LOVELAND MAGAZINE

News and Events from the Loveland, Ohio Area

Without fear or favor
Since 2004

Tag: Elly De La Cruz

  • The Reds Drop Another Series but are Still In Contention

    The Reds Drop Another Series but are Still In Contention

    by Chris Ball

    Loveland, Ohio – The Reds have had a difficult time closing out the month of June. Since their 7 game winning streak they are just 4-8. They have lost winnable games against the Brewers, Pirates, and most recently the Boston Red Sox for a variety of reasons. Whether it was a cold offense or base running mistakes Cincinnati has once again found several different ways to lose a baseball game.

    Even with the tough losses there have been bright spots. Elly De La Cruz was 2-5 against Boston on Sunday and is now hitting .320 with a 196 wRC+ over his last 30 plate appearances. Jeimer Candelario had another RBI against the Red Sox and and he’s also playing well, in his last 46 plate appearances he is hitting .333 with a 202 wRC+ over that span.

    Though Nick Lodolo took the loss on Sunday the Reds have had so much production from the top 3 spots in their rotation, including Hunter Greene and Andrew Abbott that there is so much to be exited about. Against the Red Sox, Abbott looked very good, pitching 5.2 innings while allowing only 4  hits and amassing a career high 10 strikeouts. Over his last 7 starts, Hunter Greene is 4-0 with a 3.32 ERA and 45 strikeouts in just 43 innings.

    Reds fans should undoubtedly have patience with this young team. It is peppered with young players who have the potential to lead Cincinnati to the playoffs or beyond, given the right amount of time and experience. It will take time to get them the right amount of innings and at bats to mold them into a consistent contender. And so the failures in June of 2024 are not necessarily the portents of doom that many would make them out to be. This team, for all their struggles, remain just 2.5 games out of contention for the wild card spot with more than half the season left to play.

    Tonight, the reds begin a crucial 3 game series against the Pirates. It is a perfect opportunity for this team to reverse course and get back on the right track heading into the July 4th holiday, especially since it would appear that they will not have to face the Pirates’ fireball-throwing ace, Paul Skenes. The first pitch tonight is at 7:10 PM, and the pitching matchup is below:

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    Hey readers… have an opinion about sports? How about a topic you’d like to see written about in Loveland Magazine or a thought about one of our articles?

    Just need to vent and get out your frustration about the Reds, Bengals, or any other sports issues?

    Feel free to share with an email to lovelandmagazinesports@gmail.com!

    Christopher Ball is a longtime Loveland resident and an attorney. He graduated from Loveland High School in 2003 and was a member of the football team before going on to become a coach’s assistant at DePauw University in Greencastle, Indiana. He has been following and rooting for the Reds and Bengals since the early 1990s and has been through the many ups and downs that fandom has wrought over the years.

  • All new episode: The Queen City Sports Podcast by Chris Ball & Mark Raines – Reds Struggle, Tee Higgins Signs, and Mark Talks Bearcat Basketball

    All new episode: The Queen City Sports Podcast by Chris Ball & Mark Raines – Reds Struggle, Tee Higgins Signs, and Mark Talks Bearcat Basketball

    by Chris Ball & Mark Raines

    Loveland, Ohio – For this week’s podcast episode, Chris and Mark analyze just what is going wrong (once again) with the Reds’ offense. They also bring you the latest on Tee Higgins’ contract situation, and the benefit his being present for workouts this summer will help the Bengals avoid their notoriously slow starts to the season. Mark also breaks down exactly how the Bearcats’ basketball team is constructed and how that roster construction will help set them up for success in 2024. Chris and Mark also tackle Caitlin Clark and what she means for the WNBA before finishing with a brief recap of the amazing FC Cincinnati win on Wednesday night.

    All this and more on The Queen City Sports Podcast, take a listen and don’t forget to leave your comments and feedback!

    _______________________

    Hey readers… have an opinion about sports? How about a topic you’d like to see written about in Loveland Magazine or a thought about one of our articles?

    Just need to vent and get out your frustration about the Reds, Bengals, or any other sports issues?

    Feel free to share with an email to lovelandmagazinesports@gmail.com!

    We would love to hear from our readers, and we thank you for your support and engagement.

    Christopher Ball is a longtime Loveland resident and an attorney. He graduated from Loveland High School in 2003 and was a member of the football team before going on to become a coach’s assistant at DePauw University in Greencastle, Indiana. He has been following and rooting for the Reds and Bengals since the early 1990s and has been through the many ups and downs that fandom has wrought over the years.

