Redleg Nation - A Cincinnati Reds Experience (OOTP 22)

[jasontoddwhitt]

Re: Redleg Nation - A Cincinnati Reds Experience (OOTP 22)

Cincinnati Reds at Pittsburgh Pirates
May 10, 2021	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	R	H	E
Cincinnati (19-14)	0	0	0	0	3	1	0	1	3	8	12	0
Pittsburgh (16-18)	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	5	0
W: Sonny Gray (4-0) L: Mitch Keller (1-2)

The bats were ice cold today for the Pirates at PNC Park. Reds' starter Sonny Gray kept the Pirates off-balance all day, shutting them out in an 8-0 victory. In a fine outing, the 31-year-old hurler allowed five hits while striking out four and walking three.

Pirates' starter Mitch Keller was able to keep pace with Gray through the first four innings of the game, but the wheels came off in the 5th inning. After loading the bases with only one out, Gray helped out his cause by smashing a ground ball past the diving shortstop to break the 0-0 deadlock. Christian Colon followed up with a line drive base hit to right to give the Reds the 2-0 lead and then Jesse Winker drew the bases-loaded walk to give the Reds the 3-0 lead.

Keller lasted until the 6th inning before being chased out of the game by a solo shot by Moustakas. Keller gave up four runs on six hits in 5 and 1/3 innings pitched. He walked five and struck out only one-hitter to drop his record to 1-2.

Moustakas paced the Reds offense today, going 3-for-4 with two solo home runs and three runs scored. Winker had the other performance of the day, going 2-for-3 with a homer and three RBIs.

Gray needed 111 pitches to complete the shutout, his first since 2015 with the Athletics. Gray improved his record to a perfect 4-0 and dropped his ERA to 1.51.

Cincinnati Reds at Pittsburgh Pirates
May 11, 2021	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	R	H	E
Cincinnati (19-15)	1	0	0	0	1	0	0	3	0	5	11	1
Pittsburgh (17-18)	4	0	2	0	0	0	2	0	X	8	9	0
W: Tyler Anderson (6-1) L: Wade Miley (4-2) S: Richard Rodriguez (10)

The Pirates topped the Reds by the score of 8-5, with the largest share of the credit going to second baseman Kevin Newman. Newman went 2-for-3 with two doubles and a walk while scoring three times for the Pirates. Tyler Anderson earned the win to go to 6-1. He allowed two runs on seven hits, with two walks and six strikeouts in 6 and 1/3 innings pitched. Richard Rodriguez pitched a topsy-turvy 9th inning where the Reds managed to get the tying run to the plate. However, on a full count with two outs, Rodriguez struck out Mike Moustakas to earn his 10th save of the season.

Wade Miley struggled with command right out of the gates, as the Pirates jumped all over Miley to score four runs in the 1st inning. Things didn't get much better from there and Miley was gone after only registering one out in the 3rd inning. Miley gave up six runs on six hits, with two walks and two strikeouts in 2 and 1/3 innings pitched to drop his record to 4-2.

Former Red Todd Frazier was a menace to his former club today, going 2-for-4 with three RBIs and a run scored.

Reds reliever Sean Doolittle was pulled out of the game after complaining of shoulder soreness. He is currently listed as day-to-day.

***

Roster Moves

- SP Michael Lorenzen was transferred to the 60-day IL due to continuing issues with his strained shoulder. The timetable for his return is now two months.
- Traded CF Rafael Franco (Not ranked) and C James Free (#46 prospect, ETA 2023) to the Seattle Mariners for RP Casey Sadler to help bolster a bullpen that ranks 12th in ERA.
- Optioned RP Art Warren to Triple-A Louisville to make room for Sadler.
- SP Ryan Merritt cleared waivers, was placed back on the 40-man roster, and called up to Cincinnati. Merritt will start the series finale against Pittsburgh instead of Luis Castillo.
- Optioned SP Jeff Hoffman to Triple-A Louisville.

***

Cincinnati Reds at Pittsburgh Pirates
May 12, 2021	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	R	H	E
Cincinnati (19-16)	0	0	1	0	2	0	0	0	0	3	9	0
Pittsburgh (18-18)	1	0	1	0	3	0	1	1	X	7	13	0
W: Chad Kuhl (1-1) L: Ryan Merritt (0-3)

The Pirates grabbed a 7-3 win over the Reds at PNC Park. Pittsburgh left fielder Anthony Alford went 2-for-3 with a home run and a walk. He drove in two runs and scored once. Pirates starter Chad Kuhl picked up his first win of the season, improving his record to 1-1. Kuhl gave up three runs on seven hits in five innings of work, working around five walks and striking out two.

The Pirates took the lead for good in the 5th inning when Alford hit a two-run homer off of Reds starter Ryan Merritt. Merritt gave up five runs on nine hits in 4 and 2/3 innings pitched. He walked three and struck out two to drop his record to 0-3.

Colin Moran was 3-for-5 today for the Pirates with an RBI and a run scored.

The Reds had multiple chances to get back into this game, but they grounded into three rally-killing double plays and stranded eight men on base.

***

MLB Headlines

5/10 -- Marlins CF Starling Marte goes 5-for-6 in 13-4 victory over the Diamondbacks.
5/11 -- Padres CF Trent Grisham clubs three homers in a 7-2 victory over the Rockies.

