The first west coast road trip of the year has arrived. Are you excited? Probably not, the Cincinnati Reds have lost 8 games in a row, for fuck sake. Join us with ice cold millers tonight at 10:10 pm EST where the Cincinnati Reds face the San Francisco Giants.
Andrew Abbott LHP
cincinnati reds vs san francisco giants
Andrew Abbott has been the perfect example of why Pitcher’s wins & losses DO NOT MATTER. He’s 1-4 with a 3.32 ERA in 7 starts. His latest outing he got bit by the homer, giving up two solo homers in the Cincinnati Reds’ 2-1 loss to the Baltimore Orioles, but he struckout 8 and otherwise looked like the Abbott we love and know. San Francisco is a HUGE ballpark – he should fare well tonight against their lineup, however, they do hit a little better against LHPs average wise, and are middle of the pack offensively with a .670 team OPS.
Reds Lineup 5/10/24
Batters
Average
1
TJ Friedl
.231
2
Elly de La Cruz
.264
3
Mike Ford
.200
4
Spencer Steer
.237
5
Jake Fraley
.292
6
Tyler Stephenson
.222
7
Jeimer Candelario
.216
8
Will Benson
.193
9
Jonathan India
.214
cincinnati reds lineup 5/10/24
Logan Webb RHP
There may not be one as consistent as Logan Webb – talking about a guy that knows his role & excels in it. He, once again, is pitching great, and naturally primarily at home, where the Reds are visiting today. His home/away splits are dramatic. 0.82 ERA at home, 5.92 ERA away. The Reds, who are already struggling offensively, will likely struggle even more. He’s not striking as many guys out this year as years prior, but still, at home, he’s holding opponents to .225/.244/.264/.506 – he’s yet to give up a HR at home. The Reds have a tough task ahead of em tonight.
San Francisco Lineup
Batters
Average
1
TBD
.204
2
TBD
.301
3
TBD
.284
4
TBD
.273
5
TBD
.234
6
TBD
.226
7
TBD
.307
8
TBD
.229
9
TBD
.286
The Giants have yet to post their lineup. It’s 6pm est. TBD.
It’s win day… right? There will be jubilee on that plane ride after the game. Hunter will dominate. Elly will launch one. Or am I still living the life of a Reds fan a month ago? This skid needs to end in a bad way. This roster is more talented than this. May 9th will forever be “Get Back Right Day.”
Hunter Greene
Cincinnati Reds Starting Pitcher Hunter Greene.
Greene is quietly having a great year. Yes, he got whomped against the Brewers, but all of the advanced statistics are trending up. Greene is well above average in everything except walks and ground balls. He’s 83rd percentile in Pitching Run Value and 98th in Fastball Run Value. Hes 90th or better in Expected ERA, Expected Batting Average Against, and Fastball Velo of course. Greene isn’t getting barreled, his fastball is generating tons of whiffs, and he’s getting a lot of weak contact. Yet, the run support hasn’t been there. And he’s had a nasty tendency to be frustratingly inefficient. Greene is consistently around 70-80 pitches by the end of the 4th inning and that is what’s killing him. Greene needs to hone in his Slider – it’s basically all he throws outside of his phenomenal fastball.
Reds Lineup Card
Batters
Average
1
CF TJ Friedl
.250
2
SS Elly De La Cruz
.254
3
1B Spencer Steer
.234
4
RF Jake Fraley
.294
5
2B Jonathan India
.221
6
DH Mike Ford
.000
7
3B Jeimer Candelario
.206
8
LF Will Benson
.190
9
C Luke Maile
.140
Steer at 1B! Ball knowers rejoice! Against RHP this is the best lineup the Reds could field except Catcher but Greene likes Maile. Kudos to Bell for figuring it out.
Slade Cecconi
Arizona Diamondbacks SP Slade Cecconi.
