Noelvi Martes HEROICS Ensure DRAMATIC Weekend on Tap for Cincinnati Reds Against Milwaukee Brewers

Noelvi Martes HEROICS Ensure DRAMATIC Weekend on Tap for Cincinnati Reds Against Milwaukee Brewers

Heat. Heat. [Music] Heat. Heat. [Music] [Music] Noelvi Marte makes a case that he is the one, at least when it comes to right fielders. We’re going to talk about it on today’s Locked on Reds. [Music] You are locked on reds. Your daily Cincinnati Reds podcast, part of the Locked On podcast network, your team every day. Welcome on in to Locked On Reds. My name is Jeff Carr. His name is Steve Hoffenbaker. And we are lifelong Cincinnati Reds fans. We’ve been podcasting about this team for a combined 14 seasons. And we’re glad that you’re alongside us here today. Locked on Reds is part of the Locked On Network. We are your team, your Cincinnati Reds every single day. And we want to thank you for making us the number one sports podcast network in the country. On today’s show, we are going to dive into your questions and comments a little bit later on because we are live. Make sure you drop down into that comment section. And here in a few minutes, I I I’m kind of curious as to your thoughts because been going through something as a Reds fan this entire season. And I just want to know, have you or someone you know been affected by this red season? We’re going to talk about it in just a few minutes, but we’re going to begin today’s show with the chosen one in right field, Noel V. Marte. That’s all on the show. That’s brought to you by FanDuel. Download the FanDuel app today. Place a wager, $5 wager. We’ll get you $300 in bonus bets to use across the app. Download FanDuel today. Steve Noelie Marte made the best catch I’ve ever seen. And I get it. I’m not I’m not old enough. I wasn’t I was a I was a tiny little baby to when Glenn Braggs made his catch. So I can’t compare it to that at least like seeing it live. But I was in the right field corners and foul territory on the foul side of the right field foul pole seeing him make that catch. And I don’t know that there is any more that he could have done. He could not jump higher. He could not stretch farther. He could not have timed it better to make that catch. It was a perfect moment, especially given the circumstances. But even before that catch, Noelie Marte has proven himself to be the right fielder of this team. You know, I’m always surprised after watching him run a route to a ball that the ball’s in his glove. I’m I’m always I’m always surprised in in this case. Um what a catch. And you know, Glenn Braggs is a really good comparison. Glenn Braggs catch, you know, kind of propelled the Reds into a a a NLCS win, right? Um, no, Elv’s catch kept the Reds alive. You know, the importance level is that high. You You look at his reaction and it tells you everything you need to know about how big that catch was. you look at the reaction of everybody else on the team, it tells you how big that catch was. Um, you know, it was the difference in the game. It it really truly was. And Noelvie being that guy, Noelvie, you know, making the defensive save, making the defensive impact in right field is, you know, not what I think anybody really had on their bingo card. Um, you know, we’ve talked about him being the guy that’s trying to figure it out as he goes. We’ve talked about him being the guy that’s, you know, I I think I’ve used the Chris Burman reference a couple times talking about him out there kind of like rumbling, bumbling, stumbling his way into making a catch, right? So, for him to make that kind of a catch, you know, that big of a catch, um I I’m really happy for him. It was a true difference maker in the game yesterday. But to talk about where he is even before that catch, I was I was impressed and a little bit surprised to be honest with you to see the numbers on him in right field. We talk a lot about defensive statistics and obviously this is one part of the game where statistics really aren’t a huge part of how you evaluate a guy. It is the eye test that is more so when it comes to fielding. But statistics give us a little bit more context. And in 411 innings that he’s played, which I didn’t realize it’s been that many innings now. He’s almost up to half as many innings this year as he’s played at third base this year. Uh but he has plus four defensive runs saved. That’s good for top five as far as position players go for this team, which is a little bit of a referendum on the Red’s defense as a whole, but also it’s it’s a celebration of how he has played in right field. I think that he has done a good job for a guy that just started playing this position this year. It It’s truly, you know, fun watching how he’s evolved. Um, you know, I I was when you gave me the number in prep, I was I was surprised as well because again, the eye test says, you know, he is still very much learning that position. Right. Right. You you watch him the way that he runs around to the ball, the way that he makes his catches a lot of times, like, you know, he’s reaching out to the side and he’s reaching far away from his body and he’s just not quite in position, but he is getting it done. And, you know, I I have high hopes for him moving forward. I think that I think that that’s going to be his spot and I think that given an off season to continue to work on, you know, outfield and work on running the routes and reading the ball and doing the things, um, he’s only going to get better. So, that’s saying something. The fact that he’s still very, you know, you know, mishap and adventure on his way to the baseball and he’s still positive outs above average says that he’s going to be a good one once he kind of figures it all out and puts it together. Yeah, I do know that. I mean, obviously he had that that play on Tuesday night that or sorry, Wednesday night where it kind of felt like he like lost the ball and it was just in the corner and it took him forever to get the ball in the infield and that’s how the Pirates scored their first run. But at the same time, like I see the vision with him at this position where it’s like he’s got a higher baseline than I expected and it’s not a well, let’s just put somebody out in the outfield and let’s see what we got. There’s more to it than this with Noelie Marte. He’s definitely not a finished product. I don’t I’m I’m not trying to make that argument, but I think I’m making the argument that I’m ready to commit to him every day in