Mariners Update: Give Them a Second Edition

 

A week ago the Mariners capped off their raucous deadline by landing two of the biggest pieces on the board and staking their claim on the AL West. They're currently 3 games behind the Astros, and considering the Astros lost a ton of games in Boston and the M's now have Naylor and Suarez, it's weird that it's not closer.

The reality is that both Josh Naylor and Eugenio Suarez have been a bit slower taking to Seattle than the team has liked. Naylor's hitting .211 over 10 games, Suarez is hitting .118 over 4. Suarez has yet to hit anything out. And at the same time, you'd think that Judge sitting for a week or so would give Cal Raleigh time to really heat up, but he's kind of slowed down. He's at 42 homers, which is still a lot but the rate has reduced. Besides, people are busy talking about Kyle Schwarber and his multi-homer games now. 

The monolith seems to have sputtered. Not entirely, as Julio Rodriguez recently notched his 20th homer, meaning he's started his career with 4 straight 20-homer seasons. And honestly, even if you haven't been hearing about it as much, Julio's season has been pretty strong. He's been in every game basically, has a 4.5 WAR, 59 RBIs and a team-leading 117 hits. Not overwhelmingly amazing like Raleigh, but for the star guy he's been pretty strong. Same with Randy Arozarena in his first full season in Seattle, he's got a 4.1 WAR, 22 homers and 55 RBIs. The core of this team, even with Naylor and Suarez still heating up, is still pretty impressive, and is enough to keep competitors on their toes.

You've also seen the once-haphazard rotation calm down tremendously, as the highest ERA, Logan Evans's, is 4.30. Luis Castillo's season is not as flashy as some of his peak years, but he's still held down some big games for this team. He's got a 3.22 ERA, an 8-6 record and 115 Ks. More than anything else, Castillo is reliable, and he's the heart of this still young rotation. Woo, Gilbert and Kirby have been great too, and there's a possibility Bryce Miller will be back for the stretch. I know this rotation won't be nearly as unbeatable as it was last year, but they're still 5 pitchers in their prime throwing great stuff. That alone puts them ahead of a lot of their contemporaries. 

I'm still very confident the Mariners can make a run with this team. The Astros are slowing down, the Rangers are slowing down, the field's opening up for them. And there really is enough energy to go around this year, rather than being confined to just one aspect of the team. Hopefully that gets them somewhere.

Coming Tomorrow- Every year since this guy left, the Red Sox have seen their main option at shortstop get injured. He must love that. 

Like a Stone

 

For the first 7 or so weeks of the season, the Mariners' rotation was one of the best in baseball. Bryce Miller, Logan Gilbert, Luis Castillo, George Kirby and Emerson Hancock were all really solid options that went deep into games and held runs down. And the weird thing is, after that, Bryan Woo came off the IL, Hancock was sent down...and now the rotation is BETTER. So, like...the opposite of the Phillies after activating Taijuan Walker.

This is why the Mariners are in first. Not only do they have five really damned good starters taking the mound every night, but they have a closing pitcher who nobody can hit. Andres Munoz has a 1.42 ERA and 12 saves. So that's like...6 or 7 innings per game where you're absolutely screwed. Except if the Mariners outscore you by a ton, which doesn't happen terribly often but now that Julio's hot it's been happening more frequently. 

I think when the Mariners extended Luis Castillo they expected him to continue to be the centerpiece of the rotation, and...I dunno, I feel like this season's telling people he doesn't have to be. He's still been very good, he's got a 2.99 ERA and 81 Ks in 78 innings, but I feel like Logan Gilbert is still the staff ace. He's got the 1.004 WHIP, he doesn't give up home runs, he's the showier full-on starter. And yes, Castillo's still absolutely killing it, but it doesn't feel like the Reds days where he's trying to do so much of the work. He can have great starts and rest assured that someone's gonna bring it the following day. And even George Kirby, who has a 4.08 ERA, still has a 1.024 WHIP. 

It's also helped that Bryan Woo has been nothing short of incredible since being activated. In 5 games he's 2-0 with a 1.30 ERA and a 0.578 WHIP, and he's doing this with only 18 strikeouts. He's not overthrowing or going for full velocity, he's just being very controlled and not letting his pitches anywhere a guy can hit them. And with so many of these guys throwing smoke, it's a welcome addition to the fold. 

