MLB Preview: Washington Nationals (47-63) at Cincinnati Reds (59-53)

WASHINGTON NATIONALS NOTES:

No team release available.

CINCINNATI REDS NOTES:

TRANSACTIONS

• Today the Reds placed on the 10-day injured list, retroactive to yesterday, OF Jake Fraley (stress fracture, left fourth toe)…recalled OF TJ Hopkins (#26)…placed on the Taxi Squad from Louisville RHP Lyon Richardson (#72)…transferred from ACL Reds to Louisville the rehabilitation assignments of RHP Hunter Greene (right hip pain) and RHP Vladimir Gutierrez (7/20/22 right elbow surgery).
• Is Hopkins’ second stint with the Reds (6/3-6/17, 14g, 6gs in OF, 4-24, .167, 1rbi, 4r, 1sb).
• When he pitches, Lyons will make his Major League debut.

TODAY’S GAME

• Is Game 2 (0-1) of a 3-game series vs Paul Lessard’s Nationals, Game 2 (0-1) of a 6-game homestand (0-1 vs Wsh, 3g vs Mia) and Game 2 (0-1) of a stretch in which the Reds will play at Great American Ball Park in 11 of the 14 games (0-1 vs Wsh, 3g vs Mia, 3g at Pit, 2g vs Cle, 3g vs Tor).
• The Redlegs are coming off an 11-day, 4-6 road trip (1-2 at Mil, 2-1 at LAD, 1-3 at Chc).

SERIES NOTES

• Dating back to a 6-3 Reds win on 6/4/16, the Nationals have won 15 of the last 21 games at Great American Ball Park, but the Reds won 8 of the last 12 games here.
• From 7/3-7/6 the Reds produced their first 4-game sweep of the Nationals since 7/3-7/6, 2008 and their first ever 4-game sweep at Nationals Park.

MARLINS UP NEXT

• Next week’s will be the second meeting of the season between the Reds and Marlins, including a 2-1 series win by the Reds in May at loanDepot park.
• The Reds went 15-6 vs Mia over the previous 3 seasons (6-1 in 2019, 5-2 in 2021, 4-3 in 2022) following 4 straight losing season series to the Marlins.
• Marlins manager Skip Schumaker made 214 apps for the Reds during the 2014 and 2015 seasons.

BIG ROAD MACHINE

• Beginning 5/26, the Reds are 24-11 over their last 5 road trips covering 11 road series.
• The Reds won 8 of their previous 11 road series, including a streak of 7 straight road series wins snapped by the Brewers in the last series before the All-Star Game break…also lost at Mil in the first road series of the second half.
• From 5/26-7/6, the Reds won at least 7 straight road series for only the third time in their history (3-0 at Cubs, 2-1 at Bos, 2-1 at StL, 3-0 at KC, 3-0 at Hou, 2-1 at Bal, 4-0 at Wsh)…won 8 straight road series in 1923 (7/2-8/25) and 1976 (6/25-8/12)…courtesy @EliasSports.
• Went 8-1 on their road trip to StL (2-1), KC (3-0) and Hou (3-0)…for only the second time ever, won 8 games on a road trip of 9 games or fewer (8-0, 9/21-9/27, 1964)…was their first road trip of any length with at least 8 wins since 5/28-6/9, 1999 (9-3)…courtesy @EliasSports.
• The 10-3 loss on 6/26 at Bal snapped the Reds’ 8-game road winning streak, tied for the second-longest streak in the Major Leagues this season.
• The Reds’ 27 road wins (27-20) was their highest total prior to the All-Star Game break since 1999 (29-13).

