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7/21 Tigers vs. Reds Recap
On Tuesday, the Reds got to play an actual nine-inning game (scrimmage) against another team and WON! While the Reds started Nick Lododo on the mound, who isn’t expected to contribute this year’s starting pitching staff, their batting lineup was a sight to behold. Look at this deep lineup!
| Order | Name | Position |
| 1 | Shogo Akiyama | LF |
| 2 | Joey Votto | 1B |
| 3 | Eugenio Suarez | 3B |
| 4 | Mike Moustakas | 2B |
| 5 | Nicholas Castellanos | RF |
| 6 | Jesse Winker | DH |
| 7 | Freddy Galvis | SS |
| 8 | Nick Senzel | CF |
| 9 |
Tucker Barnhart
|
C |
This will probably what David Bell runs out against right-handed pitching, and it is fun to think about opposing pitchers struggling to get through this order. After getting themselves into a 5-0 hole, the offense came alive against the Tiger bullpen to win the game 9-7.
Batting
The ball was flying out of Great American Ball Park as the Reds hit five home runs and the Tigers hit four (three off Lodolo in the 2nd inning).
Shogo Akiyama went 1-for-4 with the game-tying, three-run home run in the 5th. The home run was to straightaway center, and it is nice that Shogo can mix in some power along with his elite ability to get on base.
Joey Votto went 0-for-3 but got hit by a pitch in the 8th. Votto’s defense was in mid-season form, but his timing seemed slightly off at the plate. These are not real games yet, so he might still be working on something.
Eugenio Suarez went 1-for-4 with the game-winning home run in the 8th. This game reminded me of 2019 Geno. Two groundouts and a flyout, but a bomb late in the game when the Reds needed it. He misplayed a ball at third base in the second inning but bounced back to make a nice barehanded play in the third. It was also fun to see Geno in a mask with himself on it.
Mike Moustakas went 0-for-3 and was lifted in the seventh for defensive replacement Alex Blandino. He was in the exact right position for a few groundballs to the right side, and it was a great example of how the Reds are going to use shifting to mitigate Moustakas’ lack of range.
Nicholas Castellanos went 1-for-4 with two strikeouts looking. Both strikeouts were on borderline pitches, but he bounced back with a 105.0 mph groundout and a single. He was thrown out at second trying to stretch the single into a double. In right field, Castellanos started the game with a nice catch but misplayed two other balls in the outfield. He maintains that he wants to play right field, but his defense may relegate him to the DH spot.
Jesse Winker went 1-for-3 with a solo home run in the eighth. Winker’s home run went 434 feet, and it is nice to see that his back seems fully healthy.
Freddy Galvis might have been the MVP of the evening. He went 2-for-3 with a home run, walk, and single. His home run in the second started the Reds comeback, and he was able to get on base two more times. We saw flashes of great hitting from Galvis last year, and let’s hope he stays locked in for the 60-game sprint.
Nick Senzel went 0-for-3, but he broke up a double play with his speed and then scored on Akiyama’s home run. Having Senzel bat eighth is a luxury, and if he can keep getting on base for the big hitters at the top of the lineup, that would be huge. He also looks even more natural out in centerfield this year, and he started a beautiful relay to Galvis and Barnhart to nail a runner at the plate.
Tucker Barnhart went 2-for-3 with a solo home run and single. The 60-game season may be a huge help for the offense of Barnhart. With fewer games and planned days off with Casali filling in, Tucker’s legs should stay fresh, and hopefully, that leads to a jump in offensive production.
Pitching
Nick Lodolo started this game and was knocked around for eight hits and five runs in only 1.1 innings. He wasn’t missing bats, recording 0 strikeouts, and he allowed seven hard-hit balls (>95 mph exit velocity) in the 12 batters he faced. The Tigers didn’t have a player last season hit more than 15 home runs with last year’s juiced ball, but in the second inning, they hit back-to-back-to-back home runs. Lodolo hasn’t pitched above Single-A, so there is no need to panic over the development of the Reds’ 2019 1st round pick, but this may have answered some questions that the organization had about whether he can contribute to the 2020 Reds.
Here were the relievers who are still fighting for a roster spot who got into the game: David Carpenter, Tejay Antone, and Tyler Thornburg. Carpenter only finished up the 2nd inning and may get another shot to pitch tonight. Antone got three groundouts in his first inning of work but gave up a run in his second inning. Thornburg got two strikeouts and gave up a walk in his clean inning.
Relievers who are expected to make the opening day roster — Amir Garrett, Nate Jones, Pedro Strop, and Raisel Iglesias — pitched well to close out the game. Iglesias gave up a home run to former Red Brandon Dixon in a save situation, but then he came back and struck out the next three hitters.
Tigers
The Tigers have improved their lineup from last year’s 114-loss season, namely Jonathan Schoop. He went 2-for-4 with a home run, double, and three hard-hit balls. With Miguel Cabrera also coming back, this team’s offense can’t be overlooked in this short season where every game is more important. Let’s hope the Reds’ pitchers were paying attention.
Overall each team teed off on the other teams’ minor league pitchers, but a win is a win. There were also rumors of a bottom of the ninth that was played even though the game was over, so pay attention to the broadcast if the Reds win again tonight.
7/22 Tigers vs. Reds Preview
The game is slated to start at 6:10 p.m. EST. This will be the last scrimmage game the Reds will play before they begin the season versus the Tigers on Friday, July 24th at Great American Ball Park.
Pitching Matchup
Fulmer had Tommy John Surgery in 2018 and missed the entire 2019 season. The former 2016 Rookie of the Year and 2017 All-Star has been cleared to pitch and may slot in as the Tigers’ 5th starter. Don’t expect him to pitch too many innings tonight as they try to slowly ramp up his pitch count.
De Leon is still fighting for the final roster spot. While he is not projected to make the rotation, he might be a valuable piece to the bullpen based on his high strikeout totals. If he can pitch a few clean innings against a big league lineup, that could be a great final audition.
Reds Lineup
Phillip Ervin replaces Shogo Akiyama in left field and leads off, Matt Davidson will DH instead of Jesse Winker, and Curt Casali is catching instead of Tucker Barnhart. It is also interesting to see how David Bell has shifted the order of the lineup. Moustakas and Castellanos switch in the order from last night, Senzel moved up to seventh, and Galvis moved down to 9th. I doubt that Bell makes any lineup change without a good reason.
*Votto was a late scratch from the lineup and Josh VanMeter has replaced him batting 2nd and playing 1B.
Tigers Lineup
The only updates to the Tigers’ lineup from yesterday are Victor Reyes replacing Cameron Maybin in right field and Grayson Greiner replacing Austin Romine at catcher. The top of the order did some serious damage against Nick Lodolo last night, so we will see if Jose De Leon can miss some bats and keep the Tigers in check.