[jasontoddwhitt]

Re: Redleg Nation - A Cincinnati Reds Experience (OOTP 22)

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Pitching Matchups

5/13 -- Luis Castillo (1-5, 4.65) vs Austin Gomber (1-5, 5.17)
5/14 -- Tyler Mahle (3-1, 2.10) vs Kyle Freeland (0-2, 8.53)
5/15 -- Sonny Gray (4-0, 1.51) vs Antonio Senzatela (1-4, 7.36)
5/16 -- Wade Miley (4-2, 6.75) vs German Marquez (2-4, 6.70)

Series Notes

-- Rockies are currently in last place at 12-25, 16 games behind the Dodgers in the NL West.
-- Rockies are ranked 12th in runs scored (155) and 15th in runs against (232).
-- Reds are ranked 2nd in runs scored (194) and 8th in runs against (171).

Who's Hot? Who's Not?

Cincinnati Reds

SP Sonny Gray -- 2 G, 2-0, 1.06 ERA, 17.0 IP, 13 K
3B Mike Moustakas -- 6 G, 10-for-24 (.417), 4 HR, 12 RBI
C Tyler Stephenson -- 9 G, 11-for-22 (.500), 1 HR, 8 RBI
RP Tejay Antone -- 6 G, 1-3, 8.57 ERA, 21.0 IP, 18 K
SP Ryan Merritt -- 2 G, 0-2, 11.42 ERA, 8.2 IP, 6 K
SP Wade Miley -- 2 G, 0-2, 36.00 ERA, 3.0 IP, 3 K

Colorado Rockies

SP Kyle Freeland -- 2 G, 0-2, 9.39 ERA, 7.2 IP, 4 K
SP German Marquez -- 3 G, 0-2, 9.88 ERA, 13.2 IP, 12 K
SP Antonio Senzatela -- 2 G, 0-1, 27.00 ERA, 2.1 IP, 2 K

Injury Report

Cincinnati Reds

SP Brandon Bailey (elbow) -- 60-day IL
RP Sean Doolittle (shoulder) -- DtD
SP Michael Lorenzen (shoulder) -- 60-day IL

Colorado Rockies

SP Peter Lambert (elbow) -- 60-day IL
RP Jordan Sheffield (elbow) -- DtD
RP Scott Oberg (elbow) -- 60-day IL

[jasontoddwhitt]

Re: Redleg Nation - A Cincinnati Reds Experience (OOTP 22)

Cincinnati Reds at Colorado Rockies
May 13, 2021	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	R	H	E
Cincinnati (19-17)	0	0	0	0	0	1	0	0	4	5	10	0
Colorado (13-25)	0	0	1	5	0	0	0	0	X	6	9	2
W: Austin Gomber (2-5) L: Luis Castillo (1-6) S: Christian Friedrich (1)

The Colorado Rockies turned back a frantic 9th inning comeback attempt by the Cincinnati Reds, holding on to a 6-5 victory at Coors Field in game one of the four-game set.

Reds pitching failed to record an out against Rockies 3B Joshua Fuentes, as he went 3-for-3 with a home run, a double, and a walk while adding four RBIs and scoring once.

Rockies starter Austin Gomber got the win, improving his record to 2-5. He worked five innings, giving up no runs on six hits while striking out six and walking two.

Reds starter Luis Castillo's poor season continued today in the thin air of Colorado. Castillo worked 3 and 2/3 innings, giving up six runs on seven hits while striking out two and walking four to drop his record to 1-6. The Reds bullpen was able to hold the fort down, giving up only two hits and striking out three over 4 and 1/3 innings of work.

The Rockies brought closer Daniel Bard into the game in the 9th inning in a non-save situation. The trend of closers not pitching well in non-save situations reared its ugly head, as Bard only retired one of the four hitters he faced, hitting one batter and giving up hits to Aristedes Aquino and an RBI double to Jesse Winker.

The Rockies brought in Christian Friedrich to try and close the game out, and he promptly served up a three-run homer to Nick Castellanos to make it a one-run game. Friedrich though struck out Joey Votto and Mike Moustakas to end the game.

Cincinnati Reds at Colorado Rockies
May 14, 2021	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	R	H	E
Cincinnati (20-17)	1	0	0	1	0	0	1	1	1	5	9	1
Colorado (13-26)	1	0	0	0	1	0	0	0	1	3	8	0
W: Tyler Mahle (4-1) L: Julian Fernandez (0-1) S: Lucas Sims (10)

Jesse Winker proved instrumental in today's victory over the Rockies. Winker's RBI single in the 7th inning off of former Red Robert Stephenson broke the 2-2 tie and put the Reds ahead for good as they went on to a 5-3 victory. The left fielder went 3-for-5 with a homer and two singles while adding two RBIs and scoring once.

Tyler Mahle had a 30 pitch first inning but recovered well enough to improve his record to 4-1. Mahle allowed two runs on six hits over six innings of work while walking three and striking out four.

Rockies starter Kyle Freeland was lifted for a pinch hitter after four innings of work. Freeland gave up two runs on three hits while walking two and striking out three in the no-decision. The Reds were able to get three runs off of the Rockies bullpen.

Lucas Sims gave up a lead-off double to Charlie Blackmon and Yoshi Tsutsugo knocked him in with a base hit to deep center. However, Tsutsugo got thrown out trying to stretch it into a double and Sims struck out Dom Nunez and Boog Powell to pick up his tenth save on the season.

