After a tight one-run win for the Cincinnati Reds (57-86) in the series opener Thursday night, they continue this rare five-game series with the St. Louis Cardinals (84-60) tonight. Jack Flaherty will start for the Cardinals, while the Reds are going with a bullpen game. Fernando Cruz will be the opening pitcher.
Except for Nick Senzel, no one on the current 26-man roster has faced Flaherty more than three times.
*Cruz’s stats are from Triple-A Louisville.
After pitching to a 2.89 ERA with 23 saves in 56 games at Triple-A Louisville this season, Cruz finally earned his way to the major leagues 15 years after he was drafted. And he’s been stellar in his limited appearances with the Reds. In 6.1 innings, Cruz has struck out seven while walking four and allowing only one run. He started as the “opener” in a bullpen game on Tuesday at Great American Ball Park against the Pirates and will get that same assignment tonight against the Cardinals.
Right-hander Raynel Espinal was called up when Justin Dunn went on the IL and is most likely to pitch after Cruz. He made one appearance, giving up two hits and one run in 2.1 innings on Tuesday night against the Pirates. He got the loss when the Reds failed to score the rest of the game. Espinal has been in three organizations this season (Giants, Cubs, and now Reds), and has a 5.63 ERA in 102.1 innings at Triple-A. It hasn’t been a great year for him, but his strikeout rate has been between 23-27% in all three organizations.
Flaherty has had a injury-riddled season in 2022. He made three starts in June after starting the season on the IL and being out for more than two months. Flaherty saw limited action in those three starts; however, pitching just eight innings. He gave up five runs in six innings through the first two starts, but in two innings against the Cubs on June 26, he allowed one hit and struck out two in facing 11 batters. That would be his last start for awhile. The Cardinals placed him back on the injured list the next day with a right shoulder strain and transferred him to the 60-day injured list on July 11. The Cardinals activated Flaherty September 5, and he’s made two starts since then, pitching five innings in each.
In 2019, Flaherty threw nearly 200 innings and had a 2.75 ERA with 231 strikeouts. And then came the shortened season where he made only nine starts, followed by an abrupt end to his season with an oblique injury in 2021. The Cardinals hope Flaherty can return the pitcher he was in 2019 when he was considered one of the best pitchers in the league.
The Arizona Fall League rosters were announced today, and the Reds have a lot of prospects heading out to Phoenix next month.
Here’s a fun stat about the Reds’ opener tonight, Cruz.
Fernando Cruz will start at pitcher for the Reds today just 3 days after starting at pitcher for the Reds vs Pittsburgh.
That will be shortest stint between starts by a Reds pitcher since Ramon Ortiz started 3 days apart on 6/29 & 7/2/2005. (see note in next tweet)
— Joel Luckhaupt (@jluckhaupt) September 16, 2022
If you follow me on Twitter, you know I’ve been aggressively rooting for the Reds to avoid the 100-loss mark. I made a bet with my co-worker in early April (before the 3-22 start) that the Reds would not lose 100 games, and it has come down to the very end of the season. So, here’s to the Reds winning six more games and giving me a free lunch, but if they do lose 100, at least this bet gave me a sense of passion in September for a team that’s 30 games below .500.
Cincinnati RedsFernando CruzNick SenzelRaynel Espinal
Ashley Davis was born and raised in Cincinnati, went to college at the University of Cincinnati, and currently lives in Cincinnati. Being a Reds fan is all she's ever known. She enjoys taking baseball road trips with her dad, and her goal is to visit all 30 MLB ballparks. She's had a passion for writing since high school, and enjoys combining it with her passion for baseball.
Good job, Ashley. I’ll tell you what. Here’s to winning but if the Reds let you down maybe we on here can chip in and buy you lunch. 🙂 You’re definitely a great Reds fan. Who knows? Maybe Mark can help you out with one of the fine meals he prepares and is telling us about all the time. 😉
I’d be happy to entertain anyone. Finished up the leftover grilled/smoked chicken and peppers tonight (basic street tacos with homemade guacamole). Breakfast tomorrow is the usual scramble with good sausage. My wife is saying she wants burgers and, provided I can hunt them down, those will be on the flat-top griddle tomorrow night.