right field for next year, which I also think in turns changes a little bit of how the Reds move this off season. I know that we said that we want them to get an outfielder every day bat. I still think that that should be a goal, but I think that rebuilding the bullpen might have overtaken that as far as like most important thing to get, but at the same time, they’re still going to need to figure out left field. Like I love Will Benson to death, but he’s so inconsistent. And Austin Hayes, maybe you pick up his option and just keep him here, or maybe you bring back Miguel Andrew Har, but all of that being said, like it just feels like they need to explore every option they possibly can in left field. But I don’t think that the outfield is as egregious as a knee because I I think that now they have two spots figured out for next year. Well, yeah, because TJ Fredel’s got his spot locked up and I think that Noelvie Marte probably has his spot locked up. I mean, it’s kind of wild to say at this point, but I think he’s got it secured. um you know those those other names you mentioned for the the third outfield spot you know only inspire the me respond and the Reds have got to do better than that and that’s been the problem all along but um you know I don’t know that you could have anticipated heading into this season that we would be talking about Noel Marte having right field locked up I no I don’t think anybody saw that coming and credit to Noelvie for leaning into it when it was decided Credit to the Reds for sticking with it because, you know, they’re they’re fixing a a long-term problem uh with a what looks like now a long-term solution. So, you know, I think everybody involved in this experiment gets gets a little bit of credit, both the player and the team for doing it, sticking with it, and for it working out. I’m remembering I think I’m going to take a half a victory lap on this one because I’m remembering saying that I think it would be fun to see what Noel Marte has in right field. Now, I also say that I’m only taking half a victory lap on this and it’s not like I said, oh, yeah, that’s a good idea. Uh, but I think just based on the options that the Reds had, it’s like, all right, just put him out there, see what he’s got. And I’m liking what we have seen so far from him. And he’s going to need to be big. I mean, he had an RBI as well in that game, so he was part of the run scoring as much as he was a part of the run prevention, but he’s going to need to continue to kind of get back because this lineup is dying on the vine. And this lineup is absolutely trudging to the finish line. And as much as pitching and defense has kept them in every ball game they’ve been in, now they go to Milwaukee. And Milwaukee doesn’t play bad baseball. Milwaukee is really stinking good. And it’s been a long time since they’ve won a series in Milwaukee. So Noelie Marte, Ellie Dela Cruz, Spencer Steer, everybody’s going to have to be big because you can’t you can’t win one out of three and make the playoffs. Like I don’t think the Mets are getting swept by the Marlins. I just don’t see that happening. And that’s what would have to happen if the Reds only win one game. So you got to win at least two. And man, when I when I look at how that has to happen, there’s there’s a lot of hope, not a lot of plans, and just a lot of Well, we’ll talk about that next. What do you get when you have a bald eagle standing on top of a silverback gorilla riding a T-Rex? Confidence. Pure confidence. If you’re looking for something beyond the usual pill, it’s time to meet Roui Golong. That’s exactly where Roui Golong comes in. This isn’t just another ED pill. It’s a total gamecher for confidence. Golong combines two doctor trusted medications in one dualaction formula so you can get hard and go the distance. The effects can last up to 36 hours. That’s confidence all day, all night, and even into the next day. Ready to level up your confidence in the bedroom? Head to rugie.com and use promo code locked on MLB for 15% off your first order. That’s r u gi t.com and the promo code l keo nm mlb. Make sure to use our code so they know that we sent you. Thank you for making Lockdown Reds part of your everyday routine. If you’re an everydayer, you rock. And if you’re not, make sure you hit that subscribe button right here on YouTube or on your favorite podcast app because we are free and available on all platforms. Plus, when you do, you also get Tim, Daniel, and the Red’s postcast going live at the end of every ball game. Three more regular season ones for that. Hopefully, we get some playoff ones as well. Tim and Steve and myself will be with you all throughout the year. All right, Steve. Uh before we kind of jump into the stress of the season, I do want to take a quick look at this series because my goodness, uh I I would love to sit here and tell you that there’s a statistic that points to something happening. I’d love to sit here and tell you that somebody’s performance right now just leads me to believe it’s going to happen, but I’ve got the very deeply analytical point of view when it comes to the Reds and the Brewers this weekend. Steve, they’re due. You know, if ever hope was the strategy, it’s it’s the series. Um there you’re right. There’s nothing to point to in the stats. There’s nothing to point to on paper that says this is when the Reds finally figure it out. You know, the Brewers have been a thorn in the red side for a lot of years now, but um if if they are going to make it happen, they are going to have to, you know, do do the improbable. And we’ve seen them do that throughout this season. Um the times when we least expect it, they rise up and do something big. And that’s what it’s going to take. You know, two of three is the absolute minimum in Milwaukee. Really, a sweep. um is probably what’s gonna have to happen to get it done. And that’s that’s a big big ask. I just feel like the Brewers fans are just sitting back in the chairs like with a cigars like sweep, huh? Sweep. I know. Yeah, cuz the the the last time and I told you this before we hit before we went live here today. The last time, and shout out to Gingerosaurus Rex for this tweet earlier today, or I think it was yesterday, but the last time that the Cincinnati Reds beat the Milwaukee Brewers in Milwaukee in a series, Michael Paperski hit a home run and Ross Deweiler got a save. Yeah, we’re talking about the venerable year, the year that we all love to remember, 