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The Joe Nuxhall Memorial Honorary Star of the Game
Alfredo Simon followed up his sparkling first start of the year with another gem today, holding the Tampa Bay Rays to just a single run over 8 dominant innings. He allowed just five hits on the day, struck out four, walked just one, and was victimized by a solo homer and a complete lack of offensive support, but there's no denying that he's been every bit as good as what the Cincinnati Reds could've hoped to have in Mat Latos. If only he could hit, too.
Honorable Mentions are due to: Manny Parra, who again tossed a perfect inning of relief; and Zack Cozart, who had a double and was hit by a pitch. Hooray, offense!
Key Play
- In the Top of the 2nd, James Loney launched a Simon pitch into the RF seats for a solo homer. That's all it took. Reds lose, 1-0.
Bad FanGraph! Bad!
Source: FanGraphs
Other Notes
- The Reds have the fewest wins in the majors (3).
- The Reds have the worst winning percentage in the majors (.278).
- The Reds have scored the fewest runs per game in the majors (2.54).
- Dating back to last season, the Reds are 3-14 in their last 17 games.
- The good: the pitching. The Reds continue to get dominant performances from everyone on the mound not named Homer or Trevor.
- The bad: the hitting. Scroll up a few 'other notes.'
- The ugly: the baserunning. The Reds continue to press the issue on the basepaths, and since Billy Hamilton is never the guy on the basepaths doing the pressing, it's been pretty awful. Joey Votto was thrown out at home by about four steps with nobody out in the Bottom of the 4th, and Brandon Phillips was thrown out trying to steal 3B during the very next PA by Rays C Ryan Hanigan. Yes, the same Ryan Hanigan who led the majors in % of runners thrown out last year among catchers who started at least 60 games.
- The BP song.