I dont even recognize the names anymore
No Lopez and no Barrero…no reason not to play all the young guys the rest of this pathetic season…
2nd night in a row for Jose. We all know Lopez has been in the DTB doghouse before (for who knows what reason) 😀
Maybe he hits too much. 🙂
Wow … 11 pitches, 10 strikes, 3 K’s. Color me impressed.
Cruz is “cruzin” already. I like him.
Flaherty challenged Aquino on 4 fastballs in a row and strock him out… Aquino couldn’t make contact to the preferred kind of pitch
Too bad Cruz couldn’t finish off the 2nd inning.
Watching this at bat, maybe I’ll have myself a Nootbaar for my Friday evening treat … 😀
Umpire not calling the low strike this evening. According to game day Cruz should of completed the 2nd inning.
Cowboy said the same thing. At least he’s doing it both ways so far.
Double Steal Make it happen.,, woot woot lol
Speer doesn’t swing at bad pitches.
I don’t mind a sac bunt here.
Wow India should be out on strikes.
A Failed GIDP … didn’t even get one. Nice hustle by Friedl.
Now let’s leverage that miscue by the WLB’s.
Nope. Just like we can’t execute a Sac Bunt, the Sac Fly opportunity goes missing as well.
Both are foreign to our players.
I didn’t understand that. Scorer was FC and there wasn’t an out?
Farmer not playing well at Busch so far.
Same. I’m thinking it falls under some part of a “failed GIDP” category. The fielder chose to throw to second, nullifying the hit. India did get an RBI out of the deal.
San Martin just wastes too many pitches.
Okay, well lets see if the ump is consistent the whole night with the low non strike call
Senzel on 2b steer on first base, both grinded out at bats and Romine up. Gets the sac bunt order and doesnt get it done. At 0-2 you read BEll’s lips…he said…TAKE IT OFF. Why? Romine is terrible and is a strike out or double play machine. Romine strikes out swinging on a ball 2 inches above the zone. Bell is protecting his .514 OPS vet guy. WHY? Make him bunt 0-2 and if he doesnt get it done, he walks back to the dugout for everyone to see he didnt do his job. Thats how you send a message to the other 27 guys about accountability . Do your job to help the team win and if you dont, I’m not protecting you.
True enough. Same result and far safer than a GIDP in the end.
Yes, the strike out was lucky.
And we get a bit of a bonehead play in response. Should have tucked that ball in his pocket and saved the run.
India probably should have just ate that ball. Instead gave up a run.
It appears we’re time-sharing a brain tonight, Melvin. Same thought here.
haha I need to “share” a brain.
India Romine and farmer not playing clean situational baseball. Execution is what wins baseball games. Reds should be up 3- 1 at least.
Agree on Romine and Farmer, however India did hustle down the first base line.
I saw video though and agree with the others, he should of held on to the ball.
Won’t happen cause it never does thats why everybody in the dugout loves him.If Bell was held accountable then he would in fear of losing his job hold his players accountable.I mean no where does a man survive a 3-22 start if he is being held accountable.He won’t call out his players cause he will then have to fix it so he does what he always does and will continue to do and thats nothing.
Reds arent firing Bell because that would only turn the crosshairs on the Fo and ownership and rightly so. But, that inning was a microcosm of how Bell doesnt demand clean baseball execution. Players know they can miss cutoffs, make bad baserunning gaffes, not execute the sac bunt, not get the runner in from 3rd with less than 2 out, catchers can not block balls and give the extra base and infielders can allow runner to score from 2b on a ground ball.
Those are all fair criticisms of a team that doesnt play clean fundamental baseball and has nothing to do with the fact Suarez was traded or castellanos executed his opt out or Castillo is a Mariner or the ownership group is bad. All of that is true. It an also be true the current reds on field culture says they dont take the extra base, or hit the cut off man, or get the runner in from 3rd with less than 2 out…or hit the ball to the right side , or get the sac bunt down to manufacture an add-on run or not walk guys to gift opponents add-on runs.
Backward K on a fairly low strike. Goldy has to be thinking “why now? why me?”
Perfect inning to showcase the lack of accountability on the Reds.Its been that way for so long and yet we still see it over and over.Its just sad for sure.
Senzel half way to a cycle perhaps? Stay tuned.. Such a good ball player. Hasn’t been easy in his 4th season for sure.
The story Raynel Espinal will tell the grandkids.
