CINCINNATI (WXIX) – PHOENIX — Last Sunday, after Emilio Pagán blew a save attempt for the second consecutive day, Terry Francona met with the Reds’ closer after the game.
“That last day (Sunday), I thought he was pitching on adrenaline and I wasn’t comfortable with that. I wish I could’ve gotten him in the middle of the inning,” Francona said. “He had thrown 26 pitches the night before. I was kicking myself. I’m not sure what we’d have done that day, but I was still feeling it. I grabbed him after and said he’d sit for a couple of days.”
Pagán didn’t pitch in the Reds’ following series against the Los Angeles Angels. Tony Santillan, who has been the league leader in relief appearances for most of the summer, has also received some much-needed off days this week.
“You want your good pitchers to pitch as much as you can without too much,” Francona said. “It’s a fine line.”
There are four sections of the Reds’ bullpen right now. There’s Scott Barlow, Santillan and Pagán, who are having great seasons but might not be able to keep pitching at such an aggressive pace for the rest of the season and maybe even into October. There are the middle relievers — Graham Ashcraft and Sam Moll — who have been soaking up leverage innings with mixed results. There’s longman Brent Suter.
And there are the rookies, including Zach Maxwell — who made his MLB debut on Saturday, struck out five batters and gave up a home run — Connor Phillips and Luis Mey (currently in Triple-A).
If Santillan, Pagán and Barlow are going to be getting more off days mixed in, then the Reds need the rookies to hit on their potential.
“There’s no question that they have the physical capabilities to help us get to where we want to go,” Pagán said. “Not only this year, but in the years to come. Those guys specifically are going to be a huge part of this pitching staff. They all have specific unique traits. The physical talent, they might be the best guys we have.”
On a day-to-day basis, some of the most interesting set of decisions that Francona is making revolve around the late innings. Every game feels critical, but you can’t pitch Barlow, Santillan and Pagán every night. Ashcraft has had a nice year but hasn’t been as sharp recently, and Moll has a very specific role against left-handers.
Last week, as Pagán received two days off, Mey pitched in two high-leverage innings. While the Reds pulled out wins in both of those games, it was a risk. Mey was then optioned to Triple-A on Thursday as the Reds brought up Maxwell.
There’s no textbook on how to manage a high-leverage rookie reliever when you’re in the middle of the playoff hunt.
“You’re trying to balance winning, developing, the present and the future,” Francona said. “Sometimes, we do it a little better than others.”
Recently, Reds GM Brad Meador went to Triple-A to evaluate the Louisville Bats. It was obvious that Phillips had a hot hand, so the Reds called him up. He has had a great week in the big leagues. The Reds are following the same plan with Maxwell.
If Phillips and Maxwell (and also Mey) are having a good day, they have the velocity and the stuff to handle a high-leverage inning. The issue is that all three of them have struggled with command.
“(Their upside) is the hope,” Francona said. “That’s why (they) came. The hard thing from where I sit is when you’re not sure what you’re getting, it can be challenging. But it’s got a chance to work, too.”
On the flip side of the bullpen are the veteran relievers who are grinding through a long season.
Santillan and Barlow are second and third in MLB in appearances this season.
Ashcraft, whose appearances total for the season isn’t as high because he went on the IL earlier this summer, has pitched a ton when healthy. He has also battled the challenge of being a converted starting pitcher who’s going through the experience of a season in the bullpen for the first time. He hasn’t gotten the job done in some critical spots recently, and his next step is throwing strikes more consistently as well as reestablishing a swing and miss pitch.
Pagán is one of four MLB closers with 25+ saves and 54+ total appearances. The other three are current or former All-Stars.
“We want to be known as winning players,” Pagán said. “It’s hard to sometimes maybe admit that I shouldn’t go today. At the end of the day, we all feel like we’re a good option no matter what. We’ve done a really good job of that as a staff and as coaches. They really have looked out for us. It’s a tough line because at the end of the day, we all want to win and we all feel like we can help win unless we’re specifically told we’re not available.”
One of the sheets of paper right by Francona during every game highlights the state of the bullpen on a given day in extreme detail. Before each game, the coaches determine who’s available and who’s not.
A defining characteristic of Francona’s approach has been an aggressiveness toward every game. Win that day, and worry about tomorrow tomorrow. There have been days this season where the top relievers have pitched for a third consecutive game. Recently, Barlow went multiple innings while pitching for the sixth time in eight days. That’s taxing.
“Have there been a couple times where maybe — not just me — maybe a couple of guys have thrown a little bit too much?” Pagán said “That’s only up to the guys, how they feel and what Tito thinks as a manager. At the end of the day, if he calls your name, you’re going out there. He has done an unbelievable job of communicating with us all year long. He has looked out for us and cared for us. For the most part, we’ve thrown the ball pretty well. I don’t think it’s a problem by any means. But especially down the stretch here, we’re going to have to be honest with (the coaches).”
On one hand, the aggressive bullpen usage has been a key to a lot of huge wins. It’s also something that Francona and the Reds are monitoring. Most veterans don’t have fresh arms in August. This is where the rookies come in.
“We know (Maxwell) is probably not the finished product,” Francona said. “But he has been on a nice roll. Hopefully, it’ll translate into helping us. There are a number of guys like (Chase) Burns and Luis Mey. We think they’re a big part of our future. You hope that in the present that they can help you too. You try to balance that.”
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