Cincinnati Reds at Los Angeles Dodgers – May 16, 2024 – Doom and gloom in Reds Country. It’s getting harder and harder to write these without being pessimistic. Just when the Reds need a turnaround, they face a four-game set against perhaps the best team in baseball. Let’s break down the opener against Los Angeles.
Cincinnati Reds LHP Brent Suter
The Cincinnati Reds will trot out reliever Brent Suter in an “opener” role in the first matchup of the series. Not really a true starter, Suter will hope to give the Reds a level playing field early. Then, we should expect Nick Martinez to come out of the bullpen and eat up as many innings as he can. Suter is a low velocity, weak contact pitcher. He ranks in the 88th percentile with an Average Exit Velocity of 86.1 MPH, the 89th percentile with a Hard-Hit % of 30.3, and the 74th percentile with a BB % of 6.5. Suter hits the strike zone and pitches for contact. Cool for the hometown guy to get a start even though the circumstances are grim.
Cincinnati Reds Lineup Card
| Batters | Average | |
| 1 | CF Will Benson | .194 |
| 2 | SS Elly De La Cruz | .258 |
| 3 | DH Mike Ford | .179 |
| 4 | 1B Spencer Steer | .242 |
| 5 | C Tyler Stephenson | .245 |
| 6 | RF Jake Fraley | .300 |
| 7 | 3B Jeimer Candelario | .230 |
| 8 | 2B Santiago Espinal | .200 |
| 9 | LF Conner Capel | .167 |
An off day for Jonathan India if you want to call it that. I would rather see him in the lineup than Espinal, but Espinal did homer last night. Elly De La Cruz is back after a one game hiatus from the starting lineup. I even read a whole article on MLB.com about how the Reds hope it will energize him for the rest of the season. We’ll see.
Los Angeles Dodgers RHP Tyler Glasnow
The Dodgers acquired Glasnow via trade in December of last year. It’s sure looking like they won that one. Glasnow owns a 6-1 record with a 2.53 ERA on the season in 9 starts. Lefties are only hitting .160 against him in that time. Look at his statcast advanced metrics and you’ll probably not want to watch this game. 99th percentile in Pitching Run Value and Fastball Run value. 85th percentile or better in Breaking Run Value, xBA, Fastball Velo, and K %(33.6%!). Glasnow dominates. He was hit around only once so far against the Nationals a month ago giving up 6 earned runs over 5 IP. Last time out, he gave up one run on a HR in 7 IP against the Padres.
Los Angeles Dodgers Lineup Card
| Batters | Average | |
| 1 | SS Mookie Betts | .348 |
| 2 | DH Shohei Ohtani | .364 |
| 3 | 1B Freddie Freeman | .297 |
| 4 | RF Teoscar Hernandez | .243 |
| 5 | 3B Enrique Hernandez | .220 |
| 6 | 2B Gavin Lux | .194 |
| 7 | LF Chris Taylor | .071 |
| 8 | CF James Outman | .151 |
| 9 | C Austin Barnes | .219 |
The Dodgers sure set the lineup like they expect an easy win. Lots of rotation. Max Muncy, Andy Pages, and Will Smith all get the day off. Very top heavy. Betts, Ohtani, and Freeman can do as much damage as most lineups put together. All I can say is – just sit back and enjoy some stellar baseball from these guys.
