August 25, 2025 • 18 mins
Jeff Carr from the Locked On Reds Podcast joins the show to talk about the Reds disappointing series in the desert and looks ahead to the series against the LA Dodgers.
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Speaker 1 (00:00):
In the East.
Speaker 2 (00:00):
Coat Subs since e three to sixty of About Cincinnati
from Cincinnati, waltered in part by Penn Station East Coast Subs.
Handcrafted hot grilled subs, fresh cut fries, and lemonade. It's
all about good taste. Pennstation East Coast Subs order online today.
This is ESPN fifteen thirty Cincinnati Sports Station.
Speaker 3 (00:22):
Hi, Hello, and welcome in to the final hour of
Cincy three to sixty on ESPN fifteen thirty. My name's
Austin Elmore and happy to be with you on this beautiful,
beautiful Monday in the Cincinnati area, the tri State, the nation,
in the world. It's football weather at all times, but
meaningful baseball is still being played. That's not something we
(00:42):
always get to say when it comes to the local
ball club, but it has happened a lot in recent years,
and we get to talk to our guy Jeff Carr
about that. And after a rough series over the weekend
in Arizona and me being a glass half empty type
of guy to most at least, I just consider it
honesty and just being myself. But people call me negative
(01:06):
and Jeff Carr is the exact opposite. He's a positive man.
He's a positive influence. His cup runneth over and he
joins us. Now my friend Jeff Carr from the Locked
On Reds podcast, Hi, Jeff, how are.
Speaker 1 (01:17):
You aw so? I'm doing great man, looking at the
outside weather, beautiful day, and you know, I mean the
game they's just getting started.
Speaker 3 (01:26):
Got a late late night one with the Reds tonight.
I know you're a flip flops guy. You got the
flip flops on today.
Speaker 1 (01:32):
Flip flops shorts, you know it.
Speaker 3 (01:36):
What did we learn, if anything, about the Reds this weekend?
Speaker 1 (01:41):
We learned that when they don't hit with runners in
scoring position, they don't win. And they have this whole
past week, even the series where they won the series
in Los Angeles against the Angels. Well, sorry, Anaheim. I
know Dodgers fans will say that the Angels are not
in LA, but they didn't hit with runners in scoring
position all last week. I think they combined for to
(02:02):
be ten for fifty, I think with runners in scoring position.
And the good news is they put plenty of guys
on and they had plenty of opportunities. Because they have
even less opportunities, they would have scored even less runs
than they did. But It's all about how they capitalize
when they get the guys on because, as they like
to tell us and as we like to see quite often,
(02:24):
they don't have the whole power game on their side.
Speaker 3 (02:27):
Yeah, and that can be painfully obvious in some of
those situations.
Speaker 4 (02:32):
Let's go back to Friday night.
Speaker 3 (02:34):
What did you make of Terry Francona's decision to bunt
in the extra inning with the ghost runner and then
to not pinch run Jose Travino.
Speaker 1 (02:47):
It's very odd because it's clear that he attacks the
extra innings as though the Reds are going to get
that one run and they're going to keep the opponent
from getting their one run. I mean, if you watch
extra inning ball around the league, it's almost a given
that that ghost runner comes around to score, and you
almost see it as a negative runs if they don't
(03:10):
get that one guy in. So the way that he
approaches it is so micro and so very focused on
just the guy on second base that it feels odd
to not just let guys swing away. I mean, Jose
Travino even so, he's not a bunter, like he does
not bunt very often in his career. So the fact
that he was called upon to do so, and the
(03:33):
way that you know, he explained he didn't want Will
Banfield's career debut to be in extra innings on the road,
and I get that, but why is he on the roster?
Speaker 2 (03:44):
Then?
Speaker 1 (03:44):
If you don't want to play them when you need
to play them, then what are we even doing here?
So that's kind of the weird micro part of Terry
Franklin's decision on Friday night, especially in the game that
it felt like they had no business winning because of
how bad they hit with runners and scoring position, and
how bad they pitched, and yet they were right there.
Speaker 4 (04:03):
How do you think Francona has done this season?
Speaker 3 (04:06):
Do you do feel like I know he's kind of
this mix of new and old, but how do you
feel like, given the roster that he has, how do
you feel like he's done.
Speaker 1 (04:19):
I think he's a net positive, but definitely not to
the extent that we expected. I know that I was
one of the folks banging the drum that he's a
very big difference maker when it comes to, you know,
adding him and adding wins. I think he's added a
few more wins than what David Bell would have done.
