After nine runs from the offense and no hits allowed in six innings by Hunter Greene yesterday, the Reds (22-29) look to replicate that performance tonight against the the Cubs (22-28), this time on national TV. The game will be broadcast on FOX, and first pitch is at 7:15 EDT.
Lineups
Cincinnati Reds
|
Chicago Cubs |
| CF TJ Friedl | 2B Nico Hoerner |
| SS Matt McLain | SS Dansby Swanson |
| 2B Jonathan India | LF Ian Happ |
| RF Jake Fraley | RF Seiya Suzuki |
| DH Tyler Stephenson | 1B Trey Mancini |
| 1B Spencer Steer | C Yan Gomes |
| 3B Nick Senzel | DH Christopher Morel |
| LF Stuart Fairchild | 3B Patrick Wisdom |
| C Curt Casali | CF Mike Tauchman |
Starting Pitchers
*Stats are from Williamson’s stint at Triple-A Louisville.
Brandon Williamson
Some people were worried about the 25-year-old left-hander coming up from Triple-A due to the number of walks he had allowed at the minor league level this year and the propensity for his pitches to be a little wild. However, through two starts in the major leagues, Williamson hasn’t pitched terribly. He still has walked six batters in 10.o innings, but he currently has a 3.60 ERA in two starts.
He pitched a gem in his debut at Colorado, allowing only two hits on one run with two walks and six strikeouts in 5.2 innings. Williamson regressed a little in his second start against the Cardinals on Monday at GABP, pitching only 4.1 innings and allowing three earned runs while walking four batters.
Williamson is throwing the cutter with regularity at the big league level (32.7%), something he almost never did in the minor leagues. If he can locate it well, it may end up being his best pitch.
Splits (Triple-A)
| Split | PA | H | 2B | 3B | HR | BB% | K% | AVG | OBP | SLG |
| RHH | 154 | 37 | 7 | 0 | 9 | 14% | 19% | .287 | .396 | .550 |
| LHH | 52 | 13 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 8% | 13% | .271 | .327 | .354 |
Pitch Usage (Triple-A)
| 4-Seam | Cutter | Curve | Slider | Change | |
| Velo | 91.9 | 87.1 | 73.9 | 81.6 | 84.3 |
| Usage | 53.1% | 2.5% | 13.5% | 19.8% | 11.0% |
Jameson Taillon
Taillon, a former first round draft pick in 2010, signed a four year, $68 million deal with the Cubs in the off season. So far it hasn’t paid dividends for Chicago. He was a good pitcher in his time with the Pirates, consistently maintaining an ERA below 4.00. In his two years with the Yankees, his ERA ballooned to above four in 2021, and he hovered around 4.00 last year.
This season, however, it’s been a bit of a train wreck for the 31-year-old right-hander. He’s only had one game in his seven starts where he pitched a shut out; every other game he’s allowed more than three runs. During his most recent start in Philadelphia, he lasted just 2.1 innings and allowed six hits on eight runs (six earned) with three walks and one strikeout.
Taillon is using his slider a lot less and his cutter a lot more this year than just one year ago with the Yankees. In 2023, he’s used his cutter 30.1%, up from 10.8% in 2022. He’s also throwing his fastball a lot less (40.7%, down from 46.8% a year ago). His velocity, however, has not seen a drastic decrease, with the exception of his slider. He’s throwing the slider at about 81.5 mph, which is down from 86.1 mph just a year ago.
Splits
| Split | PA | H | 2B | 3B | HR | BB% | K% | AVG | OBP | SLG |
| RHH | 65 | 17 | 4 | 3 | 1 | 1.5% | 24.6% | .274 | .292 | .387 |
| LHH | 53 | 19 | 3 | 1 | 4 | 14.5% | 17.7% | .359 | .452 | .679 |
Pitch Usage
| 4-Seam | 2-Seam | Cutter | Curve | Slider | Change | |
| Velo | 94.1 | 94.3 | 90.4 | 80.7 | 81.5 | 87.9 |
| Usage | 23.1% | 17.2% | 30.1% | 14.0% | 12.5% | 3.2% |
Details:
- Time: 7:15 EST
- Place: Wrigley Field, Chicago, IL
- Forecast: 59 degrees, sunny, 0% chance of rain
- TV: FOX national broadcast
- Radio: 700 WLW
News and Notes
Elly De La Cruz was at it again last night, homering twice for Louisville. You can read more about Cruz and the rest of the farm system here.
Elly De La Cruz doesn’t want May to end.
The top @Reds prospect homered twice for the @LouisvilleBats, his 8th and 9th dingers this month: https://t.co/Qq2IkfcreJ pic.twitter.com/ozay2c3THy
— Minor League Baseball (@MiLB) May 27, 2023
Silvino Bracho, designated for assignment on 5/24 to make room for Eduardo Salazar, cleared waivers and is going back to Triple-A Louisville.
#Reds RHP Silvino Bracho has cleared waivers and been outrighted to Triple-A Louisville. pic.twitter.com/WGtTw5w7P3
— Cincinnati Reds (@Reds) May 27, 2023
