Cincinnati Reds: 3 overreactions from Opening Day loss

3. Luis Castillo is not an ace.

What in the world happened to Luis Castillo yesterday? Wow! That was one of, if not his worst performance since coming up to the big leagues. Was it the cold weather or his late arrival to spring training? Who knows? What I do know, is that La Piedra will bounce back from that dreadful performance the next time he’s on the mound.

To be fair, the next time he’s on the mound will be against the lowly Pittsburgh Pirates on Wednesday afternoon; so let’s hope he gets batter results. Castillo didn’t even make it out of the fourth inning, going 3.1, allowing 10 runs on eight hits. The right-handed didn’t even have a strikeout. What?!

The Reds chose, wisely I might add, to allow Trevor Bauer to enter the free agent market last winter. Instead, the front office appears ready to hand the reins over the pair of Luis Castillo and Sonny Gray. Gray is on the IL and Castillo looked awful yesterday.

Castillo’s start was less than ideal, and perhaps the most obscure stat is that, of the 73 pitches La Piedra delivered, only 18 (25%), according to Baseball Savant,  were of the changeup variety. According to FanGraphs, not only was Castillo’s usage of changeup down from last season, but so was the velocity.

Remember folks, it’s just one game. With 162 on the slate, one game during the 2021 season doesn’t carry as much as it did during last year’s abbreviated 60-game campaign. Look for Suarez’s defense to improve, Senzel to return to the lineup, and Castillo to dominate in his next start. It’s a long season.