This season, Cincinnati Reds reliever Brad Brach has pitched when the Reds were trailing in a blowout loss. He has pitched in blowout wins. He has pitched when the Reds were tied, down by a run or up by two.
Like most of the Reds relievers, he has pitched in just about every situation this season. In Thursday night’s 5-3 win against the Atlanta Braves, Brach added another situation to the list and recorded his first save since 2018.
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“At this point, there are really no roles (in the bullpen),” said Brach, who pitched a scoreless ninth on Thursday. “I was ready for any situation there and just really glad to go out there and be able to shut them down.”
The Reds still have the highest bullpen ERA in the Major Leagues, and the team took another hit when reliever Lucas Sims went on the injured list on Thursday. Sims had the team lead with seven saves, often entering the game following shut down innings by reliever Tejay Antone.
Without Sims, and with Antone making his first few appearances following a stint on the injured list (right forearm inflammation), the Reds bullpen has taken on another new look. Thursday’s win was another look at what the next month in the Reds bullpen could look like.
“I know how tough this is,” Brach said. “I've been around for a little bit, and I've just been trying to tell them [that] our stuff is not matching up to our results right now. I truly believe that in baseball, a lot of times your stuff will equate to your results at some point. I just feel like it's got to turn around.”
On Thursday, the Reds’ bullpen strategy was centered around maximizing Antone. Even though he allowed two runs against the Braves, Antone still has a 1.60 ERA and 42 strikeouts in 33 ⅔ innings.
The top of the Braves order was due up in the eighth after Amir Garrett pitched a 1-2-3 seventh inning. Reds relievers Heath Hembree and Josh Osich were warming up before the inning ended, but that changed when it became clear who would bat for Atlanta in the eighth.
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That’s when Antone began warming up. Even after he allowed two runs, Bell stayed with him with the bases loaded.
“In the end, to be able to stick with Tejay there with who he is and his ability and his stuff, it's a pretty easy call,” Reds manager David Bell said.
While Brach, Antone and Garrett pitched the last three innings on Thursday, Hembree and Osich appeared to be next in line to enter the game. Osich was called up from Triple-A last week for the first time this season, and he began warming up in the sixth inning with the Reds leading by one run.
Osich, a 32-year-old left-hander, threw 2 ⅓ scoreless innings in his season debut on Monday, and Bell nearly turned to him again in a crucial part of the game on Thursday.
“He has a lot of experience pitching in basically every spot there is in every sort of game, including really important games, playoff games and all of that,” Bell said. “There’s a high level of confidence for a guy like that.”
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Hembree has been the other pitcher Bell has called upon in big situations over the last month. Hembree, who has a 5.96 ERA, recorded his first save since 2019 earlier this season. He has made 14 of his last 23 appearances in games when the Reds had a close lead.
Hembree and Brach both spent time in Triple-A with the Reds this season, and they’ve since become two of the team’s go-to high-leverage relief pitchers.
“(They’ve) kind of stepped in out of nowhere on our team in some ways and served really important roles,” Bell said. “That’s what a team is all about. Guys understand that, and they’ll respond well, too. It’s going to take all of us to make up for any loss we have, including Lucas (Sims).”
SONNY KEEPS THROWING: Reds starter Sonny Gray’s rehab start was pushed back from Thursday to Saturday, but Gray has stayed active at Great American Ball Park.
Before Thursday’s game, Gray threw a bullpen. Gray played catch on the field Friday, continuing his preparation for the rehab start.
“He was pretty confident that his back is going to be fine, and that he’ll be able to make his start tomorrow,” Bell said. “And then if all goes well there, then we’ll be able to plug him back into the rotation. It’ll be great to have him back.”
SENZEL TIMETABLE: Reds outfielder Nick Senzel has been playing catch on the field at Great American Ball Park, but he isn’t close to a return.
Initially, Senzel was expected to return to the Reds shortly after the All-Star break. On Friday, Bell said Senzel might not return until the end of July.
“He has gotten kind of all the swelling out, and he’s adding in more activities, but it’s going to be sometime after the All Star break before he starts playing,” Bell said.
“I would think towards the end of July before we would see him back here. That’s a bit of a guess, but just because there’s not an exact clear day right now.”
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