The Mariners are still squarely in first place, and all while the Astros begin to bobble back towards the middle. So the Ms have to feel pretty good about themselves. They're also beginning to see production from Ryan Bliss, who's got a great rookie story, and have Dylan Moore going crazy at the plate. The one thing they need to be careful about is the sudden rebound of the Rangers, now that they have some of their pitching back, but hopefully this team can hold on with the strength of the rotation.

Coming Tonight: A guy who 'human numbers' still mean a .300 average and a bazillion contact hits.

A Crack in La Piedra

 

Yesterday was a rare occasion this season where an opposing offense got to Luis Castillo.

The last few years I've had issues with Castillo's high ERAs, despite breathtaking mechanics. Even in 2019, which was his 15-8, 226 K season, he still had a 3.40 ERA, which would later balloon to a 3.98 ERA in 2021, a season where he lost 16 games. Castillo has always been a very good pitcher, and the kind of ace that one would want on their side, but he'd always skirted the line between good and great far too many times for me. Last season, though, was definitely an improvement, and the Mariners got some excellent stuff from him during the back half.

This year, though, Castillo has been the Mariners' best pitcher, and despite Logan Gilbert, Robbie Ray and George Kirby being on this team, it hasn't exactly been close. Castillo's ERA is now a 2.70 after allowing 3 runs to the heart of the Rangers' lineup yesterday, but even then he's still coming away with prime career numbers, including 52 Ks, a 0.99 WHIP and a winning record. This is his age 30 season, and while most pundits thought that it was an excellent idea for the Mariners to lock Castillo up for the foreseeable future, there was some doubt that the pitcher, like Johnny Cueto and Mike Leake before him, wouldn't exactly be the same after leaving Cincinnati. So far, that couldn't be further from the truth, and the fans in Seattle have rallied around La Piedra sufficiently.

The Ms themselves, by no fault of their own, have been a bit disappointing to start the year. Again, not having Robbie Ray, and having to start rookies every 5 days, can do that, but thankfully these rookies have been people like Easton McGee, injury aside, and Bryce Miller, who's been incredible through 3 starts. And while both Logan Gilbert and Marco Gonzales have struggled more than they've thrived this year, George Kirby has not only proved himself as an innings eater but a strong force, with a 2.62 ERA and 35 Ks in 7 starts. 

I do think that a large portion of the lineup, including Kolten Wong, Teoscar Hernandez, Eugenio Suarez and A.J. Pollock, have held the team back a bit, even if France, Kelenic, Julio and Crawford have done well. It's honestly as simple as the fact that the Mariners are playing more okay than well right now, and for teams like the Angels, Rangers and Astros, 'okay' is easier to beat than more consistently great. And that's why the Mariners are below .500 and in fourth.

I'd love for this to turn around, especially considering what was set up last year, but it is gonna take a lot of pieces to jump-start instantaneously, which doesn't happen often. For now, I'll just hope the pitching stays this strong, and that Castillo stays this sharp.

Coming Tonight: An extremely young shortstop that only really took a year to catch fire in the majors.

Sea What I Mean?

 

Folks...the Seattle Mariners have the third-highest record in the AL.

Yes, higher than so many teams that were supposed to compete this year, like the Blue Jays, White Sox, Red Sox, Rays and Angels. Yes, higher than anyone in the AL Central. The only teams higher than them are the Astros, who they always seem to struggle with, and the Yankees, who they've had no trouble with recently. 

...the Mariners are doing this. I LOVE that the Mariners are so good. This is what we've all been waiting years for. And in August, especially the last few years, the Mariners have consistently looked like a competitive team with a chance of breaking their 21-year playoff drought.

But. The one thing that usually seems to thwart them is September. And I worry that this could be the case again this year. Remember, unlike the NL, the AL wild card race is wide open. Thanks to a return to winning in Boston, all four non-1st AL East teams are competing for the wild card spot, as are the Guardians and White Sox. There's a lot that can change in this picture in a month in a half. And while the Mariners are leading the wild card race now, they've also come off of series' against the Rangers and Angels, and are headed towards series' against the A's and Nats. In fact, their schedule for September looks pretty cool too, although it starts with series against both AL and NL Wild Card competitors.

