Since the Cincinnati Reds game on Wednesday against the Philadelphia Phillies was postponed due to rain, the Reds could have skipped Vladimir Gutierrez’s second MLB start and moved forward with their other four experienced starting pitchers.
Instead, Gutierrez will start the first game of an important series against the St. Louis Cardinals.
Gutierrez’s start was pushed back from Wednesday to Thursday’s game in St. Louis. He’ll be followed in the rotation by Luis Castillo, Tyler Mahle and Wade Miley.
“It’ll be fun to watch him again against another opponent in our division,” manager David Bell said. “Big series. I noticed last time he pitched he was comfortable, he was not affected by being in the big leagues. It was very meaningful to him, but he didn’t back down in any way.”
Gutierrez made his MLB debut last Friday in a 1-0 loss in Chicago and allowed one run in five innings. The No. 13 prospect in the organization only allowed two hits and threw 67 pitches.
Initially, Miley was set to take Gutierrez’s spot in the rotation when he came back a few days later from a foot injury. But after starting pitcher Jeff Hoffman injured his shoulder, the Reds needed a fifth starter for a longer period of time.
Gutierrez has filled that role.
“I give a big thanks to the organization and to the Cincinnati Reds for giving me this opportunity to go out there again,” Gutierrez said, according to team interpreter Jorge Merlos. “I feel confident going into my next start.”
Since he pitched on a cold and windy day in Chicago, Gutierrez said his fastball velocity dropped in his first start. Gutierrez leans on his fastball, and his average fastball was only 92.2 mph against the Cubs. With warmer temperatures expected in his next start, Gutierrez said he should take a step forward with that pitch.
While he hasn’t changed his pregame routine since reaching MLB, Gutierrez said he has leaned on Miley for advice.
“After his start (Monday), I talked to Miley when he came back in the clubhouse, just asking what worked best for him,” Gutierrez said. “Seeing if he is throwing more fastballs, throwing more changes of velocity and things of that nature. Miley said he was just working to mix in his pitches, so that’s what I’m going to take away.”
Mike Freeman takes advantage of a busy day
Around 5 p.m. on Tuesday, the Reds Triple-A affiliate, the Louisville Bats, announced their lineup for that night’s game. Mike Freeman was batting fourth and playing first base. Just over an hour later, the Reds announced they promoted Freeman to the MLB roster for that night’s game.
Freeman arrived at Great American Ball Park during the third inning, and he entered the game in the fifth. While the Reds lost 17-3, Freeman went 1-for-2 at the plate and had an RBI single when the score was still close.
Freeman was in the middle of a pregame nap in Louisville when he learned that he got the call-up to MLB.
“I got woken up to my phone ringing because they couldn’t find me in the clubhouse because I find an auxiliary locker room where it’s dark,” Freeman said. “In this case, they needed me before my alarm went off. That’s how I found out they were looking for me and needed me in the manager’s office.”
After infielder Max Schrock went on the injured list, Freeman is one of five natural infielders on the Reds roster. Bell said Freeman will stay with the Reds for the series against the Cardinals.
“We know a lot about Mike Freeman, and he’s just a good player, winning player,” Bell said. “He’ll be a great guy to have on the team.”
Prospect Nick Lodolo gets another accolade
Nick Lodolo, the Reds 2019 first round pick and No. 1 prospect, was named the Double-A South pitcher of the month.
Over the first month of the season with the Chattanooga Lookouts, Lodolo posted a 1.01 ERA in five starts. In 26 ⅔ innings, Lodolo struck out 38 hitters and only allowed 16 hits.
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