But I don't think it's to the extent that we expected,
(04:40):
and maybe, you know, maybe unfairly so in his first
year with a new ball club. But I just I
haven't seen the overwhelming impact that I expected from him,
but I do see incremental impacts. I mean, Noueldre Marte.
I think that he is an otherworldly talent. He just
needed the right guy in his ear, and Tito was
the right guy. And I think that we've got the
right system in place for guys like Elie de la Cruz.
(05:02):
But I'm wondering what that's doing with Matt McClain, because
he's kind of the opposite of everything that noelvi Marte
is right now. So I think that where he has
positively impacted this book club, he has had some other
effects that maybe level that out a lot more than
we expected it to do.
Speaker 3 (05:22):
How do you explain the surge that Noel vi Marte
has been on for the last month or so.
Speaker 1 (05:29):
Plate discipline he has this entire season, In fact, chopped
his strikeout rate almost in half from last year. Last
year was at thirty one percent, this year it's at
nineteen percent. He is seeing the ball so well, and
you can watch it on a by at that basis,
I mean even the hit that he had that turned
into the little league home run thanks to terrible enfield
(05:51):
defense from the Arizona Diamondbacks, which by the way, he
has more infield home runs than Santiago West and all
has legitimate home runs this year, so that's kind of hilarious.
But even that hit, it was a nice pitch that
was low in the strike zone, not something you would
expect him to get under. And if that were in
great American ballpark, that's over the fence, and you don't
(06:11):
have to worry about the Arizona endfield at that point
because he has just been barelying up the baseball, laying
off the bad pitches that really got to him in
twenty twenty four, and he clearly is a complete hitter
at the plate. And then you add in the speed
that he has on the base paths. That whole like
running first the second on a fly ball to Corbyn
parallel that out of lad other Cruz was very impressive
(06:34):
to me. And I get that in the grand scheme
of things. The Reds scored five runs in the eighth inning,
so that one play might get a little bit lost,
But I think there was an element of galvanization to
that play that really got the lineup going.
Speaker 3 (06:47):
And what's interesting about that too, Jeff, is that he's
not walking, So he is being disciplined at the plate,
but he isn't walking hardly at all. And I go
back to when Chris Poalaka was hired. They continue said
that the mentality is to do damage with the pitches
you know you can handle. And I think Marte is
(07:07):
the perfect example of what they're trying to get out
of each hitter.
Speaker 1 (07:13):
Yes, if you were looking for the success video, if
you're were if they were going to make one of
those cheesy commercials for Chris Poleka's hitting philosophy, Noel P.
Marte would be the guy and the way that he
is able to hit and the way that he's able
to plate, because that's the other part. Like if you
go back a few years ago and people were finding
(07:34):
over the fact that jose Igleasias never struck out, it's
because he knew how to descend the plate, and Noel
we Marte takes that even a step further because he's
plugging over five hundred right now. He is he looks
like every bit the guy that they hoped they would
have whenever he was first called up in twenty twenty three.
Speaker 3 (07:52):
It looks like h Nickolodolo is going to start on Wednesday.
Chase Burns probably not that far behind. Do you think
it is still the right move to put Chase Burns
into the bullpen when he returns, or is it the
right move to put him back into the rotation considering
how much time he's missed and he could remain on
(08:14):
that schedule basically throughout the end of the season.
Speaker 1 (08:18):
I wonder a little bit about that, because his placement
on the injured list was very strategic. I don't believe
necessarily that there's a whole lot wrong, Like obviously there's
wear and tear on the arm. That's what happens to
every pitcher in the game, and it's easy to kind
of use that as a reason to give him a break.
But I almost wonder if there was a behind the
(08:39):
scenes conversation of here's the plan.
Speaker 4 (08:41):
He either moved to the.
Speaker 1 (08:41):
Bullpen, or we give you some off time so that
you can finish out the season pitching with us, because
we don't want to shut.
Speaker 4 (08:48):
You down early.
Speaker 1 (08:49):
And he transferred from the University of Tennessee to Wake Forest,
you know, a lot because of the development that Wake
Forest offers pitchers, but also because Tennessee, you know, approached
him about moving into the bullpen and he didn't want
to do that. He said, I'm a starting pitcher. This
is what I do and this is how I know
how to do it. And there is a routine change
whenever you move to the bullpen because you have to
(09:11):
be you know, ready at a moment's notice, and there's
there's not like a set off day thing for that.
