Tag: Cincinnati Reds

Tennessee baseball commit signs with Reds

Tennessee baseball commit signs with the Cincinnati Reds in Major League Baseball.

Pitcher Drew Pestka signed a minor league baseball contract with the Cincinnati Reds. He was assigned to ACL Reds, a rookie-level affiliate competing in the Arizona Complex League.

Pestka committed to Tennessee on Oct. 15, 2023.

Pestka played for the John A. Logan College Vols from 2022-24. John A. Logan College competes in the National Junior College Athletic Association.

“Extremely excited to announce my commitment to the University of Tennessee,” Pestka announced in Oct. 2023. “I really can’t thank my family, friends and coaches enough. I could not have gotten here without the amazing coaching staff and people at John A. Logan.”

PHOTOS: Tony Vitello through the years

Photo by Dan Harralson, Vols Wire

A pelican crashed the fifth inning of Reds-Giants, and the broadcast commentary was gold

Hey, if you were a pelican, wouldn’t you do the same?

You never know who might fly in for an MLB game, and a brown pelican flew right into the baseball diamond at San Francisco’s Oracle Park on Saturday for the fifth inning of the Giants’ game against the Cincinnati Reds.

The big, brown bird just took a seat in the middle of the game to see what was going on, completely unaware that there was a baseball game being played.

The two teams didn’t stop playing just because there was a big pelican just chilling on the field, making all of this even funnier.

The game’s commentators, Eric Karros and Jason Benetti, had some really great commentary as they watched the pelican that was, again, blissfully unaware it was crashing a professional sporting event.

Eventually, the bird decided to do something else and flew away, but not without the memories and the jokes from the broadcast, of course.

Bye bye, birdie, indeed.

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Bengals safety Geno Stone throws out first pitch at Reds game

Geno Stone does the thing at the Reds game.

The Cincinnati Bengals signed free agent safety Geno Stone back in March, and he has officially ingratiated himself with the fans in the city.

Stone went to Great American Ballpark for a Reds game against the Arizona Diamondbacks to throw out the first pitch, and didn’t look too bad doing it, sending his toss just a bit outside.

Stone has already gotten on the good side of Bengals fans since he signed with the team after spending his first four seasons with the AFC North rival Baltimore Ravens, playing in 51 games, recording 118 tackles, eight interceptions, 11 passes broken up, a forced fumble and a fumble recovery.

Now he will bring that talent to Cincinnati for at least the next two years.

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Bryce Harper poked fun at himself for throwing the ball around the horn with a runner on base

Even the greats like Bryce Harper make a mistake every now and again.

Philadelphia Phillies star outfielder Bryce Harper had to poke a little fun at himself on Tuesday night after throwing the ball around the horn with a runner on base.

While he was making a play in the outfield as his Phillies played the Cincinnati Reds, Harper threw the ball to first base to get the Cincinnati runner out instead of throwing it to third, where a baserunner was headed there from second.

In this situation, the outfielder wants to throw the ball to get the player out who is closest to making it home and let the batter who just got the hit make it to first since he’s further away from scoring.

Well, Harper threw it in the wrong direction, netting the out but letting the Reds player get closer to a possible run. The Phillies got an out on the next at-bat, so it was all water under the bridge.

However, Harper made fun of himself a little when asked about the play by the game’s broadcasters.

Harper is one of the game’s best players, but he’s also human and clearly has an amicable sense of humor about moments like this.

While this would’ve been incredibly costly in, say, a playoff elimination game, it’s just a funny whoops this early in the season. Good for Harper for being able to make light of a moment that you don’t see every day.

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Best bets: 2024 Cincinnati Reds World Series odds, win total and more

Analyzing the 2024 Cincinnati Reds World Series odds, futures and projected win total with expert MLB picks and predictions.

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The Cincinnati Reds exceeded expectations last season but still fell short of a postseason appearance. They finished 82-80, ending with a better road record (44-37) than at Great American Ball Park (38-43). They placed 3rd in the NL Central, 10 games behind the division champion Milwaukee Brewers.

The Reds have rising superstar SS Elly De La Cruz entering his 2nd season, so hopes will be high for this Cincinnati team. The Reds did part ways with long-time 1B Joey Votto (who signed a minor-league deal with Toronto) and top prospect 3B Noelvi Marte was hit with an 80-game suspension and will be ineligible for the postseason suspension for a performance enhancing drug violation.