2022. Those aren’t even real names. You’re you’re you’re just making up things. I had to look up Michael Paperski, too, cuz I’m like, I remember that name, but where did he go? You know where he went? Nowhere. He played that one year. He played in 2022 and he never played in Major League Baseball again. And somehow he hit a home run in Milwaukee. And like it’s it’s crazy to see those names and just think about like that team for a moment that that was the team, the 100 loss team was the last time that the Reds beat the Brewers in Milwaukee. They have been owned by Milwaukee. And there’s one other stat, and I got this from our friend Chuck over at Lockdown Brewers. He said something else for you guys to talk about when we head into the series. Quinn Priest’s preaching on Friday night. Steve, the Brewers have won, not not Quinn Preers specifically, on his win loss record that we all really care about. Uh the Brewers as a team have won 19 straight Quinn Prester starts. 19 straight. This guy was thrown away by the Pirates and the Brewers bring him in and they can’t lose with him. You know, we we spent a lot of time in the course of a season talk about St. Louis Cardinals and their devil magic. We’re we’re going to have to sometime explore what exactly has gone on in Milwaukee because there’s there’s a lot of things up there that simply don’t make sense. Um that’s one of them. um among many many things. Um I this is this is the keys to success. The Reds have to go out there. They have to score runs. The pitching has to hold how it normally does. And nobody throws Christian Yelich a strike. Those are the those are the rules to try and win to keep the ball out the zone when Christian Yelich is at the plate. Keep the ball out the zone. And and if it’s not evident enough by our tone with this series and how we’re talking about this series, I appreciate you your name because I I want to agree and and quite frankly I I think I needed that moment from Noel Marte yesterday because I keep feeling like looking back on this season there just hasn’t been a moment like that was the moment. It just feels like man the Reds are in this thing. They’ve officially, you know, for what it’s worth, they’ve made sure that they’ve clenched a not below 500 record. Yay. Uh but at the same time, like it’s it’s been a better year than most as far as my life is concerned as a Reds fan. But I can’t remember ever feeling so much stress watching a Reds team. And Steve, it dawned on me when I went to the ballpark on Wednesday night and I’m watching Paul SK and Hunter Green. I’m like, man, this is the pinnacle of pitching. when it comes to baseball and just the whole time just felt just such a weight on my shoulder. Steve, I gotta admit something. I I was looking for fulfillment and like looking for life fulfillment in Cincinnati Red’s wins. And as dumb as that sounds, and I’m laughing at myself as I say it, that’s where I was and that’s where I’ve been for much of this season. And so it’s felt like it’s just been this roller coaster, and it has been a roller coaster, but like emotionally and personally. And like I slept so good on Wednesday night after that loss after I realized, dude, what are we doing here? This team just has way too much control over my emotions. Yeah. You know, I’ve had those conversations with myself, Jeff, and it it just it’s hard to move on from it, and it’s hard to change that mindset. You know, Cincinnati do this. Cincinnati loves this team and we love this team and it it’s really hard not to get that kind of emotional investment in what’s going on. Um I think it’s why it’s been so hard with this team. You know, the the mantra this year, at least for me, is them doing the thing we ask them to do, but in the most frustrating way possible. And and if they make the playoffs, it’s it’s really kind of on brand for how they’ve been all season long because they’ve they’ve they’ve weaved and zigged and zagged and tumbled and bumbled and tripped and and stumbled their way to this point in the season. They’ve never really just kind of risen up and played great baseball. They’ve never really put together that that win streak. You know, it it looked like they might do it there for a hot second last week, but five is still the number of wins in a row for the entire season. And every time I’m ready to just kind of check out, they do a thing and I’m like, “Oh, what’s happening here?” And they pull me right back in and and then kick me in the face. This is This is their brand of baseball this year. It It is. And it just feels so torturous. I mean, Chris said it best. This year’s been torture. And it’s hilarious because we are a fan base that doesn’t get this very often because of how our organization operates. They they spend years and years and years trying to build up a farm system to to get themselves into some sort of contention window or or space or I don’t Zoom room something. They get to the point where they’re like, “Yes, now we’re going to win.” And this is the time that they basically said like no front office is going to come out and literally tell you we’re going to make the playoffs this year. But at the same time, this is what everything was pointing to last year, this year, next year. Like this is where we are. and the fact that we are just clawing and scraping and fighting for every inch to try to get into the last wild card spot and # sneak on in has just absolutely drained me. Like I’ll be honest, Steve, that’s that’s the reason that this is our first episode since after the first game against Pittsburgh is just because I was just so like Wednesday night. I don’t know what the show was going to be cuz I was just so all over the place. And then Thursday morning was like, “All right, well, I got to get down to the ballpark and see this last home game.” And it’s just like such a crazy just ball of emotion. And I don’t know that there’s like a take to be had out of all of this. And I I kind of just want to see what folks are feeling. like jump in the comment section. Let me know. We like like Chris said, you know, it’s been a year of torture. Like I I just don’t think this has been the year that anybody’s been prepared for. I think we all think that you’re either rebuilding and you just don’t care or you’re winning and you absolutely love life. But there’s this between area nobody really wants to talk about and that’s exactly where we are. Trying to describe this year is going to be very interesting