ramon Laureano (Athletics) - 26

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Pitching Matchups

4/26 - Ryan Merritt (0-0, 2.25) vs Clayton Kershaw (3-0, 2.13)
4/27 - Wade Miley (3-0, 4.32) vs Julio Urias (3-0, 2.79)
4/28 - Sonny Gray (1-0, 0.73) vs David Price (2-0, 2.45)

Series Notes

- The defending World Series champions have made the playoffs the past eight seasons.
- Dodgers are currently 17-5, first place in the NL West.
- Dodgers are 1st in runs scored (126) and 1st in runs against (70).
- Reds are 9th in runs scored (96) and 9th in runs against (100).

Who's Hot, Who's Not?

Cincinnati Reds

SP Tejay Antone -- 2 G, 0-2, 12.46 ERA, 8.2 IP, 4 K
3B Mike Moustakas -- 7 G, 4-for-28, .142, 0 HR, 0 RBI

Los Angeles Dodgers

SP Walker Buehler -- 2 G, 1-0, 0.67 ERA, 13.1 IP, 11 K
SP David Price -- 2 G, 1-0, 1.54 ERA, 11.2 IP, 14 K
SP Julio Urias -- 2 G, 2-0, 0.90 ERA, 10.0 IP, 11 K
SP Trevor Bauer -- 4 G, 0-3, 10.57 ERA, 15.1 IP, 13 K

Injury Report

Cincinnati Reds

SP Brandon Bailey (elbow) -- 60-day IL
SP Jeff Hoffman (elbow) -- 15-day IL
SP Tyler Mahle (hamstring) -- 15-day IL
CF Nick Senzel (wrist) -- 10-day IL
CF Shogo Akiyama (hamstring) -- 10-day IL
SP Michael Lorenzen (shoulder) -- 15-day IL

Los Angeles Dodgers

SP Caleb Ferguson (elbow) -- 60-day IL
SP Brusdar Graterol (personal reasons) -- 15-day IL
RP Tommy Kahnle (elbow) -- 60-day IL
RP Joe Kelly (shoulder) -- 15-day IL

[jasontoddwhitt]

Cincinnati Reds at Los Angeles Dodgers
Apr 26, 2021	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	R	H	E
Cincinnati (10-12)	0	0	2	0	0	3	0	1	0	6	13	0
Los Angeles (18-5)	0	1	1	2	0	5	1	1	X	11	16	1
W: Corey Knebel (3-0) L: Ryan Merritt (0-1)

Mookie Betts extended his MLB leading 18-game hitting streak today as the Dodgers used a huge sixth inning to streak past the Reds 11-6.

The Reds struggled to contain the NL's best offense, as the Dodgers collected 16 hits off of the Reds' pitching staff. Ryan Merrit, making his first start of the season, was chased out of the sixth inning after giving up six runs on 11 hits. He walked one and struck out four to pick up his first loss of the season. Cam Bedrosian came into the game and promptly threw gasoline on the burn pile. Bedrosian failed to register an out, giving up three runs on three hits and a walk.

Clayton Kershaw pitched solidly but wasn't his normal sharp self as the Reds did work Kershaw into several deep counts. Kershaw pitched into the sixth inning, giving up two runs and four hits in 5 1/3 innings pitched. He walked one and struck out seven in what ended up being a no-decision thanks to Kyle Farmer's three-run homer off of Kenley Jansen. Farmer was the lone bright spot for the Reds offense, going 3-for-4 with a double, a home run, and 3 RBIs.

Betts was the star for the Dodgers tonight, going 4-for-5 with a home run and four RBIs. Will Smith also was big tonight, going 3-for-4 with a home run and two RBIs.

Cincinnati Reds at Los Angeles Dodgers
Apr 27, 2021	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	R	H	E
Cincinnati (11-12)	1	0	3	2	0	0	1	0	0	7	10	1
Los Angeles (18-6)	0	1	0	0	0	1	0	0	0	2	6	2
W: Wade Miley (4-0) L: Julio Urias (3-1)

Riding the two-hit performance of Nick Castellanos, the Reds defeated the Dodgers tonight 7-2.

Castellanos was 2-for-3 today with a double, a home run, and four RBIs. Castellanos got the Reds on the board in the first inning with an RBI double to give the Reds the early 1-0 advantage. Castellanos put the Reds back out front in the third inning with a three-run home run to make the score 4-1.

Wade Miley (4-0) continued his very strong start to the season, giving up two runs on six hits in 6 and 2/3 innings pitched. He walked three and struck out three in the winning effort.

Julio Urias (3-1) struggled mightily, giving up six runs (five earned) on eight hits in 3 and 2/3 innings pitched. He walked one and struck out three to pick up his first loss of the season.