  • All new episode: The Queen City Sports Podcast by Chris Ball

    All new episode: The Queen City Sports Podcast by Chris Ball

    by Chris Ball

    Loveland, Ohio – In this week’s podcast episode, Chris and Mark break down the Reds’ fight to get back to .500 and closer to the division leading Milwaukee Brewers. They also discuss Elly De La Cruz’s recent struggles and how best he can turn it around and become the player we all hope he can be. After previewing the Bearcat basketball team last week, Mark gives his thoughts on the upcoming football season for the Cats and how the offense will be the strength of the team this year. Finally, the guys discuss whether it’s over for Dallas in the NBA Finals, and just how the Celtics were able to make it look so easy along the way.

    Come join us for a listen, and hope you enjoy a great local sports podcast!

    All this and more on The Queen City Sports Podcast, take a listen and don’t forget to leave your comments and feedback!

    _______________________

    Hey readers… have an opinion about sports? How about a topic you’d like to see written about in Loveland Magazine or a thought about one of our articles?

    Just need to vent and get out your frustration about the Reds, Bengals, or any other sports issues?

    Feel free to share with an email to lovelandmagazinesports@gmail.com!

    We would love to hear from our readers, and we thank you for your support and engagement.

    Christopher Ball is a longtime Loveland resident and an attorney. He graduated from Loveland High School in 2003 and was a member of the football team before going on to become a coach’s assistant at DePauw University in Greencastle, Indiana. He has been following and rooting for the Reds and Bengals since the early 1990s and has been through the many ups and downs that fandom has wrought over the years.

  • TJ Friedl Returns to Action for the Louisville Bats

    TJ Friedl Returns to Action for the Louisville Bats

    by Chris Ball

    The Reds Outfielder Is A Step Closer to Rejoining the Reds And Giving Them Much Needed Help in the Lineup

    It’s no secret that the Reds are not playing with a full deck. Their offense has been frustratingly inconsistent this year. They are 28th in batting average at .218, 26th in on base percentage at .299, and 28th in hits per game. Luckily for them, they are in the top 13 in the league in doubles, triples, and home runs, all of which has lead them to the 7th best offense in terms of runs per game, posting 4.8 per contest. Each of their current impact players have struggled at various times this year, though the likes of Elly De La Cruz and Spencer Steer have done their parts to carry the team on offense. There’s also signs of life from Jeimer Candelario who looked almost unplayable at times early this season, but banged out 5 hits in the Padres series including a home run and two RBIs.

    But the rest of the Reds offense has come up largely empty so far this year. Only a handful of Reds are hitting above .230 and many are below the Mendoza Line. Although it is still early in the season, this pace is clearly unsustainable long term and won’t bring this team any closer to a playoff birth or even a winning season. What’s made it all the more frustrating is that the offensive woes have only worsened as the Reds pitching has blossomed, with Nick Lodolo dominating and Hunter Greene throwing much better.

    The hope is that with Friedl’s return, should all go well, the Reds will get a much needed increase in their offensive firepower that they’ve otherwise been missing. Friedl suffered a fractured wrist during spring training. Nick Martini, Stuart Fairchild, and Bubba Thompson simply are not getting it done in the outfield. And in Thompson and Martini’s cases, it looks unlikely that they ever will be able to have long term success at this level.

    Friedl hit .279 last year with 18 homers and 66 runs batted in, and those are numbers that the Reds would absolutely take in a heartbeat over what most of their outfielders have given so far this season. Most importantly, he hits left handed pitching at a .354 clip, which is exactly what this team needs as they have looked baffled against southpaws so far in 2024.

    In his first rehab start for the Louisville Bats on Thursday night, Friedl went 1-3 with a double and a walk, and looked good at the dish with several hard hits. Though it is just the beginning of TJ’s rehabilitation stint, Reds fans are ready to see one of their favorite players return and perhaps give some more pop to the bats at Great American ballpark.

    Watch the video of Friedl’s double by clicking here.

    Christopher Ball is a longtime Loveland resident and an attorney. He graduated from Loveland High School in 2003 and was a member of the football team before going on to become a coach’s assistant at DePauw University in Greencastle, Indiana. He has been following and rooting for the Reds and Bengals since the early 1990s and has been through the many ups and downs that fandom has wrought over the years.

