Wade Miley (3-2) leads Reds starters with a 2.67 ERA, a mark he has fashioned despite posting the lowest rate of strikeouts per nine innings (6.3). He also has the lowest rate of walks (2.3) among the group and has been the best at keeping the ball in the yards with a rate of 1.0 home runs per nine innings.
The left-hander shrugged when asked about his positive start to the season, which has come despite missing some time in spring training because of a hamstring issue.
“I am pleased coming out of spring training (after) not getting the innings I would have liked to have gotten out of spring training,” he said. “I’m pleased where I’m at going into May. Obviously room to get better. Excited about the first month and hopefully I can keep rolling.”
Ironically, Miley started Cincinnati’s only loss of the first three-game series between the Reds and Indians this season, and home runs were his issue that afternoon.
He pitched five innings against the Tribe on April 18 and gave up a season-high four runs. He walked one and struck out five, but a pair of dingers provided all the runs Cleveland would need to avoid being swept. Jose Ramirez touched him for a solo shot in the first inning, then Roberto Perez’s three-run blast that proved to be too much for the Reds to overcome in what was ultimately a 6-3 defeat.
Since then, Miley has started two games and allowed two runs in each, a 2-0 loss to the Cubs and a 8-6 win over the same club.
Historically, he has struggled against the Indians. Miley, who came up with the Diamondbacks but spent most of his career in the American League before signing a free-agent deal with the Reds prior to last season, has a 1-4 career record against the Indians with a 4.95 ERA in eight starts.
He is 0-2 with a 6.75 ERA in two starts in Cleveland.
“I’ll definitely go back and look at some of the at-bats,” he said of using information from the first start to prepare for this one. “It’s been two or three weeks now, so some of those guys are seeing the ball better or some of them are seeing it not as good, but I’ll definitely look at the plan and how I approached them and get a scouting report off of that.”
The Reds have also struggled against the Indians lately. Cincinnati’s series victory in April was the Reds’ first against Cleveland since 2018.
Last season, the Reds were outscored a combined 15-0 in two games at Progressive Field after splitting a pair of games there in 2019.
The last time the Reds won the Ohio Cup was 2014 when they won a pair of games at home and then split a pair on the road.
The Reds won the first regular season edition of the Ohio Cup by winning two of three games in Cleveland in 1997.
They did not win it again until 2008, the start of a stretch that saw Cincinnati win or tie the series in six of seven seasons.
Since then, the Indians have won five, and the teams tied in 2017.
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Friday will be the first time this year the Reds are able to use the designated hitter. The Reds will be without first baseman Joey Votto, who broke his left thumb Wednesday after being hit by a pitch against the White Sox.
Manager David Bell’s choice for that spot remains to be seen, but Miley admitted he will miss being in the lineup.
“I kind of like hitting,” he said. “It’s way hard now with everybody throwing frickin’ 100 miles per hour so it’s not near as comfortable getting in the box.”
Although running the bases can present some challenges, Miley said getting to go to the plate can help a pitcher on the mound.
“I enjoy the breakup in the game and being able to put pitching aside for a little bit and go be an offensive player — or attempt to be an offensive player and kind of clear your head,” he said. “I really think my last start that helped me because I was so focused on why pitches weren’t doing this or that. I spent a lot of time in the dugout thinking about the outing. Then my at-bat came up in the lineup and when I went back out there, things felt a lot better.”
FRIDAY’S GAME
Reds at Indians, 7:10 p.m., Bally Sports Ohio, 700, 1410
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