Sweep Week!

Issue #3: Ricky Karcher Flabbergasts Jim Day, Alexis Diaz DEALS, Matt McLain goes yard for the third time

Sweep week! The Reds went into Kansas City and, as far as wins go, turned them into the worst team in baseball. They pulled to one game behind .500 and only 1 out of the division after the Cubs beat the Pirates last night. 

Ricky Karcher dropped a “holy shit” in his postgame interview after clinching a truly chaotic save in his debut, Alexis Diaz is 17-17 in save opportunities, and Matt McLain hit a big-boy homer to dead centerfield in a pitcher’s ballpark. 

A guy named Ryan Gallenstein, who went to high school at Moeller with Sam Hubbard, wore his jersey and sat behind home plate for each game of the series. He brought so much energy that Reds fans on twitter crowd-funded his ticket for the last game so he could attend the whole series. He donated the money to charity and went to the game anyway. Stand-up fella.

Song of the Day

Reds @ Royals Recap

Monday

Zack Greinke vs. Luke Weaver

This game started poorly for Luke Weaver, who gave up three runs in the first two innings. He threw 93 pitches. Alex Young saved the ballgame for the Reds when he came in during the 5^th and stranded two Royals runners at the corners. 

Luke Maile and TJ Friedl led off the 6^th with a double each, scoring Maile. India hit Friedl in from 3^rd to tie the game on a ground ball that Bobby Whitt Jr. really should’ve fielded at shortstop. In the top of the 9^th, Stuart Fairchild executed a sacrifice bunt to move TJ Hopkins to third, who scored on a pinch-hit sac fly from Kevin Newman. 

After Salvador Perez tied the game in the bottom of the 9^th, the Reds took the lead back in the 10^th with a great slide and an incredibly close play at the plate. Ricky Karcher then took the mound with a 1-run lead in extra innings. He walked a batter, threw only four or five true strikes, made Curt Casali work behind the plate, gave up a double steal, and still, somehow, came away with a save. 

His pitch chart is below. It makes sense that he said “holy shit” to answer Jim Day’s “How did it feel” postgame interview question.

Karcher was immediately sent back down to Triple-A following the game to “work on command of his fastball.”

Tuesday

Jordan Lyles vs. Brandon Williamson

The Reds scored 5 runs in the second inning, and then their offense went ice-cold. They had only two baserunners the rest of the game. 

Something to note that came up in this game. Although Elly De La Cruz went 0 for 5 on the night, he walked, stole second, and scored in the Reds’ 2^nd inning rally. There aren’t very many power-hitters in the league who are as dangerous on the base paths as they are in the box. Elly is one of those players. Even if he slumps, as long as he can still work an occasional walk he will always be a scoring threat. 

Lucas Sims came in during the 7^th after Ian Gibaut walked the bases loaded, and struck the next two batters out to close the inning. In the 8^th he got another strikeout and induced a ground out and a fly out, allowing the Reds to go to Alexis Diaz in the 9^th. 

Alexis Diaz, currently 17 for 17 on save opportunities, has been channeling the spirit of his brother Edwin Diaz and is looking the part of a true lock-down closer. His strikeout percentage is 100^th percentile (better than basically everyone) and he has allowed only 5 runs over 28 innings pitched. If the Reds front office is competent and the Castellini’s are willing to crack their dusty checkbooks, this man should get a nice extension yesterday. 

Wednesday

Daniel Lynch vs. Ben Lively

Stuart Fairchild, Jonathan India, Matt McLain, and Spencer Steer all hit homers in this game, which was… strange. The Reds are not a home run hitting team and Kansas City is supposed to be a pitcher-friendly park.

The Reds also added to their two-out run tally. Prior to this game, nearly 49% of the Reds 323 runs were scored with two outs, a truly incredible mark especially for a young team. They don’t get timid backed into the corner - they get hot.

Alexis Diaz secured another save in this game when things started to look dicey in the 9^th as Daniel Duarte allowed the tying run to step into the batters box. Diaz hit the first batter he faced, but then settled in and retired the next two to preserve the 3 run lead and continue his dominance.

Looking Ahead

The Reds start a three game set against the Houston Astros tonight at 8:10 PM.

The Astros will be a true test of the chaotic play-style that really made itself obvious in the Royals series. They are a team that consistently performs offensively, pitches well, and is not easily roped into emotional showdowns. 

However, the Reds are catching Houston at possibly the most opportune time. They will miss Christian Javier and Framber Valdez in the rotation, two very talented pitchers. Yordan Alvarez, one of the best hitters in the league, is out for at least four weeks. I never like to see players injured, especially one so talented, but if it’s going to happen I’m glad its during a time he plays my team. 

Andrew Abbot will pitch Friday night, and if he can continue his incredible start (11.2 innings pitched in two games and no earned runs allowed) I will be even more impressed than I already am. Hunter Greene will follow him on Saturday. He has looked like he is close to finding his form lately. Luke Weaver will then pitch on Sunday, and it would be nice if the Reds can have the series won by then so we don’t have to rely on him for the win.