***

Roster Moves

-- Designated SP Ryan Merritt for assignment and placed on irrevocable waivers.
-- Recalled SP Jeff Hoffman from Triple-A Louisville and will start against the Rockies on Saturday. SP Sonny Gray has been pushed back to Sunday.

***

Cincinnati Reds at Colorado Rockies
May 15, 2021	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	R	H	E
Cincinnati (20-18)	4	0	0	2	1	1	0	0	1	9	18	2
Colorado (14-26)	2	5	0	0	0	0	2	1	X	10	14	2
W: Francisco Liriano (2-0) L: Amir Garrett (1-1) S: Jordan Sheffield (1)

In a classic Coors Field struggle, the Reds and the Rockies made sure the scoreboard operator earned his pay tonight. Pitching was optional, as neither team could hold a lead. In the end, it was Amir Garrett serving up a two-run blast to Trevor Story, his 15th of the season, in the 7th inning that put the Rockies up 9-8 and they would go on to win 10-9.

The Rockies got major production from Brendan Rodgers, who was 3-for-4 with two singles and a homer. He drew a walk, scored two runs, and knocked in two runs as well.

The Reds' search for a fifth starter is not going well at all. Jeff Hoffman was downright horrible tonight, despite the Reds offense spotting him a 4-0 lead before he had even thrown his first pitch. Hoffman allowed seven runs on six hits in 1 and 2/3 innings pitched while walking two and striking out five in the no-decision.

Rockies starter Antonio Senzatela wasn't much better. He allowed seven runs on 11 hits in four innings worked while walking one and striking out two as he also didn't factor into the decision.

The Rockies got an insurance run in the 8th inning that was charged to Ian Kennedy after Tejay Antone allowed the inherited runner to score. The Rockies needed that insurance run as Joey Votto laced an RBI double to pull the Reds to within one run. However, Aristedes Aquino flew out to center to end the threat.

Nick Castellanos was pulled from the game in the second inning after complaining of elbow discomfort after making a throw from the outfield. He is listed as day-to-day with a sore elbow.

Cincinnati Reds at Colorado Rockies
May 15, 2021	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	R	H	E
Cincinnati (21-18)	2	0	1	3	0	1	0	3	2	12	16	1
Colorado (14-27)	0	0	0	2	2	0	1	0	0	5	7	0
W: Sonny Gray (5-0) L: German Marquez (2-5)

After being pulled out of yesterday's game for precautionary reasons due to a sore elbow, Nick Castellanos was back in the lineup today.

"I didn't notice any pain while taking BP, so I told skip I could play today," said Castellanos.

Castellanos was the driving force of the Reds' offense, reaching base in all six of his plate appearances as the Reds topped the Rockies 12-5. Castellanos was 3-for-3 with two singles, a double, and three walks while scoring two runs and driving in three for the Reds.

Being in Coors Field, things didn't go completely smoothly for Sonny Gray. Gray pitched into the 7th inning, where he gave up his third homer of the day to close the book on his start. Gray gave up five runs on six hits in six innings of work while walking four and striking out nine. Gray improved his record to 5-0 on the season.

With the score sitting at 7-5, it was Tucker Barnhart's three-run homer in the 8th inning that pushed the Reds back out front comfortably.

Rockies starter German Marquez struggled, giving up six runs on 10 hits in 3 and 2/3 innings pitched while walking two and striking out three. His record dropped to 2-5 on the season.

***

MLB Headlines

5/14 -- Astros 1B Edwin Encarnacion (.147, 3 HR, 6 RBI) announced he will retire at the end of the season.
5/14 -- Brewers 1B Yuli Gurriel (.283, 7 HR, 35 RBI) hits three homers in 13-4 victory over Braves.
5/15 -- Brewers CL Josh Hader (1-1, 6 SV, 4.40 ERA) is out for four months with a torn rotator cuff.
5/15 -- Mariners SP Rick Porcello (3-1, 3.48 ERA) throws a 5-hit shutout in a 6-0 victory over Indians.
5/16 -- Dodgers CF Cody Bellinger (.318, 9 HR, 26 RBI) is out for 5-6 weeks with a high ankle sprain.

[jasontoddwhitt]

Re: Redleg Nation - A Cincinnati Reds Experience (OOTP 22)

Team News

What is wrong with Luis Castillo? That is the question that many fans are asking. Castillo has been considered the undisputed ace of the staff since 2019, but with a record of 1-6 and an ERA north of five, the ace of the staff would not be used to describe his 2021 so far.

So what is the issue? His peripherals are not much different from his 2020 season. HR/9 is slightly up (1.0 compared to 0.6), BB/9 is slightly up (3.7 compared to 3.1) and K/9 is slightly down (10.2 compared to 11.4). One thing that does stand out is his batting average on balls in play (BABIP), which can determine how lucky or unlucky a player is. The league average BABIP is typically around .300. Last year, Castillo had a BABIP of .329. So far this year, his BABIP is way up at .381. Batted balls are simply finding the holes in the Reds' defense.

A combination of a high BABIP, only three out of eight starts being quality starts, and poor run support (1.9 r/g) is leading to zero margins for error for Castillo. A high BABIP and a FIP that is lower than his ERA (3.73 vs 5.48) would lead you to believe that the law of averages will swing back in Castillo's favor. Mathematics though can sometimes be an evil mistress.

