Cincinnati Reds get enough pitching again to beat Washington Nationals
WASHINGTON − After living on Andrew Abbott’s left wing and a prayer for more than a week, the Cincinnati Reds are about to find out just how much pitching depth they have Tuesday against the Washington Nationals.
Hint: It’s not much right now regardless of how you measure it – not for a first-place team, with Hunter Greene, Nick Lodolo and Ben Lively on the injured list.
Meanwhile, meet Mr. Kennedy – the pitcher named Brett, not the guy running in the Nats’ daily Presidents race.
In fact, we asked him if he gets to join Washington, Jefferson, Lincoln and Roosevelt in one of the races this week.
“I don’t know if the Kennedy name still holds value,” he said with a laugh.
It’s not the worst thing for the Reds that their newest fifth starter has a sense of humor as he prepares to offer Tuesday as close to the five to six innings a start he provided in eight starts for Louisville after signing as a minor-league free agent in May.
How Kennedy fares in his first big-league start since his 2018 debut season with the San Diego Padres could go a long way toward whether the Reds can grin and bear it through this latest test of their pitching mettle – and clarion call to general manager Nick Krall to trade for a pitcher.
And if the rookie who turns 29 next month pulls off the competitive spot start after a long and winding road back from the big leagues, he’ll fit right in with the patched-together starting crew of the past week – if not underscore some of the magic that has taken this unlikeliest of midseason contenders to this point so far.
Starting pitchers earning their keep with Reds
Witness Monday’s starter, Luke Weaver, who turned in his best start since May 25, pitching into the sixth inning of a 3-2 victory before handing off a two-run lead to the bullpen with two on and none out in the sixth.
Weaver (2-2), who earned his first win since May 9, had a 9.11 ERA in six starts since his scoreless May 25 start against the St. Louis Cardinals, without a decision – and somehow the Reds won all six of those starts.
"It seems that we don't lose when I'm pitching, regardless of my results," Weaver said, adding he's focused on trying to provide a semblance of a "foundation" for the rotation by being available for every start in the wake of all the injuries.
"I know it's not pretty all the time," he said. "But it is something I want guys to understand that every fifth day, I want to be standing on the mound giving everything I've got."
This is the kind of stretch it’s been for the Reds over the last month-plus.
So when they get even a modest streak of good starting pitching – like the past six games – during this extended stretch of rotation adversity, it makes a big difference.
Reds starters the last six games have a 2.86 ERA – without Lively and Greene – and just as important are averaging 5 2/3 innings a start.
The Reds still have the third-worst rotation ERA in the majors – an ERA that was at 5.95 before that six-game stretch.
And this was the rare win of late that didn't require one of their major-league-leading 30 come-from-behind wins.
"We were joking around in there about being ahead and staying ahead today," said Weaver, who pitched around a leadoff double in the first and then pitched with the lead after Tyler Stephenson's run-scoring single in the second.
"We like our comeback wins," he said, "but it's also a lot more 'stressless' to be ahead and stay ahead."
Monday’s win in the opener of a four-game series gave the Reds a 5-1 record in that stretch – enough to boost them to seven games over .500 for the first time this season.
That’s the team’s high-water mark since they were 82-75 on Sept. 27, 2021.
Joey Votto snapped an 0-for-21 skid with a two-run homer in the fourth Monday for a 3-0 lead that proved the difference.
But the real difference the past week has been the pitching.
What Reds starting pitching looks like before MLB All-Star Game
With Lively due back from his pec injury perhaps in time to start Sunday in Milwaukee, Kennedy’s start represents an opportunity for the Reds to test another depth data point as well as a big-time opportunity for a guy who has persevered to make the long road back to this point.
“It means a lot more this time around than the first time,” Kennedy said of this chance to pitch in the majors after five years away. “There’s a lot of times I thought I might be out of the game. But it feels good for me and my wife and my family and people that believed in me.
“But I think everything happens for a reason,” added the one-time San Diego Padres starter and former Boston Red Sox farmhand – by way of the independent-league Long Island Ducks.
“I feel like everything I had to do made me better and made me ready for where I am now.”
When he makes his season debut Tuesday, he’ll be the 15th rookie used by the Reds this season.
What’s he bring to the table at this point in his career?
“I just think I can compete,” he saids. “That’s all I try to do. If I’m given the ball in whatever situation, I just want to help the team win and not try to disrupt anything they have going right now. Because if I can just be a little part of what’s going on right now, that’d be all I’m trying to do – help this team win.”
This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: Cincinnati Reds pitcher Luke Weaver earns win vs Washington Nationals
