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Alex Wood is set to make his long-anticipated Reds debut in Sunday’s series finale against the Rockies. Steve Mancuso wrote about what to expect from the left-hander. Behind an excellent pitching performance, Cincinnati (47-55) took game two on Saturday night to even the series. First pitch is set for 1:10 p.m. ET in Great American Ball Park.
Feel free to discuss the game in the comments as it goes on. We’ll be around to chat!
Pitching Matchup
On paper, the pitching matchup leans in the Reds’ favor today.
However, it’s hard to know how well Wood will throw given that he hasn’t faced major-league hitters since the 2018 World Series. When healthy, Wood possesses a deceptive herky-jerky motion and a strong slider to get hitters on both sides of the plate out. He doesn’t throw particularly hard, but he still strikes out an average rate of batters and rarely issues a walk.
Peter Lambert is a 2015 second-round pick out of high school and was the Rockies’ No. 4 prospect coming into the season, according to MLB Pipeline. His fastball sits in the low to mid 90s, and scouts deemed his changeup and curveball as potential plus pitches as he was coming through the minors. The rookie has struggled this season, although his xFIP and SIERA — the two most reliable ERA predictors — indicate he hasn’t been quite as bad. Although his control is impeccable, Lambert has particularly struggled to miss bats and carries a high HR/FB typical of Rockies pitchers. Still, that ratio likely won’t remain so high if he can continue to generate ground balls at an above-average rate.
Batting Order
Josh VanMeter is drawing his fourth straight start, this time in left field over Jesse Winker. VanMeter has homered in each of those starts and is currently carrying a team-best 90.4 mph average exit velocity. The Reds would be smart to continue finding ways to get VanMeter on the field to see what they have with him and whether his adjustments at the plate over the last year can translate in the big leagues long-term.
Scooter Gennett also returns to the lineup as he hopes to break out of his brutal slump. Despite his ugly performance since returning from the IL, he’s still a subject of trade rumors.
Prior to the game, the Reds also activated Kyle Farmer from the seven-day concussion list. Ryan Lavarnway — owners of the best debut in Reds history — was designated for assignment.
Against a southpaw, the Rockies are sitting two key left-handed hitters in Charlie Blackmon and Daniel Murphy.
[Graphic: Baseball Press]
Rockies Hitter Stats
Reds Hitter Stats
[Graphics: Baseball Savant]
Control a little erratic for Wood early on, but his slider looks sharp.