Cincinnati

Reds

This game got out of hand quickly after Chase Petty coughed up nine runs in fewer than three innings in his major league debut. De La Cruz was still able to notch a few hits though and extend his hitting streak. While his full-season stat line doesn’t feel gaudy at the moment, he’s still on pace for 25 home runs, nearly 60 stolen bases, and 100 runs and RBI apiece.

This was a disastrous debut for Petty. His day started by allowing a walk, single, a sharp line drive for an out, and then a 420 foot home run by Willson Contreras. It didn’t get any easier for him after that as the Cardinals tacked on again in the second inning and finally chased him in the third. They clobbered three balls with at least a 110 mph exit velocity and seven of their 11 total balls in play were hard-hit. It also didn’t help Petty that Gavin Lux looked completely lost out in left field, but those are the breaks. He did manage to force 10 swings-and-misses in his short outing, it just wasn’t enough to slow the Cardinals’ lineup down in any way. Since he was promoted to start the second game of a double-header, it’s unknown whether he will get another turn in the rotation.

Petty will make his major-league debut in the second game of Wednesday’s doubleheader against the Cardinals. The 22-year-old former first-round pick throws hard and has recorded an impressive 3.52 ERA, 1.30 WHIP and 27/9 K/BB ratio across 23 innings (five starts) this season for Triple-A Louisville. He’s worth monitoring in deeper mixed leagues based on his talent and strikeout potential, but he’s an extremely risky streaming option for fantasy managers right out of the gate.

Hays will sit out both games of Wednesday’s twin bull due to a hamstring issue. The 29-year-old outfielder is scheduled to undergo an MRI to determine the severity of the issue. There should be some much-needed clarity on his status at some point in the near future. It’ll be Gavin Lux heading out to left field for Wednesday’s nightcap in his absence.

Singer’s second-best performance to date produced his first loss for the Reds, as he had been 4-0 with a 3.62 ERA. The Cardinals managed only a homer and a single against him today, lowering his batting-average against this season to .198. He’ll face the Braves in Atlanta next time out.

Díaz probably didn’t cost the Reds a win in the first game, but he made the nightcap a little more difficult, since the Cardinals were able to save Ryan Helsley rather than pitch him with a 1-0 lead. Díaz seems destined to head to Triple-A at some point here. He’s given up eight runs with a 3/5 K/BB ratio in six innings since returning from the injured list.

McLain has 17 strikeouts and four hits in his last nine games, and his average is down to .154. His power is all of the way back after shoulder surgery, and that’s more important for the long run than his early strikeout troubles. Still, it’d be nice to see him put some more balls into play.

Callihan is hitting .303/.410/.528 with four homers and six steals in 24 games for Triple-A Louisville. He’ll take the place of Jeimer Candelario, who is now on the IL. While Callihan should operate as a bench bat, he’ll will start in left field on Wednesday with Austin Hays battling a hamstring injury.

Candelario has been battling his back injury for a few weeks while playing sporadically. The Reds will now shut him down for a couple of weeks at least to see if that helps him heal up. Spencer Steer should continue to start regularly at first base with Noelvi Marte at third base. Gavin Lux and Austin Hays will mix in at DH in the immediate future as well.

Callihan was a third-round pick in the 2019 MLB Draft and gets his first promotion to the big leagues after hitting .303/.410/.528 with four homers and six steals in 24 games this season for Triple-A Louisville. He’ll join the club for Wednesday’s doubleheader at Great American Ball Park.