CINCINNATI (WXIX) – MILWAUKEE — It’s a familiar sight in the Reds’ clubhouse on Brady Singer’s start day.
“He’s always sitting up there with his feet propped up doing a crossword puzzle,” Andrew Abbott said.
Then, Singer takes out his binder with sheets and sheets of pages and notes on the opponent. Then, he goes over it at a round table with the catcher and Derek Johnson.
Singer might be the most routine-oriented person in the Reds’ organization.
“That’s who (Singer) is,” Abbott said. “He’s the same guy every day. On game days, he’s routine based. He’s doing stuff regimented and on time. He has never wavered once. I learn a lot from that. It seems monotonous and boring.”
Singer is one of the Reds who was the young guy on their old them but then immediately became a veteran leader on a Reds’ team that doesn’t have a ton of experienced. Singer, 29 years old, debuted in 2020. He’s one of the rare pitchers in baseball with a reputation for taking the ball every fifth day, turn after turn through the rotation. Game 162, a win and in scenario for the Reds, will be Singer’s 32nd start of the season.
“I’ll try not to do much,” Singer said. “It’ll be exciting and fun. I’ll just try to go out there and give us a chance. I don’t want to just because it’s a bigger start try to do anything different. I’ll do what I do and go out there.”
On Sunday morning, Singer was going through his normal routine. When the media was in the clubhouse pregame, Singer was at the table with Jose Trevino and Johnson going over the notes in Singer’s binder. Singer loves having the information printed out and right in front of him. He’s old school in that way.
“I go over keys that I’m looking at throughout the lineup,” Singer said. “Cues that I’ve written down talking to DJ or the catcher. Studying it because I don’t have it out there on mound. I want to remember things that will help me throughout the lineup.”
The Singer trade has been a massive success for the Reds, and the rotation could have crumbled at different points in the season without his consistent availability.
At one point in August, he hit a bit of a rough patch. There was concern about some fatigue. But then, he went on a roll and posted a 1.94 ERA over a seven-game stretch between the middle of August and the middle of September. He allowed four runs last week vs. Pittsburgh, and he says that game turned on a couple of pitches in a four-run second inning. That was the only inning where Singer allowed a run.
“I tried to get out of it by contact and left too many pitches over the plate,” Singer said. ““I’ll try to make better pitches (today).”
While Singer gets the start, Terry Francona is managing in playoff mode. We’ll see how many trips Singer gets through the lineup.
It could be a big day for Chase Burns, who’d be making his fifth relief appearance. He has a 2.45 ERA out of the bullpen, and Francona showed confidence in him from the jump by throwing Burns into high-leverage situations.
“What I talk to him a lot about is I’m not asking him to be a reliever,” Johnson said. “He’s a starter who’s pitching in the bullpen. I want him to continue to take that mindset. That’s been a challenge in of itself. He’s coming in later in the game with something on the line. His thought process can go back to I’m a reliever. He has to approach it as a starter and approach his innings that way.”
Burns’ appearances have been going two innings. Could he stretch out to three on Sunday? He’s talented enough to merit that type of runway.
“I love watching him pitch,” Brent Suter said. “When he’s out there, I figuratively get out the popcorn and watch him work. He has fun doing it. He’s a guy who just loves pitching. He’s young, but he’s mature beyond his years. He has grown up really fast and is a huge part of this team.”
The next X-factor in this game is Nick Lodolo. He started on Thursday and exited the game for precautionary reasons after he felt grabbing in his groin area. But he has put that injury behind him.
The Reds’ pregame plan on Sunday said a lot. Instead of throwing a typical between start bullpen session, bullpen threw a very light session off of the mound in the bullpen just as a way to check in on how his lower half was feeling.
“We were checking on his front side and how he was rotating,” Johnson said. “He wasn’t favoring it.”
Lodolo is available tonight.
It’s a great matchup for him. The Reds don’t have a matchup lefty in their normal bullpen, and the Brewers have left-handers in four of the top five spots in the lineup. Looking at the Brewers’ lineup, Christian Yelich (1-for-11), Jackson Chourio (1-for-6), Isaac Collins (0-for-3), Andruw Monnasterio (0-for-2) and Brice Turang (0-for-2) haven’t seen Lodolo well. The only exception has been lefty Sal Frelick (2-for-4)
Francona said that Greene would “like to be available.” Greene is also the Reds’ Game 1 starter if they make it to LA, and that would be a short turnaround.
Looking at the typical high-leverage relievers, Tony Santillan is a very good bet to get a very high-leverage spot. Emilio Pagán indicated yesterday that the Reds’ plan on Saturday was to use one of them on Saturday and the other on Sunday. It’s extremely rare and difficult for pitchers to go four straight days, which Pagán just did. Santillan would have done the same if called upon yesterday, but he could be even more valuable by being available today.
Francona said “most” hands are on deck in the bullpen today. “We’re not going to hurt anybody. We pitched some guys a lot. There will be a lot of guys on hand.”
Burns and Santillan are safe bets to pitch at some point today. Lodolo is the Wild Card. Martinez should be available. Graham Ashcraft would be pitching for the fourth consecutive day, but he has had very low pitch counts recently.
That covers anywhere between three-to-seven innings.
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