Cecconi was rocked by the Padres last time out for 6 ERs. The Reds faced Cecconi last year in his 5th career appearance and were held to just one run. Cecconi has only one start on his young career without an ER. He’s got a Fastball-Slider-Changeup mix and he’ll come right at Cincinnati’s lineup. He doesn’t get chases outside the zone and he doesn’t have a ton of movement on his slider. Cecconi is a straight up fly ball pitcher. He excels at weak contact in the air and the occasion ground ball out with his slider that he loves to throw low and glove side. There’s not a ton of data on this guy, but expect the Reds to put the ball in play quite a bit.
Diamondbacks Lineup Card
Batters
Average
1
CF Corbin Carroll
.204
2
2B Ketel Marte
.301
3
DH Joc Pederson
.284
4
1B Caleb Walker
.273
5
LF Lourdes Gurriel Jr.
.234
6
3B Eugenio Suarez
.226
7
RF Jake McCarthy
.307
8
C Tucker Barnhart
.229
9
SS Blaze Alexander
.286
Newman gets a day off in favor of rookie SS Blaze Alexander. From a baseball perspective, will be fun to watch a rookie on a roll (hopefully getting K’d by Greene). The D-Backs go back to Barnhart behind the plate after a good showing by Moreno last night.
One following the other, if the Reds were already open to a trade and then discovered CES had an injury, they must be open to improving the current roster. The most telling thing is that Mike Ford wasn’t good enough for this roster on Monday, but he is on Wednesday. The Reds were blindsided.
Trade Rumors:Potential Targets
Jazz Chisholm Jr. – OF Miami Marlins
Miami Marlins OF Jazz Chisholm Jr.
I know, I know – unlikely. Or is it? He’s been labelled available (?), per Andy Slater.
Peter Bendix says he doesn't know what to expect when I asked if Jazz Chisholm Jr. would be on the Marlins roster at the end of the season.
Not much analysis to give here. If a top talent like Chisholm Jr is available, why not shoot for it? The Reds need something to get it going. On their current skid, its still not over and an acquisition like this could be a spark. Chisholm Jr is primarily a CF, but he has over 100 games at 2B and SS. Jazz and Elly on the same team? Yes please. And honestly, the Reds may not be able to give up enough here.
What The Marlins Get
INF Sal Stewart
RHP Cole Schoenwetter
OF Jacob Hurtubise
What The Reds Get
OF/IF Jazz Chisholm Jr
Jo Adell – OF Los Angeles Angels
Los Angeles Angels OF Joe Adell.
A bit more realistic. Folks in Angels media genuinely saw 2024 as his last chance, and many believed he wouldn’t be on the opening day roster. Add in that Ron Washington has been critical of Adell, and you have to believe the Angels listen to an offer.
On the Reds side, without CES, today had Candelario playing first base which moves Espinal into third base and in the lineup. Ideally, I’d like to see Steer at first, Candelario at third, and Espinal nowhere near the lineup. If Candelario can stay as hot as he was tonight, finding a right-handed OF to allow Steer to move into the infield is a priority. If he can’t, Steer at third and Ford at first is another option.
By adding Adell, the Reds give themselves another option in the OF when Steer is shifted to first. An option with quite a lot of potential and who may benefit from transferring to hitter friendly park. Adell has 7 more expected HRs in GABP than his career mark. He’s also well above average (in the 90th+ percentile) in Barrel %, Hard Hit %, Expected Batting Average, and Expected Slugging. “Why would the Angels let him go then?” you might ask. Well, they’re sellers this year. With Trout out, and where their record sits, they’ll be open to letting some fringe hitters go. Los Angeles has three other outfielders currently available with better career numbers.
The Texas Rangers acquired OF Robbie Grossman from the Chicago White Sox today for RHP Anthony Hoopii-Tuionetoa. Adell has quite a bit more value on the market than Grossman given Robbie’s age, but their stats are very similar and Grossman is much better on his career. The Reds will have to give up a higher rated prospect due to Adell’s age and potential. The Angels need a higher end RHP prospect in their organization. They are set at OF and have a few IF that they are very high on.
What The Angels Get
RHP Cole Shoenwetter
INF Carlos Jorge
What The Reds Get
OF Jo Adell
Eloy Jiménez – OF Chicago White Sox
Chicago White Sox OF Eloy Jiménez.
