LOVELAND MAGAZINE

News and Events from the Loveland, Ohio Area

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Since 2004

Tag: junis

  • Back in the Jungle: Recapping the Weekend in Cincinnati Sports

    Back in the Jungle: Recapping the Weekend in Cincinnati Sports

    Joe Burrow throws a pass against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, photo comes from the Bengals on X.

    by Chris Ball

    Loveland, Ohio – once the clock hit zero against the Cleveland Browns in the final regular season game last year, another one started in the minds of Cincinnati Bengals fans. The countdown this time was to the moment when we’d all see a healthy Joe Burrow take the field in a Bengals uniform to take part in real game action. And on Saturday, those wishes were granted, if only for one magical series.

    It was a series that saw Cincinnati’s franchise quarterback go 5-7 for 51 yards in total that had a little bit of everything. It included a near-touchdown deep down the middle to Tee Higgins that Burrow almost fit in between the tightest double coverage imaginable. It was more evidence of the pinpoint accuracy that we’ve all come to expect from him and yet another sign that he’s suffering no ill effects from his injury last year. And although that pass didn’t result in a score, after the Bengals marched down the field he was able to find Higgins again just short of the goal line, but the franchise-tagged wide receiver pulled a nice move to shake the Buccaneer’s Josh Hayes and sauntered into the end zone for the team’s first touchdown of the year.

    All in all the first and only drive with the starters went for 12 plays and covered 73 yards. Burrow looked comfortable in the pocket and was rarely bothered. It was a testament to how prepared the offensive line looked, and the pair of tackles in Orlando Brown, Jr. and rookie Amarius Mims stood tall against the Tampa Bay defense. The reviews of Mims’ play especially were very positive as it appears that he could be far ahead of schedule in terms of his development. When he was drafted out of Georgia there were questions as to just how long it might take for him to be NFL-ready given that his starting career in college was not as robust as other top picks. With each snap he plays in practice and in games like this, Amarius Mims is proving he is ready for primetime and could end up being the Bengals’ right tackle of the future.

    Mims wasn’t the only Bengals rookie to make waves. Jermaine Burton hauled in 3 catches for 82 yards including a 38-yard touchdown. The pass was an absolute dot by backup quarterback Logan Woodside (who also had a very nice game with 149 yards passing and a 137.2 rating) but it was Burton’s double move that really freed him up to make the catch. With Tee Higgins likely departing after this season, Bengals fans have to be giddy with the talent and potential in a wide receiver trio of Chase, Iosivas and Burton.

    The Bengals starting defense also started strong, pressing the Buccaneers’ backups into a 3 and out on the first drive. After that, Tampa Bay’s offense gained good chunks of yards and managed some big plays. Without Sheldon Rankins and BJ Hill in the middle of the defensive line the rush defense left a little to be desired. But Dax Hill looked right at home at cornerback after switching positions from safety and had 3 passes broken up and even a near interception (which should have been challenged after being ruled incomplete). The biggest defensive story of the night was linebacker Maema Njongmeta, an undrafted free agent from Wisconsin, who lead the team with 10 total tackles.

    Although the Bengals didn’t manage to pull out the win, winning isn’t necessarily the most important thing in these preseason games. Most importantly, Joe Burrow and the offense looked in sync, which is the direct result of their major contributors being healthy and in camp together. They also escaped the game with those key players healthy and ready for the next game, which will be against the Chicago Bears on August 17 at 1:00 PM.

    As for the Cincinnati Reds, they had their own titanic struggle to face this weekend. The Milwaukee Brewers were coming off of a series against the Atlanta Braves where they amassed 52 hits, 34 runs, and 8 home runs. The Brewers carried that fire into their series with the Reds, scoring 8 runs in the first win of the 3-game set. Milwaukee torched Carson Spiers for those 8 runs in just 5 innings before the bullpen took over. The trio of Jakob Junis, Fernando Cruz and Yosver Zulueta stepped in and held the Brewers hitless over the final 3 innings of the game.

    In game 2 it was yet another story of the Reds bats going missing in action. Cincinnati actually out-hit Milwaukee 3-2 but managed to score a grand total of zero runs. The difference in their 1-0 loss was a solo home run by Rhys Hoskins in the bottom of the 8th inning. It was also another tragic tale of a waste of a gem of an outing by a Reds pitcher. This time the victim was Nick Martinez, who has turned out to be one of the teams best signings in recent memory. Though not technically a starter he filled in as one in game 2 and threw 7 innings of 1-hit baseball and has been a pitcher who has started games, came in relief, and whatever was asked of him, has answered the call.

    Game 3 was a bit of a different story. The Brewers jumped out to a 2-0 lead and the Reds could have folded, but they managed to tie it up in the fourth inning. They then took the lead in the 5th after a Tyler Stephenson solo home run. Milwaukee, like the great team they are, refused to go away and tied it again in the bottom of the 6th and the Reds had yet another chance to pack it in and let another game slip away. But they continued to fight and went out ahead 4-3 on a Spencer Steer sacrifice fly that was nearly a grand slam. Alexis Diaz then came in in the bottom of the 9th and shut the Brewers down to preserve the win in just 14 tidy pitches with 2 strikeouts.

