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.
“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.
