Reds schedule: Pitching will be front and center in battle for the Ohio Cup

Reds defense has been atrocious to open the season

While nobody in Reds Country was anticipating this club picking up multiple Gold Gloves following the season, it’s been even worse than anticipated. Heading into play Sunday, according to Baseball Reference, the team has accumulated a -10 Rtot which measures the number of runs above or below average the player was worth based on the number of plays made. In simple terms, the Reds are the worst in baseball according to this metric.

Of course, this was their number before Nick Castellanos dropped a flyball in yesterday’s game allowing three runs to score. The Cincinnati Reds are fortunate the pitching staff strikes out opponents at such a high rate because every ball put into play has been an adventure for this team.

Through the first nine games of the season, not one Reds defender has a positive rating per Baseball Reference’s Rtot ranking. Third baseman Eugenio Suárez has been the worst culprit, already accumulating a -2 Rtot rating.

Unfortunately for Geno, this is becoming a trend. Last year, Suárez was the second-worst third baseman in the National League with a -8 Rtot ranking while leading the hot corner in errors for the second year in a row with 17 miscues.

Manager David Bell has shown a willingness to make defensive substitutions late in contests. It may be time for the Reds to sit Geno in the ninth inning to preserve leads. A player like Christian Colón or Kyle Farmer may be a better option defensively.

Prediction

Monday night’s game is huge for the Cincinnati Reds. Their ace Sonny Gray is toeing the rubber and with the prospects of facing Shane Bieber on Tuesday, it’s imperative the Redlegs win this game.

Expect the Reds to do just that and split the GABP portion of the Ohio Cup before trekking to Cleveland for a two-game set for Wednesday and Thursday. The Reds are flirting with the .500 mark and need a solid showing this week versus the Indians.