Reds in a gun fight with only a knife.Got to love it regardless.
Fraley beats Flaherty and delivers with the bases loaded.
I’m finding the occasional check in to be far less irritating than paying attention to the whole game. I really like seeing the Reds only .300 hitter sitting very day. Good job Bell. Reading the comments the last two nights tells me Bell is still up to his little style. I’ve had enough of that these last too many years. Oh well, back to something more interesting. Up 3-1 so I’ll check back in later.
See, fellas? They’re drawing us in again.
Its funny, AA strikes out twice and I am thinking see… then he singles and I am like okay okay..
Senzel 2 hits and see above comments then on first pitch he see’s he hits a ground ball out. LOL man.. Being a fan of the Reds is hard. LOL
Can’t have a weak heart. Gotta be able to laugh. lol
Excellent inning by the Reds. Great job
Should have at least 6 runs but 4 is good for now.Aquino made the adjustment from the first two times and gets in run #4
Raynel Espinal gets us to the 6th.
I really hate these late start games. I swear I didn’t used to be this old.
steer obliterates a baseball and gets an out. Baseball
And he almost beaned the pitcher in the process.
Baseball is a strange game.
Friedl with a really good at bat against a tough lefty.
India in last 8 games including this is 1 for 23, fell in a big slump after being hot
That’ll wake them all up.
Well there goes his Era lol
Bell rolling the dice right here.
Alas, Espinal will avoid “the rest of the story”.
alright well onto the Gym…. at least it was Pujios that did it
You know, population between these two cities is pretty much a wash. That makes them both “small market” teams. Yet the WLB’s will again draw 3.3M this season and wind the NLC. Love them or hate them, their FO is committed to fielding a winning team. It’s what we could be if only …
That was a bomb for 698, Albert.
St louis regional cornfield country
Theres no OSU football up the road or UK basketball down the road
Theres no NFL that made the superbowl
Theres no college football that finished top 10 2 years in a row
Theres no 2 legit college basketball teams 6 miles a part
St louis is truly a city of where else u gonna go other than mlb
Got to love Bell.He waved the white flag from the get go and actually made us think he was trying to win the game.Done and done again
Double header tomorrow. Not sure what more he can do. Can’t pitch the whole bullpen today..
After a dh a few games ago..
Yep. Brutal weekend no matter how you slice it.
Where else are we going to go? (asking for a friend)
Nevermind Roger, he brings kuhnel in. Why not do that sooner. Forget my comment. Lol
This is all on Bell. Cruz was awesome…getting 5 straight outs, and then a single….Bell Yanks him. Espinal…ringing doubl…then a single….then a very loud out to the wall…Bell leaves him in. Pujols Bomb
Pull the effective guy…leave the struggling guy in.
Would love to see a study as to why all these injuries this season. It’s like after Mahle and Castillo got traded the starting staff fell apart injury wise
Well just when I thought I understood the strategy I don’t. Why bring kuhnel in now. LOL
Its ok Kevin.Bell will pull out all the stops now.He will hit for everybody move guys all around the diamond and if we go extras will only have himself and the pitching coach left as he gives us the impression he wants to win.He is just a clown.
Farm Dawg getting one back and quieting the crowd.
So are Hopkins and Siani in reds outfield next season? Thoughts? You have Fraley, Friedl, and Aquino… plus Fairchild.. assuming Senzel is ur utility player.
Aquino still a long way from having a decent batting average. But I’ll give him credit: he’s creeping up toward .220.
Seems like just yesterday it was below .180
Multi hit games are becoming the norm for Aquino.
Game is almost surreal again tonight. I do like seeing AA make adjustments and smack that ball around. I love Senzel working a count and taking the BB. Chased another pitcher on a weekend with 3 more to play after this one. It’s going to be a bumpy ride, friends.
Solano last 16 games AVG .148 , OPS less than 400 Aquino last 16 games AVG .364 , OPS more than 1100
It’s quite amazing AA can have a hot hitting streak like this. Even more impressive is that his hits are not just HR, a ton of. 1B and 2B hits. He had a hot stretch before where he pretty much hit a HR every other AB and pundits pointed to his change of stance or some make up thing like that. This hot steak seems different.
The ever first hitter walk… Incredible…
How do you know it’s a Reds relief pitcher that just came in the game? They walk the first batter they face!
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