April 11, 2025 • 9 mins
Reds broadcaster Chris Welsh joined Todd Walker on the Friday edition of "Lima's Morning News" with his thoughts on the Reds' first two weeks of 2025.
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Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
Reds are back at it tonight, hosting the Pirates. Chris Welsh,
one of the Reds are broadcasters, joins us back from
the West Coast, and you know, Chris, I talked about
this yesterday. It's funny how the end of a road
trip like that can just change your whole feeling about
the trip. The Reds had two great wins in San Francisco,
(00:20):
and then they go up five to nothing on Wednesday.
It looks like they're going to sweep the Giants, have
a winning road trip, and then the bottom falls out,
and now you just don't feel that great about it,
do you.
Speaker 2 (00:31):
Well? It could have turned the road trip on a dime,
there's no question by you know, not doing so well
in Milwaukee and then coming in and sweeping the Giants,
especially having given the Giants their only losses of the year.
So they had their number, they had it right where
they want them, and they couldn't put the deal to sleep.
Speaker 1 (00:50):
Yeah, and unfortunately that happens. I guess the Reds had
a chance to really blow it open a couple of
times and didn't, although they had some good fortunate to
put up that five spot. But let's let's go to
a big picture here, Chris. You know, the Reds have
had a home stand and now a road trip, and
right now this team's battling what it seems to battle
(01:11):
every year. Guys they thought were going to be in
the lineup. I can't make the club because they're in
the tub, so to speak. We got injuries again here.
Speaker 2 (01:20):
Yeah, it sure makes a difference when you're missing the
players in the middle of your lineup. I'm not sure
any lineup can really survive that. But you know, Matt
McLain is the guy, and you're mainly talking about Tyler Stevenson.
Both of those guys, you know, one's a number three
hitter or maybe four hitter. The other is number two hitter.
So now you're you're you're changing the entire lineup, putting
(01:41):
guys in places that they're not used to that you
didn't expect them to be in because of the injuries.
And the injury seemed to lag on a little bit
longer than I think people thought. I don't I'm not
so sure about Tyler Stevenson whether they thought that he
would be out this long. He's still quite a ways
away because remember, he's going to have to really ramp
up and have another spring training to kind of get
(02:02):
ready for the season. And Matt McLean is still you know,
he just got put on the injury list. I don't
think he's going to be available in the next few
days when he gets right off the list. So and
the other thing with McLean is is that his injury
is a hamstring pull and he's had some history of
that in the past, and they don't want to make
(02:23):
that one of these things that is reoccurring. So that's
why they're trying to take a little bit more time.
In the meantime, somebody else has got to swing the bat.
Speaker 1 (02:32):
Yeah, those both those injuries are are problematic and we'll
see how they are able to come back from them.
But clearly the bright spot of the first two weeks
the starting pitching has been tremendous.
Speaker 2 (02:46):
They pitch well, they play average defense, but they don't hit.
And that may be the same song around baseball except
for a few teams that are putting up some runs
because you know, pitching is pretty good nowadays. And I
can tell you one thing, the ball was not traveling
in San Francisco at all. I mean, there were several
balls hit that would have been home runs. A great
(03:07):
American ballpark that's just stayed in the yard, didn't even
get to a warning track. So hopefully the hitting will
come around. I think it's a better team than what
they've shown so far, as long as their pitching continues
to be good. And I don't see why this shouldn't
be because the starting pitching has been outstanding. They've got
leaks in it right now, and I think for that reason,
they're going to stay in this thing.
Speaker 1 (03:29):
Chris Walach as well as the Reds broadcaster talking Cincinnati.
You know, it was interesting, though, Chris the comments of
manager Terry Francona Wednesday when he talked about not getting
Nick Martinez out of the game a little sooner. He
said he didn't think the bullpen could get to the
end of the game. Basically said didn't have enough bullpen
arms available. As what he was referring to, how can
(03:50):
the bullpen be so thin already when they've had such
great starting pitching.
Speaker 2 (03:55):
Well, maybe he's talking about the guys that he wanted
to use in the bullpen. You know, normally managers have
two groups of bullpen guys, guys of pitching games you're winning,
and guys in pitching games you're losing, and maybe he
thought that his top end guys there weren't enough of
them available. You know, you run Sanan out there, won
the game, or one inning, you run a Pagan out there,
(04:18):
and Barlow, you know, didn't pitch. But I think except
for a third of an inning. So it's one of
those situations where you know, he's trying to manage the
game with the guys that he's got the most confidence
in right now. I don't think that, you know, Brent
Suter and Sam Mall are the guys that he wanted
to go to. It was a heavily ladened, right handed
lineup the Giants had, and that's kind of his feel
(04:40):
on it. But you know, when you've got you know,
eight guys in a bullpen, they all should be able
to pitch when you call them. And if you're running
out of pitching in the beginning of April, that's not
a good time.