So I wonder if there's a bit of creature of
habit where he's like, no, I'm a starter, keep me
a starter. We'll we'll figure out the plan from there.
And I think that's what the Reds are doing.
Speaker 3 (09:26):
Talking to Jeff Carr of one half of the Locked
On Reds podcast alongside Steve Oftenbaker, why or how do
you explain or what is the reasoning? How do I
how do I want to phrase this question? What's a
reason or what's a good reason for Sal Stewart to
(09:47):
remain in Triple A.
Speaker 1 (09:52):
I think he's a big bourbon fan and he's really
close to distillery down in Louisville. Yeah, usually all like
that for you. That's all I got for you at
this point. The way that he is just crushing triple
A pitching, and the way that we continue to get
absolutely nothing from guys who play second base. I mean,
right now, the guys who play second base, between Matt
(10:15):
McLain or San Diego Espinal just really aren't providing much
in way of, you know, production at the plate. And
I still maintain that there's only one spot for Matt
McLain to get right, and that's in the major leagues,
right but it definitely shouldn't be every day. At this point.
He is a detriment to the lineup, and to the
point that whenever he lays down a sacrifice bunt, we're
(10:36):
all getting up and chearing because they're like, hey, a
productive voute for this guy. Like man he needs he
needs some help. And I still believe in Matt McClain
long term, but where the Reds are right now, they
do have to be hyper focused on the day to
day and on to it that production of the guys
that they have in the lineup. And and I think
that there's an argument that even the unknown of South
(10:58):
Stewart is probably more active than what we know about
Matt mclan currently.
Speaker 3 (11:03):
Yeah, I think that's a fair point. Now, the other
part of this is TJ Friedel. I know he's kind
of flying under the radar, but over his last fifty games,
he's barely hitting over two hundred, his ops well under
three hundred. How concerned are you about TJ Friedl Only slightly.
Speaker 1 (11:24):
I think that TJ still has the ability to affect
the game in many different ways, and so the fact
that he's just not hitting very well right now isn't
a huge concern in mind. And I've seen that as
batting average on balls and play as of right now
is unlucky during this period of time. So I think
that there's just a bit of a slump factor that
he's going through, and I think that he'll come out
of it. I just hope it's sooner rather than later,
(11:46):
especially as you head into LA because there's two spots
in this lineup that seem to be sewn up, and
that's TJ. Friedel in the leadoff spot and the Li
Da La Cruz batting third. And if he continues to
bat which I think over the last fifteen games he's
betting at a buck sixty one clip. Like you really
got to ask yourself if that can continue. Maybe there's
(12:07):
an off day on this final game here on Wednesday
of this West Coast road trip that would do him
some good because he doesn't get a lot of those.
But at the end of the day, I believe that
he's going to come out of this slump sooner rather
than live.
Speaker 4 (12:25):
Do they have enough to make the playoffs?
Speaker 1 (12:29):
They do, and they're also helped by the fact that
they're chasing one of the just most ridiculously cursed franchises
in the history of baseball.
Speaker 3 (12:37):
But don't you want the Reds to earn it rather
than the Mets to lose it?
Speaker 1 (12:42):
I want the Reds of the playoffs. However that happens,
I would like to say that it's because the Reds
go on a crazy streak, and I think they have
that in them, because honestly, I firmly believe that the
only thing that kept them from going for and two
this past week is the fact that whenever a guy
stood on second base, they just drop the bat in
the batter's box. But I think that when it comes
(13:04):
to chasing the Mets right now, I think I saw
something that over the last two months of the season.
The Mets are playing on a pace that had they
played that way for the entire year, they'd be looking
at a sixty six win ball club. And there's something
about them that whenever they do something right in the
ball game, and they did this the other day in Washington,
where they went up for nothing very quickly and they
(13:25):
ended up losing the game because their bullpens just imploded
on them, and they even address that at the trade deadline.
So I think that there's something about the Mets that
the Reds can overcome. And if they do the unspeakable,
and if they somehow win two out of three against
Los Angeles and the Dodgers continued their collapse, there's a
chance for Redskin catch them for the number two wild
(13:47):
card spot. They've got the pitching, Austin. I believe in
this pitching staff, and as long as the hitting is
not horrible, I think that they can do this. They
can make a run out.
Speaker 3 (13:57):
So this weekend, with Zach Lttel ruggling, Andrew Abbott struggling,
Lodolo still hurt, Burn still hurt, You're still confident that
the starting pitching can be what it's been and hold
up for the last month plus.
