By Hal McCoy
There was a complete surprise and a complete no surprise involving the Cincinnati Reds’ 7-4 loss to the Cleveland Guardians Saturday night in Progressive Field.
The complete surprise?
With the starting rotation in disarray due to injuries, the Reds needed an emergency starter. So they signed Chris Paddack, released in early May by the Miami Marlins.
He dragged a 0-5 record and a 7.63 earned run average to the mound and lo and behold he pitched as if his record was 5-0 with a 1.63 ERA.
Over five innings he held the Guardians to two runs and six hits, his longest stay on the mound this year, and turned a 4-2 lead over to the bullpen.
And that’s where the complete no surprise enters the discussion — the beleaguered, bewildered and befuddled bullpen.
Four Reds relief pitchers gave up five runs, four hits and six walks in four innings to blow the game.
Luis Mey, Sam Moll, Pierce Johnson and Connor Phillips all gave up at least one run, at least one hit and at least one walk.
Meanwhile, Cleveland’s bullpen also pitched four innings and gave up no runs, one hit and walked one. They retired 10 of the last 11 Reds.
Paddack fell behind, 2-0, by giving up two two-out runs in the second inning. And that was it. He left after five with only 78 pitches, 56 for strikes, but hadn’t pitched for two weeks so manager Tito Francona decided not to push him.
Dane Miller homered off Cleveland starter Joey Cantillo with two outs in the third and the Reds took a 4-2 lead with three runs in the fifth.
Blake Dunn started the inning by beating out a bunt, then Cantillo walked three, forcing in a run. Spencer Steer ripped a two-run double and the Reds led, 4-2.
And it was bullpen time, always a bad time these days for the Reds.
Luis Mey started the sixth, only the second time in his career to appear with the Reds leading.
He walked the first hitter, Stephen Kwan, And Angel Martinez doubled. Mey uncorked a wild pitch that was closer to the Cleveland dugout than it was to home plate and Kwan scored.
When Mey walked light-hitting catcher Austin Hedges, Sam Moll replaced him.
Pinch-hitter Rhys Hoskins hit a sacrifice fly and it was tied, 4-4.
Moll came back out for the seventh and gave up a leadoff single to Kyle Manzardo. He then struck out the next two, but Francona decided to bring in Pierce Johnson to face Angel Martinez. He quickly deposited a two-run home run into the right field seats for a 6-4 Cleveland lead.
Connor Phillips pitched the eighth and gave up a single to Jose Ramirez and a walk to Chase DeLauter.
Ramirez was called out trying to steal third, but a challenge/replay overturned the call and he was safe. That enabled him to score when Travis Bazzana hit one back to the mound and Phillips fumbled it for a run-scoring error.
It was only Francona’s second loss in eight games to Cleveland since he left the Guardians after 11 years as manager and signed on with the Reds.
He was duly impressed with Paddack.
“I thought he did a really good job,” he said. “If you look at the scoreboard, I thought he could have stayed out there. I thought with the time he had off, I thought that would have been unfair to him. He is gonna start again in five or six days.”
Paddack is quite the character.
The Miami Marlins released him in early May because he was 0-5 with a 7.36 earned run average and the Reds, desperate for pitching due to injuries, signed him off the scrap heap.
A long, tall Texan, he prefers cowboy boots and a cowboy hat and he eats a whole large pizza the night before he pitches.
And because he was the 236th player picked by San Diego in the 2015 draft, he has ‘236’ tattooed on his right rib cage as a reminder as to how far he has advanced.
His nickname is ‘Sheriff’ and when he pitched for San Diego the fans donned cowboy hats on the days he pitched and wore badges that read ‘Paddock’s Posse.’
And somebody clocked him during a spring training bowlig outing heaving the 16-pound ball at 27 miles an hour.
His change-up is slightly higher than 27 miles an hour and it baffled the Guardians, inducing eight ground balls.
The bullpen?
“To pick one problem, we have not commanded,” said Francona. “That’s the issue. I actually talked to our guys a little bit before today’s game. I hear DJ (pitching coach Derek Johnson) say it every day, but I just wanted to drive it home.
“What you don’t say is, ‘Don’t walk people,’ because they aren’t trying to walk people. I try to get in their mindset to attack,” he added.
“We have some guys not commanding like they have and we’ve got some younger kids that are struggling to find their place and what pitches they can throw to get in the strike zone.”
Then the manager finished it with his most understated and poignant quote of the night: “It’s been a challenge.”