when we do get to the offseason. Um because I don’t know that fun is a word I’m going to lean into when we talk about what it was like following this team this year each and every day. But um there there are words. I’m just not sure fun’s one of them. Uh but listen Jeff, we’ve we’ve reached a point in the show which is my favorite part of the lives. We’re going to get in to the questions and the comments. So, if you’ve got a good one, get it in there because we’re going to start talking with you folks coming up next. Three games left. That’s all there is in the Red Season. That’s all the time you’ve got left to get on over to FanDuel. Of course, you got football season and college football. All all the different seasons are over on FanDuel. And new users have an amazing opportunity right now because they keep this offer extended for just a little bit longer where if you place your first five dollar wager, it wins. You’ll get $300 in bonus bets. That’s like double what it normally is. You got to check it out today. And right now, FanDuel does not like the odds for the Reds to make the playoffs, but I kind of like those odds when it comes to like, you know, are they going to make it and how much money would you make if you put $10? If you put $10 on the Reds right now at plus 330, I’d go over and I’d take that at FanDuel because I think the Reds are going to do it. I don’t know. I just got this crazy feeling that they’re going to do it. And I’m going to go on over to FanDuel and place a bet there. You should, too. Download the app today. Place your first $5 wager. If it wins, you get $300 in bonus bets. FanDuel is America’s number one sports book. If you can’t watch us here on YouTube, you can follow us in the audio feeds. We’re pretty much on every single podcasting app that is out there. If there’s one we’re not on and you need us to be on it, message Jeff. He can probably make it happen for you. Uh but get us in the audio feeds. Click subscribe. You can take us on the road with you. Take us in the car. Take us to the gym. Take us to work with you. Uh you can listen to Locked on Reds wherever you are. All right, Jeff, let’s dive into this. Uh, let’s get into the questions and the comments. Um, this this is pretty funny because you you think about Red’s country and you think about Red’s fans and and we’re a pretty volatile bunch and we’re a pretty reactionary bunch. But you know who’s worse than Red’s fans? You know who’s worse at that? Do you know who’s more volatile? Do you know who’s more reactionary? That’s the fans of the New York Mets. This from Joshua Tucker. I have a Mets friend and they said over and over that God hates the Mets and they expect the collapse and you know from from your Mets friends lips to God’s ears because that’s exactly what we need to have happen. I work with a couple of Mets fans and uh I was texted with one of them today and she was just like uh yeah no I don’t care. I I know you guys don’t beat Milwaukee or whatever whatever the Mets aren’t making the playoffs like they’re just not. And it’s like man you got Juan Sodto, you got Francisco Lindor, you got Pete Alonzo. Like I I think Steve Cohen is literally that’s the reason Steve Cohen made their payroll super crazy. He’s like I’ve got to set it up so that there’s no reason for us to lose and they’re still losing. I love this from Your Name. Just Your Name’s winning the positivity. I maybe more positive than Jeff even. Uh Your Name says they’ve been counted out and everyone’s given up so many times now. So many are saying they’re done. It’s the Brewers. I see no reason to believe they won’t prove doubters wrong again. I I hope that’s the case. I You know, that last segment, those things you talked about, Jeff, I it kind of just defines what this year’s been like for me following this team. I I I think at one point, two or three weeks ago, you and I were both like, you know, I’m just exhausted. I’m tired. Like I this team is physically tired. Wears me out. Physically tired. And um I’m still feeling that a little bit. Like I I I I want I want so badly to like lean into this series with some some optimism and some some you know some reasonable assuredness that they can at least compete and but it’s the Brewers and the you know if the Brewers are in my head I can’t imagine what it’s like if you’re playing baseball for this team because the Brewers are in my head Jeff and you know they’re they’re living their rent free right now. um looking looking at this series, we’ve been looking at this series for over a month, just like, “Oh man, but it’s going to come down to the Brewers. They got to go to Milwaukee. It’s gonna they they’ve got to finish against the Brewers.” I just Oh, man. And and those feelings remain true. And and what drives us crazy is that we know on the other side of this, if they can get it done, Jonathan Lynn’s got the point. If the Reds make the playoffs, they will have the best pitching staff in the NL. I would push back a little bit on the bullpen side of things. I think the Padres’s have a better bullpen. But like as far as starting pitching goes and especially in a three-game wildard series, man, it’s going to be so hard for me to not just be like super confident that they’re going to win. And it’s crazy to think because they haven’t done that in 30 years. They haven’t advanced to the postseason in 30 years. So I that’s where we’re just we’re just just begging them to make it in because if they just make it in we’ve seen this happen year after year except last year when it was you know MLB got their pipe dream of a World Series but every year before that it was just like somebody from this wild card group makes the World Series. I’m not saying that I think that, you know, I have a strong feeling that that could be the Reds, but why not the Reds? When you’re one of seven, you got yourself a really good shot. And this pitching staff’s going to keep them in the conversation if they can just get there. Rob the Bengals guy. So, see this this is what’s funny about Red’s country right now because you have your name’s positivity comment and then you get this like anyone here who believes the Reds will pull this off or on some type of substance. Um, I get that. I get feeling that, Jeff, because the How many times do you hear me say the Reds are going to red, right? Or I text you the Reds are reading right now, right? It’s it’s just what they do. Um, I I don’t know how how much gonna invest in this