Series Preview: Cincinnati Reds vs. New York Yankees (7/25-7/26)
Following a much-needed series win against the Seattle
Mariners, the Yankees only trail the Red Sox by two and a half games in the
American League East. Although the Mariners are not an overly formidable team,
the series win over them was comforting, as it showed the Yankees are capable
of beating the teams they should. The case in this two game series is similar,
as the Reds are the current holders of the third worst record in the National
League and overall sit 16 games below .500. The series also takes place in the
Bronx, where the Yankees have played great ball. The Yankees have played two
games against the Reds this season and split the games, while putting
up ten runs in the first game. Prior to this series, the Reds dropped two of
three games to the Marlins and a game to the Indians. Overall, these two games should
be Yankees wins, and these are the matchups and players to watch in this two
game series:
GAME ONE (Tuesday,
July 25 | First Pitch 7:05 PM EST)
Luis Castillo (1-3
3.86 ERA) vs. Jordan Montgomery (6-5 4.09 ERA)
TV: WPIX
In game one of the two game showdown, the Reds look to one
of their newer major league pitchers, Luis Castillo. The Yankees will be seeing
Castillo for the first time when he takes the hill for his first major league
start in Yankee Stadium. Castillo is coming off a poor outing in his last start
against the Arizona Diamondbacks, in which he managed a solid six innings of
work, but he allowed four runs in those innings. Castillo did showcase his
ability to rack up K’s though, as he struck out seven in route to his third
loss of the season. If Castillo can’t get a similar amount in this coming
start, he may fall victim to the Yankees potent offense and earn a fourth loss
on the season.
On the mound for the Yankees is none other than Jordan
Montgomery who has been a decent pitching option for New York this season.
However, his most recent start was not very encouraging, as he allowed six runs
in six innings of work to the Minnesota Twins, and he was only able to manage
three strikeouts and allowed one walk. This was Montgomery’s fourth straight
start in which he was unable to pitch more than six innings, a trend which is
worrying, but not too worrying due to the Yankees new bullpen acquisitions in
the recent trade with the Chicago White Sox. If Montgomery can manage six
decent innings and the Yankees can provide run support of a mediocre pitcher,
this should be a win for the Bronx Bombers.
GAME TWO (Wednesday,
July 26 | First Pitch 1:05 PM EST)
Homer Bailey (2-4 8.56
ERA) vs. Luis Severino (6-4 3.21 ERA)
TV: YES
For game two, the Reds will hope for a strong outing from
Homer Bailey, which is a rare occurrence for him these days. Bailey boasts an
8.56 ERA on the season and has received a losing decision in his last two starts.
However, his last start was somewhat decent, with Bailey went six innings
allowing two runs with two walks and three strikeouts in his loss. This was one
of his better starts though, and he is unlikely to do very well against a
lineup like the one the Yankees will roll out in Wednesday’s game. Bailey will
need some uncommon run support if he is to steer his record in the winning
direction.
Luis Severino will take the hill for the Yankees in
Wednesday’s game as he looks to continue his All-Star level season. Severino
has shown longevity as of late, racking up seven innings of work in his past
three starts while allowing no more than three runs. Most recently, Severino
threw seven shutout innings against the Mariners while allowing eight hits and
striking out six. Severino has also not allowed a homerun and only two extra
base hits in his past two starts, as he is able to keep opposing hitters from
making strong contact. Combine his strong recent outings with a less than threatening
Cincinnati lineup and a favorable pitching matchup, and you have a recipe for
what should be a smooth Yankees win.
Players to watch:
Yankees
The bullpen
Despite the Yankees’ bullpen struggles being a storyline
throughout much of the season, the bullpen has been refreshingly serviceable recently,
and it earned bullpen of the week honors this week. In 24 and 2/3 innings of work
this past week, the bullpen allowed five runs and 17 hits. The bullpen struck
out 34 batters while only walking six, resulting in two saves. This performance
included standout work from Dellin Betances who appears to be on a resurgence.
Betances pitched four scoreless innings with six K’s and one walk. Recently
acquired relievers Tommy Kahnle and David Robertson have been stellar in their time
with the team. Robertson very much looks like his old Yankee self, a dominating
reliever which the Yankees benefit tremendously from. Look for the bullpen and
the recent acquisitions to continue their success in these two games.
Todd Frazier
Todd Frazier has been disappointing since joining the
Yankees and is beginning to look like an afterthought in the trade. That could
change however, as Frazier enters his first series in pinstripes at Yankee
Stadium. The series is also against his former team of five seasons. With the
Reds, Frazier was an offensive powerhouse, and perhaps Frazier can recapture
some of that production for the Yankees in this series. There isn’t much room
to go down from here, as he has batted .125 with the Yankees so far, so look
for him to try and improve on a disappointing season.
Reds
Joey Votto
Votto has had a stellar season as the main offensive weapon
for the Reds to this point, batting .297 with 26 homers in 98 games. However,
Votto has gone hitless in four of his past six games, including the past three
consecutively. Votto also hasn’t had a homerun since July 8, and he has seen
his average drop from .315 since then. Votto busting out of his slump would be
huge for the Reds upsetting the Yankees in these two games, but if he continues
to slump, the Reds are in huge offensive trouble.
Scooter Gennett
While Votto has been struggling, Gennett has been surging
offensively. After seeing his average drop from .317 to .305 from July 8 to
July 18, it has risen back to .314 from July 18 to today. This is very
important for a contact hitter such as Gennett, as he does his damage by
getting on base, not knocking balls out of the park. However, Gennett can
display surprising power occasionally, made evident by his four-homerun game
earlier in the season. Gennett will have to pick up the reigns of the Cincinnati
offense if Votto’s struggles continue, but that could prove difficult against
the resurgent Yankees bullpen and all-star starting pitcher Luis Severino.
This is a series the Yankees should sweep with not much
issue, but winning games that should be won has been an issue for the Yankees
at times this season. That shouldn’t be too much of an issue here though, with
the Yankees favorable pitching matchups and playing a much inferior team with a
slumping star. If the Yankees want to continue gaining ground on the Red Sox,
they have to take this easily winnable series and build on the momentum they
captured in Seattle.
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