And, really, the Mariners are just in a really good place right now. They picked wisely in getting Luis Castillo from Cincinnati, he's got a 2.18 ERA and 24 Ks in 3 starts. They also just got Mitch Haniger back from the IL, and he's been the surging sure thing that Kyle Lewis should have been. France, Crawford, Julio and Suarez are all still playing really well. The rotation is strong. Paul Sewald is owning the ninth. Sam Haggerty of all people is doing well in right. So much is working and right now just seems like a great time for this team. 

And I just...want this team to stay this good, and keep fighting, and make a feel-good story last as long as possible. But I know baseball doesn't work like that, and I'm so afraid of losing a great story like this in order to get another Astros pennant win. So I want them to build on this and go the distance. It sounds insane. But they're the third-best team in the AL right now, and if that's not insane enough, it has got to get crazier from there.

Coming Tomorrow- He got out of Arlington before they started tanking. He got out of Chicago before the mass exodus. I really hope he won't have to jump ship from San Diego anytime soon. 

Top 10 Trade Deadline Deals of 2022

 Alright. Prolonged it enough. Built it up enough. Delayed it with National posts. But here, as per usual, is my personal list of the Top 10 Trade Deadline deals this year. I am judging this on how much it affects a team's playoff chances as well as future outlook, and I am keeping in mind star power as well as how much a team gave up to make this.

Here we go, right in with #10:

#10: David Peralta to the Rays, prospects to the Diamondbacks

This was a move a lot of D-Backs fans had figured was coming, and an interesting move as, in a deadline year where the Rays have given up Brett Phillips and had attempted to give up Ji-Man Choi, the Rays still end up as buyers. Peralta is not at his peak anymore, but he's a solid outfield bat, and he can provide star power for a depleted, falling Rays team. I'm not sure if the Rays will make as great of an impact on the postseason as they usually do, but competing with someone like Peralta will definitely give them a slight advantage. 

#9- Tyler Mahle to the Twins, prospects to the Reds

As much as it pains me to see the Reds unload the rest of the talent that made their teams so fun at the end of the last decade, this is at least a useful move because it reunites Mahle with Sonny Gray, and it adds him to a burgeoning rotation that could use some consistent innings eaters. Mahle will be a heck of a talent playing for a true competitor, and might have the best mileage of any of these pitching additions, even a teammate of his. 

#8- Trey Mancini to Houston, Jose Siri to Tampa, prospects to Baltimore

One of the first real blockbusters of the deadline. People had a feeling Mancini would be leaving the O's, as it's the kind of move they can make without compromising the core they've been building this year. Mancini is still a great hitter and can be a massive upgrade at 1st from Yuli Gurriel, giving them yet another upgrade in a monolithic year for the Astros. Meanwhile, Jose Siri is the kind of roster addition in Tampa that could yield outrageous dividends sooner or later. I equate him to somebody like Randy Arozarena, Isaac Paredes or Tyler Glasnow, where they weren't much in their initial farm system but once they got to Tampa, they figured it out and in a big way. Siri is gonna be huge for the Rays very soon, and I think he'll be the big name in this deal contemporarily. 

#7- Andrew Benintendi to the Yankees, prospects to the Royals

Yes, only #7. While this is a great deal that provides an outfield upgrade for the Yankees to people like Joey Gallo, Aaron Hicks and Giancarlo Stanton, as well as bringing a surefire contact hitter like Benny to the Bronx...a couple things have pushed this down. 1, the Yankees have made better moves this deadline. 2, the Yankees also got a major defensive upgrade in Harrison Bader thanks to a deal I will be talking about in another post, and 3, Benny hasn't figured out hitting in Yankee Stadium in his first few games there. I hope it's not like a Joey Gallo thing where the pressure's too much, and I honestly doubt it will be, but it's brought this one down a bit. Still, great move, and one that solves a lot of problems for the Yankees.

#6: Christian Vazquez to the Astros, prospects to the Red Sox. 

I had said somewhere that the only thing keeping the Astros from an essential waltz to the ALCS was a better catcher than Martin Maldonado. WELL...THEY'VE GOT ONE NOW. Vazquez was having another nice season for the Sox, now that he's in Houston he plugs in nicely. I don't think this team has many holes anymore, and it unsettles me. The Astros could very well win the whole thing this year, and Vazquez is more reassurance at backstop than they've had in a while. Excellent move, even at #6.