this series. I I I still don’t know how to feel. But I know that like the most annoying part about this year is that if you have been beaten down by the Steam over the years of your fandom and all this other stuff and you want to focus on the Pirates series or the A’s series or something like that where it’s like look at what they did there. Then you also have the other group of folks that have have resisted the the beatdown and like they swept the Cubs in four games. They did this against other team like they have winning records against some amazing opponents. Like they had the weirdest record split you’ve ever seen from a team that’s in a playoff hunt where they’re under 500 against teams that are under 500 and they’re over 500 against teams that are over 500. That doesn’t make any sense. But that’s where this team is and that’s why they’re so fun to talk about but also so drainy to talk about because it’s like yes you can focus on the negatives because they played like crap especially the lineup not necessarily the pitching but the lineup played like crap against the Pirates. The the pitching played like crap against or Sacramento dropped one in the chair. Uh you know other things like that but at the same time they all came together at certain points in this season as well. So, it is easy to look at these final three games and see, yes, we can get one or the other. They could absolutely lay an egg or they could surprise the heck out of us. And so, I’m going to choose to believe until proven wrong that they’re going to surprise the heck out of us because every time I think I know this team, they prove me wrong. Whenever I think they’re good, they do something bad. And whenever I say they’re bad, they do something good. So, I think I might try to have no expectations for a series. I don’t know. We’ll see. I think this is going to be fun. this from Fred. Is South Stewart eligible for the playoffs? Yes, we believe I believe he is. Yeah, they they activated him the day before the roster deadline. So, I I verified this through the MLB rules. The rules this year were that if a guy is on the active ro or is on the 40man roster by noon on September 1st, he is eligible for the playoffs. And that is the case with him because he was added on September 1st because they didn’t send um whoever it was down. I forget who it was they sent down to bring him up. Um was it Connor Joe? It didn’t matter. Anyway, he was on the roster before the deadline. So, he is eligible for the playoff roster. This from alternate 101 hitchhiking on the positivity train here. It’s been fun to get swept up in a playoff race. It’s been a long time. Um, it’s my buddy Jane over he’s he’s out in Oakland. So, he’s uh he’s definitely nomadic for sure. Yeah. And it’s to to to care about the wins and losses results in the month of September is not something we’re used to. Usually in the month of September like all right, who’s who’s playing right now that that we get to watch? Are they going to be here next year? Let’s let’s see who’s going to have value to this team next year. We don’t have We could keep pushing that back for a minute because these next three games, the wins and losses mean so much. And that’s the part about baseball, too, like we always talk about this in April where it’s just like, man, okay, that was a bad loss, but it’s April. Now, there’s no such thing as a good loss because you you can’t lose at this point. Like, they could go two and one maybe, but then you’re hoping that the Brewer or that the uh that the Marlins go two and one against the Mets. So, you really need that sweep so that you can just hope that the Marlins somehow save off a sweep. Like, the Marlins have been playing hot too right now, but I don’t want to hinge all of my hopes on the Marlins sweeping the Mets in this series, although that would be a lot of fun. Um, and I keep also seeing folks say this, and I haven’t seen one today, but I I see them on other episodes where people are just like, “But what about, you know, the Reds backing in the playoffs and all this?” I don’t care, man. Just make the playoffs. just make it. You know, the level of scoreboard watching that’s gone on over the last couple weeks has been it’s it’s been a while, but you know, like you you and me and and and Tim in our our chat, everybody is just texting playbyplays from multiple games at the same time, uh trying to keep up with what’s going on. And you look you look at this this final weekend, there’s a lot of interesting things in play and a lot of interesting things that have happened over the last week going into this final series. um the Diamondback’s decision to go with a bullpin day against the Dodgers to set up the rotation heading into the final series. Um you look at a a Miami Marlins team that is really I don’t Are they playing above their heads? Is this is who they are? I don’t know. But they have been playing really good baseball and I need for that to continue at least three more games. Um, you look at the the collapse of the Giants over the last couple weeks and them going from us being worried about them to us, you know, almost not even paying attention. Um, it’s been a very interesting couple weeks of scoreboard watching around here. I’ve also really enjoyed just getting to hear other broadcasting crews as well. Like I still believe that we have some of the best broadcasting crews around and Tommy Thall’s call of No Mart’s Catch was awesome. But just just for two seconds, I want to side with my friend Sam over at Locked on Cubs. What on earth is the television broadcast for the Cubs doing? Like what on earth? They start to lose in a game and all they talk about is food. Like I don’t care. Tell me about the game. It sounds like your favorite show is what it sounds like. It’s it’s it is if I’m watching a food show, but like if I’m sitting there and my team’s losing, the last thing I want to hear about is a freaking Italian beef. Let’s get a few more of these, gang. If you got a question that you haven’t thrown in or that you threw in earlier and we didn’t get to it, throw it back in because um try and scroll back. It’s It’s been stressful. It has been stressful watching this team. This one. Okay, this from Brent. Matt Mlan needs to sit out this entire series. Lux in the lineup. More reliable. I Okay, I think so. I I I like what I like what Brenn is thinking here because I kind of think this about third base at least for right now as well because these