Speaker 1 (04:52):
Yeah, that's a bit concerning as well. But when you
look at this Red's offense and they're starting nine, I think,
again we're looking at the outfield is the real problem.
Jake Fraley has struggled, most notably here coming out of
the season Spencer Steer, I guess is probably actually injured.
Looks like he shouldn't have made the opening day club.
(05:12):
I mean, they can say what they want, but the
guy is hitting like fifty. The outfield right now is
really an issue, isn't it.
Speaker 2 (05:20):
Well, yeah, I think Spencer Steers come on big time.
He's much better in the last few days than he
was early on. I agree with you about you know,
early in the season with Steer, he just looked lost
because he didn't get the chance to do much in
spring training. I think the other thing though, you know,
you got to realize that Ellie Dana Cruz is is
a guy that is trying to carry the way to
the ball club, and you know, sometimes that's unfair for
(05:42):
a kid that's twenty two years old, as talented as
he is. I think he's tired. To me, he looked
like he didn't have the same pep and his step.
But you're so reluctant to pull him out of a
game and give him a rest, especially when you've got
an off day like today come up that you feel
(06:03):
like you really have a void in your life without
him there. So you know, this is a team that
needs to get their regular guys back. I mean McClain
needs to come back to Stevenson is really the main
guy in that ball club. I can tell you he's
a leader from behind the plate. He's a very good hitter.
He's a guy that leans other players lean on when
they have some tough times. And when you lose a
(06:23):
player like that, it really puts it dent in you well.
Speaker 1 (06:26):
And to be fair to Spencer Steer, he had gone
two or three games were over the hit but oero
for four in the last game he said he won
forty three. And we get that number right, But I
don't want a short change. It's still bad. But you know,
the other injury, of course, coming into the season Alexis Diaz,
the presumed closer, and I remember when we talked right
(06:48):
at the end of spring training, you talked about how
he hadn't looked good in spring training. We know he
was shaky last year. Is this guy automatically going to
get the closer job back when he's healthy.
Speaker 2 (07:01):
No, I don't think so. I don't think Terry Frankcote
is going to do that at all. I fact that
he's going to make him earn it back, and he's
going to have to number one for him through strikes.
So you know, his arm action is kind of crazy.
He's got a lot of legs and arms going every
which way. Is the delivery that is very difficult to repeat,
and I think that's what they're trying to work on
with him. But he is certainly not going to be
(07:22):
handed this closer's job just because all of a sudden
he deems himself healthy. So I think that you're going
to see, you know, a combination of guys like Emilio,
Pagan and Jibo. And I tell you the other thing
is that I think they've really been very impressed in
leading on Graham. Ashcraft is a guy that they'll use
in the ninth inning. And I wouldn't surprise me one bit.
In fact, I pulled some people around me in spring training.
(07:44):
I said, by the end of the year, Ashcraft is
going to be your closure, and it may even be
sooner than that.
Speaker 1 (07:49):
Chris's final thought says, the Reds are five and eight
coming into this weekend series. A very small sample size here,
but also from spring training. That's the main difference with
how this club operates now here in the real ballgames,
as opposed to the just recent past with Terry Francona
(08:10):
captaining this ship if you will, I don't.
Speaker 2 (08:14):
Think you really see it on the field. I'll tell
you one thing that the Reds ran rampant last year.
They ran into a lot of outs. Another base running
had been great this year, but that's been pretty much
closed down a little bit because you know, they don't
want to run into outs on the base pass. That's
one thing on the field that I see the difference of,
and I think the willingness to use different pitchers in
(08:36):
different spots out of the bullpen is also something that
I see the difference with Francona. But it's early. I mean,
guys still are still trying to get their identity. The
team is still trying to come together and figure out
really who they are. Right now, what we know is
that they pitch well, and they have to really excel
and run prevention rather than right now run production because
(09:00):
not getting much. As far as around the clubhouse, it's
a loose, fun clubhouse. Terry Francona, it's wonderful interpersonal relationships
getting along with the young players. People look up to
him and they respect him quite a bit for what
he's done in the past. So I think that helps
the team overall. He can't really see it in the
(09:20):
record that they've had so far, but it's a better atmosphere,
there's no question about that.
Speaker 1 (09:25):
We'll see if the Reds can sort of get things
going with the Pirates in town this weekend and we
will have all the games here of course on eleven
fifty WIMA. Chris Welsh, the Reds broadcaster, has been our guest. Chris,
thanks for checking in with us
Speaker 2 (09:40):
All right, Todd, great talking to you.
