Reds Minor League Game Thread for Saturday, June 05, 2021

[texasdave]

Louisville - 7:00 PM EDT - 7-19 - Braden Shipley - (7.90) will be pitching for Louisville tonight. My only question is this: Why? I don't mean to rag on this guy, but he is not a good pitcher, and, pretty much, never has been. Toss in the fact that he is 29, and would seem a no-brainer. This guy shouldn't be in the organization. Maybe he turns it around. I'm not holding my breath. Not saying that I could run a MLB organization, but after watching the Reds for the past two decades, I don't think they are capable either. These are his MLB numbers in 100 innings of work: 10.4 H/9, 1.7 HR/9, 4.1 BB/9, 5.8 K/9, 1.600 WHIP and 5.49 ERA. /RANT The Bats lost a pair last night. In 14 innings, they managed 2 runs on 3 hits. On the plus side, Tony Santillan struck out a career-high 13 batters. He has struck 45 this year against just 12 walks. Ashton Godeau is up with Cincinnati again as Alex Blandino suffered a broken hand.

[HokieRed]

Only thing going for Shipley that I see is an 11.9 K per 9 at the moment, which is kind of interesting as he's always been a really low strikeout pitcher. Some kind of experiment with him going on, I suspect.

[texasdave]

Chattanooga - 7:35 PM EDT - 17-11 - Good game scheduled tonight for the Lookouts, with Nick Lodolo (1.01) on the mound for Chattanooga. Lodolo will be making his first start since being named the AA-S Pitcher of the Month. In his short minor league career, Lodolo has pitched 45.0 innings, and has compiled a 68/6 K/BB. That's so good, that they have yet to come up with an adjective that describes that accurately. Four of those 6 walks came in one outing. His career WHIP is 0.89. So, I'm guessing we need two new adjectives. Trivia Time: Q: Who is the only person to hit a home run off of Nick Lodolo in his minor league career to date? A: Micah Bello from Hilo, Hi. Nick is from La Verne, Ca., which is also the home of Ewell Blackwell. So, there is some history there as far as the franchise is concerned. In popular culture, the finale wedding scene from The Graduate was filmed in La Verne at the United Methodist Church, as was the wedding scene from Wayne's World 2. We are semi-fortunate that Lodolo isn't pitching against the Reds, rather than for us. Lodolo was selected by the Pittsburgh Pirates with the 41st overall pick in the 2016 MLB Draft, and was the highest unsigned draft pick in 2016. According to Jon Heyman, the Pittsburgh Pirates offered 41st overall pick Nick Lodolo their entire remaining bonus pool to sign. Heyman reports that they offered $1.75M, which he turned down to attend TCU.

[JaxRed]

If he was a Pirate I bet he'd be up now.

[texasdave]

Dayton 7:00 PM EDT - 15-13 - Dayton needs a stopper to clip this 3-game losing streak. The Dragons have lost three straight games for the second time this season. They have not lost four straight games in 2021. Graham Ashcraft (4.35), come on down. Ashcraft went 5 scoreless the last time out. That will work. Graham has been hittable in '21, but has yet to give up a longball. He also is sporting a 29/8 K/BB. Ashcraft also throws a lot of ground balls (3.57 GO/AO). He is a sturdy young man at 6'2" and 240 lbs. He needs some big league meal money. Graham has picked up a new pitch over the winter. https://www.baseballamerica.com/stor...s-a-new-pitch/ Kyle Boddy seems to be very high on Ashcraft.

“He's really working on his curveball,” Reds director of pitching Kyle Boddy said. “He didn't throw one at all in Greeneville, and he didn't throw one in college, either. It’s turned out to be a really good pitch. “ Along with a new breaking ball in his repertoire, Ashcraft has also been picking up velocity on his fastball. The combination of his velocity and stuff is one of the reasons the organization invited him to the early minor league camp. “We asked what’s best for our hitters as we play a bunch of B-games? And we can have someone with top-end big league stuff—(Ashcraft is) sitting 97 (mph) and touching 100 every outing, and his secondaries are really good,” Boddy said.

Reportedly, Ashcraft hit 99 in high school.

[texasdave]

Daytona - 7:05 PM EDT - 13-15 - The Tortugas have hit a rough patch in the schedule, losing 5 of their last 6 ballgames. Tanner Cooper (6.08) might not seem like the best choice tonight, but you go with what you got. In his only start of the campaign, he allowed 5 earned runs in .2 innings. So, he's due. That's one way of looking at things. That was the game in which Daytona pitchers walked 18. Lightning never strikes twice, right? Tanner was a 35th-round choice in 2019, and he pitched very well for Greeneville that season (2.21). Take away his one start, and he has been working to a 2.84 ERA out of the pen. So, there's reason to believe. Tanner pitched in junior college for the Finger Lake Lakers. And, quite honestly, he was the man:

Cooper spent this past year as a Laker and had an outstanding season. Offensively, he had a .411 batting average, a .521 on base percentage, and a .714 slugging percentage. He had 79 hits, 16 doubles, nine triples, 71 RBI's, and scored 57 runs. In addition to his stellar offensive stats, he had even more impressive pitching stats. In his 12 mound appearances, he won eight games and lost four. Out of the 72.1 innings pitched, he allowed 45 hits and only 17 runs, 13 of them being earned runs. He had a 1.62 earned run average, and a record breaking 136 strikeouts.

