After he threw six quality innings in a win last Sunday, it hit Cincinnati Reds starting pitcher Tyler Mahle that he could have just made his last start with the Reds.
Mahle is a highly-regarded trade target in MLB, and he follows the trade rumors that point to him being dealt by the trade deadline on August 2. For the last six days, Mahle was in limbo, wondering where he’d make his next start.
Mahle still hasn’t been traded, and he made his final start before the trade deadline. On Saturday, as the Reds beat the Baltimore Orioles, 8-2 in front of a crowd of 29,104 at Great American Ball Park, Mahle pitched six innings, allowed two runs and retired the final 13 batters he faced.
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"I'm pretty realistic," Mahle said. "It is what it is and all that stuff. It's something that's going to happen probably to everyone at some point, most guys, I guess. I don't think it's like anything crazy. Like I told you guys last week, all I'm focused on is my next start. I don't know. That's what I've been looking toward, my next start."
What mattered most about Mahle’s last two starts was that he looked healthy and looked like the best version of himself in both games. Mahle missed nearly three weeks in early July with a shoulder strain, but Mahle has pitched well in both of his starts since he returned from the injured list. Last week, he allowed three runs and two hits in six innings. Against the Orioles, Mahle had some of his best velocity and the best command of his fastball that he has had all season.
"It’s kind of typical of what we’ve seen from Tyler for a long time where he just gets stronger as the game goes on," Reds manager David Bell said. "I think that was an extreme example tonight."
Following a two-run first inning where the Orioles took the lead on three singles and a balk, Mahle was lights out the rest of the way. He relied on his fastball, his best pitch, and had it rise up through the strike zone to blow past the Orioles’ lineup.
After the first inning, he only allowed two more hits. Mahle showed the skill set that could make him a valuable piece in any rotation.
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"He’s the best," Reds second baseman Jonathan India said. "He has done that for the last two years. Every time he’s on the mound, he’s going to give you six strong innings no matter what. I love playing behind him. And (Luis) Castillo, he’s gone, but he was amazing. I’ve learned a lot from both of them. Hopefully we stick with Mahle."
The Reds can still keep Mahle, a 27-year-old under contract through 2023. The decision that general manager Nick Krall makes will be a big factor in how competitive the Reds can be in 2023.
Mahle’s start on Saturday was another moment in his six-year career where he showed he’s a frontline starting pitcher a team can build around. One of Mahle’s defining qualities is his ability to improve in the second halves of his starts, and he didn’t allow a baserunner after the second inning.
After the game, Mahle was asked if he thought about the fact that he could have just made his last start for the Reds.
"No, not really, I mean, maybe, yeah?" Mahle said. "I know it can be, so obviously, it is what it is. There's nothing I can do to get it to happen or to stop it from happening. I have no say. I'm just trying to pitch."
As Mahle made a quality start, he received some of his best run support of the season.
India continued his stretch as the Reds’ hottest hitter. During the first half of the year, India missed nearly two months with a hamstring injury, and a few minor bumps and bruises prevented him from finding a rhythm when he returned.
Over the last week, Reds shortstop Kyle Farmer has said he could tell that India is “back” to the hitter he was in 2021. Entering Saturday's game, India was hitting .296 with a .980 OPS since the All-Star break.
Then versus the Orioles, India picked up a single, a double and a home run. For the second time in a week, he was a triple short of the cycle.
India’s home run swing was one of his best of the season. He timed his toe-tap perfectly, picked up a fastball on the inside corner and hit a 366-foot line drive over the left field fence.
"It has taken me a bit to get back, but I’m swinging the bat better now," India said. "Someone asked me last week, ‘Do you finally feel good at the plate?’ How do you answer that? I feel the same every single day to be honest with you. If I’m doing good or doing bad, I feel the same."
India’s home run was the biggest moment in a three-run fourth inning, and the Reds added three more runs in the fifth. Making his first start since April 30, right fielder Jake Fraley had three hits, including a two-run homer that gave the Reds a 7-2 lead.
"I was present today," Fraley said. "And that was about it. That’s all you can do, right? I felt very good. I accomplished what I wanted to in every at-bat."
At the start of the season, Fraley was one of the Reds’ regulars as an outfielder known for his on-base ability and his defense. Fraley has missed most of the year with a knee injury and a toe injury, and it looked like his role on the team could be in flux when he was ready to return.
When the Reds traded Tyler Naquin to the New York Mets on Thursday, Fraley got another chance to be a regular starter. He took advantage of the opportunity in his first game back.
"We still have two months to get him back in there and see him play a lot," Bell said. "We know he’s a good player. He went through a lot to get back to this point."
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