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Jun. 8—Entering the season, the Cincinnati Reds' rotation was expected to be the strength of the team. There are still a lot of bright spots, but it will be really important for that unit to be more consistent for the Reds to overcome a struggling bullpen.
The star has been Chase Burns, who exited his most recent start with a top-five ERA in MLB.
"You can see that he wants to be really, really good," Reds veteran starting pitcher Brady Singer said. "He's obviously really, really good. He's just excited to go out there and have success."
What's so exciting is that Burns has been able to find different ways to be successful. In one start, he had to pitch to contact more and force soft outs. In another, he'll lean heavily on getting swing and miss with his slider. He has some of the best stuff in baseball, and he's finding new ways to get strikeouts with his fastball-slider combination.
Burns looks like a real All-Star candidate.
"The personal accolades, it is what it is," Burns said. "I want to be known as someone who can help the team win and hopefully be a frontrunning starter for this team in the future. Every time I step onto the mound, we have a chance to win today."
While Burns has given the rotation a big jolt, the team's veteran pitchers on the staff have been struggling.
Singer hasn't had his velocity where he has wanted it all season, and he has allowed too many homers through his first 12 starts. He has a 5.89 ERA this season.
"There are a lot of ups and downs and stuff like that," Singer said. "I'm getting kicked in the teeth right now, obviously. I'll keep trying to figure out different ways to pitch your way out of it. It's going to get better at some point. Going through a rough patch, I'm obviously not happy with it."
The Reds hoped that when they signed Chris Paddack, he could provide some more stability to the Reds' rotation. But with Paddack struggling and with Rhett Lowder returning on Sunday, June 7 from the injured list, Paddack has moved to the bullpen.
"I know there's more in there," Paddack said. "I'm still searching and trying to put consecutive zeros on the scoreboard and eliminate the crooked numbers. When you look at the stats, it's not where you want to be. I told the guys I've done this before. If this will help us win some ball games... I'll do a really good job of showing up to the ball field wanting my name called and wanting to contribute."
Nick Lodolo is starting to turn the corner. After missing over a month with a blister issue, he returned in May. It hasn't been a complete straight line upward, but he has been getting incrementally better and better each week. His slider is continuing to progress, and Terry Francona says that Lodolo is "looking more like Lodolo."
Andrew Abbott turned the page after a month of May that was the worst stretch of his big league career.
Lowder returned from the injured list on Sunday after missing a month with a shoulder injury. While he threw three shutout innings, he wasn't able to command his pitches, issued five walks and didn't pitch into the fourth inning.
"I've got to get ahead and be more efficient," Lowder said. "I feel good. I probably came out a bit too amped up, too excited. That probably cost me."
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The star has been Chase Burns, who exited his most recent start with a top-five ERA in MLB.
"You can see that he wants to be really, really good," Reds veteran starting pitcher Brady Singer said. "He's obviously really, really good. He's just excited to go out there and have success."
What's so exciting is that Burns has been able to find different ways to be successful. In one start, he had to pitch to contact more and force soft outs. In another, he'll lean heavily on getting swing and miss with his slider. He has some of the best stuff in baseball, and he's finding new ways to get strikeouts with his fastball-slider combination.
Burns looks like a real All-Star candidate.
"The personal accolades, it is what it is," Burns said. "I want to be known as someone who can help the team win and hopefully be a frontrunning starter for this team in the future. Every time I step onto the mound, we have a chance to win today."
While Burns has given the rotation a big jolt, the team's veteran pitchers on the staff have been struggling.
Singer hasn't had his velocity where he has wanted it all season, and he has allowed too many homers through his first 12 starts. He has a 5.89 ERA this season.
"There are a lot of ups and downs and stuff like that," Singer said. "I'm getting kicked in the teeth right now, obviously. I'll keep trying to figure out different ways to pitch your way out of it. It's going to get better at some point. Going through a rough patch, I'm obviously not happy with it."
The Reds hoped that when they signed Chris Paddack, he could provide some more stability to the Reds' rotation. But with Paddack struggling and with Rhett Lowder returning on Sunday, June 7 from the injured list, Paddack has moved to the bullpen.
"I know there's more in there," Paddack said. "I'm still searching and trying to put consecutive zeros on the scoreboard and eliminate the crooked numbers. When you look at the stats, it's not where you want to be. I told the guys I've done this before. If this will help us win some ball games... I'll do a really good job of showing up to the ball field wanting my name called and wanting to contribute."
Nick Lodolo is starting to turn the corner. After missing over a month with a blister issue, he returned in May. It hasn't been a complete straight line upward, but he has been getting incrementally better and better each week. His slider is continuing to progress, and Terry Francona says that Lodolo is "looking more like Lodolo."
Andrew Abbott turned the page after a month of May that was the worst stretch of his big league career.
Lowder returned from the injured list on Sunday after missing a month with a shoulder injury. While he threw three shutout innings, he wasn't able to command his pitches, issued five walks and didn't pitch into the fourth inning.
"I've got to get ahead and be more efficient," Lowder said. "I feel good. I probably came out a bit too amped up, too excited. That probably cost me."
Continue reading...
