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Post by kaybli on Jul 2, 2024 16:41:17 GMT -5
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Post by ill636 on Jul 2, 2024 17:04:06 GMT -5
I am looking for Gil to have a great game. He needs to get on track.
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Post by qwik3457bb on Jul 2, 2024 17:37:29 GMT -5
Reds' Lineup:
1. India 2B
2. De La Cruz SS
3. Candelario DH
4. Steer 1B
5. Stephenson C
6. Martini LF
7. N. Marte 3B
8. Fairchild CF
9. Benson RF
10. Aschraft SP
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Post by qwik3457bb on Jul 2, 2024 17:37:55 GMT -5
The Reds come into the Stadium off an extended run of poor play. After finding their footing by winning 7 in a row in early June, they've lost 12 of 19, and 6 of their last 9. They're currently 4th in the NL Central, 39-45, but they've actually scored 15 more runs that they've allowed. Despite all the good young prospects they're brough up on the hitting side the last 2-3 years, their problems are on offense, rather than defense. They're 8th in the NL in runs scored but 5th best in the NL in ERA and runs allowed. Three of their projected starting nine are currently on the IL, firstbaseman Christian Encarnacion-Strand, secondbaseman Matt McLain and centerfielder T.J. Friedl, along with the starter who's been their ace for most of the first half, Nick Lodolo. Their young star, Elly de la Cruz, who leads the NL in both steals and K's, got off to a blazing start until about the middle of May, went into a deep cold streak that lasted a month, but he's hot again: his last 16 games, he's hitting .344/.417/.688/1.104 with 13 runs, 12 extra base hits, 3 HR, 8 RBI, and 6 steals.
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Post by qwik3457bb on Jul 2, 2024 17:40:07 GMT -5
To open the series against the Yanks tonight, they send the disappointing Graham Ashcraft to the mound. He has a very hard cutter but little else. He doesn't walk as many as he used to, but his command within the zone is poor, and he doesn't strike out nearly enough batters. Ashcraft was drafted by the Reds in the 6th round in 2019, and after spending the COVID season in developmental camp, he pitched at High-A and AA in 2021, and did well at both levels. He pitched superficially well in AAA in 2022 in 8 starts, with a 2.29 ERA but an incredible 15 unearned runs in just 35 1/3 innings. The Reds called him to the majors anyway in late May. After 4 sucessful starts, things went swiftly downhill for Ashcraft. In his last 15 starts that season, he went 2-6 with a 5.98 ERA. In 2023, it was slightly better, but not much. 7-9 with a 4.76 ERA in 26 starts. This year, he opened in the rotation again, and got worse. Most of his starts are the same disappointing results: 3-4 solid innings and the opposition catches up to him 3rd time through the order in the 5th or 6th. In 9 of his 12 starts this season, he's gone less than 6 iunings, and given up 3-6 runs. On the season, he's 4-4 with a 5.45 ERA. In 67 2/3 innings, he's allowed 79 hits, 46 runs, 41 earned, 11 HR, 22 BB and struck out 52. His WHIP on the season is a poor 1.414. The Red sent him back to AAA in early June, but had to recall him and put him back into the rotation when Lodolo was put on the IL.
Aschraft will be making his 2nd career start against the Yanks. His only other appearance aginst them is typical of his entire career to this point. In mid-July of 2022 at the Stadium, Ashcraft went 5 innings, gave up 7 hits, 3 runs, all earned, walked 3 and struck out 3. He left trailing 3-0 after 5, but the Reds rallied for 4 in the 9th on 3 singles, a walk, and 2 hits batsmen off of Clay Holmes to win 4-3. His ERA against the Yanks is 5.40, the WHIP is 2.000 and the team's quadruple slash line against him is .333/.417/.381/.798 in just 24 plate appearances.
Repertoire: Ashcraft is a 4-pitch righty: sinker, cutter, slider and a very occasional change. Except in two respects, none of his pitches gets remarkable movment either horizontally or vertically. The slider gets elite horizontal break into lefties and away from righties, and the sinker gets way below average tail in on righties and away from lefties. By run values, the slider is his only plus pitch, the change and cutter are small minuses and the sinker is a huge minus in terms of run value. His FB (sinker) veloctiy was elite his first two years in the league, now it's just a bit above average. On the other hand, his sinker spin rate used to be near average, and now, it's well above. His ground ball rate is somewhat above average, his hard hit rate is below average, but his barrel rate is a smidge better than average. He gets average extension. The pitch mix so far this season: cutter 95-6 about 46% of the time, slider 88-9 about 32%, sinker 95 about 19%, and change 90 about 2-3 times a game.
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Post by qwik3457bb on Jul 2, 2024 17:42:46 GMT -5
Playing the name game...of the 5 MLB players with first name Graham, Ashcraft, mediocre as he is, is probably the best. None of the other 4 have had more than 50 AB or pitched 50 innings in the majors. Of the 16 players with last name Graham, none of them lasted more than 4 seasons, and that was pitcher Kyle Graham, whose pitched 158 innings for the Dodgers in 1925, and went 11-22 with an ERA of 5.02 in less than 300 innings in his career. The most famous MLB player named Graham, and by a wide margin, is Archibald "Moonlight" Graham, whose MLB career consisting of playing one inning in right field for the 1905 Giants without ever coming to bat was immortalized in the movie Field of Dreams as the character Doc Graham, played by Burt Lancaster in the final role of his long and acclaimed career. Graham is also the only Ashcraft in MLB history.