#5- Noah Syndergaard to the Phillies, Mickey Moniak and prospects to the Angels

Well...I CERTAINLY LOVE THIS MOVE. No offense meant towards people like Kyle Gibson and Ranger Suarez, but the back half of the Phillies rotation has a lot of very dull innings eaters without a lot of fun upsides. We NEEDED a guy like Thor. First of all, hooray, reunited with Wheeler. Second of all, while he's been a strikeout artist for years, those injuries have mellowed him into a more controlling, thoughtful pitcher, and he's had a nice start for the Angels. And thirdly...guys, Noah Syndergaard gets to pitch for one of my teams. As if I needed another excuse to love this guy. Yes, there's the issue of injuries, and Thor has had a ton over the years, which is why this is lower than some other pitching moves, but...on paper this is great. Thor on the Phils. Really helps our postseason chances.

#4- Frankie Montas and Lou Trivino to the Yankees, J.P. Sears and prospects to the Athletics.

Well...this was the Yankees big pitching move this year. I think it's really good. Montas, while never the standout of the A's rotation, has always been a nasty little strikeout guy for them, and has had some big games even this season. Trivino, while he's struggled recently, has had masterful control as a bullpen asset there. And even if we lose a starting option like J.P. Sears, especially in the wake of losing ANOTHER STARTING OPTION BRIAN, Montas is not only an innings eater, he's an impressing starting asset that gives us another leg up in terms of our rotation. Cole, Montas, Cortes and Taillon are all looking good, even if that fifth spot still worries me [THANKS AGAIN BRIAN]. 

#3- Josh Hader to the Padres, Taylor Rogers, Dinelson Lamet et al to the Brewers

This was my biggest shock of the deadline. Yes, contracts are contracts, but HADER getting dealt, as one of the best closers in the game right now, is huge. Especially considering that this is a deal between two competitors, and they're honestly helping each other. I have a whole post prepared tomorrow involving these kinds of 'you scratch my back' deals, and why they baffle me, but this one I can kind of see the benefits of. Rogers is still a great closer for the Brewers, and he can still help them compete. Hader, meanwhile, is pretty much a rental for the Padres, but he helps them become even more ironclad in the ninth, and adds to the 'all-star team' mentality San Diego is going with for this run. Probably has the most immediate ramifications of any of these deals, and it's still pretty impressive.

#2- Luis Castillo to the Mariners, prospects to the Reds

Initially you look at this deal and it's not very big. Okay, the Mariners get a solid innings-eater like Castillo, big whoop. Well...then you start to think about it. The Mariners got the #1 arm on the board this deadline. They got one of the top arms on the board in the offseason as well, Robbie Ray. So now their rotation is Ray, Logan Gilbert, Castillo, Chris Flexen and Marco Gonzales, with the occasional assist by George Kirby. That is...that is outstanding. Even if this team has had trouble with Houston and now is fighting New York tooth and nail, Luis Castillo puts them over the edge from novelty streaker into the main lexicon of competitors. Luis Castillo could be the Mariners' way of breaking the 21 year playoff drought. And I think he's the exact right guy for this team. 

In a normal year, that'd be a ballsy yet respectable pick for #1, completely changes a team's gameplan and makes for a new favorite in the wild card race. 

This, however, is not a normal year.

#1- Juan Soto and Josh Bell to the Padres, Luke Voit, Mackenzie Gore and C.J. Abrams, along with some prospects, to the Nationals. 

Well...crap. A.J. Prefer just broke the deadline, guys. Let's be clear, we knew Soto would be changing hands, the team and him weren't on great terms, you could see it. We had a feeling Josh Bell would be leaving too considering his season. But...not like this. Oh my gosh. Putting not only Soto but BELL in the same lineup as Manny Machado, Jake Cronenworth, Trent Grisham and eventually Fernando Tatis Jr....uh...yeah, that's gonna be hard for anybody to beat. In terms of the return, the Nats did pretty well too, getting a power-hitting 1B/DH in the wake of Zim's departure, a starting phenom in Gore that I'm surprised the Padres parted with, and a shortstop that wasn't getting any playing time in SD anyway. The Nats now have Abrams, Gore, Josiah Gray, Keibert Ruiz, Lane Thomas, and all these new prospects chilling in the minors. Don't be shocked if they take off in a couple years. For now, the Padres won this deadline, and they got the biggest piece on the board. Get ready for what they're about to do in the NL.

Tomorrow, we're gonna talk about some of these that didn't make much sense.