Speaker 1 (14:12):
Absolutely, I think that Andrew Rabbits start on Saturday with
something he was due for, because that's baseball. Maybe you're
not allowed to succeed one hundred percent of the time.
Speaker 4 (14:22):
And I think that he's going to.
Speaker 1 (14:22):
Bounce back in a big way. And Zach Lyttel might
be the guy that whenever Chase Burns returns. I think
that Burns goes into the rotation and Lattel kind of
does a Nick Martinez thing, and Nick Martinez becomes himself again.
And we've got a couple of different guys that can
give us any means however we ask of them. And
I think that that's going to be very interesting for
the longevity of guys like Scott Barlow and Tony Santion,
(14:44):
who are on pace for something like three hundred and
seventy five games pitched this year.
Speaker 3 (14:50):
Random follow up to the TJ. Friedo conversation I just
thought of, is his future as a corner outfielder.
Speaker 1 (14:59):
Ideally, just because I don't necessarily know that his Dwayne
Wade mentality when it comes to playing the game of
baseball is going to keep him healthy year after year
in center field. Now, I don't know if moving him
closer to the wall helps him in either corner spot.
But he's never really had a crazy enough arm to
(15:22):
be considered a right fielder for me. But he's got
the range that you could lock down the left side
of the field. I mean, imagine, just looking down the
left side, you have Elliott Short, you have Key Brian
Hayes at third, and you have TJ. Friedel in left field.
You feel good about any ball hit to that side.
And if you can develop somebody into a center fielder,
which I don't know if that's Hector Rodriguez coming up
(15:43):
from Triple A or I don't know if they get
real frisky with it and move to Oelvi Marte to
center field, but I think that there's definitely an argument
to be made that center field may not be the
best for his career health long term.
Speaker 3 (15:58):
Jeff Carr one half of the Locked on Red's podcast
with Steve Offenbaker. Jeff, where can people follow along to
everything you and Steve are working on?
Speaker 1 (16:08):
You can follow the lock on Reds podcast everywhere you
get your podcasts, including the iHeartRadio app. You can also
watch us on YouTube, and you can follow me on
social media on whether it be TikTok x or whatever
at Jeff Carr with three s.
Speaker 3 (16:23):
Does does Steve have the official pronunciation of Hawaii? Because
I was I saw over the weekend that the announcers
in the Hawaii Stanford game kept saying Hawaii. Do we
know about the official pronunciation? Has does Steve? Can Steve
help with that? Can you ask him about that?
Speaker 1 (16:40):
Well? I have to ask him about that. I know
that he mentioned the Rainbow Warriors big win over over
the Cardinal at the beginning of today's show, but I
don't think he I don't think he pronounced it that way.
Speaker 3 (16:55):
I need some clarity on that. You know that the
people need the clarity on that, So work on that
for us. Jeff, thanks so much for your time, man,
have a great day. Awesome appreciated. That is Jeff Carr
locked on Red's podcast. All right, I think we've exhausted
everything on the Reds. I think it makes sense where
they're at and who they are. The moves are going
(17:17):
to be interesting that they make, how they handle McClain,
how they handle south Stewart, Lodolo, the Chase Burns thing
that throws a wrinkle into it a little bit. I
did not know that about why he transferred in college
because they wanted to develop him out of the bullpen,
and I do wonder if that's at play here with
the way that they chose to approach the off time
(17:39):
and the injury for Chase Burns. Other than that, though,
let's kind of switch gears back to football. We're still
monitoring this Trey Hendrickson report and if there's anything that
could come out of that. But also we're about to
go into week one of the regular season. Let's talk
about some of the stuff that we're looking forward to.
Which Bengals game on the schedule this year are you
(18:03):
most excited about? Are you most intrigued by? Are you
dreading the most? Which player, maybe not just a Bengal
but across the NFL are you most looking forward to watching?
Is there a team that you find interesting or intriguing?
Do you have any hot takes about the twenty twenty
five NFL season? Five one, three, seven, four, nine, fifteen
(18:24):
thirty is the phone number you can call in. You
can also get your response and make your presence and
your voice heard about this Trey Hendrickson Report. All that possible?
Five one, three, seven, four, nine, fifteen thirty. This is
since three sixty On ESPN fifteen thirty.
Speaker 4 (18:40):
Loweger reality is they're probably not good enough.
Speaker 3 (18:43):
He dissects the local sports scene.
Speaker 4 (18:45):
They're not consistent enough, the way a fourth grader dissects
across not reliable.
