Cincinnati Reds: Three takeaways from disappointing series loss to Tigers

1. The Reds starting pitchers were impressive.

Coming into the 2020 season, the strongest part of this Reds team appeared to be the starting rotation.  Sonny Gray, Luis Castillo, Trevor Bauer, Wade Miley and Anthony DeScalfani have the ability to rival any team’s starting five. If the first three games of the 2020 season is any indication, the starting pitching might even be better than originally thought.

On Opening Day, Sonny Gray looked outstanding on the mound. He threw six innings, giving up three hits, one run and striking out nine Tiger batters. Gray earned the win and finished the game with a 1.50 ERA. This is great news for Sonny Gray, as he had a rough start last season before settling down and making the All-Star team.

On Saturday, Luis Castillo matched Gray’s outing and actually had a few more strikeouts. His stat line was just as impressive. He pitched six innings, giving up six hits, one run and striking out 11 batters. He also has a 1.50 ERA. Unfortunately, he wasn’t able to earn the win.

Yesterday, Trevor Bauer didn’t want to be outdone, so he did a little better than his two teammates. Bauer finished the game going 6.1 innings, allowed just two hits, one run and racked up 13 Ks. His ERA stands at 1.42. Similar to Castillo, Bauer didn’t earn the win despite his lights-out pitching performance.

If you are scoring at home, that 33 total strikeouts by Reds starters, tying an MLB record previously set by the Texas Rangers in 2013. In 18.3 innings pitched, the trio of Gray, Castillo and Bauer only gave up 3 runs and four walks. That’s about as impressive as you can get to start the season.

If this keeps up, the Reds starting pitching staff could actually live up to the lofty expectations placed on them before the start of the season. Gray is expected to pitch Game 3 of the upcoming series against the Cubs. We’ll see if he can match, or even better his performance from Opening Day.