As he stood in the batter’s box for his first at-bat on Friday, Cincinnati Reds third baseman Eugenio Suárez opened and closed his palms as he held the bat and waited for the pitch.
It was Suárez’s first at-bat in three days. Suárez entered the game with a .173 batting average, and he had the second-lowest batting average among all qualifying hitters in MLB.
Manager David Bell gave Suárez two days off before Friday's game, but Suárez was back in the starting lineup to face the Cubs.
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“I got two days off, getting my mind right,” Suárez said. “I’ve just got to keep going and doing my thing. Keep grinding and never give up. Just play hard.”
Last season, Bell gave a similar break to first baseman Joey Votto. With Votto hitting .191 on August 25, Votto sat for four days and adjusted his approach at the plate. During that stretch, Votto began using a more upright stance at the plate and started hitting for more power after he returned.
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Suárez isn’t making such a visible adjustment. As he returns to the lineup, his biggest focus is keeping his hands relaxed at the plate.
“I just tried to find myself and my right position,” Suárez said. “To see the ball as well as I can. The last two days, I’ve been working on that and watching the game from the bench. It slowed down the game a little bit so I could be ready.”
One of the bigger adjustments Suárez has made wasn’t by choice.
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On June 10, Suárez was barbecuing and using a brand new knife to prepare a meal. He cut his pointer finger, which impacted his grip on the bat.
That finger was bandaged for several games, and Suárez started to hit with that finger pointed upward instead of using it to grip the bat. Suárez’s finger has healed, but he has kept pointing his finger up at the plate.
“Putting my finger up made me grip the bat better to not hurt myself,” Suárez said. “That helped a little bit. Mentally, I just think about putting my best swing on it. If not, you’re going to hurt your finger.”
Since he began hitting with his finger pointed up, Suárez has improved at the plate, hitting .220 with a .709 OPS and 14 RBI over his last 17 games.
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Heading into one of the most important stretches of the season so far, with 10 games in a two-week stretch against the Chicago Cubs and the Milwaukee Brewers, Suárez sees that as a positive development.
“It’s very important, playing against our division’s teams is going to help us before the All-Star break,” Suárez said. “We’ve got to play over .500.”
PITCH COUNT: In Reds starting pitcher Sonny Gray’s first start after coming off the injured list with a right groin strain, Gray allowed one run in five innings. He threw only 86 pitches, which was one of his shortest starts of the season.
After the game, Bell said Gray was on a pitch count, and Gray could also be limited in his next start.
“It was a little more than I expected,” Bell said. “Another start or two from now, he keeps going because he was good (Friday night), but we were very satisfied with what he was able to give us. I thought it was a great start, great having him back and seeing him pitch like that.”
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ROSTER MOVE: Shortly before Friday night’s game against the Cubs, the Reds activated Gray from the injured list and optioned reliever Ashton Goudeau to Triple-A.
Goudeau’s most recent stint in the Reds bullpen only lasted two games. He was called up on Wednesday after the Reds used seven relievers in the previous day’s game against the San Diego Padres. Goudeau didn’t pitch, but he was available as a long-reliever.
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