Today’s the day. It’s the day the Cincinnati Reds (76-81) determine if they have a chance at taking back the Ohio Cup from the Cleveland Guardians (90-67) for the first time since 2014. The two teams split the two-game series in Cincinnati earlier this season. If the Reds want to take the Cup back, they will have to win both games, as the past winner retains the title if the season series ends in a tie.
First pitch is at 6:40 PM EDT.
Lineups
Cincinnati Reds
|
Cleveland Guardians |
| 2B Jonathan India | LF Angel Martínez |
| SS Elly De La Cruz | DH Kyle Manzardo |
| C Tyler Stephenson | 3B José Ramírez |
| LF Spencer Steer | 1B Josh Naylor |
| CF TJ Friedl | CF Lane Thomas |
| 1B Ty France | 2B Andrés Giménez |
| RF Jake Fraley | RF Will Brennan |
| 3B Santiago Espinal | C Bo Naylor |
| DH Noelvi Marte | SS Brayan Rocchio |
José Ramírez has two home runs and five RBI in 36 at-bats off Reds starting pitcher Jakob Junis.
Starting Pitchers
Carson Spiers
A pitching change on the day of the game means that today it will be Carson Spiers on the mound instead of Jakob Junis, who is now expected to start tomorrow. Spiers is getting his first start since August 20th after pitching in a long relief role over the last month.
The splits against Spiers are big, but both righties and lefties hit him well. Righties hit for a high average and a solid amount of power. Left-handed hitters hit for a very high average and a bunch of power. Neither group walks much against him. His home and road splits are huge. On the road his ERA is 7.41 (4.10 at home) and opponents have a 1.005 OPS against him (.789 at home).
Splits
| Split | PA | H | 2B | 3B | HR | BB | K | AVG | OBP | SLG |
| RHH | 200 | 52 | 9 | 0 | 9 | 12 | 43 | .281 | .335 | .476 |
| LHH | 192 | 55 | 15 | 3 | 9 | 13 | 35 | .313 | .365 | .585 |
Pitch Usage
| Slider | 2-Seam | 4-Seam | Change | Cutter | |
| Velo | 83.0 | 91.9 | 92.5 | 86.5 | 88.2 |
| Usage | 46% | 37% | 9% | 8% | 0.2% |
Tanner Bibee
In his sophomore season, 25-year-old right-hander Tanner Bibee has turned in another solid season. In 166.2 innings (30 starts), Bibee has a 3.56 ERA with only 22 home runs allowed. His ERA is slightly up from his rookie season when he pitched to a 2.98 ERA, but he’s also started five more games and pitched 24.2 more innings than a year ago. Perhaps what has been most impressive about Bibee has been his strikeout totals. He is eighth in the American League with 180 strikeouts. He likely won’t get to 200 this season (unless the Reds have a really bad night tonight), but coming within 20 of that mark in just his second year is notable.
Bibee has been dominant against right-handed batters this season, with an opponent batting average below .200. He has faced a lot more left-handed batters, and they are hitting over .260 against him with 14 home runs.
Splits
| Split | PA | H | 2B | 3B | HR | BB% | K% | AVG | OBP | SLG |
| RHH | 299 | 53 | 14 | 2 | 8 | 5% | 27% | .193 | .242 | .346 |
| LHH | 385 | 93 | 24 | 2 | 14 | 7% | 26% | .264 | .320 | .462 |
Pitch Usage
| 4-Seam | Slider | Change | Curve | |
| Velo | 94.6 | 86.2 | 82.5 | 81.3 |
| Usage | 44% | 28% | 18% | 11% |
Game Details:
- Time: 6:40 PM EDT
- Place: Progressive Field, Cleveland, Ohio
- Weather: 74 degrees, thunderstorms, 67% chance of rain
- TV: Bally Sports Ohio
- Radio: 700 WLW
News and Notes
Another Day, Another Injury
Minor League News
ICYMI
If you haven’t been on the Internet this week, David Bell was fired as manager of the Reds. Redleg Nation had you covered with all the news, including Nick Krall’s comments in his press conference yesterday morning.