The Reds need Castillo to get back to his normal ways. Sonny Gray is giving the Reds exactly what they need. Tyler Mahle so far seems to be taking that next step in his development, softening the blow of the departure of Trevor Bauer (who is struggling mightily in LA right now). The back end of the rotation still has a lot of question marks, with Wade Miley not garnering much confidence, Tejay Antone not returning to form after being moved back to the bullpen, and the revolving door of Jeff Hoffman and Ryan Merritt is proving to be a dumpster fire.

Might we see Nick Lodolo or Hunter Greene this year? Smart money would see Greene staying in the minors all year, despite getting off to a strong start in Chattanooga (0-2, 2.70 ERA, 4 BB, 17 K). These are the first live games he has pitched since 2018 after missing the 2019 season with Tommy John surgery and the cancellation of the minor league season in 2020. With that in mind, the Reds will be inclined to watch his workload this season.

As for Lodolo, he has gotten off to a slow start in Chattanooga (1-1, 4.91 ERA, 4 BB, 20 K), but if he gets back on track and shows progress, the Reds will be tempted to call him up if the backend of the rotation continues their 2021 struggles.

Team Batting Stats



Team Pitching Stats



***

American League Standings



National League Standings



MLB Power Rankings



Players of the Week

LF Michael Brantley (Astros) - 10-for-19 (.526), 1 2B, 1 3B, 2 HR, 6 RBI, 4 R
1B Yuli Gurriel (Brewers) - 8-for-20 (.400), 1 2B, 6 HR, 14 RBI, 9 R

Did You Know?

Who holds the single-season record in MLB for WHIP?

1. Pedro Martinez (Red Sox) - 0.737 (2000)
2. Kenta Maeda (Twins) - 0.750 (2020)
3. Walter Johnson (Senators) - 0.780 (1913)
4. Trevor Bauer (Reds) - 0.795 (2020)
5. Justin Verlander (Astros) - 0.803 (2019)

[jasontoddwhitt]

Re: Redleg Nation - A Cincinnati Reds Experience (OOTP 22)

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Pitching Matchups

05/17 -- Shun Yamaguchi (1-1, 2.35 ERA) vs Wade Miley (4-2, 6.75 ERA)
05/18 -- Kevin Gausman (8-0, 1.77 ERA) vs Luis Castillo (1-6, 5.48 ERA)
05/19 -- Nick Tropeano (2-1, 1.44 ERA) vs Tyler Mahle (4-1, 2.27 ERA)
05/20 -- Johnny Cueto (3-0, 2.92 ERA) vs Jeff Hoffman (1-1, 7.78 ERA)

Series Notes

-- Giants completed a three-game sweep of the Reds back in April.
-- Giants are in 2nd place in the NL West 27-13, four games behind the Dodgers. They have scored 204 runs (5th in the NL) and allowed 128 runs (2nd in the NL).
-- Reds are in 1st place in the NL Central 21-18, one game up on the Brewers. They have scored 225 runs (2nd in the NL) and allowed 195 runs (10th in the NL).
-- Reds are projected to face former Reds Kevin Gausman and Johnny Cueto in this series. This makes us very sad. Especially Gausman, who has blossomed into a front-line starter since arriving in San Francisco.

Who's Hot? Who's Not?

San Francisco Giants

SP Johnny Cueto -- 2 G, 1-0, 1.12 ERA, 16.0 IP, 8 K
SP Kevin Gausman -- 2 G, 2-0, 0.56 ERA, 16.0 IP, 19 K
SP Nick Tropeano -- 4 G, 2-0, 0.75 ERA, 24.0 IP, 24 K

Cincinnati Reds

RF Nick Castellanos -- 6 G, 10-for-21 (.476), 1 HR, 6 RBI
SP Tyler Mahle -- 2 G, 2-0, 1.38 ERA, 13.0 IP, 11 K
C Tyler Stephenson -- 12 G, 12-for-26 (.462), 1 HR, 8 RBI
LF Jesse Winker -- 5 G, 12-for-21 (.571), 2 HR, 6 RBI
SP Jeff Hoffman -- 4 G, 0-1, 10.66 ERA, 12.2 IP, 10 K
SP Wade Miley -- 2 G, 0-2, 36.00 ERA, 3.0 IP, 3 K

Injury Report

San Francisco Giants

CF Mauricio Dubon (hamstring) -- 10-day IL
SP Tyler Beede (elbow) -- 60-day IL
RP John Brebbia (elbow) -- 60-day IL
SP Aaron Sanchez (shoulder) -- 15-day IL
SP Dedniel Nunez (elbow) -- 60-day IL
SP Alex Wood (oblique) -- 15-day IL
SP Logan Webb (triceps) -- 15-day IL

Cincinnati Reds

SP Brandon Bailey (elbow) -- 60-day IL
SP Michael Lorenzen (shoulder) -- 60-day IL

[jasontoddwhitt]

San Francisco Giants @ Cincinnati Reds

San Francisco Giants at Cincinnati Reds
May 17, 2021	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	R	H	E
San Francisco (27-14)	0	0	1	1	0	0	1	0	0	3	6	0
Cincinnati (22-18)	1	3	0	0	0	0	0	0	X	4	7	1
W: Wade Miley (5-2) L: Shun Yamaguchi (1-2) S: Lucas Sims (11)

The Cincinnati Reds turned back the San Francisco Giants 4-3 at Great American Ballpark, bolstered by a great offensive performance by Kyle Farmer and a solid pitching performance by Wade Miley.

