Who the Hell Are the Reds?

[Johnny Lunchbucket]

They got off to a terrible start, and they deservedly are in last place is the league's weakest division, but shh... they have really good pitching.

This week's matchups (edited for accuracy):

Roark-Wheeler
Castillo-Vargas
DiScalfani-deGrom
Mahle-Syndergaard

If you're like me you didn't even know Roark was Red. I saw his name on the probable pitchers list and thought we were prepping for another Washington series. He's 1-1, 3.24 so far, so not bad. The Reds are letting him start.

The Tuesday Night Mets Club gets the Mismatch of the Week when Vargas draws Luis Castillo. Castillo (3-1, 1.23) might by the CYA winner if the season ended today, considering he's given up only 5 runs in 6 starts so far. That's an ERA+ of 369. Castillo is 26 years old and been traded 4 times already including twice by the Marlins (once for Andrew Cashner, again for Dan Straily). The Giants (Casey McGehee) and Padres (Colin Rea) might also be kicking themselves.

Freehold, N.J.'s Anthony DiScalfani is 1-1, 4.26 and has a notion deep inside that it ain't no sin to be glad he's alive.

In the bullpen there's Michael Lorenzen (1.29) who's also a very good hitter; 6 career HRs. Also Robert Stevenson (1.93); lefty Wandy Peralta (1.00); and a lefty I've never heard of, Amir Garrett (1.54) -- all ERAs under 2. Closer Raisel Iglesias is not so hot, but the pen has more than half of the Cincy victories.

I don't know anything about their lineup however.

[Fman99]

They're mascot is Mr. Met's cousin, Mr. Redlegs, or some such nonsense, who carries the trademark mustache of a known child molester.

[Fman99]

They got off to a terrible start, and they deservedly are in last place is the league's weakest division, but shh... they have really good pitching.

This week's matchups:

Roark-Wheeler
Castillo-Vargas
DiScalfani-Syndergaard

You missed one, this is a four game set.

[Johnny Lunchbucket]

Wow, I also also screwed up the order.

Wednesday is Discalfani-deGrom; Thursday is Synbdergaard vs. 24-year-old Tyler Mahle or Tamale as he's know around the clubhouse.

Mahle es muy malo. 0-3, 4.50

[MFS62]

We are witnessing the return of the KTE in all its glory.
Love it.
Later

[Edgy MD]

The idea of facing a Cincinnati Reds team that can pitch but can't hit does not compute.

[G-Fafif]

I learned from the Athletic's Tim Britton that the Reds have never had a Cy Young winner, which makes sense if you stop to think about it, but still.

Closest to hardware? No. 41 in strike-sundered 1981.

[seawolf17]

I learned from the Athletic's Tim Britton that the Reds have never had a Cy Young winner, which makes sense if you stop to think about it, but still.

Closest to hardware? No. 41 in strike-sundered 1981.

Huh. I would have guessed Mario Soto somewhere along the way.

[Benjamin Grimm]

So the Reds and Cy Young are like the Mets and the MVP.

The Mets have six Cy Young awards. Do the Reds have more MVPs than that? (They might, they go back a long way.)

Okay, so I looked it up. The Reds have 12 MVPs. They practically owned that award in the 1970s (not surprising) and also had three in a row from 1938 through 1940:

Ernie Lombardi 1938
Bucky Walters 1939
Frank McCormick 1940
Frank Robinson 1961
Johnny Bench 1970
Johnny Bench 1972
Pete Rose 1973
Joe Morgan 1975
Joe Morgan 1976
George Foster 1977
Barry Larkin 1995
Joey Votto 2010

[Fman99]

So the Reds and Cy Young are like the Mets and the MVP.

The Mets have six Cy Young awards. Do the Reds have more MVPs than that? (They might, they go back a long way.)

Okay, so I looked it up. The Reds have 12 MVPs. They practically owned that award in the 1970s (not surprising) and also had three in a row from 1938 through 1940:

Ernie Lombardi 1938
Bucky Walters 1939
Frank McCormick 1940
Frank Robinson 1961
Johnny Bench 1970
Johnny Bench 1972
Pete Rose 1973
Joe Morgan 1975
Joe Morgan 1976
George Foster 1977
Barry Larkin 1995
Joey Votto 2010

Pretty impressive to have four different MVPs in a six year stretch all on the same team (1972-77 specifically).

[Chad ochoseis]

I learned from the Athletic's Tim Britton that the Reds have never had a Cy Young winner, which makes sense if you stop to think about it, but still.

Closest to hardware? No. 41 in strike-sundered 1981.

Huh. I would have guessed Mario Soto somewhere along the way.

Odd to think that our main man may very well have been the best pitcher in Reds' history, too.

My guess would have been Jim Maloney, who was one of the best pitchers in the era of great pitchers, until his arm went to hell in the late sixties.

Fun fact that I noted when going down the Jim Maloney rabbit hole - he's also from Fresno.

[dinosaur jesus]

I learned from the Athletic's Tim Britton that the Reds have never had a Cy Young winner, which makes sense if you stop to think about it, but still.

Closest to hardware? No. 41 in strike-sundered 1981.

Bob Purkey was robbed. It should have been him, not Drysdale, in 1962. Maybe he'd have gotten more respect if his name wasn't Bob Purkey.

[batmagadanleadoff]

I learned from the Athletic's Tim Britton that the Reds have never had a Cy Young winner, which makes sense if you stop to think about it, but still.

Closest to hardware? No. 41 in strike-sundered 1981.

I did a thread on this in the old forum. Where are the archives?

[Edgy MD]

I've long thought that MLB should retroactively vote on post-season awards from the seasons before those awards existed.

I also think we should. And heck, we can retroactively vote on awards that have been given, and correct some historical injustices, if only in our small corner of the digital world.

[Frayed Knot]

... and a lefty I've never heard of, Amir Garrett (1.54)

We've seen him before.
The 6' 5" lefty is originally from the Vegas area but then played both baseball & hoops at St Johns (which Gary is sure to mention each and every time he even warms up)
Mets have faced him four times: a start in 2017 where we beat him up pretty good [4 runs, 5 hits over 5 IP], then three relief outings last year which added up to 2.1 scoreless on 2 hits and 3 BBs