RC+ Recap: Reds 4, Pirates 1

by — July 31, 2019 in Game Recap

Luis Castillo was dealing today and gave the Reds just the boost they needed to get over last night and win their third consecutive series. Coming into the game, Castillo ranked 3rd in baseball with a 15.8% Swinging Strike rate (behind only Max Scherzer and Justin Verlander). Today, he induced 25 swinging strikes from 101 pitches, good for just under 25%, the highest of any game of his breakout season so far. He ran into a bit of trouble in the 8th but Michael Lorenzen avoided major damage by retiring the top of the order and allowing one walk. Castillo’s final line was 7 IP, 6 H, 1 ER, 7 K, 0 BB (great to see). His pitch chart was a thing of beauty.

Raisel Iglesias came on in the 9th but Michael Lorenzen, who stayed in the game in right field, continued to have an impact on this one, making a fantastic running catch  for the first out.

The Reds led the whole way in this one after a first-pitch, leadoff home run from Jesse Winker. Eugenio Suarez played add-on with a two-run shot in the 3rd inning, and best-friend combo Josh VanMeter and Nick Senzel teamed up for an insurance run in the 7th.

Reds Most Valuable Players

  • Luis Castillo .222 WPA (win probability added)
  • Jesse Winker .159 WPA
  • Eugenio Suarez .131 WPA

Reds Least Valuable Players

  • Joey Votto -.122 WPA
  • Jose Iglesias -.051
  • Tucker Barnhart -.015

Plays of the Game

  • Eugenio Suarez .159 WPA, home run, 3rd inning
  • Jesse Winker .099 WPA, home run, 1st inning

Hardest-Hit Balls

  • Jose Iglesias 106.0 mph, groundout, 4th inning
  • Jesse Winker 100.4 mph, home run, 1st inning
  • Jose Iglesias 98.6 mph, lineout, 5th inning
  • Jesse Winker 98.4 mph, single, 6th inning
  • Nick Senzel 98.2 mph, single, 7th inning

Luckiest Hit of the Day

  • Eugenio Suarez  (9% hit probability), home run, 90.7 mph

Unluckiest Out of the Day

  • Jose Iglesias (60% hit probability), lineout, 78.5 mph

Highest Pitch Velocities by Pitcher

  • Luis Castillo 98.0 mph
  • Michael Lorenzen 97.8 mph
  • Raisel Iglesias 96.8 mph

Links

Matt Habel

Matthew Habel was born and mostly raised in Cincinnati and was always a Reds fan growing up. Ironically, he did not become die-hard until moving to Pittsburgh after college and experiencing the 2013 Wild Card game behind enemy lines. While the "Cueto Game" is one of the worst sports moments of his life, he became enamored with the analytics side of the game after reading Big Data Baseball and watching the Pirates organization end their postseason drought. He started writing for Redleg Nation in 2017 and has enjoyed continuously learning more about the sport. He currently lives in Portland, Oregon where he loves exploring the great outdoors. Find him on Twitter @MattadorHeyBull

3 Responses

  1. Steve Mancuso says:
    July 31, 2019 at 3:37 PM

    Love the series win over the Pirates.

    • R Smith says:
      July 31, 2019 at 4:33 PM

      What a last 24 hours. Go reds.
      I like the emphasis on youth position players but top SP.

  2. R Smith says:
    July 31, 2019 at 4:41 PM

    Great series win over the last place tanking Pirates. I Like the deadline moves. More starting pitching and more playing time for young position players. Thank you Scooter Gennett for 2 great years. Go reds.

Subscribe to RC+ via Email

Get an email every time we publish a new post!

Reds Content Plus is a site for passionate fans of the Cincinnati Reds. Our staff of independent writers covers the performance of Reds players and the strategies of the Reds manager and front office. Our content builds on what you’ll find at other Reds fan sites. What separates RC+ is our use of (and explaining) advanced statistical measures. Whether it’s a sacrifice bunt, intentional walk, stolen base, bullpen use, pinch hitting or pulling the starting pitcher, we’ll dig into the numbers. If you want to support us, check out our Support Page.