Cody Bellinger was the sole bright spot of the Dodgers offense, going 1-for-3 with a solo shot in the second inning which tied the game. Mookie Betts went 0-for-4, snapping his 18-game hitting streak.

Cincinnati Reds at Los Angeles Dodgers
Apr 28, 2021	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	R	H	E
Cincinnati (12-12)	0	0	1	4	1	0	0	0	2	8	12	0
Los Angeles (18-7)	1	0	0	0	2	0	0	2	0	5	9	1
W: Sonny Gray (2-0) L: David Price (2-1) S: Lucas Sims (5)

Sonny Gray was not at his sharpest, but he pitched well enough to keep the Dodgers from being able to take advantage of nine baserunners. Nick Castellanos continued terrorizing Dodgers pitching as the Reds take two of three from the Dodgers in an 8-5 victory.

Gray gave up three runs on five hits in 6 and 1/3 innings pitched. He walked four and struck out six to pick up his second win of the season. David Price was roughed up by the Reds, giving up five runs on five hits in 3 and 2/3 innings pitched. He walked three and struck out five in his first loss of the season.

Castellanos paced the Reds' offense today, going 3-for-5 with a double and two RBIs. That made it easier to forget about Joey Votto's horrible 0-for-5 and golden sombrero day.

Justin Turner was the lone bright spot in the Dodgers offense today, going 2-for-3 with two runs scored.

Scott Heineman was pulled from the game in the 5th inning after he complained of having blurry vision. His status remains unknown as of press time.

***

MLB Headlines

4/26 - Mariners place RP Justin Dunn on the IL with a torn rotator cuff. He is done for the season.
4/27 - Blue Jays place 1B Vladimir Gurrero Jr. on the IL with a herniated disc. He is out 1-2 weeks.
4/29 - Padres place RP Keone Kela on the IL with a shoulder impingement. The injury is potentially a season ender.
4/30 - The Rockies traded RP Mychal Givens to the Phillies for minor league prospects Cornelius Randolph (#57 in Rockies system) and Carlos Betancourt (#75 in Rockies system).

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Pitching Matchups

4/30 - Kyle Hendricks (2-1, 3.95) vs Luis Castillo (0-5, 5.46)
5/01 - Zach Davies (3-1, 3.64) vs Tejay Antone (0-4, 9.00)
5/02 - Adbert Alzolay (0-3, 5.61) vs Ryan Merritt (0-1, 6.75)

Series Notes

- The Cubs are currently 8-17, 6 and 1/2 games back in the NL Central cellar.
- The Cubs are 5th in runs scored (121) and 11th in runs allowed (135).
- The Reds are 6th in runs scored (117) and 9th in runs allowed (118).
- Tyler Mahle (strained hamstring) is eligible to be activated from the IL, but there is presently no timetable for his return. He is officially listed as day-to-day.
- The same can still be said for Nick Senzel (sprained wrist). Senzel has been eligible to be activated from the IL for a week now but is still feeling lingering effects from his injured wrist. He is officially listed as day-to-day.
- Scott Heineman is officially listed as day-to-day after being pulled from the 4/28 game against the Dodgers after complaining about blurry vision. Heineman has not been placed on the IL as of this time.

Who's Hot? Who's Not?

Chicago Cubs

3B Kris Bryant - 6 G, 9-for-21, .429, 2 HR, 6 RBI
RF Jason Heyward - 12 G, 5-for-39, .128, 0 HR, 4 RBI
SP Trevor Williams - 3 G, 0-1, 9.53 ERA, 11.1 IP, 4 K

Cincinnati Reds

RF Nick Castellanos - 7 G, 10-for-25, .400, 3 HR, 10 RBI
2B Kyle Farmer - 8 G, 10-for-25, .400, 2 HR, 7 RBI
SP Tejay Antone - 2 G, 0-2, 12.46 ERA, 8.2 IP, 4 K
SS Eugenio Suarez - 5 G, 1-for-21, .047, 0 HR, 1 RBI

Injury Report

Chicago Cubs

RP Juan Nicasio (hand) -- DtD

Cincinnati Reds

SP Brandon Bailey (elbow) -- 60-day IL
SP Jeff Hoffman (elbow) -- 15-day IL
SP Tyler Mahle (hamstring) -- 15-day IL
CF Nick Senzel (wrist) -- 10-day IL
CF Shogo Akiyama (hamstring) -- 10-day IL
SP Michael Lorenzen (shoulder) -- 15-day IL
CF Scott Heineman (vision) -- DtD

[jasontoddwhitt]

Chicago Cubs at Cincinnati Reds
Apr 30, 2021	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	R	H	E
Chicago (8-18)	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	1	0	1	6	0
Cincinnati (13-12)	0	0	0	0	0	0	3	0	X	3	8	1
W: Luis Castillo (1-5) L: Kyle Hendricks (2-2) S: Lucas Sims (6)

Luis Castillo has pitched well enough in his last two turns in the rotation to win, yet his record coming in was five losses in five starts. That changed today. Castillo blanked the Cubs over seven innings, allowing only five baserunners (three hits and two walks) and striking out 12 as the Reds used a three-run 7th inning to defeat the Cubs 3-1.

