Gordon WittenmyerCincinnati Enquirer
MIAMI – This is how the Cincinnati Reds will have to do it if they’re going to win more games than they lose this year. Never mind if they’re going to find a path to the playoffs.
Strong starts by the pitching staff (which we knew).
And stronger finishes (which almost certainly will be the bigger question).
It was the formula they used April 23 against former Cy Young winner Sandy Alcantara and the Miami Marlins to avoid a dispiriting sweep against a young group of mostly minimum-wage ballplayers.
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And as they head to Denver off that 4-2 victory, looking to salvage what’s been a disappointing trip through a soft part of their schedule, the end game remains a work in progress, if not a mystery for manager Terry Francona and the staff.
As in end of game.
Even before Emilio Pagán finished off a scoreless three-inning day for the bullpen by earning his fifth save in six chances, Francona described his closer these days as “normally Pagán.”
Some days, it might be Tony Santillan, who pitched Wednesday’s eighth.
What it won’t be anytime soon is former All-Star Alexis Díaz, who continues to struggle with command and more recently the ability to even pretend to hold runners because of the emphasis on getting his command right.
Twenty-five games into the season, Francona is starting to get a sense of trust and pecking order in the group he has, which won’t be getting any outside reinforcements anytime soon, according to indications from the front office.
Whether that changes by the July 31 trade deadline, the Reds will continue to try to win enough to put themselves in that position by leaning on the veteran savvy of Pagán and a mix-and-match approach with the setup crew (led by Santillan).
“I think the way guys pitch kind of helps my thoughts,” Francona said. “I know Díaz has done it, and if he gets to a point where we think he can do it again, that would be great because it probably lengthens our bullpen.”
Díaz, who opened on the injured list as he tried to fix some delivery issues the team suggested might be related to his early-spring hamstring tweak, was part of the reason the Reds lost the series in Miami, imploding in the seventh inning of a close game that turned into a 6-3 loss.
“Let’s just see how it goes,” Francona said. “I think it’s fair to him and to our team the way we’re doing it.”
Heading into the weekend series against the Colorado Rockies April 25, the Reds' bullpen hovers at the fringes of the top-10 in ERA among MLB bullpens with a 3.46 ERA. Less impressive is the so-so, 7-for-11 mark in save chances (64 percent).
In the meantime, left-hander Sam Moll (shoulder impingement) fared well in his first minor-league rehab appearance April 22 and could be ready soon to rejoin the rotation.
As for the way the staff started in that sweep-averting win in Miami, it was Brady Singer (4-0) getting the best of Alcantara in their dueling six-inning starts – Singer retiring 12 straight and 16 of 18 overall after giving up a two-out, two-run homer to Matt Mervis in the first inning.
As for Alcantara, the Marlins can officially hang the for-sale sign on their $17 million ace as soon as they want after his best start of the season.
Coming off his worst start of the season (two innings, six runs), Alcantara flashed Cy Young form with a 99-mph fastball and 90-mph change for six innings in his longest outing since his last one before Tommy John surgery (eight innings on Sept. 3, 2023).
He’s expected to be the most sought-after player on the summer trade market, assuming continued good health and performance – with some pitching-desperate teams already checking in.
The Marlins got last year’s trade season started when they sent batting champ Luis Arraez to San Diego the first week of May.