Another player that could benefit from a change of scenery, Jiménez is underperforming compared to his career numbers. Evidently, the White Sox have made him available along with half of their starters and some other position players, per Bob Nightengale.
The #WhiteSox are “expected to trade” RHP Erick Fedde, RHP Chris Flexen, RHP Mike Clevinger, RHP Michael Kopech, DH Eloy Jimenez, and OF Tommy Pham this summer, per @BNightengalepic.twitter.com/IPw3mtT720
— MLB Deadline News (@MLBDeadlineNews) May 6, 2024
A career .271 hitter, Jiménez is hitting the ball hard to the wrong places this season. Seems like that tends to happen the worse your team is, and even coming from the Reds perspective in a down period, the White Sox lineup is putrid. Jiménez is ranking near the top of the league in Hard Hit % and Average Exit Velocity. He’d also have 107 HR in GABP vs his career 90. The prospect of getting that power in a Reds uniform is exciting, and he’s available. Again, this would be a move along the lines of moving Steer into first base which I think is the Reds best option.
The White Sox situation is unique. Jiménez is a better player than Jo Adell, but the Reds might be able to get him for less. We call that value. With seemingly half the roster available, the White Sox will be looking for young talent that can play soon. They are stacked with soon to be MLB-ready IFs and have a few options at pitcher. They need an OF or two and the Reds have just that. It might take a fan-favorite here to get some MLB talent – and multiple players. We have to be realistic here – no fooling ourselves that we can get Jiménez on the cheap. Yes, we know Eloy hasn’t been able to stay healthy. It’s part of the reason we went with a “lesser” package, although the Reds will still be giving up a top 100 prospect.
What The White Sox Get
OF Rece Hinds
EDITED 6/11, player is injured
What The Reds Get
OF Eloy Jiménez
Brent Rooker – OF Oakland Athletics
Oakland Athletics OF Brent Rooker celebrates a walkoff HR on May 13th, 2023.
The A’s might be looking to sell high here. Rooker is on a tear in 2024 to the tune of a .277/.370/.628 slash line. He’s good for 2.0 WAR on his career and he provides some pop – 30 HRs last season and 9 so far this year. Rooker would shore up the Reds right-handed batting options and again allow flexibility for Spencer Steer to move into the infield.
With his current performance and his projection at GABP – roughly 40 HRs – the Reds will have to get creative here.
On 5/8/24, the Cincinnati Reds resigned Mike Ford to a major league deal, araising several questions around Reds fandom on X/Twitter. Today…we finally know why. CES is headed to the injured list, as reported by the team.
CINCINNATI, OHIO – JULY 17: Christian Encarnacion-Strand #33 of the Cincinnati Reds bats in the second inning against the San Francisco Giants at Great American Ball Park on July 17, 2023 in Cincinnati, Ohio. The game was Encarnacion-Strand’s MLB debut. (Photo by Dylan Buell/Getty Images)
What type of injury is this?
Several weeks ago, Christian Encarnacion-Strand was hit on the hand by former Cincinnati Reds pitcher Michael Lorenzen in the series against the Texas Rangers – he received x-rays, which were found to be negative, but in those x-rays, it was revealed that he had a wrist contusion, likely from a HBP that occurred well early on in Spring Training. CES didn’t even know when or how it happened. When that type of detail comes out, it’s always usually worse than anticipated. Well, today, we finally know the extent of it. And it makes sense…cause CES hasn’t quite been the CES we know.
Christian Encarnacion-Strand has a Fractured right Ulnar Styloid. You’re probably like, what in the f is that? So let me show you below.
This injury likely has been lingering – according to Healthline, this type of injury primarily is result of consistent use of catching a ball, or hard falls. We know CES injured himself on a hit by pitch. Heathline suggests that surgery is typically not necessary. Considering CES got X-rays and they were “negative” this is likely a hairline fracture, which will require nothing more than your basic wrist-cast. That tells me CES won’t be on the Injured List very long at all. Some time off may help him, after all. If anyone knows CES, you know he’ll be doing plenty of fishing. Get better soon, CES. We’ll need ya down the stretch.