Reds are back at it tonight, hosting the Pirates. Chris Welsh,
one of the Reds are broadcasters, joins us back from
the West Coast, and you know, Chris, I talked about
this yesterday. It's funny how the end of a road
trip like that can just change your whole feeling about
the trip. The Reds had two great wins in San Francisco,
(00:20):
and then they go up five to nothing on Wednesday.
It looks like they're going to sweep the Giants, have
a winning road trip, and then the bottom falls out,
and now you just don't feel that great about it,
do you.
Speaker 2 (00:31):
Well? It could have turned the road trip on a dime,
there's no question by you know, not doing so well
in Milwaukee and then coming in and sweeping the Giants,
especially having given the Giants their only losses of the year.
So they had their number, they had it right where
they want them, and they couldn't put the deal to sleep.
Speaker 1 (00:50):
Yeah, and unfortunately that happens. I guess the Reds had
a chance to really blow it open a couple of
times and didn't, although they had some good fortunate to
put up that five spot. But let's let's go to
a big picture here, Chris. You know, the Reds have
had a home stand and now a road trip, and
right now this team's battling what it seems to battle
(01:11):
every year. Guys they thought were going to be in
the lineup. I can't make the club because they're in
the tub, so to speak. We got injuries again here.
Speaker 2 (01:20):
Yeah, it sure makes a difference when you're missing the
players in the middle of your lineup. I'm not sure
any lineup can really survive that. But you know, Matt
McLain is the guy, and you're mainly talking about Tyler Stevenson.
Both of those guys, you know, one's a number three
hitter or maybe four hitter. The other is number two hitter.
So now you're you're you're changing the entire lineup, putting
(01:41):
guys in places that they're not used to that you
didn't expect them to be in because of the injuries.
And the injury seemed to lag on a little bit
longer than I think people thought. I don't I'm not
so sure about Tyler Stevenson whether they thought that he
would be out this long. He's still quite a ways
away because remember, he's going to have to really ramp
up and have another spring training to kind of get
(02:02):
ready for the season. And Matt McLean is still you know,
he just got put on the injury list. I don't
think he's going to be available in the next few
days when he gets right off the list. So and
the other thing with McLean is is that his injury
is a hamstring pull and he's had some history of
that in the past, and they don't want to make
(02:23):
that one of these things that is reoccurring. So that's
why they're trying to take a little bit more time.
In the meantime, somebody else has got to swing the bat.
Speaker 1 (02:32):
Yeah, those both those injuries are are problematic and we'll
see how they are able to come back from them.
But clearly the bright spot of the first two weeks
the starting pitching has been tremendous.
Speaker 2 (02:46):
They pitch well, they play average defense, but they don't hit.
And that may be the same song around baseball except
for a few teams that are putting up some runs
because you know, pitching is pretty good nowadays. And I
can tell you one thing, the ball was not traveling
in San Francisco at all. I mean, there were several
balls hit that would have been home runs. A great
(03:07):
American ballpark that's just stayed in the yard, didn't even
get to a warning track. So hopefully the hitting will
come around. I think it's a better team than what
they've shown so far, as long as their pitching continues
to be good. And I don't see why this shouldn't
be because the starting pitching has been outstanding. They've got
leaks in it right now, and I think for that reason,
they're going to stay in this thing.
Speaker 1 (03:29):
Chris Walach as well as the Reds broadcaster talking Cincinnati.
You know, it was interesting, though, Chris the comments of
manager Terry Francona Wednesday when he talked about not getting
Nick Martinez out of the game a little sooner. He
said he didn't think the bullpen could get to the
end of the game. Basically said didn't have enough bullpen
arms available. As what he was referring to, how can
(03:50):
the bullpen be so thin already when they've had such
great starting pitching.
Speaker 2 (03:55):
Well, maybe he's talking about the guys that he wanted
to use in the bullpen. You know, normally managers have
two groups of bullpen guys, guys of pitching games you're winning,
and guys in pitching games you're losing, and maybe he
thought that his top end guys there weren't enough of
them available. You know, you run Sanan out there, won
the game, or one inning, you run a Pagan out there,
(04:18):
and Barlow, you know, didn't pitch. But I think except
for a third of an inning. So it's one of
those situations where you know, he's trying to manage the
game with the guys that he's got the most confidence
in right now. I don't think that, you know, Brent
Suter and Sam Mall are the guys that he wanted
to go to. It was a heavily ladened, right handed
lineup the Giants had, and that's kind of his feel
(04:40):
on it. But you know, when you've got you know,
eight guys in a bullpen, they all should be able
to pitch when you call them. And if you're running
out of pitching in the beginning of April, that's not
a good time.
