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Dateline: Cincinnati
The Reds have won four games in a row by scoring just 11 runs.
This time last year the Reds wasted good pitching and were shut out three times in the first seven games.
This year the Reds are scoring just enough to win and that scoring is minimal. This is spite of the team losing two of its top three starters, Hunter Greene and Nick Lodolo.
The Reds got two pitchers back from injury to fill the void. Rhett Lowder, lost all of 2025 due to injury. Brandon Williamson is returning after 15 months of rehab. Chase Burns spent some time on the injured list and had just 21 total starts in his first year in professional baseball, including eight at the Major League level.
While opening starter, Andrew Abbott, is continuing to stymie the oppostition, pitching six scoreless innings against the Boston Red Sox.
Lowder has allowed two runs in 11 innings over two starts. Burns won his first game with five scoreless innings against the Pittsburgh Pirates and posted a no-decision when Joc Pederson hit a solo home run in the Reds' 2-1 win in his last start. Williamson allowed six runs in his first start but pitched into the seventh inning against the Miami Marlins on Monday (040526). He allowed no runs on three hits.
Normally, this would allow the bullpen to rest but the lower run margins combined with a watchful eye on the returning starters led to the bullpen being used to nail down victories.
The Reds have had to back off the use of Tony Santillan, who worked in a career-high 80 games last season. The Reds had to back off the use of Emilio Pagan, who was pressed into service with the collapse of Alexis Diaz last season. He pitched in a career-high 70 games. The Reds needed to shy away from Pierce Johnson as well. Johnson pitched in five of the first seven games. Graham Ashcraft appeared in seven of the first nine.
The risk is to burn out the bullpen.
Fans don't want to hear this but if you go aggressively with your bullpen to win one game, you run the risk of losing three or four games down the line.
The Reds are playing .700 baseball because Derek Johnson and Terry Francona has successfully managed the bullpen, using Brock Burke, who earned his first save after 218 games, is critical situations along with Connor Phillips and holding in reserve, long man reliever, Jose Franco for extra innings insurance. Brock struck out the side in the series close against the Texas Rangers and struck out a key hitter with the tying run on base on Monday. It is four strikeouts in a row. That appearnce allowed an extra day off for Phillips and Ashcraft.
Add to the winning baseball, by playing errorless ball for 10 games and improving base running. In the last two games the winning run scored from Elly De La Cruz, taking and extra base on a what seamed to be a harmless single, then scoring on a single. Matt McLain advancing on a wild pitch that barely eluded the catcher and scoring on a ground single through the infield.
Yes the Reds have mixed in some timely home runs but small ball and attention to fundamentals in addition to wise use of the bullpen have led to the Reds' early success.
Francona's next win will give him possesion of 11th on the all time win list for managers. He tied Darrtown, Ohio native Walt Alston with 2,040 wins. Joe McCarthy is next on the list. If the Reds win 86 more games or 93 for the season, Francona will be in the top 10 along with Dusty Baker and Sparky Anderson.
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