UPDATE: Per David Bell, CES is expected to miss 4-6 weeks. Brutal.
Friends, it’s dire. We’ve reached that point that the season could begin to slip away if the bats can’t get going. Somebody in this lineup has to step up and start a rally. Hopefully, and I’m not usually a silver lining guy, that started with the two solo shots last night from India and Stephenson. Several Reds in the lineup today are better career hitters against Montgomery than their numbers on the season so far.
Graham Ashcraft
Cincinnati Reds Starting Pitcher Graham Ashcraft.
What better day to pull it together than Doug Day? The Reds have provided Ashcraft with plenty of run support – 34 runs in games he’s started. That’s top for Reds starters this year. Ashcraft has been the beneficiary of a ton of ground ball outs this season. He ranks in the 86th percentile for GB %, the 76th percentile in BB %, and the 83rd percentile for Breaking Run Value. Basically, his fastball is getting barreled, but his breaking and off-speed stuff is generating whiffs and ground balls galore. Doug needs to hit his locations on his fastballs because his spin and movement is confusing hitters. In small sample sizes, the Diamondbacks that have faced Ashcraft have raked, and their lineup in general seems to have an advantage. However, Ashcraft has only allowed one Earned Run in his last 12 1/3 inning – he’s on his best stuff right now.
Reds Lineup Card
Batters
Average
1
2B Jonathan India
.222
2
SS Elly De La Cruz
.262
3
LF Spencer Steer
.240
4
C Tyler Stephenson
.213
5
3B Santiago Espinal
.169
6
RF Stuart Fairchild
.179
7
1B Jeimer Candelario
.184
8
CF TJ Friedl
.000
9
DH Luke Maile
.146
Jordan Montgomery
Arizona Diamondbacks Starting Pitcher Jordan Montgomery.
Montgomery’s advanced statistics are a mess. He doesn’t get strikeouts, but he also doesn’t issue walks. An abysmal 3rd percentile in strikeouts and 4th percentile in Whiff % – hitters are seeing his stuff. His only pitch with positive run value is his curveball, which he’s throwing about 30% of the time. He was also rocked for 6 Earned Runs last time out. If ever there was a day to get the bats going, it’s today.
Diamondbacks Lineup Card
Batters
Average
1
CF Corbin Carroll
.211
2
2B Ketel Marte
.303
3
DH Joc Pederson
.295
4
1B Caleb Walker
.271
5
LF Lourdes Gurriel Jr.
.234
6
3B Eugenio Suárez
.215
7
C Gabriel Moreno
.241
8
RF Pavin Smith
.200
9
SS Kevin Newman
.200
Notebook
Mike Ford returns to the Reds. The Reds placed Christian Encarnacion-Strand on the 10-Day IL with a Right Ulnar Styloid Fracture as a corresponding move. The Reds made a move for Ford because of CES’ injury and wanted to go with a hot bat.
The Reds have Cruz, Martinez, Sims, and Diaz available out of the bullpen. The Diamondbacks only have Matt Bowman on full rest, but should also have Ginkel and Thompson available. TJ came back yesterday going 0-4 with a strikeout, but don’t be discouraged – it’s just his first game back from a wrist fracture less than two months ago. TJ also has reverse splits, hitting lefties better than righties – go ahead and book a knock. Lastly, the loss last night went on Montas, but don’t blame him. His outing was stellar – bringing up the average velo on all of his pitches by about 3 MPH. Frankie struck out seven and allowed one Earned Run on six innings pitched. Encouraging stuff from Montas – excited to see him for his next outing.
According to Jon Heyman, the Cincinnati Reds are bringing back Mike Ford on a Major League deal this go around – NOT an MiLB deal. Mike Ford had been the source of drama on Reds Twitter before the team ultimately ended up on a 6 game slide, losing 9 of 11 games, and on one of the worst stretches offensively in team history. Now…he’s back. Was he the x factor? The juice? The strawberry to the jam?