Castillo and Kyle Hendricks were locked in a rare pitcher's duel at GABP, with Hendricks throwing six shutout innings.

The wheels would come off in the 7th inning. Joey Votto of all people managed to leg out a slow roller in the infield and he advanced to third on a Mike Moustakas line-drive double to right-center field. Eugenio Suarez would sneak a soft liner just over the outstretched glove of Cubs SS Javier Baez that would score Votto to break the scoreless tie. Later in the inning, Deivy Grullon would smoke a line drive past the diving Anthony Rizzo that would score Moustakas and Suarez to give the Reds the 3-0 lead.

Hendricks would leave the game after the 7th inning, giving up three runs on seven hits. He walked one and struck out four.

The Cubs would scratch a run across in the 8th inning against Amir Garrett thanks to an RBI single off the bat of Kris Bryant. Despite giving up the two hits in the inning, Garrett would strike out the side to get the ball to closer Lucas Sims in the 9th. Sims would pitch a perfect 9th, striking out two to finish off his sixth save of the season.

After the game, the Reds announced they would be activating CF Nick Senzel from the injured list for tomorrow's game. C Deivy Grullon was optioned back to Triple-A Louisville.

Chicago Cubs at Cincinnati Reds
May 1, 2021	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	R	H	E
Chicago (8-19)	0	0	0	1	0	1	2	1	1	6	9	0
Cincinnati (14-12)	1	6	3	0	1	6	0	2	X	19	18	0
W: Tejay Antone (1-4) L: Zach Davies (3-2)

Nick Senzel returned to the lineup in explosive fashion as the Reds decimated the Cubs in a 19-6 beat down.

Senzel was scattering hits all over the field at GABP as Cubs pitchers could not get him out. Senzel led the game off with a base hit, stole second base, then scored on a Nick Castellanos base hit to give the Reds the early 1-0 advantage. Things didn't get much better from there, as Senzel hit a two-run double in the 2nd, hit a solo shot off reliever Robert Stock in the 3rd, hit a two-run single in the 6th, and singled in the 7th to finish the day going 5-for-6 with a double, a homer, five RBIs, and four runs scored.

The Reds chased Cubs' starter, Zach Davies, in the second inning after back-to-back two-run doubles by Senzel and Jessie Winker completely broke the back of the Cubs. Davies gave up seven runs on six hits in 1 and 1/3 innings pitched. He walked two and struck out two to drop his record to (3-2).

"When you can pile on a bunch of runs at the beginning of the game, you hope it can allow your starter to settle in," said Reds skipper David Bell.

Settled in is exactly what Tejay Antone did. Antone baffled Cubs hitters, giving up two runs on three hits in six-plus innings of work. He walked two and struck out a career-high 10 to pick up his first win of the season.

Things got so bad for the Cubs that they turned to RF Josh Reddick to pitch the last couple of frames. He gave up a couple of more runs to the Reds, but he registered a couple of strikeouts, much to the chagrin of Castellanos and Eugenio Suarez.

Other notable hitting performances for the Reds include Castellanos, who went 3-for-5 with a homer, four RBIs, and two runs scored. Joey Votto also had a big game, going 2-for-4 with two doubles, two RBIs, and four runs scored.

Before the game, the Reds announced that they had placed C Tyler Stephenson on the bereavement list. The Reds purchased the contract of 3B Cheslor Cuthbert from Triple-A Louisville.

Chicago Cubs at Cincinnati Reds
May 2, 2021	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	R	H	E
Chicago (9-19)	3	0	0	1	2	1	0	0	0	7	14	3
Cincinnati (14-13)	0	0	0	3	0	1	0	1	0	5	11	0
W: Adbert Alzolay (1-3) L: Ryan Merritt (0-2) S: Andrew Chafin (1)

Cubs LF Rafael Ortega led the game off with a home run and the Cubbies never looked back. After getting embarrassed the day before, the Cubs regained some dignity today with a hard-fought 7-5 victory to avoid the series sweep.

Ryan Merritt struggled today for the Reds, getting chased from the game in the 5th inning after serving up a two-run shot to David Bote, the fourth homer he gave up today. All told, Merritt gave up six runs on 10 hits while striking out four in four-plus innings of work to drop his record to (0-2). Merritt did hit a two-run homer in the 4th inning to cut the Cubs lead to one.