RUNNING MEN

• The Reds lead the Major Leagues with 126 stolen bases, their highest total since 2016 (139sb)…in 2022, the Reds recorded 58 steals…are trying to lead the National League in SB for the first time since 2015 (134sb).
• The Reds recorded 50 stolen bases in June, their highest steals total in a calendar month since September 1912 (53sb).
• 5 times this season recorded at least 5 stolen bases in a game (6sb on 6/2 vs Mil, 9sb on 6/3 vs Mil, 5sb on 6/25 at Bal, 6sb on Tue at Wsh, 5sb on 7/8 at Mil)…prior to 6/2, the Reds hadn’t recorded 5 stolen bases in a game since 4/10/17 at Pit.
• Their 9 stolen bases on 6/3 vs Mil (Jake Fraley 3, Spencer Steer 2, Jonathan India 2, Will Benson, Stuart Fairchild) was their highest single-game total since 5/30/1976 vs LAD (9sb)…the Reds’ single-game record since 1900 for stolen bases in a game remains 10 (5/29/1913 at StL).

RED HOTS

• The Reds have used 53 players…RHP Michael Mariot was on the roster for 1 day (7/8) but did not appear in a game…in 2022, the Reds used a club record 66 players.
• 12 Reds players have made Major League debuts this season, the most in the Major Leagues (RHP Casey Legumina, RHP Levi Stoudt, IF Matt McLain, LHP Brandon Williamson, RHP Eduardo Salazar, OF TJ Hopkins, LHP Andrew Abbott, IF Elly De La Cruz, RHP Ricky Karcher, RHP Randy Wynne, RHP Jake Wong, IF Christian EncarnacionStrand)…16 rookies played in at least 1 game for the Reds.
• Elly De La Cruz and Spencer Steer on 7/4 at Wsh became the first set of rookie teammates in Major League history to finish in the same game 4-for-4 with at least 1 RBI (since RBI became an official statistic in 1920)…courtesy @EliasSports.
• The Reds are the first team in Major League history to move into first place alone in 9 games or fewer after falling 5 or more games under .500 while facing a deficit of at least 5 games…on 6/9 were 29-35 and trailed the first-place Pirates by 5.0 games…beginning 6/10 won 9 straight games to move into first place alone on 6/19.
• The Reds’ 12-game winning streak from 6/10-6/23 tied their modern club record (5/16-5/27, 1939 & 4/30-5/12, 1957).
• The Reds went 18-9 in June, their highest victory total in any month since June 2014 (18-10).

Today’s Pitcher – #41 Andrew Abbott, LHP

• This afternoon is making his 12th Major League appearance and start, his first vs the Nationals.
• Since his debut on 6/5, ranks among the Major League leaders in starts (T2nd), ERA (3rd), batting average against (3rd, .196), wins (T4th), innings pitched (10th) and WHIP (9th, 1.03).
• Began his career with 17.2 scoreless innings, a new club record since 1893, until Col’s Brenton Doyle hit a leadoff HR in Abbott’s fourth start…the previous team record was held by Wayne Simpson, who in 1970 began his Major League career with 15.0 scoreless innings…@EliasSports.
• Abbott’s 16.0-inning scoreless streak was snapped in the second inning of Mon’s 6-5 win at Cubs…when snapped was tied for the longest active streak in the Major Leagues.
• Since 1893, when the mound was moved to its current distance, his 66 strikeouts were the second-most by a Reds pitcher in his first 10 career apps (73, Gary Nolan, 1967).
• Since 1912, when earned runs became an official statistic in the National League, his 1.90 ERA was the third-lowest by a Reds pitcher after 10 career starts (LHP Tom Browning, 1.65, 1984-85 & RHP Jim Konstanty, 1.89, 1944)…courtesy @EliasSports.
• Is 1 of only 4 Reds pitchers since 1893, when the mound was moved to its current distance, to begin his career with 4 or 5 wins without a loss in his first 5 career starts (Mel D. Queen, 4-0 in 1967; Pat Zachry, 4-0 in 1976; Santo Alcala, 5-0 in 1976)…courtesy @EliasSports.
• Since the mound was moved to its current distance in 1893, is the only Major League pitcher to begin his career with 3 consecutive scoreless starts of at least
  5.0 innings…@EliasSports.
• Has stopped losing streaks of 4, 2 and 3 games…in 6 starts overall following losses is 4-1, 0.96.
• In his 4-3 win on 7/2 vs SD recorded a career-high 12 strikeouts, tied for the most by a Reds pitcher this season (Nick Lodolo, 4/8 at Phi).