Mike Ford goes back to the Reds, this time on MLB deal. Reports today.
Mike Ford had his best season as a big leaguer last year as a Seattle Mariners player, in which he slashed .228/.323/.475/.798 with 16 homers and 34 RBI. Ironically, he’s better against LHP in the minimum ABs he had against them in 2023, but the Reds will primarily use him everywhere.
With AAA Louisville, before he opted out of his contract, as he should’ve, Mike Ford was slashing .297/.381/.539/.920 with 6 HRs & 4 doubles. He also walked 12 times and struckout 20 times. He was playing well.
What does this mean for the MLB team?
With Mike Ford resigning with the Reds on an MLB deal, this likely means that either Christian Encarnacion-Strand will be demoted or put on the Injured List or Jeimer Candelario will go on the Injured List. As I posted last night, CES has REALLY been struggling, not quite as bad as Jeimer, but definitely struggling real bad. Wouldn’t shock me to see them go that route, using the 2nd year player’s options. If it’s CES that is being demoted to get Mike Ford a roster spot, it won’t be a long stint. It’ll strictly be to get him his feet again. His BB% is under 3, and K is above 28%…that is not sustainable in the big leagues.
In September, after blowing the postseason chances against the Pirates, I said they'd lose 85 games this year.
That was if they relied on the same team in 2024. They didn't. They went and got Candelario, an established vet, to try to bridge the gap & make the sophomore slumps…
When the Cincinnati Reds selected RHP Rhett Lowder with their 7th overall pick in the 2023 MLB Draft, the plan was always to have him move quickly. He was awarded a 2024 invite to big league spring training, where he pitched in 3 games, and then we were a little bamboozled to find out he’d start in A+ Dayton, just to find out that he’d only make 5 starts there to get his feet wet in professional ball. After all, he didn’t throw a single inning after being drafted last year, so an aggressive start wasn’t necessary. We all knew he was better than A+, we’re talking about the games 30th best overall prospect according to MLB Pipeline, and by far the Cincinnati Reds best pitching prospect. Dayton wouldn’t be long, however…
Fast forward to today…It’s now said that RHP Rhett Lowder will be promoted from the Dayton Dragons (A+) to the Chattanooga Lookouts (AA) – several folks with boots on the ground noticed Rhett Lowder was with the Lookouts tonight in the dugout, suggesting that he will indeed be announced and promoted to AA, and the timeline adds up, too. The announcement is not yet official, but you can go ahead and book it…
The Reds Farm Director said there’s no specific timeline on when we can expect to see Rhett Lowder pitching in Cincinnati just yet, but he did mention that he just wants to see Rhett go out and pitch no matter what level he’s at, and that’s exactly what he’s done. In 5 games started in Dayton, Rhett has thrown 25.1 innings, given up 7 earned runs on 18 hits on 2 homeruns, and is sporting a 2.49 ERA paired with a 6:29 BB:K. He is rocking a 0.95 WHIP. In other words, he has been the Rhett Lowder the Reds drafted in his first 5 starts in pro ball. There’s nothing suggesting he couldn’t make his MLB debut in 2024, though very unlikely, considering the Reds starting staff has been stellar.
What to expect from Rhett Lowder in AA Chattanooga
Rhett Lowder is going to be challenged the most in Chattanooga. I expect him to continue throwing his fastball, but I’d be shocked if the Reds didn’t have him throwing his secondaries in Chattanooga way more than he did in Dayton. His changeup is still his best pitch, and his slider could use some more polish, which is where I think he’ll be focusing a lot of his development at this level on. I would imagine him making 10 starts in AA, and if all goes well, getting promoted to AAA, where, as long as there’s no significant injuries to the Major League rotation, he likely finishes his 2024 season, barring a late 40 man roster addition & September call up.
If you’re a Reds fan, you should be thrilled for the potential of adding Lowder to the mix. With Nick Lodolo and Hunter Greene both shining early, adding Rhett Lowder to the bunch packs a really fun 1-2-3. That’s before we even mention Graham Ashcraft, who has pitched well in his own right, and Andrew Abbott who is right there with them. Starting pitching is no longer an issue for this club.