The Reds got all of their runs via the long ball today. Christian Colon led the game off with a solo shot off of Giants starter Shun Yamaguchi. Farmer smacked a three-run shot in the second inning, putting the exclamation point on his 2-for-3 day.

Yamaguchi settled down after that. Yamaguchi gave up four runs on six hits in four innings of work, while walking one and striking out four to drop his record to (1-2). The Giants bullpen combined to allow only one hit over the final four innings.

Miley rebounded from two horrible starts to pick up the win today. Miley gave up three runs on six hits in 6 and 1/3 innings pitched while walking one and striking out three. Cam Bedrosian came in to finish off the 7th and Tejay Antone pitched a perfect 8th to get the ball to closer Lucas Sims. Sims struck out two hitters in a perfect 9th to sew up his 11th save of the season.

Giants 1B Wilmer Flores tied the Giants' single-game record by clubbing three doubles tonight against the Reds. Flores was 3-for-4 with three doubles, two runs scored, and one RBI.

San Francisco Giants at Cincinnati Reds
May 18, 2021	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	R	H	E
San Francisco (28-14)	0	1	0	3	2	0	2	1	0	9	11	0
Cincinnati (22-19)	0	3	0	0	3	1	0	0	0	7	9	0
W: Wandy Peralta (1-3) L: Amir Garrett (1-2) S: Jake McGee (10)

Kevin Gausman came into this game with eight wins in eight starts. He did not get the opportunity for the ninth win. With the wind blowing out at GABP, both starters got shelled and were both chased out of the game in the 5th inning. The Giants bullpen was able to stop the bleeding, but the Reds bullpen was not as lucky as Buster Posey's two-run single in the 7th inning put the Giants up for good en route to a 9-7 victory.

For the second straight game, all of the Reds' offense came via the longball. Christian Colon put the Reds up in the 2nd inning with a three-run shot off of Gausman. After the Giants took a 6-3 lead in the 5th inning, Mike Moustakas launched a three-run shot to tie the game up. Colon added his second homer of the game in the 6th inning to put the Reds up 7-6.

Unfortunately, Amir Garrett came into the game and couldn't find the strike zone. Garrett faced four hitters and walked three of them to load the bases. Heath Hembree was brought into the game, but Posey put the Giants up for good.

Luis Castillo gave up six runs on six hits in 4 and 2/3 innings of work, walking four and striking out six as his rough season continued. Gausman had his worst start of the season, giving up six runs on seven hits in four innings of working while walking four and striking out four.

San Francisco Giants at Cincinnati Reds
May 19, 2021	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	R	H	E
San Francisco (29-14)	3	0	0	0	1	0	1	0	0	5	10	0
Cincinnati (22-20)	1	0	0	1	0	0	0	0	0	2	11	1
W: Nick Tropeano (3-1) L: Tyler Mahle (4-2) S: Matt Wisler (3)

Tyler Mahle did not get off to the start that he was hoping for.

Giants leadoff hitter Steven Duggar took the first pitch of the game 389 feet to right-center field to immediately give the Giants a 1-0 lead. Mahle was hit again two batters later when Alex Dickerson hit a back of the wall scratcher that Nick Castellanos just missed to put the Giants up 3-0.

Mahle would settle down from there, but the Reds couldn't muster any runs today despite collecting 11 hits, as the Giants went on to a 5-2 victory in front of 25,615 at Great American Ballpark.

Nick Tropeano had an impressive start for the Giants today, giving up two runs while scattering seven hits across six innings of work. He walked one and struck out six to improve his record to (3-1).

After the disastrous first inning, Mahle would recover to give up five runs (four earned) on eight hits across 6 and 1/3 innings pitched. He walked one and struck out six to see his record drop to (4-2).

The Reds managed to load the bases on former Reds reliever Wandy Peralta in the 8th inning, but Peralta was able to force Kyle Farmer to hit a soft chopper back to the mound to get out of the inning. The Reds again threatened in the 9th inning after Nick Senzel and pinch hitter Mike Freeman got back-to-back singles off of Giants reliever Matt Wisler. Unfortunately, Christian Colon flew out to right, Senzel got caught leaning towards third and was picked off, and Wisler struck out Jesse Winker, who had been 3-for-3 up to that point, to end the game.

"We just couldn't get hits in key situations," said Reds manager David Bell. "We get the go-ahead run to the plate in the 8th inning and the tying run to the plate in the 9th inning and we can't even muster a single run. All you can do is shake your head and try again tomorrow."

The Reds went 2-for-13 with RISP on the night and left a total of nine men on base.

San Francisco Giants at Cincinnati Reds
May 20, 2021	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	R	H	E
San Francisco (29-15)	1	0	0	0	0	1	0	0	0	2	7	0
Cincinnati (23-20)	0	0	3	2	0	0	0	0	X	5	8	0
W: Jeff Hoffman (2-1) L: Johnny Cueto (3-1) S: Tejay Antone (1)

With a line drive that had an exit velocity of 93.1 MPH, Joey Votto hit the 300th home run of his career off of former teammate Johnny Cueto as the Reds cruised to a 5-2 victory over the San Francisco Giants to split the four-game set.

The 27,918 in attendance were all standing in unison as Votto's teammates rushed out of the dugout to greet him. The fans refused to sit down until the long-time Reds' first baseman came back out of the dugout to acknowledge their curtain call.

