Cincinnati Reds vs. Miami Marlins – August 3, 2022

Graham Ashcraft crushed it with his performance last night as the Reds won a pitcher’s duel 2-1 to take the series win. Tonight the Reds (42-61) go for the series sweep against the Miami Marlins (47-57). The Reds are on a roll right now, having won four in a row and 14 of their last 21 games. Since that dreaded 3-22 start, the Reds come into tonight’s game with an even 39-39 record.

Details:

• Time: 6:40 p.m. ET
• Place: loanDepot Park, Miami, FL
• TV: Bally Sports Ohio; MLB.tv (out-of-market)
• Radio: 700 WLW

Lineups

Mike Moustakas and Aristides Aquino both have homered off Marlins starting pitcher Sandy Alcantara.

Starting Pitchers

REDS

Any way you slice it, Mike Minor is not having a good season. He’s 1-7 with a 6.31 ERA/6.74 FIP. His expected FIP isn’t much better at 5.34. In only 51.1 innings, Minor has given up 36 runs, 15 of which have been home runs, and has walked 22 batters. His strikeout rate is one of the lowest of his career at 18.9%, and his walk rate is the worst of his career at 9.2%.

One reason for his struggles, aside from the fact that he’s just getting older, may be that his velocity is down. His fastball velocity is down to 90.3 mph, which is about two miles per hour slower than even just three years ago when he pitched for the Texas Rangers. His velocity on both his change up and slider are also down, but his curve ball velocity has seen the biggest decrease, going from 80.6 mph last year to just 78.6 mph this year. This velocity shift has probably also led to his fly ball percentage being up to 50.3%, an almost nine percent increase from a year ago.

If you’re looking for a little bit of a silver lining, Minor did pitch 5.1 innings against Baltimore on Friday and gave up only two runs on four hits. He struck out four batters, but did walk three.

MARLINS

In contrast to Minor, right-hander Sandy Alcantara is having himself an excellent season. This is his sixth season in the majors, and it’s by far, the best of his career. In 149.1 innings, Alcantara has a 1.99 ERA/2.87 FIP and 138 strikeouts. He’s given up only eight home runs all season.

Alcantara’s velocity seems to be about the same as previous seasons–high 90s for his fastball, high 80s for his slider, and mid-80s for his curve ball. He is using his change-up noticeably more in 2022. His usage is up to 27.4% this season, compared to 23.3% last year. His command has also been better in the last two years. His walk rate has decreased from 9.7% in 2019, his second year with the Marlins, to 6.8% in 2022.

Highlight Video of the Day

The new Reds #1 prospect Noelvi Marte is already making his presence known with this defensive gem last night in Dayton.

Marte has moves! #FeeltheFire pic.twitter.com/5SXupS8pSl

— Dayton Dragons (@DragonsBaseball) August 3, 2022

News and Notes

The Reds called up Jose Barrero today, and he is in the lineup tonight.

Three prospects the Reds traded for yesterday were assigned to minor league teams today.

Update: Hajjar has been moved up to Dayton. So much for the MiLB dot com assignment being right.

– Owen Holt & Carson Rudd to the IL in Daytona
– J.V. Martinez & Manuel Cachutt to the IL in Dayton
– Stevie Branche to the ACL
– Junior Tamares released (was in the ACL)

— Doug Gray (@dougdirt24) August 3, 2022

Finally, if you missed the news, Vin Scully passed away last night at the age of 94. He was a legend in the broadcasting world and one of the best to ever call a game.

There will never be another Vin Scully. You will be forever missed. ?? pic.twitter.com/WyTmXsati5

— Los Angeles Dodgers (@Dodgers) August 3, 2022