Two Reds Are Better Than None

 

Does it feel like more than a coincidence to anyone else that once the Reds activated Luis Castillo and Mike Minor, and once Tyler Mahle found his control, the Reds caught up to Chicago? Doesn't it track that the moment you add actual established pitchers to the Reds' rotation, they'll actually win a few more games?

I'm not saying that this is where the Reds start their 2022 Championship story or anything. Mike Minor still has a high ERA, which I kind of figured at this point in his career. But having Castillo and Mahle playing well definitely evens the playing field a bit. Castillo has a 3.33 ERA and a 1.087 WHIP, and Mahle still has a 4ish ERA but has 86 strikeouts, which is huge. I'll at least say that, between Tyler Mahle and Hunter Greene, there's no shortage of strikeout artists in Cincinnati, and those two can definitely keep batters down, even if they give up too many runs either way. 

At the same time, Graham Ashcraft is off to an awesome start, going 3-0 with a 2.22 ERA in his first 5 MLB starts. Ashcraft comes in the wake of Nick Lodolo and Connor Overton getting injured, and both of those guys, especially Overton, were doing well coming into the leagues. So...just imagine getting Overton, Lodolo, Ashcraft, Castillo, Greene and Mahle all healthy. And, like, good. Then people won't go on about the Reds' pitching woes. Then it'll be 'when's the lineup gonna catch up?'

I will say that the Reds are looking a bit more polished now that Jonathan India's back from the IL, but without Tyler Stephenson they have to have Aramis Garcia start games at catcher, which...yeah, bet you wish you hadn't have traded Tucker Barnhart now, right? With all the pitching developments, it just illuminates that the only hitters who are really doing anything right now are people like Kyle Farmer, Brandon Drury and Matt Reynolds, and that's not a team I'd trust to really do anything. All these great players, Joey Votto, Mike Moustakas, doing NOTHING. It's gotta be awful for Reds fans to watch, because they had a shot not too long ago. 

What I do see happening is the rotation unifying even more, and once Castillo, and possibly Mahle, gets traded, we can actually see this youth, with more experience under their belt, dominate. And that'll really be something.

Coming Tonight- A hard-hitting outfielder who acts as one of the few lifelines the A's have left.

Redlegs and Hot Arms

 

The Cincinnati Reds' rotation, even counting sixth member Jeff Hoffman, is altogether worth 20 WAR. Wade Miley, Sonny Gray, Tyler Mahle, Luis Castillo and Vladimir Gutierrez are all worth upwards of 2.9 WAR, and the total of 20 WAR outdoes the Brewers' rotation [14.1], the White Sox' rotation [15.2], and the Dodgers' rotation [15.6].

Yes, the Reds, of all teams, are doing this. That one team you figured would kind of limp through and circle .500, make noise occasionally. Yeah, they have the best rotation in baseball. And it's pretty much the exact opposite order from what was predicted. Luis Castillo, who came into the season as the supposed ace, yeah he's got a 4 ERA and 13 losses. Wade Miley, who limped through 2020, yeah he's the staff ace, has a no-no under his belt and has a 10-4 record, a 2.88 ERA, and his best season to date. Sonny Gray and Tyler Mahle, they're both sharp with some great recent starts. And some kid you'd never heard of, Vladimir Gutierrez, he's 9-4 with a 3.68 ERA over 16 starts. The whole unit is working, even if you would think it wouldn't.

It's also very helpful that little specks of this team are just randomly hot. Not even the big pieces like Castellanos, Winker and Votto, but...Kyle Farmer and Tyler Naquin. Naquin's been crazy lately, just as he was in April. Even Max Schrock has been hitting. There's still definite issues with this team, including people like Eugenio Suarez and Shogo Akiyama, but when Castellanos, Winker, India and Stephenson are league-caliber and gunning for the playoffs, it's palpable.

Right now the Reds are edging out the Padres in the standings, which is pretty huge considering how highly-touted they were. They also have a better record than the entirety of the NL East, and are two games ahead of San Diego. They are unfortunately 8.5 games behind the Brewers, which is, unless there's a big shift, pretty much an assurance that the Reds will have to go in through the wild card spot...which also means they may have to play the Dodgers, which will be extremely difficult. If they put up someone like Gray or Mahle, they could be in good shape, even if the Dodgers start Scherzer or Buehler.

I'm honestly just happy the Reds are doing this well this year. Keep it going!

Coming Tonight: In the absence of Liam Hendriks, the former A's set up man takes the ninth.

