But can they hit? So far, not very much.
After 16 games, the Reds stand 29th of the 30 MLB teams offensively with a slash line of .200/.278/.325. Only the Pittsburgh Pirates are worse at .190/.287/.297.
And the Pirates are there to cure what ails you. When last weekend began, the Reds were 5-8, tied with the Pirates for last place in the National League Central.
With a three-game sweep of the Pirates over the weekend, the Reds scrambled to .500 at 8-8. They’ve won five of their last six games and won two straight series.
They reached that level of respectability with the best starting pitching in MLB, led by Nick Lodolo and his 0.96 earned run average and Hunter Greene’s 0.98 ERA. And the team ERA of 2.87 is third behind the New York Mets at 2.47 and a click behind San Diego at 2.86.
In addition, by statistical analysis, the Reds are slapping heavy leather, ranked No. 1 in defensive performance.
What is it they say, “Pitching and defense wins games?”
“We’ve made some good defensive plays and all we’ve needed is to make a few more later in games,” said manager Terry Francona, referring to a few games that got away.
“We’ve put a lot of emphasis on defense because that’s how we have to play,” he added. “They understand that and it is certainly easier said than done and it is always nice when you play a nice clean game.”
With the pitching and defense, optimism is rampant in the Reds clubhouse.
But at some point, and fairly soon, the Reds have to do more batwork because it is a stretch to believe the pitching will remain as impeccable as it has been.
Credit: AP
Credit: AP
When your highest individual batting average is T.J. Friedl’s .254, you know there are some stragglers. Spencer Steer is hitting .109, Jeimer Candelario is hitting .132, Christian Encarnacion-Strand is hitting .163 and Jake Fraley is hitting .171.
The team home run leader is Matt McLain with three and he hasn’t played in a week with a strained hamstring, but he could return tonight when the Reds open a three-game series in Great American Ball Park against the Seattle Mariners.
And there is a chance that outfielder Austin Hays could come off the injured list and make his Reds debut tonight. An injection of offense is desperately needed and both McLain and Hays could provide it.
Elly De La Cruz leads the team in runs batted in with 17, but 11 came in two games — seven in a 14-3 win over Texas and four on his grand slam home run on Elly De La Cruz bobblehead night against Pittsburgh.
“We’ve hit just enough and we’re going to keep going,” he said. “We’re getting hot, we’re together and we’re going to keep going together.”
Francona keeps his chin up through the offensive miseries and hopes his players follow his lead.
“I show up every day to win a game, that’s all I care about,” he said. “We’ve made the most out of not hitting very much. We haven’t hit a ton.”
That’s for sure. They beat Pittsburgh three games with four, four and six hits and that puts pressure on the pitchers.
And fortunately, the pitchers have responded by concentrating on what they can do because they have no control over the team’s offense.
After a 3-and-7 start, the Reds have shown signs of better days, tied for second with the Milwaukee Brewers.
What makes the Reds legitimate — and several pundits have predicted they’ll win the division — is that the division is not overwhelmingly strong. The Reds, with their pitching and defense, are as strong as anybody in the division.
There are no high-payroll teams like the Los Angeles Dodgers, New York Mets, New York Yankees or Philadelphia Phillies in the division.
The Cubs are the richest at $196 million and probably are the team to beat. The St. Louis Cardinals are at $141 million, both the Reds and Milwaukee Brewers are at $115 million and the Pittsburgh Pirates are at $87 million — and it shows.
It is for certain that Francona, in his first year managing the Reds, is still feeling his way, getting to know his personnel, seeing who can do it and who can’t.
He certainly doesn’t have to fret over the starting pitchers, yet he has some tough decisions coming up. Starting pitchers Wade Miley and Rhett Lowder are close to returning. Where do they fit?
“It’s a nice problem to have and we’ll figure it out,” he said.
And he is still manipulating the bullpen, but has settled with Graham Ashcraft shining in middle relief, Tony Santillan practically perfect in set-up and Emilio Pagan as the closer.
Except for one hiccup when he gave up a walk-off home run to San Francisco’s Mike Yastrzemski, Pagan has been perfect with four saves.
Therein lies another decision. Usual closer Alexis Diaz is close to returning off the injured list, so who is the closer then?
As Francona says, he’ll figure it out.
Early in the season, if it wasn’t one thing, it was four or five others. But Francona has discovered he has several guys who can play this game, but they just have to start hitting.
About the Author