A: You are referring to Brandon Phillips complaining about the Reds giving ‘his’ No. 4 to Scooter Gennett, who is having a much better year than Phillips. Maybe that ‘4’ on Gennett’s back stands for four home runs in a game. Phillips never even hit three. Bruce’s No. 32 is worn by No. 3 catcher Stuart Turner and Bruce probably sent him a message that said something like, “I’m proud to have you wear No. 32. I’m sure you’ll do it proud.” And Turner? He never plays.
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Q: What will the Reds do with Eugenio Suarez when Nick Senzel is ready, because Suarez won’t be a free agent for a while? — JEREMY, Kettering.
A: Great question. If the Reds are truly rebuilding, and they are, then Nick Senzel should be playing third base next season. They could trade Suarez in the off-season for more prospects/suspects. Or they could move Suarez back to shortstop, his first and natural position, if Jose Peraza doesn’t improve both offensively and defensively. He has been extremely shaky when he plays shortstop.
Q: The Reds turned their first triple play since 1995 last week. How many have you seen and what was the weirdest? — BOB, Belmont.
A: Hitting into a triple play has to be the most embarrassing, red-faced thing a hitter can do. There have been more than 700 triple plays in major-league history and, no, I haven’t seen them all. In 44 years of covering baseball I have seen only three involving the Reds. The most rare play in baseball is an unassisted triple play — one defensive player recording all three outs. It has only happened 15 times, which is fewer than perfect games and fewer than a player hitting four home runs in one game. The one involving the Reds last week against the Yankees has to be extremely rare, if not a first. A run scored while the triple play was being conducted. Only the Reds.
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Q: How many bat manufacturers are licensed to make bats for the major leagues? — MARK, Dayton.
A: At last count, MLB authorizes 35 companies to make bats for big leaguers. The top two are the venerable Louisville Sluggers made by Hillerich & Bradsby. But Marucci claims to have the most major leaguers using their wood. Louisville Sluggers are made, of course, in Louisville, Kentucky. Cincinnati’s Scooter Gennett used a Show bat made in Louisville, but it’s Louisville, Ohio in Stark County. Gennett is the only major leaguer using a Show bat, but after he hit four home runs in one game and with the year he is having for the Reds, major leaguers should be lining up to acquire theirs. Scooter’s father, Joe, is part-owner of Show bats.
Q: Since this season is a loss for the Reds, why aren’t they working on what they need to do for next season, like Billy Hamilton’s bunting and Michael Lorenzen starting? — STOCC, Miamisburg.
A: The Reds are still working on how to lose games and doing a mighty fine job of it. As for Hamilton’s bunting, if he hasn’t learned by now I’m not sure he ever will. While Lorenzen wants to start, I don’t think that will happen. Lorenzen and Raisel Iglesias were put in the bullpen to fix a major problem. They helped fix it. The Reds have a long line of young pitchers trying to squeeze into the rotation behind Homer Bailey and Anthony DeSclafani (if he returns). So the rest of this season will be devoted to finding starting pitchers from a cast of thousands and one or two might make it.
Q: With the trade deadline approaching, who are the Reds looking at for their playoff run? — RICHARD, Tipp City.
A: Ah, you jest. Check back at the trade deadline in 2020 to see if the Reds are poised to make a playoff run and acquire a high-priced veteran. Right now the Reds continue to be sellers. But they probably won’t do much. Zack Cozart is the guy they’d like to move, but with his season-long quad injury that will bother him the rest of the season it isn’t likely another team wants him. He would be a rental player the rest of the year and then leave for free agency. So that puts a bit of a crimp in one part of the rebuilding plans.
Q: Just watched the Washington Nationals hit eight home runs in a game. What is the most home runs hit in one game by one team? — ELIOT, Baltimore.
A: If you are an Orioles fan, my friend, you should know this. Where were you on September 14, 1987? That’s the day the Toronto Blue Jays hit 10 home runs in one game against Baltimore. The Cincinnati Reds own the National League record, nine against the Philadelphia Phillies hit Sept. 4, 1999, by The Big Road Machine — they were 51-30 on the road that year. Eddie Taubensee hit two and one each was hit by Aaron Boone, Jeffrey Hammonds, Dmitri Young, Greg Vaughn, Pokey Reese, Brian Johnson and Mark Lewis. The Reds won, 22-3.
Q: With all the major injuries the Reds have sustained, especially to pitchers, have they considered bringing in an independent medical/conditioning staff to see if some of the things they are doing could be improved or are in error? — MEL, Cincinnati.
A: Have you checked the injuries for the other 29 teams? Injuries are rampant, especially for pitchers, on all teams. Even I twisted my ankle on the press box steps last week and missed a game. Athletes get hurt. It’s part of the game. A medical staff can’t tell pitchers not to throw so hard or don’t use the slider so much. They can’t tell players not to run so hard to first base because they might pull a muscle or tear a ligament. Medical and conditioning staffs do their best and certainly can’t be held accountable for injuries.
QUESTION OF THE WEEK
Q: If the 2018 season began tomorrow, what’s the starting lineup and the five starting pitchers based on this season so far? — ANTHONY, Cincinnati.
A: Depends on what they do, if anything, at this year’s trade deadline and in the off-season. My crystal ball has been cracked for years, but based on what has happened so far this season my starting staff would be: Homer Bailey, Anthony DeSclafani (if healthy), Luis Castillo, Sal Romano, Brandon Finnegan (if healthy). If the two health risks can’t make it, add Robert Stephenson and a pitcher-to-be-named later. The lineup: C Devin Mesoraco (if healthy), 1B Joey Votto, 2B Scooter Gennett, SS Jose Peraza (maybe) or Eugenio Suarez, 3B Nick Senzel, LF Adam Duvall, CF Billy Hamilton, RF Jesse Winker (Scott Schebler is too streaky for me). That’s my wild guess and it probably is massively wild.
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