PITTSBURGH – The Cincinnati Reds were the best team in the National League Central through April.
And the worst team in the majors since as they braced for Cy Young winner Paul Skenes in the opener of their weekend series against the Pirates in Pittsburgh Friday, June 26.
Closer Emilio Pagán, starter Rhett Lowder, setup man Graham Ashcraft, shortstop Elly De La Cruz, third baseman Ke’Bryan Hayes, reliever Pierce Johnson, and backup catcher Jose Trevino all went on the IL during that stretch, with DH Eugenio Suárez starter and pitcher Brandon Williamson having landed on the IL during the final few days of April.
Four of them remain on the IL, and then de facto backup closer Tony Santillan joined them a few hours before Skenes’ first pitch – Santillan suffering what manager Terry Francona called a “pretty significant” oblique strain that looks like it might cost him most of what’s left of the season.
“We’re going to lose him for a while,” said Francona, who added that the timeline is so uncertain that the medical didn’t know when Santillan will be ready for his first followup MRI to determine early progress.
Talk about a snake-bit team.
“I don’t think I ever feel like that,” Francona said, adding that his personal thoughts were spent more on what Santillan is going through.
“After the game the other night (following Wednesday’s MRI results), as difficult as the game was, Tony’s in my office and he’s more worried about us than him. Man, it about brought me to my knees. This guy is what you’re looking for.
“It hurt. It hurt personally.”
The Reds called up rookie right-hander Zach McCambley from Triple-A Louisville to backfill another loss in the turnstile bullpen.
“We’re going to have to figure it out as a team, and that’s not going to be easy,” Francona said.
They figure to get one big one back for the bullpen during the upcoming series in Milwaukee with Pagán nearing a return from a two-month hamstring injury.
Pagán needed just six pitches for his prescribed inning of work in his first minor-league rehab game June 26 with Louisville, and was to pitch another inning for Louisville two days later before rejoining the club, barring a setback.
Santillan, who had struggled much of the first half, had pitched much better the past week or two, making the loss cut even deeper competitively for a team trying to stay out of the trade-deadline crosshairs and rediscover a glimmer of their original playoff hopes.
Francona said Santillan wasn’t even sure when he hurt the oblique, although it seems clear it happened when he pitched the 10th inning of the series opener against the Brewers at home on Monday.
He felt stiff the next day and tried to throw Wednesday before the MRI was ordered.
“Somebody asked me just the other day, do you see light at the end of the tunnel,” Francona said. “Well, you gotta be (more present). Because you don’t know what’s coming.
“So you just take today and deal with today, and then move on to tomorrow.”
This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: As closer nears return, Reds snake-bit bullpen loses another big arm
Reporting by Gordon Wittenmyer, Cincinnati Enquirer / Cincinnati Enquirer
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
By Gordon Wittenmyer, Cincinnati Enquirer | USA TODAY Network