“There have been a lot of moments that surprised me in a great way,” Votto said. “The support they [fans] showed me was shocking. I didn’t get teary-eyed, but I was emotional and grateful."

“On the field, I was happy to get 300, but I was really just thinking of extending the lead against a very tough pitcher. That’s what we’re here for. It really made my day the way my teammates treated me. I'm extremely lucky."

The Reds had just taken a 2-1 lead following Christian Colon's two-run homer earlier in the inning. Not known for his power heading into the season; he hit 10 in Triple-A Louisville during the 2019 season; Colon has slugged four homers in 14 games since being signed and called up to Cincinnati.

It was beginning to look like another rough start for Jeff Hoffman after the Giants' first two hitters of the day nailed him for a single and a double. After giving up a sacrifice fly to Brandon Crawford though, Hoffman settled down and kept the Giants off-balance. Hoffman would give up two runs on five hits in 5 and 2/3 innings pitched while walking three and striking out six to improve his record to (2-1).

Cueto had by far his worst start of the season, giving up five runs on six hits, four of those hits finding the stands at GABP. Cueto walked one and struck out three over four innings of work to drop his record to (3-1).

Lucas Sims came into the game in the 9th inning to nail down the save but left the game after striking out Donovan Solano with elbow discomfort. Tejay Antone forced Buster Posey to ground out to nail down his first save of the season.

***

MLB Headlines

5/18 -- 36-year-old RP Brandon Dickson has signed a one-year, $3.36M contract with the New York Yankees. Dickson last pitched in the majors in 2012, making four relief appearances for the Cardinals. Dickson has pitched in Japan since compiling a record of 49-58 with a 3.32 ERA. For the last two years, Dickson has pitched exclusively out of the bullpen, earning 34 saves.

[jasontoddwhitt]

Re: Redleg Nation - A Cincinnati Reds Experience (OOTP 22)

@@@@

Pitching Matchups

5/21 -- Adrian Houser (4-1, 2.35 ERA) vs Sonny Gray (5-0, 2.38 ERA)
5/22 -- Freddy Peralta (3-2, 5.67 ERA) vs Wade Miley (5-2, 6.37 ERA)
5/23 -- Brandon Woodruff (1-2, 5.83 ERA) vs Luis Castillo (1-6, 6.06 ERA)

Series Notes

-- Reds won the season series last year against the Brewers 6-4.
-- Brewers are currently 2nd place in the NL Central with a record of 21-22, two games behind the Reds. Brewers are ranked 6th in runs scored (206) and t-10th in runs allowed (214).
-- Reds are currently 1st place in the NL Central with a record of 23-20. Reds are ranked 2nd in runs scored (243) and t-10th in runs allowed (214).
-- Closer Lucas Sims was diagnosed with a sprained elbow, but the Reds are hopeful that a few days of rest will keep Sims from hitting the IL. He is currently listed as day-to-day.

Who's Hot? Who's Not?

Milwaukee Brewers

SP Corbin Burnes -- 2 G, 0-1, 2.02 ERA, 13.1 IP, 13 K
1B Yuli Gurriel -- 5 G, 9-for-22 (.409), 5 HR 13 RBI
SP Adrian Houser -- 2 G, 1-0, 1.98 ERA, 13.2 IP, 12 K
SP Drew Rasmussen -- 2 G, 1-0, 2.02 ERA, 13.1 IP, 12 K
SS Orlando Arcia -- 12 G, 2-for-22 (.090), 0 HR, 0 RBI

Cincinnati Reds

2B Christian Colon -- 6 G, 11-for-23 (.478), 4 HR, 7 RBI
RP Ian Kennedy -- 13 G, 1 SV, 1.00 ERA, 18.0 IP, 16 K
RF Aristides Aquino -- 12 G, 5-for-29 (.172), 0 HR, 0 RBI
SP Luis Castillo -- 2 G, 0-1, 12.96 ERA, 8.1 IP, 8 K
SP Wade Miley -- 3 G, 1-2, 14.46 ERA, 9.1 IP, 6 K

Injury Report

Milwaukee Brewers

2B Mark Mathias (shoulder) -- 60-day IL
SP Brett Anderson (forearm) -- 60-day IL
RF Jackie Bradley Jr. (forearm) -- 10-day IL
CL Josh Hader (shoulder) -- 60-day IL
LF Tim Lopes (oblique) -- 10-day IL
RP Justin Topa (elbow) -- 60-day IL

Cincinnati Reds

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

[jasontoddwhitt]

Milwaukee Brewers @ Cincinnati Reds

Milwaukee Brewers at Cincinnati Reds
May 21, 2021	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	R	H	E
Milwaukee (21-23)	3	0	0	0	1	0	0	0	0	4	9	0
Cincinnati (24-20)	0	0	0	0	0	0	5	0	X	5	10	0
W: Casey Sadler (1-0) L: Adrian Hauser (4-2) S: Lucas Sims (12)

After not being at the races for most of the day, the Cincinnati Reds' offense finally mustered some hits together to push five runs across in the 7th inning while the bullpen held serve to secure a 5-4 come from behind victory over the Milwaukee Brewers.

The Brewers jumped all over Sonny Gray in the first inning, scoring three runs in the first frame off. Gray struggled with command all day and didn't really have his best stuff, but gutted through 5 and 2/3 innings of work where he gave up four runs on eight hits. He walked three and struck out six in the no-decision.