He was named the NJCAA Region III Player of the Year in 2019. That is impressive, folks. Wendell Marrero started the season in a 2-36 funk. Since May 22 though, the Dorado, P.R. native leads Low-A Southeast hitters in batting average (.387), on-base percentage (.558), and OPS (1.268). Additionally, Marrero ranks third in slugging percentage (.710), tied for third in runs (11), tied for sixth in walks (10), andtied for seventh in total bases (22). None of the Big 3 will be in the lineup tonight (Callihan, Hinds or Hendrick).

[Bourgeois Zee]

Really appreciate these, td. You do a great job every time.

[texasdave]

In the "Things can always get worse!" Department: Rochester (8-20) was playing Worcester (17-11). They jumped ahead 17-0 after 3 innings.

[texasdave]

Louisville Aristides Aquino is back in the lineup tonight.

Joey Votto showing off his wheels with a lead-off triple. Alejo Lopez singles him home. Votto hadn't tripled since May 11, 2019.

A wild pitch, along with 3 more walks (Crook, Rodriguez and Taylor) bring home a second run.

2-1 Bats.

Votto doubles in his second trip to the plate.

[texasdave]

Daytona - Tanner Cooper came out after one inning. He allowed one run. Manuel Cachutt was charged with five more in his three innings on the mound. Luis Mey hasn't walked anyone nor given up a hit in his 2 innings. But, somehow, gave up a run.

That's not the story, however, Daytona batters have gone 15 up and 15 down. Perfecto for Rafael Marcano. He is out after 5. 8 Ks.

Clearwater is leading 7-0. Perfecto still in progress.

Okay. Seminati drew a walk. No-hitter still ongoing. Amador doubles him home. It took the new pitcher all of 3 batters to lose the perfect game, the no-hitter and the shutout. Allen Cerda singles home Amador.

7-2.

[texasdave]

Chattanooga - Nick Lodolo did not start the game. Randy Wynne did. Lookouts lead 1-0. Lorenzo Cedrolla doubles. Yanqui singles him home.

The Trash Panda whack a three solo shots in the second. 3-1. Randy Wynne is impersonating a punching bag at the moment.

The announcer just stated that Matt Pidich will pitch tomorrow.

If something happened to Lodolo, I missed it. He last pitched on May 30. If Pidich goes tomorrow, and with an off day on Monday, Lodolo will not pitch until the 8th at the earliest.

[texasdave]

Louisville - Braden Shipley has a strong 4, allowing just 1 run, a solo shot. Brandon Finnegan went 2.2 and gave up 2 runs. RJ Alaniz has gotten an out. Bats lead 5-3.

Eight hits so far for Louisville. Votto singled, doubled and tripled before exiting.
Alejo Lopez singled twice and doubled.
Aquino Singled.
Friedl doubled.

They are stretching in the 7th.

[texasdave]

Dayton - The Dragons are smacking Lake County upside the head tonight. They are batting in the top of the 7th, leading 14-1.

Graham Ashcraft has gone the first 6 on an economical 71 pitches. He has given up 2 hits, and K'd 8.

The entire lineup has at least one base hit. Quin Cotton is having a good week today. 4-5, 2 homers (6), 3 runs scored and half a dozen RBIs

[texasdave]

Daytona - The Tortugas have risen from the dead, and have one foot out of the grave. Trailing 7-0 after 5, they have clawed back and now are within a run as the game progresses into the 9th. Garrett Wolforth with a huge 3-run shot (2) in the bottom of the 8th.

The first 15 Daytona batters went back to the bench hitless, 8 on strikes.

UPDATE: Daytona has come all the way back, and the game is now tied in the bottom of the 9th on a Ranser Amador (1) solo shot.

[texasdave]

Louisville Recap - Louisville doubles up St. Paul 6-3.

Braden Shipley - 4 IP, 4 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 0 BB, 2 K.
RJ Alaniz - 1 scoreless inning with 2 Ks.
Art Waren - 1 scoreless inning with 3 Ks.

Joey Votto - singled, double and tripled.
Alejo Lopez - singled twice and doubled.
Beau Taylor - singled and walked.

NOTE: Errol Robinson is playing short while Alfredo Rodriguez is playing second.