Wild Card Series' Day 3: Wrap-Ups and Intrigue

The Braves beating the Reds was an outcome I had predicted, but not so mercilessly.

This was a series of two pitching battles, with great work from Trevor Bauer, Luis Castillo, Max Fried and Luis Castillo, and while the Reds had the better starters arguably, the Braves did what the Reds couldn't- they had their offense show up. And this time, it came in the form of Adam Duvall, Marcell Ozuna and Ronald Acuna. Three members of this team's core. And it proved that the Braves are a playoff team, and are ready for just about anything.

They play the winner of the Cubs-Marlins matchup which won't be decided until tomorrow or Saturday. I think they're gonna be very tough to beat.

As for the Reds...this was a fun playoff team, and a great team as usual to root for, but...in a playoff scenario with a lot of teams better than them, this was sadly bound to happen.

I love this team, I love Castillo and Bauer, and I love the youth slowly being ingratiated into the core of the team, and I really hope they can improve for 2021, because...it's much more fun when they're competitive. 

In a series where literally whichever team won would be rooted for in a series against Houston, a surprisingly sharp Oakland team tied it in Game 2 and won Game 3 against a hydra-esque White Sox team, ensuring that no AL Central teams would make it to the next rung of the playoffs, which is kind of heartbreaking considering how tough that division looked this year.

Olson, Pinder and Canha, the usual suspects, pulled off a nice win over the Sox, and ensured a date with the Astros for the ALDS. I...really...REALLY hope the A's can beat Houston. It would make my day. Hell, maybe they can head to a World Series as well. 

The White Sox should not be ashamed of their season, they made it further than most people thought, and despite a drop from 1st in August, they hit their way into the playoffs with a phenomenal lineup. They just didn't have as much going for them as Oakland, even with Jimenez surging. I'll be hoping for an improvement next year, perhaps with a stronger bullpen.

Just when I was fearing an early exit from these guys, the Padres' bats woke up, Myers, Machado and Tatis beat down on the Cardinals' bullpen, and the series was tied. Even if the Padres are running out of suitable starters, I'm still hoping they sneak a win out of the Cardinals. Yes, this means they'll have to play the Dodgers [or the Brewers but probably the Dodgers], but it's a better outcome than the Cardinals winning yet another playoff series.

All of y'all saying Kershaw's a bad postseason pitcher can shut up now. Clayton Kershaw absolutely owned the Milwaukee Brewers, shutting them out in 8 innings with 13 strikeouts and only 3 hits, then left it to Brusdar Graterol to close it out. Yes, Austin Barnes and Mookie Betts helped, but this was Kershaw's game to own, and he cemented more of his own legend. 

The Dodgers will play either the Cardinals or Padres. Either way, a great series to be had.

As for the Brewers, the team that snuck into the playoffs and then had to face the biggest, baddest team of them all...they did what they could. But they really didn't have it this year, and I think they knew it. Next year, with Lorenzo Cain back and a full-capacity Yelich, maybe they'll top this performance. I hope they do.

Tomorrow, hopefully we put a cap on at least one more series. And then we ease our way into Division Series' and make this one even more real. 

Out of Their Reds

(Music Pun Streak #14. I feel like I'm doing a lot of classy 70s rock lately with these titles, and I think I like that?)

Alright, I did some classy stat-twisting with last night's post, so here comes some more. Spoiler: the Reds are the exact opposite of the Tigers.

Of the Reds' 12 wins so far, SIX of them have been blowouts, and three of those have yielded offensive production of five runs or more. Their biggest win was by 14 points, their biggest loss was letting the Cardinals score nine points off of them.

The Reds are capable of winning big games this year. Only problem is that the games they lose, and there's a lot of them, are close. And it's not really Raisel Iglesias' fault (he only has one blown save thus far). And other than Zach Duke and Jared Hughes, it's not worth it to blame the rest of the bullpen either. It's honestly a matter of letting pesky runs go by. Case in point: Sonny Gray has a 3.64 ERA and 36 strikeouts...and has yet to win again. He hasn't given up many earned runs, only 12.

