RC+ Recap: Reds fall to Phillies in a laborious game to watch

by — September 2, 2019 in Game Recap

Hopefully you had a Labor Day barbecue to attend this afternoon.

The Reds displayed the aftereffects of playing four games in two days, slogging their way through a 7-1 loss to the Phillies. Facing one of the worst pitchers in baseball this season, Drew Smyly (6.95 ERA, 6.89 FIP, 5.56 xFIP), the Reds offense fell silent as it has against many subpar starters this season. The Phillies had more hard hits (95+ mph exit velocity) in the first two innings than the Reds did in the entire game.

Only one of those hits exceeded 100 mph, and it was from Aristides Aquino (110.0 mph, 417 feet). His 15th home run of the season came in the second inning and accounted for the Reds’ only run of the game. You guessed it — he’s the fastest player in history to 15 home runs. He’s up to a 177 wRC+ with respectable 8.1% walk and 23.4% strikeout rates in 124 plate appearances.

Anthony DeSclafani pitched well (7 innings, 3 hits, 8 strikeouts, , but the home run doomed him again. He gave up a pair of two-run bombs — one to Scott Kingery and another to Rhys Hoskins — which was all the Phillies needed. DeSclafani registered 16 swings and misses, tying a season best. His breaking balls (slider and curveball) combined for a 25.7% swinging-strike rate. The Phillies hit Disco hard when they did put it in play (92.9 mph average exit velocity), but he benefited from a .071 BABIP.

David Bell brought in arguably his worst reliever, Wandy Peralta, in the eighth inning. In his first appearance since being recalled from Triple-A, Peralta gave up two home runs and three runs in an inning of work. He now has a 5.73 ERA, 6.64 FIP, and 4.97 xFIP this season. If there’s any consolation for Reds fans, Peralta will almost certainly be non-tendered in the offseason.

Joel Kuhnel dominated in the ninth inning the way he did in the minor leagues this season. Kuhnel struck out the side on 14 pitches, getting five swings and misses with a four-seam fastball that averaged 96.8 mph.

Reds Most Valuable Players

  • Aristides Aquino: .064 WPA (Win Probability Added) | 2-for-4, HR, RBI

Reds Least Valuable Players

  • Anthony DeSclafani: -.169 WPA | 7.0 IP, 4 ER, 2 HR, 3 H, 2 BB, 8 K
  • Nick Senzel: -.126 WPA | 2-for-4, 2 K
  • Wandy Peralta: -.060 WPA | 1.0 IP, 3 ER, 2 HR, 3 H

Play of the Game

  • Aristides Aquino: .103 WPA | Solo home run in 2nd inning; Reds trail 2-1

Hardest-Hit Balls

  • Aristides Aquino: 110.0 mph home run in 2nd inning
  • Michael Lorenzen: 98.0 mph groundout in 8th inning
  • Nick Senzel: 97.8 mph home run in 8th inning

Luckiest Hit of the Day

  • Curt Casali: .060 xBA, 75.7 mph, 51° LA; Single

Unluckiest Out of the Day

  • Curt Casali: .310 xBA, 83.1 mph, 23° LA; Lineout

Highest Pitch Velocities by Pitcher

  • Joel Kuhnel: 97.7 mph four-seam fastball
  • Wandy Peralta: 97.2 mph two-seam fastball
  • Anthony DeSclafani: 96.6 mph four-seam fastball

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Matt Wilkes

Matt Wilkes got hooked on Reds baseball after attending his first game in Cinergy Field at 6 years old, and he hasn’t looked back. As a kid, he was often found imitating his favorite players — Ken Griffey Jr., Adam Dunn, Sean Casey, and Austin Kearns — in the backyard. When he finally went inside, he was leading the Reds to 162-0 seasons in MVP Baseball 2005 or keeping stats for whatever game was on TV. He started writing about baseball in 2014 and has become fascinated by analytics and all the new data in the game. Matt is also a graduate of The Ohio State University and currently lives in Chicago. Follow him on Twitter at @_MattWilkes.

1 Response

  1. R Smith says:
    September 2, 2019 at 6:11 PM

    Would like to see a mostly everyday 7 at least. No continuity or identity day to day. Don’t think the every day rotation is working. Platooning 5 spots is unheralded and not working.

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