Semi-Regular Reds Recap: The Reds Might Have The Makings Of A Good, If Overworked, Bullpen.
What Happened In Five Sentences Or Less
The Reds and their rookie starting pitcher making his big league debut fell behind early before a three-run rally tied the game. Michael Lorenzen untied it with a pinch-hit homer. Adam Duvall extended the lead with a two-run blast. The bullpen was tremendous. Reds 7 Phillies 4
Credits
Michael Lorenzen. His solo pinch-hit homer broke a four-all tie, helped confirm the fact that he is indeed a two-way player, and did what no Red was able to do in 2016: go yard in a pinch-hitting appearance...
According to Statcast™, Lorenzen's homer had an exit velocity of 108 mph -- tied for the sixth-hardest-hit homer by a pitcher in the Statcast™ era -- a 24-degree launch angle and traveled 420 feet, which is tied for the fifth-farthest blast by a pitcher since 2015. Lorenzen was the first pitcher to hit a pinch-hit homer in the Majors since Micah Owings -- also for the Reds -- went yard on May 10, 2009 vs. St. Louis.
Adam Duvall. He golfed a two-run shot in the seventh on a ball that I'm really not sure how he hit hard, much less out of the park.
The bullpen. The quintet of Peralta, Reed, Cingrani, Wood, and Storen combined for six shutout innings on just one hit. Yes, Cody Reed was wild - walking four - but he also induced a couple of double plays and picked off a runner. If there's one thing that seems decidedly better about this year's team compared to last season's, it's the quality of the arms in the 'pen.
Zack Cozart. If you like the RBIs, then you liked Zack on Thursday. He had two of them, to go along with two hits.
Blames
Rookie Davis. His big league debut will hopefully be among his worst starts we see from him. He pitched three innings of rather ineffective ball. He did whack a double in his first career plate appearance, so that was nice.
Moment That Mattered
With the game tied at four in the fifth, Cody Reed walked the first two Philly hitters of the inning. With the 38 people who attended the game fearing the worst and the third and fourth place hitters in the lineup coming up, Reed fanned Maikel Franco then forced Michael Saunders to hit into a double play, ending the threat.
Numbers That Counted
6. The Reds bullpen pitched that many innings.
12.1. That's how many innings the Reds bullpen has logged this season.
1. That's how many runs the Reds' bullpen has given up.
Other Highlights
The despair in Jeff Brantley's voice when Daniel Nava hit his second home run of the day against Davis.
Hot Take
The good news: The bullpen has been outstanding.
The bad news: The bullpen has been asked to do a lot. The Reds gotta get some length from their starters, a dicey ask given the inexperience and uncertainty that stalk the starting rotation.
Video/Photographic Evidence
(Photos: Getty Images)