    The Brewers series gave Reds fans a little bit of everything in terms of emotions. Cincinnati battled back after being shell shocked a bit in game 1. Game 2 showed that Nick Martinez is a solid piece of this pitching staff in a variety of roles. Game 3 showed that this team still has plenty of fight left in it, even if things get tough. Although the 2024 playoffs might be out of reach for them, the team has plenty left to prove and to fight for, and Reds fans will have a plethora of highlights left to cheer for before the clock strikes midnight on this baseball season.

    ———————-

    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.

    Also, don’t forget to follow us at The Loveland Sports Desk at the below links:

    For Facebook, click here.

    For X, click here.

    For Instagram, click 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.

  • For Whom the Bell Tolls: What Does the Future Hold for Reds Manager David Bell?

    For Whom the Bell Tolls: What Does the Future Hold for Reds Manager David Bell?

    Photo of David Bell courtesy of WikiMedia.

    by Chris Ball

    Loveland, Ohio – Any time a season doesn’t go to plan, and that’s exactly what is happening in 2024 for the Cincinnati Reds, there is a question of where the responsibility for it rests. No answer in sports is simple, which is especially true for baseball. Success in Major League Baseball for small to mid-market teams is not easy. It requires foresight in draft picks and trades for prospects, smart and economically feasible free agent signings, and a heavy dose of luck with respect to both injuries and perhaps hitting a home run with that under-the-radar guy that turns out to be the difference for an aspiring ballclub.

    But the manager of a big-league club is a huge part of that calculus. Coaches in the NBA have to manage superstar personalities as there are only 5 players on the court at any given time. So when 20 percent or more of your scoring comes from one primary guy, keeping him happy and in cohesion with the other 4 teammates on the court matters somewhat less than the specific X’s and O’s of any given play or system. NFL head coaches have coordinators to call plays and manage the flow of games, and generally have the same lineups to work with game in and game out regardless of the opponent.

    But managers in baseball have a job that isn’t always readily understandable by average fans (and this isn’t a knock against average fans, this author is just as mystified by the intricacies of the managerial decisions in the sport as much as anyone else). Whether it be the matchups of hitters versus batters, splits between left- and right-handed pitching, day games versus night games, Sabermetric statistics, and a million other factors that play out over 162 games, MLB managers have so many decisions to make that could have an impact on the outcome of those games.

    And still, at the end of the day, those decisions, difficult as they may be, have to translate into wins. This is unfortunately where the rubber hits the road when it comes to David Bell. In 6 seasons with the Cincinnati Reds, he is 386-432 which equates to a .472 winning percentage. Other than the COVID season of 2020 Bell has 2 winning seasons with the Reds, and he’s also had a team lose 100 games.

    Last year the Reds were contending for a playoff spot after losing those 100 games just the season before. They called up the likes of Matt McLain, Christian Encarnacion Strand, Spencer Steer, and of course Elly De La Cruz. Those rookies did nothing except pump pure adrenaline into the city of Cincinnati as the team went 18-9 in June and then 15-11 in July. After that, though, it was a different story as they managed to go just 23-31 over their last three months of the season and fell out of playoff contention. They had a losing record at home (38-43) and also posted a losing record against other NL Central teams (21-30).

    There were understandable explanations for that series of events. After all, when nearly the entirety of your core players are rookies in their 20s, the long-haul of a major league season is a tall mountain to climb. The front office also chose to largely stand pat at the trade deadline, making many fans question the extent to which the team had a true intent to do what was necessary to win. But even still, the team exceeded most reasonable expectations and so the tone moving into 2024 was one of optimism and hoping to build on the things the Reds did well in 2023.

    Here at Loveland Magazine, we’ve documented the roller coaster that the 2024 season has brought us. Apart from a very disappointing May where the Reds went 9-18, they’ve had a winning record in every other month this year. They’ve dealt with injuries to key players that we all know about. But there are other more troubling statistics that are hard to ignore.

    The Reds are 9-20 in one-run games and have blown 18 leads. They simply cannot build any momentum even when the door is open for them to get back into serious contention for a wild card spot. Their lack of consistency is a maddening problem that has haunted them on countless occasions this season.

    Make no mistake, this is not an article calling for David Bell to be fired. The players bear responsibility as well. Several key players are playing either slightly or well below league averages, including Jeimer Candelario, Will Benson, Stuart Fairchild, and Noelvi Marte. Then there is the front office and the ownership group who are at the helm of this franchise. They control the purse strings and are responsible for providing the manager and coaches the resources to acquire, keep, and attract the players necessary to win at the big-league level. There are serious deficiencies there that should not be ignored and absolutely play a role in holding this team back.

    Apart from all that, firing Bell would be a drastic decision that goes against most of what we know about the Reds front office. Last year then extended Bell for a further three years and to fire him any time soon and eat that contract money is completely out of character for them. Still, the Reds’ best chance to win significant games corresponds directly to how long Elly De La Cruz remains on their roster.

