Cincinnati Reds starter Tyler Mahle, who had an inauspicious start of the season, threw a gem on Tuesday night against the Arizona Diamondbacks.
The talented right-hander completed nine scoreless innings, with just three hits allowed: he conceded no walks, and struck out a whopping 12 hitters.
Incredibly, he couldn’t get the win because the game remained scoreless well into the extra innings, after he left.
But it was another proof that the Reds’ starting pitcher, much maligned at the beginning of the year, has turned things around big time.
Mahle lowered his ERA to 4.46 with the nine scoreless frames; and that’s when you learn that the rest of his season hasn’t been easy.
There is, however, statistical evidence to say that the Reds’ rotation has been a top-ten unit for some time now.
Yes, that sounds hard to believe, especially after the team started off the season with a 3-22 record, but it’s true.
Bobby Nightengale of the Cincinnati Enquirer tweeted the following:
“Reds starting rotation during their 3-22 start: 8.91 ERA, 6.05 FIP, 5.22 walks per nine innings, 1.98 homers per nine innings. Reds rotation in next 37 games: 3.49 ERA (8th in MLB), 3.87 FIP (10th), 2.83 BB/9 (14th), 1.15 HR/9 (13th).”
Reds starting rotation during their 3-22 start: 8.91 ERA, 6.05 FIP, 5.22 walks per nine innings, 1.98 homers per nine innings.
Reds rotation in next 37 games: 3.49 ERA (8th in MLB), 3.87 FIP (10th), 2.83 BB/9 (14th), 1.15 HR/9 (13th).
— Bobby Nightengale (@nightengalejr) June 15, 2022
A Good Rotation
Wait, what?
Reds starters have pitched to a 3.49 ERA for 37 games?
Yes, that’s right.
It certainly helps that they got the great Luis Castillo back from an injury: they didn’t have him to open the year, and he is Cincinnati’s ace.
Mahle has been turning things around, and rookie Hunter Greene has two dominant starts in a row.
Connor Overton and Graham Ashcraft have also been sneaky good.
All things considered, it’s been a while that the Reds are a decent team.
They won’t contend in 2022, but at least they are using it to develop some of the stars of tomorrow.
Much of that starts with the rotation.
NEXT: Tyler Mahle Pitched Like A True Reds Ace Tuesday Night