First off, it’s DOLO DAY. The Reds lost a heartbreaker last night. To have the bases loaded, down one with only one out against a guy who has already blown a save this year and go down quiet sure hurts. However, the Reds have series coming up against Arizona (3-7 in their last 10) and San Francisco (4-6 in their last 10). A win to end the Baltimore series could be what they need to get back right.
Nick Lodolo
What else needs to be said besides: Nick Lodolo has dominated this year. 6 Orioles have faced Lodolo in their career – 2 have hits (Mountcastle and Santander). Owning a 1.88 ERA and 0.88 WHIP through 4 starts, Lodolo is in the 93rd percentile or better in Whiff%, Chase%, and K%. In fact, he’s well above average in everything except Hard Hit% and Barrel%, but it’s a small sample size – he’s given up 5 barrels. Lodolo looks to continue his dominance, coming off of a 1 hit, six inning start against the CWS.
Dean Kremer
Kremer comes off a no decision against the Royals last week in which he gave up 3 runs including 2 HRs. Statistically, there’s nothing special about Kremer. In fact, he’s below average in literally everything except BB% which he is in the 63rd percentile for. Kremer does have a solid Cutter that he employs almost as much as his 4-Seam Fastball, but his best pitch is his Split Finger – opponents hit only .056 and whiff 35.1% against it. Regardless, he tends to rely on his 94 MPH Fastball late in counts. Of note, he did get rocked against Milwaukee a couple of weeks ago for 10 hits and 8 runs (6 earned).
How the Reds Win
The Reds get a RHP right when they really need to get back right. Cincinnati needs to hit Kremer’s fastball and be disciplined against his off-speed stuff. His pitch chart doesn’t look great for most of his pitches, so as long as they don’t chase, the Reds should get some fastballs to hit (maybe barrel?). The Lineup isn’t out yet but expect Martini to be in it (eyes roll into the back of my head). The Reds need their lefties to get going, and Elly to keep doing what he’s doing – besides watching strike three down the middle for some reason.
