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The Reds' new bullpen depth steps up in a win over the Angels

charlie goldsmith, cincinnati enquirer
·4 min read

Last season, the Cincinnati Reds struggled whenever they faced the situation that they found themselves in on Sunday.

Against the Los Angeles Angels at Great American Ball Park, in a game that the Reds went on to win, 3-0, Reds starting pitcher Frankie Montas took a line drive off of his right arm in the first inning and immediately left the game with a forearm bruise.

Last year, the Reds’ didn’t have a long reliever who could have bridged the gap to the back of the bullpen with quality innings. Bullpen depth had been an issue for years. Then during the offseason heading into 2024, the front office made an effort to change that by investing in the bullpen. The early indications are that those moves are paying off.

Relievers Brent Suter and Emilio Pagán, who were both added during the offseason, combined for 5 ⅓ shutout innings. Fernando Cruz, Lucas Sims and Alexis Díaz provided the final blows out of the bullpen in a shutout win for the Reds.

Bruce Suter is a newcomer to the Reds bullpen, but has been making his mark. Sunday, after starter Frankie Montas was injured, Suter entered with no warning and pitched 3 1/3 scoreless innings.
Bruce Suter is a newcomer to the Reds bullpen, but has been making his mark. Sunday, after starter Frankie Montas was injured, Suter entered with no warning and pitched 3 1/3 scoreless innings.

"Nobody plans for a comebacker and your starter leaving that early," Sims said. "The attitude down there was, 'It's our game.' Everyone was ready and up for the task. It's something everyone takes pride in. Let's give us a chance to win. It's our game now."

Reds injuries Frankie Montas Reds Opening Day starter Frankie Montas exits Sunday's game with an injury

Reds defense Stuart Fairchild Stuart Fairchild's aggressive offseason changes are paying off for the Reds

The performance from Suter and Pagán came one day after Reds reliever Nick Martinez gave the Reds a similar standout performance. In Saturday’s 7-5 win over the Angels, Martinez pitched three high-leverage long relief innings out of the bullpen. He wasn’t available to pitch on Sunday, but the Reds have multiple impact long relief options this year.

"We were joking, 'Just give us a couple of outs, and we'll get this thing done,' " Suter said.

In 2023, if the Reds were faced with the situation they were in on Sunday, they would have had to mix-and-match between six-or-seven relievers to cover nine innings. And for the last several years, the front-end relievers in the Reds’ bullpen weren’t proven or dependable.

The Reds made aggressive pushes in free agency for Martinez, Pagán and Suter to fix that flaw in 2024, and those three players were some of the Reds’ most valuable players in their three-game sweep over the Angels.

Martinez has bounced back and forth between the rotation and the bullpen, giving the Reds a versatile piece that manager David Bell is willing to use in any type of role.

Suter isn’t stretched out to be a starting pitcher, but he’s capable of filling any role in the bullpen. Bell has already called on him to do everything from getting a key out in a left-on-left matchup to covering several high-leverage long relief innings.

Pagán has made a strong impression with his electric fastball, his willingness to pitch in any situation and his consistent availability out of the bullpen.

"It was a day of just stepping up and helping each other out," Reds manager David Bell said. "The bullpen, in a lot of ways, leads the way in that regard for us. As soon as that happened to Frankie, it was, 'What can we do to get this done?' They saw it as a challenge."

Frankie Montas (47) reacts after being hit by a line drive off the bat of the Angels' Taylor Ward, only the third batter of the game. Montas had to come out of the game, and the bullpen pitched shutout baseball the final 8 1/3 innings.
Frankie Montas (47) reacts after being hit by a line drive off the bat of the Angels' Taylor Ward, only the third batter of the game. Montas had to come out of the game, and the bullpen pitched shutout baseball the final 8 1/3 innings.

On Sunday, Suter and Pagán bought time for the Reds as Angels starter José Soriano flirted with a no-hitter. The Reds didn’t notch their first hit until the sixth inning, when shortstop Elly De La Cruz reached base on an infield single. Reds right fielder Nick Martini followed that up by reaching base on a fielding error by Angels second baseman Luis Rengifo.

Reds first baseman Christian Encarnacion-Strand broke the shutout by crushing a two-run double off the wall in left field. Even though Encarnacion-Strand entered Sunday with a .182 batting average, the Reds still badly missed his power when he was out last week with an illness.

Christian Encarnacion-Strand gestures toward the dugout after his two-run double broke up a scoreless pitchers' duel in the sixth inning. The Reds moved three games over .500 at 12-9 after the three-game sweep of the Angels.
Christian Encarnacion-Strand gestures toward the dugout after his two-run double broke up a scoreless pitchers' duel in the sixth inning. The Reds moved three games over .500 at 12-9 after the three-game sweep of the Angels.

Encarnacion-Strand didn’t square up his double in the sixth inning, but he has the natural power to make an impact even when he doesn’t make his best swing. The Reds went on to take a three-run lead with an RBI triple by third baseman Jeimer Candelario.

"To get a few runs off their pitcher today, that says a lot," Bell said. "He had great stuff. To get three runs right there gave us what we needed. The bullpen did the rest."

The Reds improved to three games over .500 at 12-9 following the three-game sweep of the Angels. Next up is the Philadelphia Phillies (14-8) for a four game series beginning Monday night.

This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: The Reds' new-look bullpen shows its value in a win over the Angels