Speaker 3 (18:50):
Moegger Today at three on ESPN fifteen thirty
In the East.
Speaker 2 (00:00):
Coat Subs since e three to sixty of About Cincinnati
from Cincinnati, waltered in part by Penn Station East Coast Subs.
Handcrafted hot grilled subs, fresh cut fries, and lemonade. It's
all about good taste. Pennstation East Coast Subs order online today.
This is ESPN fifteen thirty Cincinnati Sports Station.
Speaker 3 (00:22):
Hi, Hello, and welcome in to the final hour of
Cincy three to sixty on ESPN fifteen thirty. My name's
Austin Elmore and happy to be with you on this beautiful,
beautiful Monday in the Cincinnati area, the tri State, the nation,
in the world. It's football weather at all times, but
meaningful baseball is still being played. That's not something we
(00:42):
always get to say when it comes to the local
ball club, but it has happened a lot in recent years,
and we get to talk to our guy Jeff Carr
about that. And after a rough series over the weekend
in Arizona and me being a glass half empty type
of guy to most at least, I just consider it
honesty and just being myself. But people call me negative
(01:06):
and Jeff Carr is the exact opposite. He's a positive man.
He's a positive influence. His cup runneth over and he
joins us. Now my friend Jeff Carr from the Locked
On Reds podcast, Hi, Jeff, how are.
Speaker 1 (01:17):
You aw so? I'm doing great man, looking at the
outside weather, beautiful day, and you know, I mean the
game they's just getting started.
Speaker 3 (01:26):
Got a late late night one with the Reds tonight.
I know you're a flip flops guy. You got the
flip flops on today.
Speaker 1 (01:32):
Flip flops shorts, you know it.
Speaker 3 (01:36):
What did we learn, if anything, about the Reds this weekend?
Speaker 1 (01:41):
We learned that when they don't hit with runners in
scoring position, they don't win. And they have this whole
past week, even the series where they won the series
in Los Angeles against the Angels. Well, sorry, Anaheim. I
know Dodgers fans will say that the Angels are not
in LA, but they didn't hit with runners in scoring
position all last week. I think they combined for to
(02:02):
be ten for fifty, I think with runners in scoring position.
And the good news is they put plenty of guys
on and they had plenty of opportunities. Because they have
even less opportunities, they would have scored even less runs
than they did. But It's all about how they capitalize
when they get the guys on because, as they like
to tell us and as we like to see quite often,
(02:24):
they don't have the whole power game on their side.
Speaker 3 (02:27):
Yeah, and that can be painfully obvious in some of
those situations.
Speaker 4 (02:32):
Let's go back to Friday night.
Speaker 3 (02:34):
What did you make of Terry Francona's decision to bunt
in the extra inning with the ghost runner and then
to not pinch run Jose Travino.
Speaker 1 (02:47):
It's very odd because it's clear that he attacks the
extra innings as though the Reds are going to get
that one run and they're going to keep the opponent
from getting their one run. I mean, if you watch
extra inning ball around the league, it's almost a given
that that ghost runner comes around to score, and you
almost see it as a negative runs if they don't
(03:10):
get that one guy in. So the way that he
approaches it is so micro and so very focused on
just the guy on second base that it feels odd
to not just let guys swing away. I mean, Jose
Travino even so, he's not a bunter, like he does
not bunt very often in his career. So the fact
that he was called upon to do so, and the
(03:33):
way that you know, he explained he didn't want Will
Banfield's career debut to be in extra innings on the road,
and I get that, but why is he on the roster?
Speaker 2 (03:44):
Then?
Speaker 1 (03:44):
If you don't want to play them when you need
to play them, then what are we even doing here?
So that's kind of the weird micro part of Terry
Franklin's decision on Friday night, especially in the game that
it felt like they had no business winning because of
how bad they hit with runners and scoring position, and
how bad they pitched, and yet they were right there.
Speaker 4 (04:03):
How do you think Francona has done this season?
Speaker 3 (04:06):
Do you do feel like I know he's kind of
this mix of new and old, but how do you
feel like, given the roster that he has, how do
you feel like he's done.
Speaker 1 (04:19):
I think he's a net positive, but definitely not to
the extent that we expected. I know that I was
one of the folks banging the drum that he's a
very big difference maker when it comes to, you know,
adding him and adding wins. I think he's added a
few more wins than what David Bell would have done.