games are so important. There’s no more of this, well, somebody’s going to get right. He’s going to work through it. There’s three games left. You got to go go with what you know. And what you know right now is Lux has a better bat than Mlan and Stewart has a better bat than Hayes. So make MLAN and Hayes defensive replacements. Stop starting those guys. Like the other day, what was it? The the eight nine hitters were Trevvinho and Hayes. And it’s just like cool. Those are two outs, period. Like Hayes did get a hit. Key Brian Hayes did get a hit yesterday, but I I think it was is it Tuesday? Yeah, it was Tuesday’s game where it was like every time Ellie got on right behind him was out out because it was Mlan and or it was Mlan and uh Hazer at the bottom. But it was just there there’s there’s certain guys that I think you need to admit who they are right now. Understand that they can get better next year because I think Matt Mlan is going to be better next year. But at the same time, this ain’t next year. We got to win today. We got to win tomorrow. We got to win Sunday. And right now, Matt Mlan is just pressing and going through it. Give me Gavin Lux at second. Give me Key Brian or give me uh South Stewart at third and use Matt Mlan and Key Brian Hayes as defensive placements at those positions later on in the ball game. This is an interesting uh and and we’ll spend some time on this going day by day this week, folks. But Bobby asked, “Who are the Red starting pitchers in the postseason?” green and then dot dot dot, right? Um, so green green is a very interesting case, Jeff. I want you to start wrapping your head around Hunter Green pitching the final game of the season on short rest. Um, you and I talked about what do you do with Hunter Green as far as do you pitch him, do you sit him, do you save him for a postseason? My thoughts then were if you have clinched, if you have it sewn up, if you know you’re in, you don’t pitch Hunter Green. But I have a feeling it’s going to come down to the final game of the season. And if that’s the case, I’m throwing Hunter Green in that game. Short rest. I think it’s if if it is a difference between will he will they or won’t they, they absolutely have to. It’s it’s the same mentality as if they were in an elimination game in the playoffs and he pitched like two days ago. like you know what the Dodgers did years ago with Clayton Kershaw and different pitch different teams do with their their ace pitchers and things like that. You got to put him in the moment that you need your best arm and he is the Red’s best arm. I do find this intriguing because I would prefer it for him to be ready for game one of the playoffs because if you’re telling me you’re going to LA with Green Lola and and Abbott loaded and ready to go, then I feel really good about that series. But at the same time, you can’t keep you can’t keep Hunter Green on the bench if it’s life or death in game 162 and you’re like, who else do we have besides Hunter Green? It’s like, no, you got to put your best guy on the mat. So, that’s going to be the Does the short rest does the short rest excuse have any weight for you? Only for I think he comes out of the bullpen. Like I don’t think he starts because if he starts he’s giving you three innings, maybe four. Really? Yeah. I just don’t know. It’s only one day. He’d only be going one day early. I I think you can start him. He’d be pitching because like you see guys in the in the postseason when they pitch even when they pitch really well, they might pitch six, but usually they pitch four or five. And I think that’s probably what he would end up doing in that final game if he started. Maybe you you start him and piggyback Chase Burns off of him. Something like that. I I just I can’t imagine you leave Hunter Green sitting on the bench. But to answer the question, yeah, if you do that, if he makes it, then Lolo starts the first game of a wild card series because all reports are that they caught uh whatever the growing issue was at the right time. nothing. You know, Terry Francona believes that he will be just fine. At least that’s what he said. That could be manager speak, so you kind of take that with a grain of salt. But at least initial reports are all uh positive about Nicolola after he left that start early on Thursday. And then kind of piggybacking off of what we were talking about here, Carrie Riner said, “Either way, if Reds win in LA, then they face the Brewers. Not enough good pitching.” They don’t face the Brewers because they do not recede the playoffs. So what would happen is if they were to upset the Dodgers, they would then face the Phillies, not the Brewers. Yeah. Quite the gauntlet. Uh that side of the bracket. You’d have the difference in the National League. The National League is so much better than the American League this year. It would be if if everything shakes out like it’s supposed to and the Reds are upsetting everybody, then the Reds would have to beat the Dodgers, the Phillies, and then again the Brewers in the National League Championship Series. That would be Yeah. something. Um this from Pierre. Where where are you at on this, Jeff? Uh Pier says, “I want to see Andrew in the batting order every day, no matter the pitcher.” He is really clearly better against lefties than he is against righties. Now, he’s not horrible against righties, but a lot of people are citing his batting average and things like that. That is because they have limited him to facing lefties only for the most part. I mean, he’s faced righties here the last couple of days, but I I like his bat, but he is super aggressive with his swing. And I think pitchers know that and especially the Brewers who I I think the thing that we don’t talk about a lot because it’s not like readily out there on a scouting report and nobody really puts this on a roster, but the Brewers ability to advance scout somebody is just elite. And they will see Andrew Hart and they will be like, “Breaking balls blown away. don’t throw him anything else because he clobbers fast balls and it’s it’s the breaking ball that he has a hard time hitting. So, I I think that I’m fine with how they’re using him. I don’t think that they’re misusing Miguel Andy. This is interesting. From Matt Nelson says, “I’d rather have Brady Singer in the postseason rotation than Andrew Abbott.” Does Andrew Abbott have anything left in the tank? He looks kind of cooked. He looks done. I think so. If you tell him