Today the Cincinnati Reds made several moves to bolster their offense in what has been a dreadful start to the 2024 season. As of May 7th, as this article is published, the Reds currently have the WORST team average in Major League Baseball at .209. Today, they made moves to change that.
TJ Friedl is BACK!
First, among the most fun move…the Reds 2023 MVP Terry Lee Friedl is back. Yes, the guy that posted 3.8 Wins Above Replacement – he’s finally back in the lineup and with the Major League Baseball team Cincinnati Reds. Rejoice. TJ’s rehab stint was cut short due to the Reds genuine sense of urgency and dire need for some offensive help. This shouldn’t come as a surprise, TJ is notorious for rehabbing quick and getting back to the team.
In 4 quick games with AAA Louisville Bats, TJ Friedl logged 16 At Bats and had 4 hits. 3 of those went for extra bases, 3 doubles. He also walked twice, and struckout 3 times, but saw a plethora of pitches. By all counts, this is an aggressive call up, but a necessary one. The Cincinnati Reds offense has entirely flatlined, looks lifeless, and really needs one of its leaders back. I won’t be shocked to see a slower start for TJ, although May is typically his month of chaos. Let’s give him some breathing room here, folks. He is back QUICK.
More roster moves made…
In whole, Cincinnati Reds GM Nick Krall made several moves today to improve the team. Some, like me, could criticize they’re coming a bit late. FINALLY, after a dreadful, and I mean dreadful start, Nick Martini was optioned to AAA. Bubba Thompson was, too.
Conner Capel, number 74, highfiving Tyler Callihan in Spring Training 2024 in Goodyear, AZ after a HR.
The Cincinnati Reds selected the contract of Conner Capel, whom was ripping up AAA pitching in the 30-so games he was down on the farm. Capel signed an MiLB contract with the Reds late in spring training and decided to stick it out with the organization, and now, he’ll be rewarded for it. Conner plays RF primarily, but will likely DH some as a Red. He slashed .268/.397/.567 with a 146 wRC+ and had 7 homeruns, 6 stolen bases. Conner is only 26 years old, and adds to the youth of our Cincinnati Reds, though he does have MLB experience, having played for the St. Louis Cardinals & Oakland Athletics in ’22 & ’23.
Full list of moves today from Reds GM Nick Krall:
OF TJ Friedl instated from the 10 day Injured List
A space opened up for Acosta in the first minute after Kubo made a run into the box. Right back DeAndre Yedlin lofted a nice through ball to play Acosta into the right side of the box. From there, it was all Lucho. Acosta cut back inside very reminiscent of Mohammad Salah’s style and deftly slotted the ball past GK Gallese at the post.
The goal was Acosta’s fifth of 2024 and put the reigning Major League Soccer MVP on yet another historic pedestal for FC Cincinnati as the club’s all-time top goal scorer (41 goals). Transferring from Liga MX club FC Atlas in 2021 for a reported fee of only $2.47m, Acosta has staked his claim as the all-time best player for FCC, and he is unlikely to be surpassed anytime soon. What is almost as impressive as his 41 goals are his 45 assists in that time, amassing 86 goal involvements. The best part is, Lucho is nowhere near done. At 29, he seems to be hitting his prime and playing a very aggressive brand of soccer.
FC Cincinnati Notebook
Having won 21 points from 11 matches played, FCC sits second in the Eastern Conference with a game in hand against conference leaders Inter Miami. Cincinnati has conceded the least goals in the MLS to this point (only 9), so snapping their cold streak with Lucho’s historic goal puts them back on track to continue dominating. Roman Celentano is shining, leading the MLS in Save % stopping 95.8% of shots on goal.
FC Cincinnati goalkeeper Roman Celentano yells as he signals to teammates.
Cincinnati takes on Columbus Crew this Saturday who comes into the matchup having drawn their last 5 straight matches. Columbus has not won a match since March 16th, but also has a stingy defense – tied with FCC for the least goals conceded. Look for Lucho to have a goal involvement and Celentano to be busy – Columbus may not have a ton of goals, but they take a lot of shots.
