The day before the season started, Terry Francona was asked if he liked his bullpen. “Can I tell you in six months?” the new manager joked. He acknowledged that there was some truth behind that statement. “This was my 45th spring training, and some things never change. When the lights come on, they’re different. You still feel a little anxiety until you see it. And I haven’t been around these guys before.”
Due to injuries and a lack of power and depth in the lineup, the 2025 Reds won’t be able to slug their way to the postseason. They’ll win with pitching, defense, and base running. That’s the formula Francona successfully employed in Cleveland when he managed the Guardians.
The problem with the first series of the season, which saw the Reds drop two of three against the San Francisco Giants, was that pitching, defense, and base running aren’t where they need to be.
But then the Reds’ 14-3 win on Monday over the Texas Rangers showed the potential that Cincinnati has this season when the lineup is working tough at-bats, the starting pitcher is going deep into the game, and the defense is consistent. That takes a lot of pressure off of the rest of the team and frees up Elly De La Cruz and Matt McLain to play the way they did on Monday night.
For this year’s Reds, the truth is probably somewhere in the middle of how they played over the weekend and the incredible performance the team turned in on Monday.
The Reds have a great starting rotation. Hunter Greene and Nick Lodolo have the tools to be aces, Brady Singer and Nick Martinez provide durability and consistency, and Andrew Abbott (who’s expected to come off the injured list in a few weeks) will be one of the best No. 5 starters in MLB.
On Opening Day, Greene showcased a fastball that looked better than ever before. Lodolo grinded and delivered a quality start Saturday, on a day where his command struggled. And Martinez was perfect through four innings on Sunday. That trio of pitchers combined to allow just nine runs in 17 innings, and Martinez’s final line would have been much better had the Reds played better defense behind him.
There’s a lot to like about this rotation. “Everybody is a workhorse,” Greene said before his Opening Day start. “Not even on the field, but in the weight room and the preparation going on behind the scenes. Everyone takes our jobs so seriously. It’s a very long season. It’s difficult. We know that we’ve put the work in.”
But to have a complete pitching staff, you need a complete bullpen. And the season’s first series showcased the questions surrounding that group. It started when Ian Gibaut, whom the Reds cut in November before re-signing him to a minor league deal, blew the save on Opening Day.
The bullpen without injured closer Alexis Díaz remains a work in progress. “They’re growing into those roles when they pitch,” Francona said over the weekend. “That’s just what it is. Especially being new. When you break (the beginning of the season) and you don’t have your closer, you have to rethink some things. That’s just common sense.”
Until the Reds stabilize their bullpen, the pitching staff can’t be a strength yet.
On defense—aside from some standout plays by McLain, De La Cruz, center fielder TJ Friedl, and catcher Jose Trevino—there are unanswered questions as well. Spencer Steer, who typically makes the routine plays in the outfield, can’t throw due to a shoulder injury. Austin Hays is on the injured list with a calf injury. On Sunday, the Reds’ starting outfield featured two infielders, Gavin Lux and Santiago Espinal. On top of that, Jeimer Candelario’s defense at third base was an area for concern, and De La Cruz committed a throwing error.
On the bases, mistakes by Lux in the season opener and by Jacob Hurtubise on Sunday killed the Reds’ best chances at rallies and cut potential series-changing innings short. Francona’s biggest point of emphasis during Spring Training was doing the little things right, and the Reds have room to grow there. “We’ve got human beings,” he said. “Every time they make an error, we’re not going to scream at them. When they make a base running mistake, we address it, talk to them and tell them why so we try not to do it again.”
Like the Reds’ starting rotation, the star power in their lineup looks like it stacks up well against NL Central rivals. De La Cruz’s swing from the right side of the plate has never looked better, and overall he looks much more in control hitting.
McLain carried the Reds to a win in Saturday’s game, homered in the third game, and is showing that last year’s shoulder injury won’t be an area of concern in 2025. His power is back, and he’s looking like a terrific defender at second base.
Candelario and Christian Encarnacion-Strand have also been swinging the bat well, but the middle of the lineup is missing Hays and injured catcher Tyler Stephenson. Their absences particularly showed up in Sunday’s series finale against left-handed starting pitcher Robbie Ray.
The Reds have struggled against left-handed pitchers for years, and Hays and Stephenson were supposed to be two of the team’s best pieces in those matchups. Fortunately, Hays is expected back in the lineup on April 11 and Stephenson could be back in the near future.
Pitching and defense need to carry the Reds when the lineup hits a rough stretch. The first weekend of the season only sharpened those points.
Charlie Goldsmith has covered the Reds and Bengals since 2020, and his newsletter on the teams can be found at charlieschalkboard.substack.com. He’s @CharlieG__ on X.
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