The Cincinnati Reds bullpen is a mess
Can anyone step up and fix it?
CINCINNATI, OHIO - SEPTEMBER 09: A Cincinnati Reds mascot stands on the field beofre the game between the Reds and the St. Louis Cardinals at Great American Ball Park on September 09, 2023 in Cincinnati, Ohio. (Photo by Aaron Doster/Getty Images) | Getty Images Visitors to Great American Ball Park on Tuesday night were greeted with a barrage of baseballs in the stands.
Unfortunately, none of them were socked by the Cincinnati Reds. Instead, the Reds themselves offered up six homers to the visiting Washington Nationals in a 10-4 drubbing that once again served as a reminder to just how disheveled the current state of the pitching staff truly is. Starter Brady Singer was on the hook for a trio of those homers, all of which came after he took a hard comebacker off his foot/ankle.
He only yielded 3 of the 10 total runs on the night, though, as the latter 7 all came with Reds relievers on the mound. That’s been the tale of the last few weeks, unfortunately – a beleaguered bullpen tasked with picking up lots of innings after short starts that simply can’t keep runners of the bases, or runs from crossing home plate. Here’s just a sample of where the Reds bullpen ranks in Major League Baseball relative to its 29 other peers: ERA: 4.
70 (25th out of 30) FIP: 5. 04 (29th) xERA: 5. 36 (30th, with 29th at 4.