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Post by qwik3457bb on Jul 2, 2024 17:43:57 GMT -5
The Yanks send a struggling young righty of their own to the mound to square off against Ashcraft: Luis Gil. Gil blazed brightly across the baseball "sky" in his first 12 starts: 8-1 with an ERA on 1.82, and the lowest H/9 innings rate in MLB. But in his last 4 starts, he's flamed out: 1-2 with an ERA of 8.82; the Yanks have been lucky to win two of the 4. On the season, his overall numbers are still sound: In 16 starts, he's 9-3 with a 3.15 ERA. In 85 2/3 innings, he's allowed 51 hits, 31 runs, 30 earned, 7 HR, and 45 BB with 99 K's. His K/9 is still 6th best in the league, but the BB/9 is the worst among 39 eligible starters. What remains to be determined is whether Gil's bright, blazing first two-month-plus is just a brief shooting star, or the beginning of a long-term fixture in the baseball firmament. Tonight is Gil's 1st ever appearance against Cincinnati.
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Post by qwik3457bb on Jul 2, 2024 17:44:52 GMT -5
Yankees lineup vs. Ashcraft: Only six Yankees have faced Ashcraft before:
Soto is 3-9 with 2 doubles, 1 RBI and 1 K
Torres is 2-3 with 1 double and 1 BB
LeMahieu is 1-2 with 1 BB
Grisham is 1-2 with a solo HR and 1 K
Trevino is 0-2 with 1 K
On the bench: Jones is 0-2 with 2 K.
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Reds' lineup vs. Gil: He's never faced the Reds, but Jake Fraley is the one and only Reds hitter who's faced Gil. While with the Mariners, Fraley was 0-1 vs. Gil with 1 BB and 1 K, but he's not in the Reds' lineup tonight.
On the bench: None
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Post by qwik3457bb on Jul 2, 2024 17:46:29 GMT -5
Yesterday, the Yanks had the day off, as did all the East teams except for the Jays, who lost 3-1 to the Astros at Rogers Centre. Hunter Brown, finally fulfilling the potential forseen in his elite prospect status the last few years, continued his amazing turnaround with 6 shutout innings for the win. He's now 5-1 with an ERA of 1.29 in his last 8 starts after starting the season 1-4 with an ERA of 7.71 in the first 9. Jeremy Pena hit a solo HR in the 5th that stood as the only run of the game until Yordan Alvarez hit a 2-run HR in the 9th; Ernie Clement accounted for the Jays' only run with a solo HR in the bottom of the 9th off Houston closer Josh Hader, who still got his 13th save.
In other AL East action...well, there wasn't any other East action.
The Yanks begin play today in tied for 1st with the O's, percentage points back (.631 to .628), The Sox are still 8 1/2 back, the Rays 11 back and the Jays are now 15 back after their loss to the Astros.
Elsewhere in the AL East today, the Red Sox fly down to Miami to begin a 3-game series with the lowly Marlins at 6:40 pm. Kutter Crawford (3-7, 3.59 ERA) starts for Boston. Rookie Valente Bellazo will make his 2nd MLB start for the Marlins; he threw 5 innings of 2-hit shutout ball against the Royals his first time out, but it didn't matter, the Marlins lost anyway, 5-1. The Sox have an early 2-0 lead in the 1st. At 7:07 at Rogers Centre in Toronto, the Astros and Jays play the 2nd game of their series. The inconsistent Spencer Arrighetti 94-6, 5.68 ERA) goes for Houston. Jose Berrios (7-6, 3.38 ERA), who threw a rare good start against the Yanks his last game, starts for Toronto. The Rays take their recent hot play to Kansas City to start a 3-game series against the Royals at 8:10 pm. Zack Litell (2-5, 4.17 ERA) will try to make it three decent starts in a row for the Rays; Brady Singer (4-4, 3.12 ERA) will go for the Royals; he's made three good starts in a row since the Yanks pasted him three weeks ago in KC. The O's starts a 6-game western road trip with 3 in Seattle; the 1st game is 9:40 pm at T-Mobile Park. Big righty Grayson Rodriguez (9-3, 3.72 ERA) starts for the O's; George Kirby (7-5, 3.35 ERA) has made 7 excellent starts in a row, and leads the AL in both fewest BB/9 innings and K-to-BB ratio. He'll open for the Mariners.
And, in about 20 minutes from now at the Stadium, it's Ashcraft vs. Gil.
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Post by chiyankee on Jul 2, 2024 18:00:34 GMT -5
The Yankees better keep De La Cruz off the bases tonight with Trevino catching or every single/walk will turn into a triple.
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Post by qwik3457bb on Jul 2, 2024 18:02:57 GMT -5
Kay back tonight for the play-by-play, and as the opponent is the Reds, no surprise that O'Neil is the analyst.
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Post by chiyankee on Jul 2, 2024 18:03:44 GMT -5
O'Neill getting to announce a matchup between is two teams. I wonder who he's cheering for?  |
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Post by ill636 on Jul 2, 2024 18:04:28 GMT -5
Just heard that the Reds lead MlB in steals!!!!
Should be interesting 🤔
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Post by chiyankee on Jul 2, 2024 18:05:42 GMT -5
Just heard that the Reds lead MlB in steals!!!! Should be interesting 🤔  |
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Post by qwik3457bb on Jul 2, 2024 18:08:32 GMT -5
Just before the start of the Yankee game:
Sox lead the Marlins 2-0 top 2nd, Devers hit a 2-run single in the 1st.
Jays and Astros about to get underway.
Rays and Royals will start in KC about an hour from now
O's-Marines set to go in Seattle about 2 1/2 hours from now.
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