Brewers starter Adrian Houser kept the Reds off balance all game long, keeping them scoreless through six innings of work. The 7th inning would be his undoing. The Reds were able to load the bases on Houser and Jesse Winker finally got the Reds on the board with an RBI single to make it 4-1. Then Joey Votto, who looked foolish in his first two at bats with two strikeouts, cleared the bases with a line drive double to the right-center gap that tied the game 4-4. Mike Moustakas then came up and knocked Votto in to put the Reds up 5-4.

Casey Sadler and Heath Hembree did a good job getting the ball to closer Lucas Sims, only giving up one hit in two plus innings of work. Sims did walk two batters in the 9th but induced a game-ending double play to pick up his league-leading 12th save.

Milwaukee Brewers at Cincinnati Reds
May 22, 2021	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	R	H	E
Milwaukee (21-24)	0	0	0	1	0	0	1	0	1	3	10	0
Cincinnati (25-20)	0	0	0	0	0	1	0	6	X	7	8	1
W: Tejay Antone (2-4) L: Brandon Woodruff (1-3)

The Reds once again needed late magic to send the Brewers into the loss column for their fifth straight loss. The Reds used a six-run 8th inning, punctuated by Mike Freeman's solo home run and Nick Senzel's two-run blast that hooked around the foul pole to defeat the Brewers 7-3.

Reds starter Wade Miley pitched well enough today for the win but will have to settle for the no decision due to the lack of run support. Miley gave up two runs (one earned) on seven hits scattered across 7 and 1/3 innings pitched. He walked two and struck out three on 104 pitches.

Brewers starter Brandon Woodruff was pitching lights out before running into trouble in the 8th inning. Woodruff gave up four runs on five hits in 7 and 1/3 innings pitched. He walked three and struck out five on 116 pitches.

After Woodruff gave up the homers to Freeman and Senzel, Brewers reliever Miguel Sanchez came into the game and proceeded to throw napalm on all of the proceedings. Sanchez faced four hitters and failed to record a single out and allowed three runs to score.

Reds reliever Tejay Antone, who finished the 8th inning for Miley, faced two hitters and struck out one to record the fortuitous win after the Reds explosion in the bottom half of the inning.

Milwaukee Brewers at Cincinnati Reds
May 23, 2021	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	R	H	E
Milwaukee (21-25)	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	2	0
Cincinnati (26-20)	1	0	0	0	0	1	6	1	X	9	11	0
W: Luis Castillo (2-6) L: Freddy Peralta (3-3)

It was a very inauspicious beginning to Luis Castillo's start today. Castillo walked the first three hitters he faced on the day to load the bases. After pitching coach Derek Johnson came out to chat with his ace, Castillo gathered himself to get out of the inning with zero damage as he forced a pop-out and collected two strikeouts. Castillo struggled with his command all day, but the Brewers were unable to take advantage as the Reds once again blew up the Brewers' bullpen en route to a 9-0 blowout to sweep the three-game series and extend the Brewers' losing streak to six games.

Castillo struggled all game with his command, but when he could find the strike zone, the Brewers couldn't do anything with it. Castillo gave up no runs on one hit in 6 and 1/3 innings pitched while walking seven and striking out seven on 108 pitches. He twice pitched out of bases loaded jams without giving up any damage.

Brewers starter Freddy Peralta pitched well enough for the win but was saddled with the loss. Peralta gave up two runs on six hits in six innings of work. He walked two and struck out 10 on 100 pitches as he overpowered the Reds.

The Brewers' bullpen lived up to their reputation as one of the worst in the National League (4.78 ERA - ranked 12th in the NL). Brad Boxberger came into the game and failed to record a single out in the six hitters he faced, allowing three runs to score. Eric Yardley came into the game in a bases-loaded situation and allowed all three inherited runners to score in the massacre that was the 7th inning.

Jesse Winker was 2-for-4 on the day with two homers and three RBIs on the day. Eugenio Suarez was also 2-for-4 on the day with a homer and an RBI, extending his hitting streak to 11 games and on-base streak to 21 games.

***

MLB Headlines

5/22 -- Griffin Canning (2-3, 3.20) throws a one-hit shutout in the Angels' 5-0 win over the Athletics.
5/23 -- Diamondbacks trade 37-year-old CL Joakim Soria (0-2, 9 SV, 3.00) to the White Sox for 20-year-old CF Johnabiell Laureno (NR) and 20-year-old 3B Edwin Peralta (NR).
5/23 -- Pirates trade 30-year-old RP Chris Stratton (2-2, 4.32) and 21-year-old SS Ji-Hwan Bae (#110 ranked prospect, ETA 2022) to the Angels for 22-year-old 2B Jeremy Arocho (#46 Pirates org., ETA 2023), 23-year-old RF Izzy Wilson (#110 Pirates org., ETA 2022), and 19-year-old SP Anderson Vargas (#88 Pirates org., ETA 2024).

[jasontoddwhitt]

Re: Redleg Nation - A Cincinnati Reds Experience (OOTP 22)

Team News

Is Joey Votto back?

That's the question many fans are asking. After a rough by his standards 2019 season and a 2020 season that he and a lot of other baseball players would like to forget, Votto was at a bit of a career crossroads. Votto turns 38 in September this year, and if there is one person that is undefeated in all of professional sports, it is Father Time.

