Cincinnati Reds: Yasiel Puig looks inject some swagger into Cubs rivalry

Following their first series victory since April, Yasiel Puig and the Cincinnati Reds return home with a little momentum on their side to battle the NL Division-leading Chicago Cubs.

Yasiel Puig proved early on in his Cincinnati Reds‘ career that he’s willing to go to battle for his teammates. Puig practically took on the entire Pittsburgh Pirates’ team by himself. With the Chicago Cubs coming to town, will Yasiel Puig and the Reds be able to maintain some of the hot hitting they found during their West Coast road trip?

This week will be an evaluation period for the Cincinnati Reds. Many of us who follow the Reds on a daily basis believe the team is much better than their 18-23 record indicates. Just how good the Reds may be will come into focus after a 6-game home stand with a pair of first place teams in the Chicago Cubs and Los Angeles Dodgers.

Amazingly, this will be the Reds’ first weekend home stand since the opening week of the season.  Following an afternoon tilt against the Milwaukee Brewers on April 11th, the Reds have played 10 contests at Great American Ballpark, while playing 26 games away from Cincinnati. Since that April 11th date the Reds have played more games in California than Ohio.

This is the week for the Reds to get right and the Chicago Cubs present the perfect opportunity.  Currently trailing the North Siders by 7.5 games in the NL Central, Cincinnati can ill afford to fall any further behind. The Reds’ NL-leading pitching staff will be tested heavily by a Cubs squad that is ripping the ball.

The Cubs (24-14) have been rolling over the past week and a half, winning 8 of their past 10 contests. In the process they have opened a two-game lead over their nearest competitor the Milwaukee Brewers. Looking at the numbers, it’s easy to see why the Cubs sit atop the division.

Entering play on Tuesday, the Cubbies ranks 2nd overall in team ERA at 3.44 trailing only a Reds’ staff who are the owners of a 3.36 mark. What separates the two teams is the ability to generate base runners and power. The Cubs are first in the senior circuit in OBP (.349), second in OPS (.799) and third in slugging (.450).

Previewing the pitching matchups

Tuesday’s series opener has the Cincinnati Reds’ Tanner Roark (3-1 3.27) opposing the Chicago Cubs’ Kyle Hendricks (2-4 3.19 ERA). Roark has been just what the Reds imagined he would be after being acquired from the Washington Nationals in December.

The right-hander has been especially impressive in his last 2 starts. Over 12.2 innings, Roark has held opponents to 2 runs on only 7 base hits. A native of Wilmington, Illinois, the 32-year-old has enjoyed success against the Cubs, compiling a lifetime 5-2 record in 7 career starts.

One thing Cubs right0hander Kyle Hendricks does not do is throw hard. But, one thing Hendricks does very well is get people out. Entering his 6th year in Chicago, Hendricks has compiled a stingy career-ERA of 3.07 including a NL best of 2.13 in 2016.

More from Blog Red Machine

• Reds vs. White Sox: Pitching preview, prediction, and more
• Reds: Reiver Sanmartin adds another twist to offseason roster construction
• Reds: Signing Tyler Mahle to a contract extension should be a top priority
• Reds: Reiver Sanmartin should get first major league start vs Pirates
• Reds should unquestionably bring Wade Miley back in 2022

Even though the 29-year-old Dartmouth alum has only 34 strikeouts in 42.1 innings, Hendricks has walked only 8 batters and he keeps the ball in the ballpark. Allowing only 0.6 home runs per 9 innings Hendricks does not beat himself. Like his counterpart, Hendricks is 5-2 against the opposition in 13 career starts versus the Reds. Let’s see if Hendricks can keep the ball in the yard at GABP.

Sonny Gray (0-4 4.15 ERA) looks to bounce back following a couple of underwhelming performances. His inability to throw strikes has led to less than stellar outings for the right-hander. Over his last 9.1 innings of work, Gray has issued 8 free passes, while only striking out 5 hitters. That’s ugly.

