Reds vs. Mets: Pitching preview, prediction, and more

The Reds’ shortstop is having a huge start to the second-half.

No matter how many times the Cincinnati Reds try to give Kyle Farmer’s job away, the former Georgia Bulldog just refuses to go away. So not only is he the favorite guest of the Jim Day Podcast, he’s quickly becoming a favorite in Reds Country.

After the Reds front office failed to acquire a shortstop in the offseason, all signs pointed to Farmer being the starter, with Mike Moustakas handling the second base duties. However, rookie Jonathan India had other ideas forcing his way onto the Opening Day roster, which quickly spiraled the Reds infield plans into chaos.

As a result, Farmer would once again be relegated to a utility role. At the same time, Moustakas moved back to third base, which forced the catastrophic ramifications of Eugenio Suarez attempting to play shortstop.

However, once Moustakas went down with a heel injury, Kyle Farmer has seized the opportunity to be the everyday shortstop, with Geno shifting back to third, and has been exceptional during the last month.

Granted, a long-term OPS+ of 83 will not get it done, but what will work is the .379/.453/.667 slash line he’s produced over the last four weeks. Since the All-Star break, Farmer is slashing .457/.519/.739 with two home runs. In addition, he currently sports a 0.7 bWAR which is the NL average for shortstops. Suddenly upgrading the shortstop position doesn’t seem to be such a priority.

Prediction

It’s hard to imagine Rich Hill as the only significant addition to the Mets before the trade deadline, so the New Yorkers may look very different before play begins this evening. Additionally, who knows if Reds general manager Nick Krall has a few more tricks up his sleeve Friday. What we do know is the Reds are a much better club than what they showed against the Metropolitans last week in Cincinnati.

Look for the Redlegs to smother the Mets the same way chili and cheese cover steaming spaghetti on a Skyline Chili 3-Way and take two of three before heading home to entertain the Minnesota Twins and Pittsburgh Pirates. Bon appetite, Gary Cohen.