The Reds Report: July 16
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The Reds are limping out of the All-Star break with three straight losses to the Nationals. Despite nearly completing a ten-run comeback on Saturday, the Reds still sit in last place in the NL Central. There were a lot of highlights from a week without nightly baseball.
Cozart Makes His First All-Star Appearance
In the first ASG that didn't determine home-field advantage for the World Series since 2002, Zack Cozart made his first career ASG appearance. Cozart started at shortstop and went 1/2 with a single to left. Joey Votto entered later in the game and went 0/1 with a walk.
Aaaaaand Cozart Gets His Donkey
Votto promised Cozart a donkey if he made the All-Star team this year. After fans voted Cozart in as the starting shortstop, Votto made good on his promise. The donkey that Votto gave Cozart is still in training and he will get it later this year, but that didn't stop the Reds from bringing in another donkey for Cozart to meet before yesterday's game.
Getty Images[/caption]
The Reds are limping out of the All-Star break with three straight losses to the Nationals. Despite nearly completing a ten-run comeback on Saturday, the Reds still sit in last place in the NL Central. There were a lot of highlights from a week without nightly baseball.
Cozart Makes His First All-Star Appearance
In the first ASG that didn't determine home-field advantage for the World Series since 2002, Zack Cozart made his first career ASG appearance. Cozart started at shortstop and went 1/2 with a single to left. Joey Votto entered later in the game and went 0/1 with a walk.
Aaaaaand Cozart Gets His Donkey
Votto promised Cozart a donkey if he made the All-Star team this year. After fans voted Cozart in as the starting shortstop, Votto made good on his promise. The donkey that Votto gave Cozart is still in training and he will get it later this year, but that didn't stop the Reds from bringing in another donkey for Cozart to meet before yesterday's game.
Senzel and Herget Represent Reds In 2017 Futures Game Cincinnati sent two players to Miami for the Futures Game and both found success for Team USA. The top prospect in the Reds' system Nick Senzel went 1/4 with a RBI single in the first inning. The starting third baseman for the US Team also scored a run and struck out twice. Jimmy Herget came out of the bullpen and retired three top prospects in order in the eighth. For Senzel, it was a national showcase for what Reds' fans have been watching over the last year.'This is a lifetime companion here.' Zack Cozart wants help naming his pet donkey gifted by teammate Joey Votto.https://t.co/rsrGLm37Lg pic.twitter.com/luTzlvQZDi
– Sportsnet (@Sportsnet) July 16, 2017
The Reds Are Preparing For The Deadline It is yet to be seen if the Reds will make a blockbuster at the trade deadline in a couple weeks. The team is 11.5 games back in the Central and fading at a time when they need to decide if they are selling. Scott Feldman is the most likely player to be traded near the deadline. He is a cheap rental who can eat innings for a contender and won't require a big return. Raisel Iglesias is technically available, but the Reds would need a huge return to convince them to trade the talented reliever. The Nationals were interested, but their deal for a pair of relievers this morning will likely put them out on Iglesias. No teams seem to be interested in Cozart at this point in July. Seattle was in on the shortstop last year before a trade fell apart near the deadline. It will be a big surprise if the Reds go full seller at the break and include pieces such as Billy Hamilton, but they will be making some moves in the next two weeks. Saturday's Comeback Falls Just Short The Nationals scored the first 15 runs of the series before Cincy's offense woke up in the eighth inning on Saturday. After scoring two in the eighth, the Reds' offense jumped on the Nats' struggling bullpen with five runs with no outs in the bottom of the ninth. Matt Grace retired three in a run to seal a 10-7 win for Washington. The three-run loss was as close as the Reds would get to beating Washington as the Nats outscored Cincinnati 29-11 over the weekend. Homer Bailey Still Can't Find Consistency After allowing only one run in consecutive starts, Bailey fell off hard against Washington. Bailey allowed eight runs in four innings as his ERA ballooned to 10.13 in five starts. Games against the Nationals have really been hard on Homer. The Nats have scored 16 runs in 5.2 innings against Bailey this season. Scooter Gennett Stays Hot Gennett drove in seven runs this weekend on three hits. An interesting trade chip, Gennett is now hitting .382 in July with a .488 OBP. The Reds will need to decipher if Gennett is a key piece of their future or if they need to cash in on his success at the deadline. Looking Ahead The Reds will look to avoid a sweep against Washington on Monday before Arizona and Miami ride into town for a pair of three-game series at Great American.How about @LilSenzii? #Reds pic.twitter.com/oNgp5BJklt
– Lance McAlister (@LanceMcAlister) July 9, 2017
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