Homer Bailey Out Of Rotation Tyler Mahle In

The Reds have removed former number one draft choice and author of two no-hitters out of their rotation

Homer Bailey will spend the rest of the season working on his fastball command in the bullpen but not out of the bullpen.  Tyler Mahle, who started the season in the rotation, will be inserted into the rotation after a one-month exile to Triple A Louisville.

Bailey, who was limited to 26 starts over the past three seasons, made 20 starts for the Reds in 2018.  The Reds lost 19 of those games with Bailey's record at 1-14 with a 6.09 ERA.

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The 14 losses are a career-high and the ERA is a full 1 1/2 runs per game higher than his previous high from 2009-2014 when he made at least 19 starts per season.  (4.53 in 2009).

Mahle has a 7-9 record in 23 starts with a 4.95 ERA.

Bailey has one year left on his six-year, $105 million extension in 2014.

It is clear that the Reds are looking toward Mahle for the future and from Bailey as the past.

Manager Jim Riggleman foreshadowed last week that if Mahle was recalled in September, he would be in the rotation and not sent to the bullpen, like Sal Romano and Robert Stephenson.

"If Tyler Mahle is brought back, he will be in the rotation,"  Riggleman said.  The Reds made good on that promise today.

“We want to get Tyler Mahle back in there, so Homer is the odd guy out," Riggleman said. "He’s going to work on things in the bullpen and check video. He’ll still be stretched out, so if one of the other guys falters or something happens, he’ll be ready to step back in. It just all came together.”

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The Reds talked to Bailey about moving to the bullpen earlier in the season but Bailey expressed publicly that, " I don't think I will be good at it."

This time the Reds make no pretense of Bailey pitching in relief.  He is going to work on his game under the supervision of  Danny Darwin and Ted Power in work on the side.

“It’s not so much he’s not willing to do it, but he just feels very strongly that the preparation he feels like he has to do means he will not be able to help the ballclub out of the bullpen. That kind of transition is something he’d had to prepare for in the off-season. Right now, he’s going to work on his mechanics and ways of improving himself any way he can. We don’t envision him pitching in games out of the bullpen," Riggleman said.

Bailey is frustrated but the feeling is not new.

“It was frustrating in April. It’s like normal now,” Bailey said.

He has a goals to achieve in his work on the side.

“I just want to use every day to sharpen up, primarily my fastball command. That used to be one of my strengths. All I can do is use every day to get better,”  Bailey said.

Riggleman acknowledged that Bailey has been the object of fans' frustration and has pointed out that the veteran hasn't been sharp but has not been as bad as the numbers.  He is still among one of the starters in the league that have the lowest run support.  At times the Reds' usually good defense have let him down in crucial moments.  That is not to say he has pitched well.

Bailey doesn't find credibility in fan or media criticism.

“Not really. I really don’t read stuff. I’ve always figured that if you believe what they say about you when you’re doing well, then you’re forced to believe what they say when you’re going bad. If the feedback is from your manager or pitching coach, that’s different,” Bailey said.

He has become accustomed to being left out of the rotation after years on the sidelines with assorted ailments and surgeries.

“Idle minds can be a dangerous thing," Bailey said. "I’ve had a lot of practice over the last few years.”

Mahle worked on a few aspects of  his game in Louisville, some of which were mechanical.

“He worked on his extension and releasing the ball further out in front – throwing the ball through the catcher and not just to the catcher,” Riggleman said.

Mahle put in his work in Louisville and now is eager to put that work into practice in September, a far different circumstance than he had last season in September.

“I just worked on everything – mainly breaking stuff and getting my command back to where it should be. I didn’t change anything. I just got back to what I was doing and trusting that the pitch was going to go where I wanted it to go and not aim at the glove. I didn’t make any mechanical adjustments," Mahle said. “Nobody wants to go to the minors, but it gives you a chance to work on stuff in games. You can’t do that up here where they’re expecting you to win. It’s nice to be back in September and be in the rotation.”