8 Reds in a Duffel Bag

 

I do kind of feel bad for Tyler Stephenson. Last year he was having a fantastic year, but he was a backup catcher stuck behind Tucker Barnhart without a DH outlet to play everyday. Now he's finally got the catching starting position, a prime spot on the team...and, of course, it's the 'the Reds suck this year' year. Poor guy.

And yes, Stephenson is having a decent go of things, hitting .286 with 24 RBIs, but...as one of the only preexisting Reds stars still healthy, he's still not entirely to the point where he can be leading the team. Right now Brandon Drury is leading the team in home runs and Kyle Farmer is leading the team in RBIs. You also have people like Matt Reynolds, Albert Almora and Tommy Pham playing big roles in this team where actual Reds stars like Mike Moustakas, Nick Senzel and Joey Votto aren't doing much at all. 

What I'm at least happy about with the pitching is that things are beginning to come around. What's very funny about this team is the failed hydra effort this team has been putting in with the rotation. Call up Nick Lodolo, he gets hurt, then call up Connor Overton, he gets hurt, then call up Graham Ashcraft, who is...not currently hurt, but give him time. And having Luis Castillo and Mike Minor provide some degree of structure is just better than throwing 5 rookies out there and saying 'have at it!'. Gutierrez is still struggling, Mahle's having a weak year, and while Hunter Greene does have 62 strikeouts, it's not coming without a barrage of given-up home runs.

We talked a lot about the diminished emphasis on tanking that MLB has now taken, and while I'm thankful that there's still more, at the very least, competitive teams, we still have the Reds and the A's who've been left to die and can't really get out of it. Why are people coming to Reds games? Cause they're cheap, Joey Votto's still playing, and maybe a good team will come to town. This is literally where they were 4 years ago when I saw them at home, and I hate that we've cycled back so quickly. 

I hope things improve slightly, and that the uptick in wins from the last half of May continues, but...there's really not much that's good here at all.

Coming Tonight: A pitcher I figured would never be healthy again, who's now one of the best players in Oakland.