Both sides come into this matchup in dire straits – underperforming their potential, especially in the last 10 games. The Diamondbacks are 3-7 in their last ten, but the Reds are worse at 2-8. Arizona has only won series matchups against Colorado and Saint Louis this year… yikes. The Reds will face Arizona’s ace Zac Gallen on Tuesday, journeyman Jordan Montgomery on Wednesday, and recent AAA Reno Ace Slade Cecconi Thursday. Cincinnati will send out Frankie Montas followed by Graham Ashcraft and then Hunter Greene.
Reds Notes
Cincinnati Reds Opening Day Starter Frankie Montas.
Cincinnati faces what feels like a must win series. As has been well noted all over Twitter (X?), May is a tough month on the schedule. The Reds have two series against the Diamondbacks and a series against the struggling Giants as well. They need to capitalize on these opportunities to keep up in a tight NL Central and NL Wild Card battle.
Opening Day starter Frankie Montas returns from the IL after suffering a forearm contusion. All indications are that his spell on the IL was probably a bit longer than necessary and he is good to go. In a corresponding move, the Reds have optioned reliever Sam Moll to AAA. Somewhat unpopular with fans, this move comes as Moll is the only reliever not named Fernando Cruz or Alexis Diaz that has options left. He also just pitched which may factor in – it’s likely we see him back with the big league club very soon.
It has yet to be announced, but OF TJ Friedl should return to the club and retake his rightful place in CF and perhaps the top of the lineup. Cincinnati needs an infusion of fresh lumber, so let’s hope TJ can give Elly De La Cruz something to work with on this offense. SP Brandon Williamson begins his rehab assignment on May 9th as well.
Reds Highlighted Hitter
Cincinnati Reds OF Spencer Steer poses after hitting a HR.
OF Spencer Steer is my guy to watch this series. With hits in 7 of the last 9 games (after a 5 game hitless streak), he seems to be finding his bat again after a blazing hot start to 2024. Steer is still top 20 in RBIs and above average in every hitting statistic despite his cold spell. He also seems to be hitting RHP really well this season. Look for him to heat up this week with multiple XBHs.
Honorable Mention: OF Jake Fraley. Owning a .297 batting average with most other indicators trending down, Jake should rake facing 2 RHPs.
Diamondbacks Notes
Arizona Diamondbacks Ace Zac Gallen.
Arizona’s starting rotation has shuffled quite a bit this year. Their #2 guy Merrill Kelly is on the 60 Day IL with a shoulder strain. Slade Cecconi was moved up from AAA to fill the gap left by Kelly. Montgomery was only just promoted from AAA where he started 2024 on April 19th. Gallen is on extra rest after suffering an hamstring issue in his last start. Arizona also added former Reds reliever Matt Bowman over the weekend.
Arizona is just absolutely depleted by the injury bug in 2024. They lost starter Eduardo Rodriguez and closer Paul Sewald before the season got underway. Then they lost Kelly a few weeks back and also lost starting SS Geraldo Perdomo and OF Alek Thomas (who may come back this week against the Reds). Unfortunately for the Reds though, it seems the D-Backs just now found their bats at the end of tough stretch with a 11-4 win to avoid a sweep against San Diego.
Diamondbacks Highlighted Hitter
Arizona Diamondbacks 2B Ketel Marte.
Switch hitting 2B Ketel Marte is the guy to watch out for. Traditionally better against LHP, Marte is mashing everything this season. He has 6 HR, owns a .307 average, and has a .887 OPS. He comes in on a 7 game hit streak with a HR last night against San Diego. If he played every game in GABP, he’d have 8 HRs this season. Currently, he ranks above average in every batting percentile except Chase %, most notably with an average exit velocity of 93 mph (good for the 93rd percentile) and a Hard Hit % of 50% (good for the 87th percentile).
Honorable Mention: OF Jake McCarthy. Dude is playing the best baseball of his life, except the fact he has yet to hit a HR. Hope that doesn’t change, but GABP is a great place to do it.