Yu Darvish (2-3 5.40 ERA) will toe the rubber for the visitors. There’s no other way to say it other than Darvish has been awful this season. Walking a staggering 33 batters in only 36.2 innings, the right-hander has kept the base paths extremely busy. In addition, Darvish has given up 8 round trippers. It’s hard to imagine Great American Ball Park being to his liking. The Reds must take advantage when Darvish is on the hill.

La Piedra Day is Thursday for Reds fans. Ace pitcher Luis Castillo (4-1 1.76 ERA) looks to put the Cubbies bats into hibernation. The 26-year-old right hander is 3rd in the NL in strikeouts (70) and 4th in both ERA and WHIP (0.99).

A word of advise to Cubs’ hitters; don’t fall behind in the count. When Castillo gets ahead in the count with strike one, batters are slashing an anemic .129/.187/.153. If you’re going to take La Piedra deep, you have one opportunity. All 3 homers he’s allowed this season have come on the first pitch of an at-bat.

Southpaw Jose Quintana (4-2 3.50 ERA) takes the mound for Chicago in the series finale. The 30-year-old Columbia native has been solid to start the season. Fanning 46 hitters in 46.1 innings his current 8.9 K/9 rate is much higher than his 7.9 career average rate.

However, the road has been unkind to the left-hander. In 4 starts away from the friendly confines of Wrigley Field, Quintana has compiled a 5.03 ERA and surrendered 5 home runs in only 19.1 innings. If you’re a Reds fan, you have to feel confident about the Castillo and Quintana matchup.

Nick Senzel must set the table

Since making his MLB debut on May 3rd, Cincinnati Reds’ center fielder Nick Senzel has been as advertised. What has been most impressive about Senzel is his ability to hit in the lead off position. In 6 starts hitting in the No. 1 hole, the 23-year-old Knoxville, Tennessee native is hitting .276 with 4 extra base hits including 2 home runs.

Granted it’s a small sample size, but Nick Senzel has been feasting on left-handed pitching. In 14 at-bats, Senzel is slashing .357/.400/.857 with an eye popping 1.257 OPS. Three of his five hits against southpaws have gone for extra base hits. Don’t say you weren’t warned Jose Quintana.

When it comes to the flair department, the Cubs’ Javier Baez will have a worthy adversary in Cincinnati Reds’ right fielder Yasiel Puig. During the Reds 6-game road trip to the Bay Area last week, the Wild Horse is showed signs of emerging from a prolonged slump to begin his Cincinnati career.

Smashing 2 homers and knocking in 5 runs with 3 stolen bases, Yasiel Puig is starting to display the talents Reds’ fans have been craving. The right fielder has found GABP to be very accommodating. Producing a slash line of .296/.350/.519, Puig has been endearing himself to the Reds’ faithful when playing games on the banks of the Ohio River.

Before the season started, much attention was given to newcomers Yasiel Puig, Sonny Gray and Alex Wood. One guy hardly receiving any notice was newcomer José Iglesias. A strong argument can be made that he’s been the Cincinnati Reds best player not named Luis Castillo.

Signing a minor league deal on February 23rd, many anticipated Iglesias would be a nice defensive replacement who could spell José Peraza on occasion. It’s now obvious that someone forget to tell Iglesias about those plans.

Once second baseman Scooter Gennett went down with a groin injury during the last week of Spring Training, the Reds infield plans underwent major revisions. Iglesias was given the opportunity to be the every day shortstop and he hasn’t looked back.

Not only is Iglesias making spectacular plays on defense, he’s also leading the team with a .288 average. The 29-year-old Cuban has excelled under pressure. In high-leverage situations at the plate, the right-handed hitting Iglesias is slashing .310/.394/.517 with a homer and 6 RBI’s.

Prediction

Is Cincinnati big enough to hold the swagger of both the Cubs’ Javy Baez and the Reds’ Yasiel Puig? We’ll soon found out. The Cubs have dominated the Reds in recent years going 38-19 since 2016.  However, these aren’t the same ol’ Redlegs. I predict the Reds send an early season warning shot to the Cubs by winning 2 of the 3 contests.