But I don't think it's to the extent that we expected,
(04:40):
and maybe, you know, maybe unfairly so in his first
year with a new ball club. But I just I
haven't seen the overwhelming impact that I expected from him,
but I do see incremental impacts. I mean, Noueldre Marte.
I think that he is an otherworldly talent. He just
needed the right guy in his ear, and Tito was
the right guy. And I think that we've got the
right system in place for guys like Elie de la Cruz.
(05:02):
But I'm wondering what that's doing with Matt McClain, because
he's kind of the opposite of everything that noelvi Marte
is right now. So I think that where he has
positively impacted this book club, he has had some other
effects that maybe level that out a lot more than
we expected it to do.
Speaker 3 (05:22):
How do you explain the surge that Noel vi Marte
has been on for the last month or so.
Speaker 1 (05:29):
Plate discipline he has this entire season, In fact, chopped
his strikeout rate almost in half from last year. Last
year was at thirty one percent, this year it's at
nineteen percent. He is seeing the ball so well, and
you can watch it on a by at that basis,
I mean even the hit that he had that turned
into the little league home run thanks to terrible enfield
(05:51):
defense from the Arizona Diamondbacks, which by the way, he
has more infield home runs than Santiago West and all
has legitimate home runs this year, so that's kind of hilarious.
But even that hit, it was a nice pitch that
was low in the strike zone, not something you would
expect him to get under. And if that were in
great American ballpark, that's over the fence, and you don't
(06:11):
have to worry about the Arizona endfield at that point
because he has just been barelying up the baseball, laying
off the bad pitches that really got to him in
twenty twenty four, and he clearly is a complete hitter
at the plate. And then you add in the speed
that he has on the base paths. That whole like
running first the second on a fly ball to Corbyn
parallel that out of lad other Cruz was very impressive
(06:34):
to me. And I get that in the grand scheme
of things. The Reds scored five runs in the eighth inning,
so that one play might get a little bit lost,
But I think there was an element of galvanization to
that play that really got the lineup going.
Speaker 3 (06:47):
And what's interesting about that too, Jeff, is that he's
not walking, So he is being disciplined at the plate,
but he isn't walking hardly at all. And I go
back to when Chris Poalaka was hired. They continue said
that the mentality is to do damage with the pitches
you know you can handle. And I think Marte is
(07:07):
the perfect example of what they're trying to get out
of each hitter.
Speaker 1 (07:13):
Yes, if you were looking for the success video, if
you're were if they were going to make one of
those cheesy commercials for Chris Poleka's hitting philosophy, Noel P.
Marte would be the guy and the way that he
is able to hit and the way that he's able
to plate, because that's the other part. Like if you
go back a few years ago and people were finding
(07:34):
over the fact that jose Igleasias never struck out, it's
because he knew how to descend the plate, and Noel
we Marte takes that even a step further because he's
plugging over five hundred right now. He is he looks
like every bit the guy that they hoped they would
have whenever he was first called up in twenty twenty three.
Speaker 3 (07:52):
It looks like h Nickolodolo is going to start on Wednesday.
Chase Burns probably not that far behind. Do you think
it is still the right move to put Chase Burns
into the bullpen when he returns, or is it the
right move to put him back into the rotation considering
how much time he's missed and he could remain on
(08:14):
that schedule basically throughout the end of the season.
Speaker 1 (08:18):
I wonder a little bit about that, because his placement
on the injured list was very strategic. I don't believe
necessarily that there's a whole lot wrong, Like obviously there's
wear and tear on the arm. That's what happens to
every pitcher in the game, and it's easy to kind
of use that as a reason to give him a break.
But I almost wonder if there was a behind the
(08:39):
scenes conversation of here's the plan.
Speaker 4 (08:41):
He either moved to the.
Speaker 1 (08:41):
Bullpen, or we give you some off time so that
you can finish out the season pitching with us, because
we don't want to shut.
Speaker 4 (08:48):
You down early.
Speaker 1 (08:49):
And he transferred from the University of Tennessee to Wake Forest,
you know, a lot because of the development that Wake
Forest offers pitchers, but also because Tennessee, you know, approached
him about moving into the bullpen and he didn't want
to do that. He said, I'm a starting pitcher. This
is what I do and this is how I know
how to do it. And there is a routine change
whenever you move to the bullpen because you have to
(09:11):
be you know, ready at a moment's notice, and there's
there's not like a set off day thing for that.
So I wonder if there's a bit of creature of
habit where he's like, no, I'm a starter, keep me
a starter. We'll we'll figure out the plan from there.
