Cincinnati Reds: The double-switch is a luxury, not a necessity

The Cincinnati Reds escaped by the skin of their teeth last night, thanks in large part to David Bell’s curious decisions down the stretch.

What in the world was David Bell thinking? Bell pulled Yasiel Puig from the game and replaced him in the outfield with Michael Lorenzen. The Cincinnati Reds manager used double-switch in the seventh inning to take out his best defensive outfielder and one of his best hitters. While there was strategy involved, Bell got too cute with last night’s decision.

Under no circumstances should this Reds team think the game is in the bag. We’ve seen countless examples of that all season, including the recent 10-9 loss to the Colorado Rockies. There was also last week’s 12-11 loss to the St. Louis Cardinals. Oh yeah, don’t forget the 12-11 loss to the San Francisco Giants back on May 3rd.

David Bell was overthinking the game last night, and it nearly cost the Reds a win. With a 4-1 lead in the bottom of the seventh inning, two runners on, and two outs, Bell brought in Amir Garrett to face Christian Yelich. You won’t hear anyone complain about that. However, he also lifted Yasiel Puig and moved Michael Lorenzen to left field. Phillip Ervin took moved from left to right.

Um, what in the world was Bell thinking? Okay, I get it. Puig made the final out in the top half of the inning and you want the pitchers spot due up last the next time the lineup turns over, right? I got it. But you don’t make that move if the player you’re removing is one of the two best players you have.

Puig has been the most dominant player on the Reds for the last month. He’s slashing .345/.402/.700 in his last 30 games. He has 10 home runs and 24 RBIs during that span. Oh yeah, he’s also got a cannon for an arm. Puig should never be lifted unless the game is out of hand.

As the game moved forward, the Reds would eventually lose a 4-1 lead, but walked out of Miller Park with a 6-5 victory thanks in large part to a ninth inning home run by Eugenio Suárez. Bell owes Suárez a steak dinner for the next two weeks.

While some fans have questioned David Bell’s managerial capabilities throughout the entire season, I’ve been a big fan of the new approach that he’s brought to the team. However, last night’s decisions were a classic example of overthinking the game.

Just like we’ve seen players press when they’ve recently gone 1-for-16, I think Bell was pressing knowing that the Reds are on the brink of a collapse. Sitting eight games back of the first-place Chicago Cubs, the Cincinnati Reds will need an epic comeback in the last two months of the season just to make it interesting.