    That timeframe will not last forever, and within that window Cincinnati’s margin for error remains very small. Their mandate is clear: surround Elly with the best talent that is reasonably available so that this offense can support the ace in its rotation (Hunter Greene) and the very good pitchers behind him (Abbott and Lodolo). Frankie Montas and Jeimer Candelario unfortunately do not represent the kinds of signings that Nick Krall and the Reds’ brass have to make to execute that strategy. There must be real, significant free agents brought in that will play to expectations and we cannot afford to miss for much longer.

    David Bell at least deserves one season with a complete roster and a at least a majority of his key players healthy before he’s judged with finality. Absent a significant change in the Reds’ future in 2024, though, this season can’t help but be seen as a regression. Win, lose, or draw, 2025 has to be the year that will determine once and for all whether David Bell is the manager this team needs to be a playoff threat, or if it is time to start fresh and inject new blood to match the youth we’re putting out on the field.

    ———————-

    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.

    Also, don’t forget to follow us at The Loveland Sports Desk at the below links:

    For Facebook, click here.

    For X, click here.

    For Instagram, click 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.

  • To Buy or Sell? Breaking Down the Reds’ Trade Deadline Moves

    To Buy or Sell? Breaking Down the Reds’ Trade Deadline Moves

    The Reds Welcome Ty France, courtesy of the Cincinnati Reds on X.

    by Chris Ball

    Loveland, Ohio – The Reds were in a difficult position in the days leading up to the July 30th MLB trade deadline. They were near the bottom of the division but only a handful of games out of the last Wild Card spot, one of seven teams within 8 games of that last playoff position. Though losing two out of three from the Tampa Bay Devil Rays (themselves heavy sellers at the deadline) certainly put a damper on things, statistically speaking their hunt for the postseason was not officially over yet.

    There were certainly arguments to be made that the Reds could either buy or sell at the deadline, but there was no question that whatever moves were going to be made, they needed to have an impact. If the Reds were looking to contend, those moves had to bring in players that could close the gap in the playoff race in the second half. If they sold, the return on the players they traded needed to be substantial and with an eye towards helping them contend immediately in 2025 or in 2026 at the latest.

    Ultimately, Nick Krall attempted to split the middle. The Reds didn’t acquire any immediate-impact difference makers, but they did not dismantle the club either. The moves made at the 2024 deadline will ultimately take time to pass judgment on, but here is a rundown of how it played out.

    A trade that could show an immediate impact was the one that sent Frankie Montas to Milwaukee for relief pitcher Jakob Junis and outfielder Joey Wiemer. Montas was supposed to be a key signing for the Reds this year, but it did not pan out. He was 4-8 with a 5.01 ERA. His contract was for 1 year at 16 million dollars with a mutual option for 2025, so getting at least some of that salary off of the books is an additional benefit.

    Junis is the player with the most big-league experience and promise. This season he’s appeared in 10 games, including one start. In 26 innings he’s amassed a 4-0 record while striking out 19 and walking 5. With the trade of Lucas Sims (discussed below) Junis could step into the bullpen right away and pitch meaningful innings for this team.

    Wiemer is a bit more of a project. He is just 25 and was a highly valued prospect in the Brewers farm system, though he’s yet to fully capitalize on his talent. For Milwaukee’s AAA team he hit .242/.387/.358. His power numbers are below projections but he’s playing much better in July, slashing .333/.494/.517, certainly trending in the right direction. If he is on the cusp of playing in the big leagues, the Reds are a team that can use all of the outfield bats they can find.

    Also, the Reds traded reliever Lucas Sims to the Boston Red Sox for young right-handed pitcher Ovis Portes. Fangraphs has Portes as the Red Sox 38th ranked prospect at just 19 years old. This year for Boston’s A-level minor league team he has pitched 21 innings, allowing 17 hits and 8 earned runs. He’s been a bit feast or famine with his control, striking out 25 while walking 15 in 7 appearances, 5 of them starts. Portes certainly has potential, but it’s likely going to be several seasons before Cincinnati fans see that play out at Great American Ballpark.

    In addition, the day before the deadline, the Reds acquired first basemen Ty France from the Seattle Mariners. France hit .223 with 8 home runs and 31 RBIs. According to Baseball Savant, France is above average in terms of barrel %, and walk rate, showing a patient eye at the plate. However, his average his dropped each season in the majors since 2021 when he hit .291 for Seattle. Perhaps a change of scenery and new opportunities in the Queen City will help France get back on track.

    As Nick Krall emphasized, the Reds can still contend with the team they have. None of their key players who were performing well (apart from perhaps Sims) were shipped. Montas clearly was not going to work out and Lucas Sims had just one year left on his contract. As of the publishing of this, the Reds have taken the first two games of their series against the Chicago Cubs and have shown life on offense and have gotten contributions from a wide variety of players.

    While the 2024 MLB trade deadline didn’t bring Cincinnati players that will drive them to the playoffs this year, it didn’t result in the front office waiving the white flag, either. And so, Reds fans can only soldier on and hope that the team has enough to string together enough wins to give it a go in August and September.

    ———————-

    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.

    Also, don’t forget to follow us at The Loveland Sports Desk at the below links:

    For Facebook, click here.

    For X, click here.

    For Instagram, click 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.