And I think that's what the Reds are doing.
Speaker 3 (09:26):
Talking to Jeff Carr of one half of the Locked
On Reds podcast alongside Steve Oftenbaker, why or how do
you explain or what is the reasoning? How do I
how do I want to phrase this question? What's a
reason or what's a good reason for Sal Stewart to
(09:47):
remain in Triple A.
Speaker 1 (09:52):
I think he's a big bourbon fan and he's really
close to distillery down in Louisville. Yeah, usually all like
that for you. That's all I got for you at
this point. The way that he is just crushing triple
A pitching, and the way that we continue to get
absolutely nothing from guys who play second base. I mean,
right now, the guys who play second base, between Matt
(10:15):
McLain or San Diego Espinal just really aren't providing much
in way of, you know, production at the plate. And
I still maintain that there's only one spot for Matt
McLain to get right, and that's in the major leagues,
right but it definitely shouldn't be every day. At this point.
He is a detriment to the lineup, and to the
point that whenever he lays down a sacrifice bunt, we're
(10:36):
all getting up and chearing because they're like, hey, a
productive voute for this guy. Like man he needs he
needs some help. And I still believe in Matt McClain
long term, but where the Reds are right now, they
do have to be hyper focused on the day to
day and on to it that production of the guys
that they have in the lineup. And and I think
that there's an argument that even the unknown of South
(10:58):
Stewart is probably more active than what we know about
Matt mclan currently.
Speaker 3 (11:03):
Yeah, I think that's a fair point. Now, the other
part of this is TJ Friedel. I know he's kind
of flying under the radar, but over his last fifty games,
he's barely hitting over two hundred, his ops well under
three hundred. How concerned are you about TJ Friedl Only slightly.
Speaker 1 (11:24):
I think that TJ still has the ability to affect
the game in many different ways, and so the fact
that he's just not hitting very well right now isn't
a huge concern in mind. And I've seen that as
batting average on balls and play as of right now
is unlucky during this period of time. So I think
that there's just a bit of a slump factor that
he's going through, and I think that he'll come out
of it. I just hope it's sooner rather than later,
(11:46):
especially as you head into LA because there's two spots
in this lineup that seem to be sewn up, and
that's TJ. Friedel in the leadoff spot and the Li
Da La Cruz batting third. And if he continues to
bat which I think over the last fifteen games he's
betting at a buck sixty one clip. Like you really
got to ask yourself if that can continue. Maybe there's
(12:07):
an off day on this final game here on Wednesday
of this West Coast road trip that would do him
some good because he doesn't get a lot of those.
But at the end of the day, I believe that
he's going to come out of this slump sooner rather
than live.
Speaker 4 (12:25):
Do they have enough to make the playoffs?
Speaker 1 (12:29):
They do, and they're also helped by the fact that
they're chasing one of the just most ridiculously cursed franchises
in the history of baseball.
Speaker 3 (12:37):
But don't you want the Reds to earn it rather
than the Mets to lose it?
Speaker 1 (12:42):
I want the Reds of the playoffs. However that happens,
I would like to say that it's because the Reds
go on a crazy streak, and I think they have
that in them, because honestly, I firmly believe that the
only thing that kept them from going for and two
this past week is the fact that whenever a guy
stood on second base, they just drop the bat in
the batter's box. But I think that when it comes
(13:04):
to chasing the Mets right now, I think I saw
something that over the last two months of the season.
The Mets are playing on a pace that had they
played that way for the entire year, they'd be looking
at a sixty six win ball club. And there's something
about them that whenever they do something right in the
ball game, and they did this the other day in Washington,
where they went up for nothing very quickly and they
(13:25):
ended up losing the game because their bullpens just imploded
on them, and they even address that at the trade deadline.
So I think that there's something about the Mets that
the Reds can overcome. And if they do the unspeakable,
and if they somehow win two out of three against
Los Angeles and the Dodgers continued their collapse, there's a
chance for Redskin catch them for the number two wild
(13:47):
card spot. They've got the pitching, Austin. I believe in
this pitching staff, and as long as the hitting is
not horrible, I think that they can do this. They
can make a run out.
Speaker 3 (13:57):
So this weekend, with Zach Lttel ruggling, Andrew Abbott struggling,
Lodolo still hurt, Burn still hurt, You're still confident that
the starting pitching can be what it's been and hold
up for the last month plus.
Speaker 1 (14:12):
Absolutely, I think that Andrew Rabbits start on Saturday with
something he was due for, because that's baseball. Maybe you're
not allowed to succeed one hundred percent of the time.