  • Elly De La Cruz Makes History For The Reds

    Elly De La Cruz Makes History For The Reds

    Elly De La Cruz with a young fan at this year’s Reds Fest

    by Chris Ball

    Loveland, Ohio – Baseball is America’s pastime, and its records stretch back more than a century. And so when such records are broken, it means just a little bit more as compared to any of the other major American sports. This is why when fans read what Elly De La Cruz has accomplished these past few weeks, it makes it all the more impressive.

    With his monster April, Elly is now the only player since at least 1901 with at least 8 home runs and 17 steals in a calendar month. Oh by the way he also uncorked a throw to first at a jaw dropping 106.9 miles per hour. When he struggled at the beginning of the season Reds fans questioned whether De La Cruz had the focus and discipline necessary to make it at the major league level. Those criticisms are much quieter now given all that he has accomplished and how it seems that he has carried this team given the struggles or absence of other very important Reds players.

    The other important point to consider for De La Cruz is how his game has improved just over the course of the early part of the season. He’s cut his strikeout rate from 50 percent to 30 percent and increased his walk rate up to around 15 percent when it had been as low as 5 percent. Though Elly’s other hitting numbers may pop off the page a bit more, the evolution of his plate discipline is what makes those numbers possible.

    His offense isn’t the only thing getting better. It was difficult to watch Elly muff routine ground balls or sail easy throws during the first few games of the season. But that all seems like a distant memory, far in the rear view, as we watch him play now. His defense has greatly improved and, while still raw at times, is something he’s clearly refining at one of the most physically demanding positions in defensive baseball.

    Though it is only his first full season at this level, Elly has clearly shown that he has all the tools necessary to be a star in Major League Baseball not just years firm the road, but right this very moment. The future is now for Elly and the Reds and we are all privileged to watch.

    On another important note for the Reds, perhaps Jeimer Candelario is beginning to slowly turn things around. Against the Padres on Tuesday night he had two more hits including a solo homer, albeit in a losing effort. After posting some of the worst metrics of his career, Candelario has two multi hit games in a row and broke an 0-19 slump. If he starts to produce at even average levels it will be a big boost to a ball club fighting and scraping for every win it can get in the ultra competitive National League Central.

     

    Christopher Ball is a longtime Loveland resident and an attorney. He graduated from Loveland High School in 2003 and was a member of the football team before going on to become a coach’s assistant at DePauw University in Greencastle, Indiana. He has been following and rooting for the Reds and Bengals since the early 1990s and has been through the many ups and downs that fandom has wrought over the years.

  • Reds Fight Through Injuries and Setbacks to Take the First Two Series of the Year 

    Reds Fight Through Injuries and Setbacks to Take the First Two Series of the Year 

    Frankie Montas (Major League Photo Day)

    by Chris Ball

    The Reds Are on a Roll To Start The Season

    The Reds had deck stacked against them to begin this year. Injuries to several key players and the suspension of Noelvi Marte threatened to derail the 2024 campaign before it even got going. But so far, the Reds have put those distractions and excuses aside and shown the league that it will take more than a few setbacks to keep this team down.

    After series wins over the Nationals and Phillies the Reds sit at 4-2 on the year. And while it’s far too early to draw any sweeping conclusions about what that means, there are still several very promising elements to their start that could be key predictors to how successful they could be as the season continues.

    The Reds Starting Rotation Has Shown Out

    Injuries ravaged the Reds rotation last year, and the high number of innings Andrew Abbott was asked to throw at all levels of competition took their toll as well as he struggled mightily in the latter parts of the season. Even now the team is without Nick Lodolo as he works to get healthy again, but the rotation has its is currently constructed has more than answered the call.

    Through 5 games the Reds’ starters had a combined ERA of just 3.0:

    And that number doesn’t even account for Frankie Montas’ start in the finale against the Phillies where he only allowed just one earned run in just under six innings. Montas is on fire to start the season. In his two starts, he has allowed just one run in 11 2/3 innings and has a 0.77 ERA.

    There are still concerns about just how far guys line Abbott and Greene can pitch into games given their youth and workload. But the first time through the Reds rotation has been a very pleasant experience that has to give fans hope that these kinds of performances will become the norm going forward.

    Lodolo also looked very strong in his recent minor league start striking out eight batters in just five innings. He’s apparently targeting a return on April 10th, and when he returns David Bell is going to have quite the difficult decision of just who to ask to step aside to room.

    Elly Keeps Hitting

    The hype surrounding Elly De La Cruz is some of the most intense that Reds fans have seen since Ken Griffey Jr. came to Cincinnati all those years ago. It’s a tough burden to bear and the weight of it is ever present as the entire city analyzes and criticizes every swing, hit, throw, error and strikeout that the 22 year old Dominican shortstop offers up. And it can’t be denied that some of his errors in the field make you scratch your head and his approach at the plate has lead to plenty of strikeouts this year.

