Matt’s Take: Waving the white flag on the Reds' season

By Matthew McAdow
HCP columnist

I hate to do this in June, but it’s time to wave the white flag. We’re going to be sellers at the trade deadline, as unfortunately, there is nothing a team can do to get over a bad bullpen.  

Even with Hunter and Elly returning soon, this team is done. The organization wasted too much time waiting to get Noelvi back, allowing Friedl to play, and have now fallen in love with Blake Dunn as an everyday player.  

Suarez isn’t producing, the bullpen is the worst in Reds' history, and we are one of the worst teams in the league hitting with runners in scoring position. The season is over, and I’ll predict now that this team never finds themselves 5 games over .500 again this year.  

I pray I am wrong, but this season feels like it’s over and the team doesn’t feel like they have what it takes to get over this massive slide. I hate to countdown to football already, but here we are.  

Focusing on the good

Noelvi Marte homered in 3 straight games and still appears that he can be a star in the big leagues.  Next year, maybe give him a longer leash.  

McLain has looked better as of recent and without him, I have no idea what we would be doing at SS and 2B.  

JJ Bleday should be an All-Star. He deserves your vote. What a signing.
 
Chase Burns and Hunter Greene together in a rotation soon will be absolute cinema.  

Nick Lodolo is pitching well enough that the Reds should trade him at the break if we’re out of the race.  

Ex-Reds catchup

Rece Hinds is batting .218 for the Jacksonville Jumbo Shrimp with 3 home runs.  

Christian Encarnacion-Strand is batting .308 with 13 home runs for the Norfolk Tides and will likely find himself back in the big leagues soon.  

Tyler Callihan is batting .348 for the Pirates with 2 home runs in 30 plate appearances. He has a .500 OBP in his small sample size, including a home run off of Ohtani. Cincinnati traded Callihan for Kyle Nicolas who has been DFA’d.  

Luke Weaver has a 2.40 ERA and is having a good season for the Mets.  

I still miss Raisel Iglesias and Aroldis Chapman – all these years later.  

Jake Fraley in 82 at-bats was hitting .232 before his hernia injury.  

Luis Castillo has the worst ERA he’s carried thus far, at 5.00.  He’s given up 8 runs in his last 3 outings combined.  

Imagine this

In 2007, the Reds had the best lineup I think the Reds have ever put out in my lifetime if all of these players were in their prime. It included Josh Hamilton, Alex Gonzalez, Ken Griffey Jr., Brandon Phillips, Adam Dunn, Edwin Encarnacion, Joey Votto, and others. If all of those players were in their prime, can you imagine the damage that team would’ve done? Oh, what could’ve been!