Speaker 4 (14:22):
And I think that he's going to.
Speaker 1 (14:22):
Bounce back in a big way. And Zach Lyttel might
be the guy that whenever Chase Burns returns. I think
that Burns goes into the rotation and Lattel kind of
does a Nick Martinez thing, and Nick Martinez becomes himself again.
And we've got a couple of different guys that can
give us any means however we ask of them. And
I think that that's going to be very interesting for
the longevity of guys like Scott Barlow and Tony Santion,
(14:44):
who are on pace for something like three hundred and
seventy five games pitched this year.
Speaker 3 (14:50):
Random follow up to the TJ. Friedo conversation I just
thought of, is his future as a corner outfielder.
Speaker 1 (14:59):
Ideally, just because I don't necessarily know that his Dwayne
Wade mentality when it comes to playing the game of
baseball is going to keep him healthy year after year
in center field. Now, I don't know if moving him
closer to the wall helps him in either corner spot.
But he's never really had a crazy enough arm to
(15:22):
be considered a right fielder for me. But he's got
the range that you could lock down the left side
of the field. I mean, imagine, just looking down the
left side, you have Elliott Short, you have Key Brian
Hayes at third, and you have TJ. Friedel in left field.
You feel good about any ball hit to that side.
And if you can develop somebody into a center fielder,
which I don't know if that's Hector Rodriguez coming up
(15:43):
from Triple A or I don't know if they get
real frisky with it and move to Oelvi Marte to
center field, but I think that there's definitely an argument
to be made that center field may not be the
best for his career health long term.
Speaker 3 (15:58):
Jeff Carr one half of the Locked on Red's podcast
with Steve Offenbaker. Jeff, where can people follow along to
everything you and Steve are working on?
Speaker 1 (16:08):
You can follow the lock on Reds podcast everywhere you
get your podcasts, including the iHeartRadio app. You can also
watch us on YouTube, and you can follow me on
social media on whether it be TikTok x or whatever
at Jeff Carr with three s.
Speaker 3 (16:23):
Does does Steve have the official pronunciation of Hawaii? Because
I was I saw over the weekend that the announcers
in the Hawaii Stanford game kept saying Hawaii. Do we
know about the official pronunciation? Has does Steve? Can Steve
help with that? Can you ask him about that?
Speaker 1 (16:40):
Well? I have to ask him about that. I know
that he mentioned the Rainbow Warriors big win over over
the Cardinal at the beginning of today's show, but I
don't think he I don't think he pronounced it that way.
Speaker 3 (16:55):
I need some clarity on that. You know that the
people need the clarity on that, So work on that
for us. Jeff, thanks so much for your time, man,
have a great day. Awesome appreciated. That is Jeff Carr
locked on Red's podcast. All right, I think we've exhausted
everything on the Reds. I think it makes sense where
they're at and who they are. The moves are going
(17:17):
to be interesting that they make, how they handle McClain,
how they handle south Stewart, Lodolo, the Chase Burns thing
that throws a wrinkle into it a little bit. I
did not know that about why he transferred in college
because they wanted to develop him out of the bullpen,
and I do wonder if that's at play here with
the way that they chose to approach the off time
(17:39):
and the injury for Chase Burns. Other than that, though,
let's kind of switch gears back to football. We're still
monitoring this Trey Hendrickson report and if there's anything that
could come out of that. But also we're about to
go into week one of the regular season. Let's talk
about some of the stuff that we're looking forward to.
Which Bengals game on the schedule this year are you
(18:03):
most excited about? Are you most intrigued by? Are you
dreading the most? Which player, maybe not just a Bengal
but across the NFL are you most looking forward to watching?
Is there a team that you find interesting or intriguing?
Do you have any hot takes about the twenty twenty
five NFL season? Five one, three, seven, four, nine, fifteen
(18:24):
thirty is the phone number you can call in. You
can also get your response and make your presence and
your voice heard about this Trey Hendrickson Report. All that possible?
Five one, three, seven, four, nine, fifteen thirty. This is
since three sixty On ESPN fifteen thirty.
Speaker 4 (18:40):
Loweger reality is they're probably not good enough.
Speaker 3 (18:43):
He dissects the local sports scene.
Speaker 4 (18:45):
They're not consistent enough, the way a fourth grader dissects
across not reliable.
Speaker 3 (18:50):
Moegger Today at three on ESPN fifteen thirty
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