Speaker 1 (04:52):
Yeah, that's a bit concerning as well. But when you
look at this Red's offense and they're starting nine, I think,
again we're looking at the outfield is the real problem.
Jake Fraley has struggled, most notably here coming out of
the season Spencer Steer, I guess is probably actually injured.
Looks like he shouldn't have made the opening day club.
(05:12):
I mean, they can say what they want, but the
guy is hitting like fifty. The outfield right now is
really an issue, isn't it.
Speaker 2 (05:20):
Well, yeah, I think Spencer Steers come on big time.
He's much better in the last few days than he
was early on. I agree with you about you know,
early in the season with Steer, he just looked lost
because he didn't get the chance to do much in
spring training. I think the other thing though, you know,
you got to realize that Ellie Dana Cruz is is
a guy that is trying to carry the way to
the ball club, and you know, sometimes that's unfair for
(05:42):
a kid that's twenty two years old, as talented as
he is. I think he's tired. To me, he looked
like he didn't have the same pep and his step.
But you're so reluctant to pull him out of a
game and give him a rest, especially when you've got
an off day like today come up that you feel
(06:03):
like you really have a void in your life without
him there. So you know, this is a team that
needs to get their regular guys back. I mean McClain
needs to come back to Stevenson is really the main
guy in that ball club. I can tell you he's
a leader from behind the plate. He's a very good hitter.
He's a guy that leans other players lean on when
they have some tough times. And when you lose a
(06:23):
player like that, it really puts it dent in you well.
Speaker 1 (06:26):
And to be fair to Spencer Steer, he had gone
two or three games were over the hit but oero
for four in the last game he said he won
forty three. And we get that number right, But I
don't want a short change. It's still bad. But you know,
the other injury, of course, coming into the season Alexis Diaz,
the presumed closer, and I remember when we talked right
(06:48):
at the end of spring training, you talked about how
he hadn't looked good in spring training. We know he
was shaky last year. Is this guy automatically going to
get the closer job back when he's healthy.
Speaker 2 (07:01):
No, I don't think so. I don't think Terry Frankcote
is going to do that at all. I fact that
he's going to make him earn it back, and he's
going to have to number one for him through strikes.
So you know, his arm action is kind of crazy.
He's got a lot of legs and arms going every
which way. Is the delivery that is very difficult to repeat,
and I think that's what they're trying to work on
with him. But he is certainly not going to be
(07:22):
handed this closer's job just because all of a sudden
he deems himself healthy. So I think that you're going
to see, you know, a combination of guys like Emilio,
Pagan and Jibo. And I tell you the other thing
is that I think they've really been very impressed in
leading on Graham. Ashcraft is a guy that they'll use
in the ninth inning. And I wouldn't surprise me one bit.
In fact, I pulled some people around me in spring training.
(07:44):
I said, by the end of the year, Ashcraft is
going to be your closure, and it may even be
sooner than that.
Speaker 1 (07:49):
Chris's final thought says, the Reds are five and eight
coming into this weekend series. A very small sample size here,
but also from spring training. That's the main difference with
how this club operates now here in the real ballgames,
as opposed to the just recent past with Terry Francona
(08:10):
captaining this ship if you will, I don't.
Speaker 2 (08:14):
Think you really see it on the field. I'll tell
you one thing that the Reds ran rampant last year.
They ran into a lot of outs. Another base running
had been great this year, but that's been pretty much
closed down a little bit because you know, they don't
want to run into outs on the base pass. That's
one thing on the field that I see the difference of,
and I think the willingness to use different pitchers in
(08:36):
different spots out of the bullpen is also something that
I see the difference with Francona. But it's early. I mean,
guys still are still trying to get their identity. The
team is still trying to come together and figure out
really who they are. Right now, what we know is
that they pitch well, and they have to really excel
and run prevention rather than right now run production because
(09:00):
not getting much. As far as around the clubhouse, it's
a loose, fun clubhouse. Terry Francona, it's wonderful interpersonal relationships
getting along with the young players. People look up to
him and they respect him quite a bit for what
he's done in the past. So I think that helps
the team overall. He can't really see it in the
(09:20):
record that they've had so far, but it's a better atmosphere,
there's no question about that.
Speaker 1 (09:25):
We'll see if the Reds can sort of get things
going with the Pirates in town this weekend and we
will have all the games here of course on eleven
fifty WIMA. Chris Welsh, the Reds broadcaster, has been our guest. Chris,
thanks for checking in with us
Speaker 2 (09:40):
All right, Todd, great talking to you.
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