Cubs starter Adbert Alzolay pitched around a lot of trouble today as the Reds failed to capitalize on their opportunities. Alzolay gave up three runs on five hits while walking five and striking out three in five innings of work in picking up his first win of the season.

The Reds bullpen were able to stop the bleeding while the Reds offense began chipping away at an overworked Cubs bullpen. The Reds loaded the bases up in the 8th with one out but were only able to come away with one run to cut it to 7-5. In the 9th, the Reds got the go-ahead run to the plate. The Cubs brought in lefty Andrew Chafin to face lefties Jessie Winker and Joey Votto, and promptly struck both of them out to end the game.

Anthony Rizzo paced the Cubs offense today, going 3-for-4 with a triple, a home run, three RBIs, and a run scored. After leading the game off with a homer, Ortega finished 3-for-5 with a double, a home run, an RBI, and two runs scored.

***

MLB Headlines

5/02 - Diamondbacks place SP Madison Bumgarner on the IL after being diagnosed with a ruptured disc. He is done for the season.
5/02 - Orioles place RP Travis Larkin on the IL after undergoing season-ending Tommy John surgery.
5/02 - White Sox trade C Zack Collins to the Indians for RP Nick Wittgren and minor league SP Lenny Torres (#136 overall/#4 White Sox system).
5/03 - Indians place SP Triston McKenzie on the IL after undergoing season-ending Tommy John surgery.

[jasontoddwhitt]

Team Headlines

Historically, the Reds struggle when they head to the west coast, but for this week, things went very well. The Reds headed to Chavez Ravine and took two of three from the defending world champions. They then headed back home and took two of three from the reeling Cubs. The Reds are riding the hot bats of Nick Castellanos and fresh off the injured list Nick Senzel.

After struggling during the pandemic season, Castellanos is rebounding in a big way, getting back to the numbers he put up in 2019 after he was traded to the Cubs. In the last seven games, Castellanos is 12-for-25 (.480 AVG) with three homers and 12 RBIs. If Senzel can stay healthy, he looks poised to have a break-out season. Since coming off the IL, Senzel is 12-for-27 (.444 AVG) with a homer and seven RBIs.
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The Reds are hoping to get reinforcements this week, with Tyler Mahle, Jeff Hoffman, and Shogo Akiyama all slated to come off the IL this week. Mahle has been out since April 14th with a hamstring strain and is presently listed as day-to-day. Hoffman has been out since April 21st with a sprained elbow and is expected to be out another week. Akiyama has been out since spring training with a hamstring strain and could be activated in time for the Cleveland series.

Hitter and Pitcher of the Month

2B Kyle Farmer - .353 AVG (24-for-68), 8 2B, 3 HR, 13 RBI, 13 R
SP Luis Castillo - 6 GS, 1-5, 4.42 ERA, 11 BB, 44 K, 1.36 WHIP

Team Batting Stats



Team Pitching Stats



***

American League Standings



National League Standings



MLB Power Rankings



Monthly Awards

Batters of the Month

3B Yoan Moncada (White Sox) - 32-for-91 (.352), 7 2B, 11 HR, 23 RBI, 21 R
2B Ozzie Albies (Braves) - 45-for-118 (.381), 14 2B, 2 3B, 7 HR, 22 RBI, 27 R, 3 SB

Pitchers of the Month

CL Raisel Iglesias (Angels) - 10 G, 2-0, 8 SV, 0.87 ERA, 10.1 IP, 1 BB, 12 K
SP Kevin Gausman (Giants) - 5 GS, 5-0, 1.29 ERA, 35.0 IP, 5 BB, 41 K

Rookies of the Month

CL Emmanuel Clase (Indians) - 11 G, 1-0, 6 SV, 3.00 ERA, 12.0 IP, 4 BB, 16 K
1B Pavin Smith (Diamondbacks) - 26-for-97 (.268), 5 2B, 3 3B, 3 HR, 16 RBI, 17 R

Players of the Week

RF Teoscar Hernandez (Blue Jays) - 9-for-16 (.562), 2 2B, 1 3B, 2 HR, 5 RBI, 6 R
RF Mookie Betts (Dodgers) - 14-for-27 (.519), 1 2B, 1 3B, 4 HR, 10 RBI, 10 R, 2 SB

Did You Know?

Which rookie starting pitchers are leading MLB in FIP?

1. Bernardo Flores Jr. (Cardinals) - 3.72
2. Zach Thompson (Marlins) - 4.30
3. Kohei Arihara (Rangers) - 4.34
4. Adbert Alzolay (Cubs) - 4.97