It's just the problem that the few runs they do give up cost them in the end, because the Reds' offense isn't great at reciprocating to a great degree. Scott Schebler, Yasiel Puig and Jose Peraza have averages floating around .200 (and Tucker Barnhart isn't doing much better). There are some decent bats coming from the bench, like Derek Dietrich, Curt Casali and Jesse Winker, but they're only good for clutch moments. The only member of the lineup with an average higher than .250 is Jose Iglesias and his .297 average. And you know something's up when Joey Votto is hitting .233

I mean, if it wasn't Luis Castillo and his blazing fastball, the Reds would be kind of screwed right now. But at least this team has a steady ace that can drive them a bit further, regardless of their spotty lineup.

I feel like it's going to get better for the Reds, but at the very least they're still a fun team.

Coming Tonight: Well, it finally happened. The Astros have lapped the Mariners atop the AL West. Now what?

Uncustomed Heroes of 2018: Reds

 Boy, these guys have been having a very Merry Christmas, eh?

Between nabbing Tanner Roark, letting go of Homer Bailey, and netting Matt Kemp, Alex Wood and Yasiel Puig...the Reds are making a go at 2019, and making things in the NL Central even more competitive. They're one or two starters away from a full fledged run, which is a nice thing to say about such a fun, breezy team like the Reds.

Yes, they spent most of 2018 in last place, but...as I witnessed during a game against Colorado, it's a fun last place, and there are several fantastic, bootable players on that roster. Tucker Barnhart, who only came in as a pinch hitter, is a fantastic defensive catcher with a few trusty offensive tools. In a season where catching was many teams' weak point, he was solid in the face of chaos. His backup, Curt Casali, was pretty good too.

 Once again, the pitching was a mess, but Luis Castillo did fairly alright behind Tyler Mahle, starting a staff-high 31 games, notching 165 strikeouts and improving to a 4.30 ERA. Not bad, but for a staff ace he's...lacking in a few basic qualities.

 The Reds had two choices in terms of outfield bench bat. Their primary choice, Jesse Winker, had a fantastic season before succumbing to an injury halfway through. Winker had 43 RBIs in 89 games, and walked-off in the one I went to.

 After Winker's DL stint arose, the Reds relied on Phil Ervin, who was a bit speedier of an option, and  while a bit less potent, still had enough power to help in late innings.

 The bullpen specialist of the year was undoubtedly Jared Hughes, who went from a journeyman middle relief experiment for multiple teams to a guy with a 1.53 ERA, and a popular choice for holds, with 23 finishes and 7 saves. For a guy backing up Raisel Iglesias, not too bad.

Arguably the most shocking bench bat came from Mason Williams, the former Yankee farmhand that FINALLY got some consistent time in the majors. He batted .293 in 51 games, with 36 hits.

Coming Tomorrow- Nothing, since it's Christmas. But the day after, expect some talk about a Wild Card sleeper that became a formidable playoff piece.

Uncustomed Heroes of 2017: Reds

The least you can say about the 2017 Cincinnati Reds is that they were trying. The wheels were turning. The farm system was beginning to unleash some impressive people. The trouble, of course, was the pitching- the good pitchers got injured, leading to some less-than-perfect performances on the mound.

At the plate, the Reds were fine- Jose Peraza was the starter at 2nd on the year, eventually switching off with Scooter Gennett. He did...a good enough job.

Luis Castillo was one of the few pitching rookies that went well for the Reds, as he had some nice starts and a good number of strikeouts before some DL time shortened his season.

Jesse Winker also made the most of his call-up, hitting really well, and making a case for a starting position in 2017 after a gestating Billy Hamilton trade, before himself getting injured.

Raisel Iglesias continues to be a fixture in the ninth, still holding his own as the team closer after being deemed too wild for the rotation (sound like a former Reds closer we know?). He'll probably be  back at it in 2018, albeit hopefully with a stronger bullpen around him.

I already made one of this guy for 2017, but from the season he had, and from the leadership he's given this team, he deserved another one. Joey Votto came so close to getting his 2nd MVP, and could definitely snag another one soon. I'm not sure how long he's got left in Cincinnati, but hopefully they'll keep him around til the end.

Speaking of the end...

This guy, a Reds' hero for near half a decade, finally hung up his spikes after around two decades of service, and a few seasons of injuries. He had some nice starts in Cincinnati, after it looked like he was one of the few healthy options for him, but his age caught up to him, giving his finishing year a bloated ERA and another injury-laden stretch. He'll still be remembered fondly by Reds fans.

Coming Tomorrow- Nothing, as it's Christmas, but Uncustomed Heroes will be back on Tuesday with a team that got so dangerous that they nearly snuck into the playoffs.