he’s got If you tell him he’s got one more, which I think as a manager, you’ve kind of got to lie to him a little bit if you get to the wild card and be like, “You got one more.” Got one more. Yeah. You got to do like the um Oh, what is the guy’s name from Angels in the Outfield? The Mel something Mel something. And just be like, “Just one more. Just come on. One more. Just go push it.” Because you’re right. I mean, he’s he’s further than he’s ever been in his career as far as starts and innings and things like that. But I I really think that um I really think that he is far and away like the top three is is easy for me. Like Brady Singer has been fine, but Brady Singer is a guy that there have been some starts that he has very clearly just not had it and early not not like in the fourth inning but like second inning and and that’s when Terry Francona would have to go to the bullpen and that’s just too much of a gamble for me. this from. Sorry, the thing is scrolling for me. Here’s Carrie asking, “What’s Hayes back situation?” I do. You think Austin Hayes is more injured than they’ve let on? Um, it kind of feels like Austin Hayes is more injured than they live they’ve let on. I think so. And I think the only reason they didn’t put him on the IIL is that I think it would have wiped out the wild card if they made the wild card. And they just rather have him and maybe he can take an at bat or something like that. But I I wonder a little bit about it because there’s been no reporting. It’s just been, “Oh yeah, he’s got a back thing. He’s got back spasms. He can’t play today.” And it’s literally dayto-day to the point that like there is no reporting as to when they think that he’s going to be good to go. Um I think it’s been okay because they faced nothing but right-handers. And so that’s been an easy thing for them to kind of leave him on the bench and have Will Benson play. But it’s it’s going to be intriguing to see because I think that he I I’m with you. I think he’s a little bit more hurt than we have. I know you stay pretty dialed in to the ins and outs of pretty much all of Major League Baseball in your channel manager job for Locked On. You You spend a lot of time listening to all the other shows. So, I’ve seen this now like four times in the chat today. So, okay. I’m I’m going to use it, guys. You keep putting it in there. So, here we go. Um, everybody wants the A’s pitching staff. So, let me ask you this, Jeff. Man for man, all of the Red’s pitching staff, all of the A’s pitching staff, which one are you taking? The Reds. I I agree with that. I don’t understand, but this is like been the fourth this is the fourth time this has shown up in the chat today. I don’t I don’t know. Somebody’s looking at the wrong stat. I I don’t I haven’t looked into deep statistics enough on the A’s to know, but I I just I don’t think that. Um I do want to touch on this because I know this had passed by and you might have missed it, but I thought about this the other day and me and Tim talked about this because we were at the final game. Josh Tucker says, “Where does the Key Hayes trade rank him on move since the Roland trade? An element of of the trade is Marte to right field to be considered?” I don’t know that it’s I don’t know that it’s as impactful as the roll in trade was, but at the same time, I think this was such a good get because the Reds finally have an answer for a position. He is the answer at third base and I think that his bat will be fine enough for them to be okay with him. I know that we’re talking about him as a possible like trade ship this off season, a guy that the Reds could move, but I think that would be that would be an easier move than some of the other ones that they should make. They should trade some other guys for better players at different positions like left field or first base or something like that. But I I I have a hard time getting mad about the fact that Kebrien Hayes is here and South Stewart can’t start at third base because I think South Stewart can play other positions and I think that Ke Brian Hayes is a gold glove possible platinum glove third baseman and the Reds have not had that. They haven’t I mean Scott Roland was a good fielder. I think Key Brian Hayes is a better fielder and so that’s going to be the thing for me. Like I kind of want Keith Brian Hayes here for the rest of his contract. I think I’m that’s where I’m going to end up on that and I love the trade. So, it was a good question for Josh. This from Robert. I love this. Instead of angels in the outfield, we have demons in the batters box. Um, it’s been tough. I I There’s There’s not a lot of positive spin you can put on the way this lineup’s performed over the last week, Jeff. Um, what’s your confidence level in them the next three games? Do you think somebody’s going to break out? We’ve seen a lot of like one guy pretty much carrying the lineup uh each day and and not the same guy each day, but just a guy. Yeah. And I think that’s been the hard part for me to buy into them is that there’s just not one guy. Like I keep thinking that, you know, Tyler Stevenson was headed for a breakout and of course he had a great game on Wednesday, but then they don’t play him. And and I don’t know what the deal is with them playing Trevvinho more. Maybe they just like his defense more, but I I find it strange that they just don’t have a guy they can turn to. And I think at this point in the season, you need that. So, my confidence in the lineup is a coin flip. I’m not going to lie on that one. Like, I think the the way that this series gets won, I don’t think the Reds can win it the way they won the Cub series where it was just pitching and pitching and pitching. And of course, they had the one game where the lineup went off, but they’re going to have to have one game where their lineup carries them through in this Brewers series because they can’t just they they can’t just bet that the Brewers will stop hitting. All right, Jeff, this is what I know. Here we are. The final series of the regular season. Reds, Brewers, three games remaining. Everything is on the line. Every game matters and it all starts tonight. We’re going to be back in your feeds tomorrow uh with reactions to game one of Red’s Brewers and we’re going to gather up all of the information, the news, the notes, the rumors, the reports. We’re going to bring it back right here and keep you all locked on Reds every single day. [Music] Greg C. Got you.

