RC+ Recap: Two-touchdown loss for the Reds

Not much positive to say about this game other than the coincidence of a football-like score on the night that college football season started. Sloppy defense, poor pitching and unlucky hits going against you. And when your batting order goes like this …

  1. Rookie
  2. Cast-off
  3. Tired Suarez
  4. Rookie
  5. Tucker Barnhart
  6. Cast-off
  7. Cast-off
  8. Rookie
  9. Pitcher with 2 hits

… you run the risk of getting shut down. It’s not that all those players are bad or can’t hit. They’ve all had their moments for the Reds. But without Jesse Winker, Nick Senzel and Joey Votto in there, the odds of a team misfire increase. That’s what happened last night and tonight. A Reds pitcher who hadn’t nary a hit this season was the offensive leader.

To make matters worse, the Reds hit only two balls with an exit velocity more than 100 mph and they both went for outs. Aristides Aquino hit into a double play on a 104.4 mph grounder. It was that kind of night.

[Graphic: Baseball Savant]

Reds Most Valuable Players

  • Alex Wood (batting) .049 WPA | 2 singles

Reds Least Valuable Players

  • Phillip Ervin (-.113 WPA)
  • Lucas Sims (-.088 WPA)
  • Josh VanMeter (-.085 WPA)

Play of the Game

  • Derek Dietrich .041 WPA | Bases-empty walk
  • Alex Wood .035 | single

Hardest-Hit Balls

  • Aristides Aquino (104.4 mph) grounded into double play
  • Freddy Galvis (100.3 mph) groundout
  • Josh VanMeter (99.8 mph) line out

Luckiest Hit of the Day

  • Jose Iglesias (19% hit probability) single

Unluckiest Out of the Day

  • Aristides Aquino  (104.4 mph) ground into double play
  • Josh VanMeter (99.8 mph) line out

Highest Pitch Velocities by Pitcher

  • Kevin Gausman (96.6 mph)
  • Joe Kuhnel (96.5 mph)
  • Lucas Sims (93.9 mph)
  • R.J. Alaniz (93.5 mph)
  • Alex Wood (90.7 mph)

Links

Steve Mancuso

Steve Mancuso is a lifelong Reds fan who grew up during the Big Red Machine era. He’s been writing about the Reds for more than ten years. Steve’s fondest memories about the Reds include attending a couple 1975 World Series games, being at Homer Bailey’s second no-hitter and going nuts for Jay Bruce at Clinchmas. Steve was also at all three games of the 2012 NLDS, but it’s too soon to talk about that.