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Behind strong efforts from a pair of rookies and a soon-to-be All-Star, the Reds were victorious in the first of four contests against the Braves this weekend. Tony Santillan had his best performance since his call-up, Jonathan India was electric out of the leadoff spot once again, and Nick Castellanos had a pair of timely hits to guide the Reds to the 5-3. And, although it tried, the bullpen didn’t blow it! An all-around successful day.
The Reds move back to a game over .500 (37-36), four games behind the first-place Brewers.
Offense
The Braves had a bullpen day, and the Reds took advantage of it. Jonathan India led the way from the leadoff spot with two hits (both doubles), a walk, and three runs scored. Nick Castellanos drove in four of the Reds’ five runs on the day and scored a run himself for good measure.
The Reds got on the board against reliever-turned-temporary-starter Jesse Chavez. India led the game off with his first double, followed by a Jesse Winker walk. Both men moved up on a wild pitch, and India scored on a sacrifice fly by Castellanos. An opportunity for more runs went by the wayside, however, as Joey Votto and Tyler Naquin struck out to end the inning.
Tony Santillan helped his own cause in the third inning, leading off with a double down the left field line for his first big-league hit. He moved up to third base on a groundout by India but couldn’t score on a grounder hit too hard to first base. The Braves intentionally walked Castellanos to face Votto with left-handed pitcher Tyler Matzek. Votto hit a soft line drive with heavy top spin that a sliding Dansby Swanson couldn’t handle at shortstop, giving Votto an infield single and an RBI.
The bats were quiet until the seventh inning, when India led off with a walk and Castellanos mashed a two-run home run to left-center field (107.0 mph, 415 feet).
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— Cincinnati Reds (@Reds) June 25, 2021
After the bullpen gave up a pair of runs in the top of the inning, more insurance runs came in the eighth inning, courtesy of India and Castellanos yet again. India lined a two-run double off the left-field wall with two outs, and Winker followed with another walk. Castellanos nearly hit his second homer of the game, but the ball caromed off the right field wall. He settled for a single, but India scored on the play to make it a 5-3 game. The Reds got their daily TOOTBLAN out of the way, too, as Winker was thrown out at home.
Pitching
Tony Santillan turned in the best start of his brief big-league career on Thursday. The 24-year-old threw six innings of one-run baseball, striking out eight batters. He allowed three walks and just three hits. The only damage against Santillan came in the first inning when he gave up a solo home run to Freddie Freeman.
This was a huge step in the right direction from Santillan’s last outing. He racked up 18 swings and misses in the game, tied for the third most by any Reds pitcher in a game this season. Santillan’s slider accounted for 13 of those whiffs on 19 swings, an incredible 68% whiff rate.
Here were all of Santillan’s whiffs:
Amir Garrett threw a perfect seventh inning on just eight pitches, striking out one.
Tejay Antone didn’t look like himself in the eighth inning after the Reds had taken a 4-1 lead. He retired Freeman before giving up a solo home run to Ozzie Albies. A single and an error by Votto later, and there were runners on the corners with only one out. Antone then allowed an RBI single to Ehire Adrianza to cut the lead to 4-3. Antone walked Kevan Smith (44 wRC+) to load the bases. But David Bell trusted his right-hander and Antone came through, striking out Ender Inciarte and getting Pablo Sandoval to softly line out.
It’s hard not to pay attention to Antone’s spin rates, which were down dramatically for a second straight outing.
Brad Brach closed out the game in the ninth inning for his first save since 2018, working around a single with a pair of strikeouts.
Stats
Most Valuable Players
- Tony Santillan: .268 WPA (Win Probability Added)
- Nick Castellanos: .160 WPA
- Jonathan India: .130 WPA
Hardest-Hit Balls
- Jonathan India: 107.7 mph | Double in 8th inning
- Nick Castellanos: 107.0 mph | Home run in 7th inning
- Jesse Winker: 105.1 mph | Groundout in 3rd inning
- Tyler Naquin: 102.1 mph | Single in 7th inning
- Nick Castellanos: 101.7 mph | Single in 8th inning
Unluckiest Out of the Day
- Jesse Winker: .580 xBA | Lineout in 5th inning
Highest Velocities By Pitcher
- Tony Santillan: 95.1 mph
- Amir Garrett: 94.4 mph
- Tejay Antone: 97.7 mph
- Brad Brach: 95.0 mph
Highest Pitch Spins
- Tejay Antone: 2,873 rpm | Curveball
Most Pitch Movement
- Tejay Antone: 58 inches vertical movement | Curveball
- Brad Brach: 20 inches horizontal movement | Changeup
Team Expected Batting Averages (xBA)
- Braves: .195
- Reds: .242
What’s Next?
Game two of the Reds-Braves series is set for the same time tomorrow (7:10 p.m. EST). Rookie Vladimir Gutierrez is set to face left-hander Drew Smyly.
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For the first time Santillan showed his breaking stuff at the major league level, very impressive. I could see why he was so successful with the Bats.
Nice recap, Matt. Great sense of humor: “The Reds got their daily TOOTBLAN out of the way.” It restrains me from a pointless rant about the daily TOOTLBANs.
On the Reds tv broadcast they didn’t talk about how it happened tonight, but I just watched the video highlight from the Braves broadcast, and they said “Late stop sign to Winker”. Either way, the trip from 3rd to home has become a sort of Twilight Zone for Winker.
Thanks! I didn’t get a good look at J.R. House at third base on that play, so wasn’t sure who was more to blame between him and Winker. Regardless, those TOOTBLANs sure are piling up for Winker.
David Bell is more courageous than me. After the walk to Smith to load the bases, there’s no way I would have left Antone in. His regaining form with good pitches for the two outs was a good sign. It’s interesting about his lower spin rate but in any case his lack of command is normal for a pitcher who’s been out.
When Garret is able to throw his slider for strikes, like tonight, he’s a different pitcher. Hitters can’t sit on his fastball.
Bach said in a post-game interview that the key to his success (so far) has been regaining the ability to pitch “a well-located fastball”. Chris Welsh expressed his appreciation for that in the post-game show.
All in all, it was another round of bullpen roulette: this time they bent without breaking.