Kyle Farmer and the Reds seek 1st win at Fenway Park since Game 7 of the 1975 World Series
Overall, it was a good week for Reds Country. After dropping the first two contests of the seven-game homestand, the Cincinnati Reds (16-31) rallied to win four of their last five to complete a 4-3 week. If the Redlegs are victorious tonight, they will have finished May with a winning record which seemed inconceivable following a disastrous 3-18 mark in April.
Cincinnati relied on incredible starting pitching to take two of three from a solid San Francisco Giants squad. The trio of Graham Ashcraft, Vladimir Gutierrez, and Tyler Mahle combined to toss 18 innings of one-run baseball against a potent Giants lineup.
The Boston Red Sox (23-26) find themselves in an uncharacteristic position as the calendar prepares to turn to June. Boston currently sits in fourth-place in the ultra-competitive American League East, trailing their arch-rivals, the New York Yankees, by 10.5 games.
Can the Reds get their 1st win at Fenway Park since 1975?
Don't let the record fool you, the Red Sox can light up the scoreboard. Boston leads the AL with a .262 team average and is second in the league with a .426 slugging rate, as play began yesterday. Their league-leading 117 doubles are 34 more than the Minnesota Twins, their closest competitor, in the junior circuit. Wow.
However, success has been more difficult to find on the pitching mound. The Red Sox staff has compiled a 3.91 ERA and is prone to surrender the long ball. BoSox hurlers have been taken deep 61 times during the 2022 campaign. Only the Seattle Mariners staff has allowed more round-trippers in the AL.
Since interleague play was introduced beginning with the 1997 season, no team has dominated the Reds like Boston. The Red Sox hold a ridiculous 12-1 advantage over Cincinnati, including a perfect 5-0 record at Fenway Park.
You have to go back to October of 1975, with Joe Morgan driving home Ken Griffey in the top of the ninth in Game 7 of the Fall Classic breaking a 3-3 tie, to find the last time the Reds celebrated a victory in America's oldest ballpark.
Previewing the pitching matchups: Reds vs. Red Sox
Reds starting pitcher Luis Castillo vs. Red Sox starting pitcher Michael Wacha
It's La Piedra Day, as Luis Castillo (1-2 4.35 ERA) battles longtime Cincinnati rival Michael Wacha (3-0 2.83 ERA) of the Red Sox. In his last two starts, Castillo has displayed why he's the undeniable ace of the Cincinnati Reds staff.
Tossing 11 innings, Castillo has fanned 11 batters against just one free pass. Additionally, the right-hander has not allowed a gopher ball in his last two outings. It took him a little over a month to get back into the starting rotation, but this is what fans expect from Luis Castillo.
Don't be surprised if Boston manager Alex Cora loads his lineup with left-handed bats tonight. Castillo has completely abused right-handed hitters, holding them to an anemic .156/.174/.222 slash line to being the 2022 season.
You can spare the introductions when it comes to the Cincinnati Reds and Michael Wacha. The former St. Louis Cardinal has absolutely frustrated the Reds over his career.
The right-hander owns a 12-2 record with a sparkling 2.81 ERA in 23 games, including 19 starts, versus Cincinnati. However, Reds legend Joey Votto has been immune to his curse. Cincinnati's long-time first baseman is slashing .364/.431/.659 with five doubles and two homers in 44 career at-bats versus Wacha.
Reds starting pitcher Hunter Greene vs. Red Sox starting pitcher Garrett Whitlock
Rookie Hunter Greene (2-6 5.89 ERA) toes the rubber in Wednesday's night series finale, while Garrett Whitlock (1-1 3.49 ERA) gets the call for Alex Cora's club. After allowing just one homer over his last 13 innings, Greene was taken deep three times in five frames against the Chicago Cubs his last time on the mound.
As Reds Country knows all too well, the 22-year-old right-hander is susceptible to the long ball. The 15 round-trippers surrendered are the most in the National League this season. Needless to say, this will be an incredibly challenging start for the Reds rookie.
Don't expect to see Boston starter Garrett Whitlock go too deep in Wednesday night's contest. The right-hander's longest appearance this season has been six innings, and he's gone less than five frames in four of his seven starts this year.
Reds SS Kyle Farmer has played very well the past 2 weeks, but Jose Barrero has as well.
What a couple of weeks it's been offensively for shortstop Kyle Farmer. Over his last 15 games, the University of Georgia alum is slashing .346/.407/.654 with four home runs and 15 RBIs. In addition, Farm Dawg also had his first multi-homer game.
The importance of Farmer to the Cincinnati lineup has been a source of great debate in among Reds Country for the past couple of years, but, most importantly for Farmer, the person whose opinion matters the most is clearly a fan.
Last week when speaking with reporters, Reds skipper David Bell (via MLB.com) was quoted as saying "Farmer's a big part of our team, and he makes us better in ways you can't quantify." It's critical Farmer has that type of support because the Cincinnati roster is going to get interesting sooner rather than later.
Top shortstop prospect, Jose Barrero, could be added to the big league roster at any moment. Following a wrist injury suffered in spring training, the 24-year-old Cuban has been impressive at Triple-A Louisville since joining the Bats on May 20th.
Entering play yesterday, Barrero was slashing .269/.345/.577 with two homers in 26 at-bats. Once he receives the call, it's safe to assume he'll take over the shortstop duties from Farmer as he offers an immediate upgrade defensively.
However, I don't expect Farmer to ride the pine. It's obvious David Bell lovee Kly eFarmer, and he'll find a way to get him into the lineup as much as possible. He may have his detractors, but Kyle Farmer is not leaving the Cincinnati lineup any time soon, regardless of Jose Barrero's presence.
Prediciton
It's gonna happen, Reds Country. For the first time since October 22, 1975, the Cincinnati Reds will celebrate a victory at Fenway Park. However, let's not get carried away.
Look for Cincinnati and Boston to split their brief two-game set before the Redlegs return home to battle the Washington Nationals to kick off an eight-game homestand on Thursday night.