The month of April would see Votto put up very pedestrian numbers, slashing .242/.324/.384 while only hitting two home runs and knocking in seven runs. Votto looked uncomfortable at the plate, constantly tinkering with his stance and swing as he was looking for anything that would help him regain his swing. On April 28th against the Dodgers, Votto went 0-for-5 with four strikeouts.

Just how rare is it for Votto to get the golden sombrero? It marked just the sixth time in his 15-year career (twice in 2008 and then once in 2009, 2019, and 2020) that he struck out four times in a game. A visibly frustrated Votto, screaming words that would make a sailor blush in shame, shattered his bat across his thigh as he marched back to the dugout.

The Reds had an off day the next day after traveling back to Cincinnati from LA, and as expected on that off day, Votto was found in the cages at Great American Ballpark tinkering with that swing; trying to work out what has gone wrong.

The next night, Votto went 2-for-4 with a run scored against the Cubs. Nothing earth-shattering, but it was what he needed to get him going. This was game one of an eight-game hitting streak that raised Votto's batting average from .232 to .268. After going hitless against the Pirates, Votto reeled off a six-game hitting streak that raised his batting average from .260 to .284.

The month of May has seen Votto get back on track (as well as hitting his 300th career homer). He's slashing .354/.448/.608 for the month. He has four homers and has knocked in 16 runs. That's the Votto we all know and love. Is it the start of sustained success for Votto's 2021 season? Or is it just a flash in the pan in the twilight of his Hall of Fame career?

Only the future knows.

***

The first All-Star vote tallies have been released by the league office, and surprisingly, only one Reds player was listed on the press release. LF Jesse Winker currently ranks third in voting amongst NL left fielders with 27,281 votes. He trails Arizona's Ketel Marte (30,064 votes) and LA's Max Muncy (28,984 votes).

Winker is currently slashing .309/.407/.511 with eight homers and 29 RBIs on the season.

Team Batting Stats



Team Pitching Stats



***

American League Standings



National League Standings



MLB Power Rankings



Players of the Week

RF Franmil Reyes (Indians) -- 8-for-21 (.381), 1 2B, 4 HR, 8 RBI, 7 R
CF Steven Duggar (Giants) -- 12-for-25 (.480), 5 2B, 2 HR, 6 RBI, 8 R

Did You Know?

Which active pitchers have the most career shutouts?

1. Clayton Kershaw (Dodgers) -- 15
2. Felix Hernandez (Free Agent) -- 11
2. Ervin Santana (Royals) -- 11
4. Adam Wainwright (Cardinals) -- 10
5. Justin Verlander (Astros) -- 9

[jasontoddwhitt]

Re: Redleg Nation - A Cincinnati Reds Experience (OOTP 22)

@@@@

Pitching Matchups

5/25 -- Tyler Mahle (4-2, 2.84) vs Erick Fedde (1-5, 9.92)
5/26 -- Jeff Hoffman (2-1, 6.75) vs Patrick Corbin (3-4, 5.15)
5/27 -- Sonny Gray (5-0, 2.85) vs Joe Ross (3-4, 10.12)

Series Notes

-- Reds are currently leading the NL Central with a record of 26-20, 3.5 games up on the Cardinals. The Reds rank second in the NL in runs scored (264) and 10th in the NL in runs against (221).
-- Nationals are currently in fifth place in the NL East with a record of 17-29, 10.5 games behind the division-leading Braves. The Nationals are nine games behind the Mets for the second wildcard spot. The Nationals rank eighth in the NL in runs scored (211) and 13th in the NL in runs against (271).

Who's Hot? Who's Not?

Cincinnati Reds

2B Christian Colon -- 8 G, 13-for-31 (.419), 4 HR, 8 RBI
RP Ian Kennedy -- 13 G, 1 SV, 1.00 ERA, 18 IP, 16 K
1B Joey Votto -- 6 G, 8-for-22 (.364), 2 HR, 5 RBI
LF Jesse Winker -- 8 G, 8-for-23 (.348), 3 HR, 6 RBI
RF Aristides Aquino -- 12 G, 2-for-21 (.095), 0 HR, 2 RBI

Washington Nationals

3B Carter Kieboom -- 6 G, 11-for-21 (.524), 2 HR, 5 RBI
RP Luis Avilan -- 13 G, 1 SV, 9.00 ERA, 15 IP, 15 K
SP Erick Fedde -- 4 G, 0-3, 12.64 ERA, 15.2 IP, 11 K
CF Victor Robles -- 6 G, 1-for-20 (.050), 0 HR, 0 RBI
SP Joe Ross -- 6 G, 2-4, 10.97 ERA, 21.1 IP, 17 K
SS Trea Turner -- 7 G, 3-for-26 (.115), 0 HR, 0 RBI

Injury Report

Cincinnati Reds

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

Washington Nationals

SP Jon Lester (hamstring) -- 15-day IL
2B Austin Slater (ankle) -- 10-day IL
SP Paolo Espino (back) -- 15-day IL

[jasontoddwhitt]

Re: Redleg Nation - A Cincinnati Reds Experience (OOTP 22)

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]

Re: Redleg Nation - A Cincinnati Reds Experience (OOTP 22)

@@@@

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]

Re: Redleg Nation - A Cincinnati Reds Experience (OOTP 22)

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]

Re: Redleg Nation - A Cincinnati Reds Experience (OOTP 22)

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]

Re: Redleg Nation - A Cincinnati Reds Experience (OOTP 22)

@@@@

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