The Cincinnati Reds beat the Pittsburgh Pirates to keep pace with the New York Mets in the NL Wild Card Race. Noelvi Marte made the best catch Reds fans have seen in a very long time to help the Reds avoid the sweep. Now the Reds face the Brewers who have absolutely owned them in recent years. his Reds season has been dramatic and has produced some memories with the team in a playoff push but some fans are really feeling the stress, including Jeff. Dive into the Reds playoff chances and discuss your connection with other Reds fan in this LIVE edition of the podcast!

Follow & Subscribe on all Podcast platforms…
🎧 https://lockedonpodcasts.com/podcasts/locked-on-reds/

https://www.youtube.com/@LockedOnReds?sub_confirmation=1

Locked On MLB League-Wide: Every Team, Prospects & More
🎧 https://linktr.ee/LockedOnMLB

BOOKMARK Sports Illustrated’s Cincinnati Reds site, Inside the Reds!
https://www.si.com/mlb/reds/

Also follow @jefffcarr and @soffenbaker on Twitter

JOIN THE DISCORD SERVER: https://discord.gg/STMcRDyMCt

For your next listen, check out the Locked On MLB podcast. Get Sully’s take on MLB! He has it all covered every single day. Click HERE to listen now. Part of the Locked On Podcast Network. Your Team. Every Day.

Support Us By Supporting Our Sponsors!

5-Hour ENERGY
Enough with boring, flavorless caffeine, it’s time to give your caffeine a flavor upgrade with 5-hour ENERGY®️ shots. Get the favorites you love or be bold and try something new in-store and online at https://www.5hourENERGY.com or Amazon today.  

Nutrafol
See thicker, stronger hair with less shedding in just 3–6 months with Nutrafol. For a limited time, get $10 off your first month’s subscription and free shipping when you go to https://Nutrafol.com and enter the promo code LOCKEDONMLB.

Zippix
Go to https://ZippixToothpicks.com and use promo code LOCKEDON for 10% off your first order. Zippix Toothpicks—energy and focus, anytime you need it.

Rugiet
Ready to level up your confidence ? Head to https://rugiet.com and use promo code LOCKEDONMLB for 15% off your first order. 

Monarch Money
Take control of your finances with Monarch Money. Use code LOCKEDONMLB at https://monarchmoney.com/lockedonmlb for 50% off your first year.

Gametime
Download the Gametime app, create an account, and use code LOCKEDONMLB for $20 off your first purchase. Terms apply. Download Gametime today. What time is it? Gametime.

FanDuel
Today’s episode is brought to you by FanDuel. Football season is around the corner, visit the FanDuel App today and start planning your futures bets now.

FANDUEL DISCLAIMER: 21+ in select states. First online real money wager only. Bonus issued as nonwithdrawable free bets that expires in 14 days. Restrictions apply. See terms at sportsbook.fanduel.com. Gambling Problem? Call 1-800-GAMBLER or visit FanDuel.com/RG (CO, IA, MD, MI, NJ, PA, IL, VA, WV), 1-800-NEXT-STEP or text NEXTSTEP to 53342 (AZ), 1-888-789-7777 or visit ccpg.org/chat (CT), 1-800-9-WITH-IT (IN), 1-800-522-4700 (WY, KS) or visit ksgamblinghelp.com (KS), 1-877-770-STOP (LA), 1-877-8-HOPENY or text HOPENY (467369) (NY), TN REDLINE 1-800-889-9789 (TN)

#CincinnatiReds #Reds #MLB #Playoffs #WildCard