Reds Rookie Pitchers Reason To Look Past Record

 

 

 

The Reds are starting the third rookie starting pitcher in a row against the New York Mets.

Graham Ashcraft is following Hunter Greene and Nick Lodolo against the National League East leaders.

Every day Mets manager Buck Showalter has been asked what he new about the Reds starters.

"This is another guy with a big arm," Showalter said of Ashcraft. "He's 98 to 100 too.  He's a big kid with a big arm, very similar to what we saw last night (Lodolo).  You look at his pitching logs, he's had some really big outings already.  They have some really good young pitching. It bodes well for their future."

Lodolo shut down the Mets on Tuesday with 4 2/3 scoreless innings.  It was his first start since coming back from a tight back.

Greene has had trouble with some home runs, allowing 22 of them to lead baseball but he is also positioned to strikeout 200 batters this season, not to mention some low hit games mixed in among a few clunkers.

"He (Lodolo) has stuff, man. He's a lefty with a cross fire in the mid 90's.  He has a wipeout slider and a little bit of deception with his delivery.  That's tough.  When he starts throwing a little bit more strikes, you're going to see him go deeper into games," Tommy Pham said.  

"I've already said this," Pham continued.  "People will laugh at me. People may laugh at me but I've seen the Cubs in '14 go from last in the division to the very next year, the postseason.  Just by player development and adding a player or two.  This is a really good team that's close.  People will laugh at it but I'm a baseball guy.  I know the game.  I understand the game and I know talent.  I have a doctorate in baseball.  I didn't go to school for it but you look at Lodolo, Ashcraft, Greene, we have T (Tyler Mahle) and Castillo.  Castillo i'm like 1 for 13, 15 off him.  I don't hit him.  He's tough.  We get TJ (Antone), we get Sims, Tony (Santillan), you get (Alexis) Diaz, you have a top notch pitching staff."

"Tyler (Stephenson) is one of the best catchers in the game, defensively, offensively.  You can build with them.  You build with India.  You add a piece of or two and you're more than competitive."