There was a time not too, too long ago where the idea of ‘Homer Bailey’s last ever start as a member of the Cincinnati Reds’ was a concept we wholeheartedly discussed. Years of injuries, underperformance, and the presence of a half-dozen (or more) qualified youngsters as starting options meant the concept of the Reds moving on from Bailey entirely - financial impact and all - sure seemed reasonable, at least to those of us who aren’t in charge of signing his checks.
Well, that never happened, and after a DL stint to allow a knee issue to dissipate, Bailey actually returned pitching as well as he had in years - for two starts, at least. His most recent outing, though, was a complete disaster, as he allowed more hits (11) than he recorded outs (10) in a 5 run blasting by the New York Mets, and on Monday he’ll be tasked with taking down the potent Cleveland offense fronted by the likes of Jose Ramirez and Francisco Lindor. Yikes.
Mike Clevinger will get the start for Cleveland in the first game of this series, the final trio of games between these two Ohio clubs for the mythical, celebrated, historic, one-of-a-kind Ohio Cup, or something.
First pitch is set for 7:10 PM ET in GABP.
Cincinnati Lineup
Tonight's #Reds lineup as they continue their #OhioCup quest at GABP. pic.twitter.com/Qzq3Hq6MNN
— Cincinnati Reds (@Reds) August 13, 2018
Cleveland Lineup
#Indians Lindor (S) SS Brantley (L) LF Ramirez (S) 3B Alonso (L) 1B Cabrera (S) RF Kipnis (L) 2B Gomes (R) C Allen (S) CF Clevinger (R) P https://t.co/Q1qiobeqlu
— MLB Daily Lineups (@DailyMLBLineups) August 13, 2018