    But the fact of the matter is that he is riding an 11-game hitting streak and isn’t going to give up any time soon. He is a polarizing figure without a doubt but it can’t be denied that this team is at its best when he is in the lineup, as unpolished as he still may be. Patience is key when evaluating Elly this year regardless of the ecxpectations and he’s shown exactly why he deserves to be on this roster in 2024.

    Spencer Steer Is Knocking The Cover Off The Ball

    Spencer Steer (Major League Photo Day)

    Spencer Steer seems to so often be overlooked in the discussions about the Reds’ young stud players. While CES, Elly, McLain, and Marte may get more press, Steer just flat out produces. From his grand slam against the Phillies to his ridiculous statistics (.435 average, 10 hits, 8 RBIs in just 6 games) the man has shown that he deserves just as much praise as any of the Reds best players.

    Signing Jonathan India Was Key

    Just a few months ago Jonathan India seemed like a beloved Red without a path to playing time. He was an unquestioned leader and a true Red, but many wondered if he truly had the ability or to play significant games and contribute given the plethora of young talent in the Cincinnati infield. Nothing has demonstrated just how clutch of a player India has been than his performance stepping up to play every day in a depleted Reds infield. With McLain out, India has played solid with several extra base hits and solid defense. His leadership and presence will be sorely needed in the coming months.

    Christopher Ball is a longtime Loveland resident and an attorney. He graduated from Loveland High School in 2003 and was a member of the football team before going on to become a coach’s assistant at DePauw University in Greencastle, Indiana. He has been following and rooting for the Reds and Bengals since the early 1990s and has been through the many ups and downs that fandom has wrought over the years.

  • 5 Things To Watch In 2024: Cincinnati Reds Edition

    5 Things To Watch In 2024: Cincinnati Reds Edition

    Elly De La Cruz, Brandon Williamson, and Matt McClain on the Rookies Roundtable at Redsfest in December.

    Photo by David Miller/Loveland Magazine © 2024

    The training wheels are off!

    by Chris Ball

    Loveland, Ohio – Before the 2023 season there were many who believed the Reds might lose 90-100 games after going 62-100 in 2022. Most gave them virtually no chance to even have a relevant season and were simply counting down the days until the Bengals’ season rolled back around. 

    And the beginning of the ’23 season did very little to change those perspectives. There were rumors that the gates were opening and that the Reds were turning their young players loose on the major leagues. And why shouldn’t they? It was a lost season anyways. 

    Matt McClain

    Matt McClain was the first, to be eventually followed by the likes of Christian Encarnacion-Strand, Andrew Abbott and Noelvi Marte. The league likely expected these rookies to take their time adjusting the the big leagues, but they shattered expectations by, in many cases, playing well above their age and experience levels. And no one epitomized this more than Elly De La Cruz. 

    In the eyes of Reds fans Elly was a superstar from the moment he stepped onto the diamond wearing that red helmet. And he soon proved to the world exactly why he was held in such high regard. From the iconic cycle, to stealing home, to the walk off home runs, the man was a human highlight reel for half a season. 

    Elly De La Cruz with a young fan at Redsfest in December.

    And suddenly, the city of Cincinnati went from spending the summer dreaming about the upcoming football season to packing Great American Ballpark and hanging on the edge of their seats all the way through the fall, praying for one of the most improbable postseason berths in recent memory. 

    It may not have come to pass, but there can be no doubt that 2023 gave Reds fans something they haven’t had in quite a while: legitimate hope that the team can contend. But there’s something different in the air this time around. The young core of this team has shown that the Reds’ ability to push for the playoffs, and maybe even more, won’t just be limited to one or two desperate seasons, but rather, could span years of sustained success that could likely make Reds baseball the main event during those hot Cincinnati summers. 

    What are the keys to making that a reality? In 2024 the training wheels are off, the expectations are high, and the fans aren’t just praying for relevance, they are expecting growth, maturation, and most of all, wins. 

    Christopher Ball is a longtime Loveland resident and an attorney. He graduated from Loveland High School in 2003 and was a member of the football team before going on to become a coach’s assistant at DePauw University in Greencastle, Indiana. He has been following and rooting for the Reds and Bengals since the early 1990s and has been through the many ups and downs that fandom has wrought over the years.