Let’s analyze the Cincinnati Reds’ World Series odds, along with their projected win total, playoff, division and NL odds as we make our expert MLB picks and predictions.

Cincinnati Reds World Series odds

Provided by FanDuel Sportsbook; access USA TODAY Sports Scores and Sports Betting Odds hub for a full list. Lines last updated Tuesday, March 19 at 6:47 a.m. ET.

Odds: +5000 (bet $100 to win $5,000)

Cincinnati is tied for the 16th shortest odds to win it all. The Los Angeles Dodgers (+320) are the favorites, followed by the Atlanta Braves (+450), Houston Astros (+700) and New York Yankees (+900).

At +5000, Cincinnati has an implied probability of winning the World Series of 2% or 50/1 fractional odds. The improvements that could be due from a strong young core, especially in the Reds rotation, could present good value here.

The Oakland A’s and Colorado Rockies are tied for the longest odds at +50000. BACKING THE REDS (+5000) to win the World Series for a 50-to-1 payoff is worth a small wager.

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Cincinnati Reds playoff odds

Will they make the playoffs: Yes +134 | No -172

The Reds may have hit some turbulence prior to the season with the Marte suspension, but they still have a solid roster behind De La Cruz and IF/OF Jonathan India, the 2021 NL Rookie of the Year. India is being moved out of his normal position by 2B Matt McLain, who was the 17th overall pick in the 2021 MLB Draft. There’s hope in Cincinnati that McLain can be even better after notching 106 hits in 365 ABs for a team-best .290 batting average in 2023.

If the pitching staff, who MLB.com’s David Adler called a dark-horse rotation, steps up, this team can make a run to the postseason.

BET REDS TO MAKE THE PLAYOFFS (+134).

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Cincinnati Reds win total

Over/Under: 82.5 (O: -110 | U: -110)

Over the last several seasons, the Reds’ pain point has been the rotation, but pitchers like LHP Andrew Abbott and RHP Hunter Greene could be ready to explode. Plus, Cincinnati added veterans RHP Nick Martinez and RHP Frankie Montas to bring in some consistency — Montas has been tabbed as the Opening Day starter.

The Reds are an improved team in a winnable division, but they have had solid teams before and have won more than 82 games in just 1 season since 2014 — and they only won 83 games that season (2021). For these odds, taking them to win the division provides better value.

Ultimalty, PASS here.

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To win NL Central Division

  • St. Louis Cardinals +160 (bet $100 to win $160)
  • Chicago Cubs +210 (bet $100 to win $210)
  • Cincinnati Reds +350 (bet $100 to win $350)
  • Milwaukee Brewers +700 (bet $100 to win $700)
  • Pittsburgh Pirates +1200 (bet $100 to win $1,200)

Cincinnati’s implied probability of winning the NL Central is 22.22% or 7/2 fractional odds. The Cardinals and Cubs are the only threats here. If the Reds can bring together the pitching, and players like Abbott and McLain can avoid sophomore slumps, there’s no reason to believe they couldn’t make a run down the stretch.

The Reds finished 10 games behind the Brewers last season but had a shot before Milwaukee finished 26-13. The Brewers have regressed, and this division could be wide open. Cincinnati is worth a play here.

BACK REDS (+350) TO WIN THE NL CENTRAL.

To win National League

Odds: +2300 (bet $100 to win $2,300)

The Reds are a solid team, and as we’ve prefaced, they have several stars that could get going and help them contend for both the division and the NL pennant.

Regardless, the NL will be difficult to win, especially with teams like Philadelphia (+800), Atlanta (+250) and Los Angeles (+165) in the mix, the latter 2 of which are the top favorites to win the World Series.

While the Reds’ odds are enticing, ultimately, this one isn’t worth a play. PASS.

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Every Major League Baseball team’s best promotional giveaway in 2024

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Fans had jokes after Elly De La Cruz fouled off a Hunter Greene pitch right into Hunter Greene’s Maybach

Parking a $200K car near a baseball field is a BOLD choice.

Whenever someone decides to park at a baseball field, they’re making a calculated risk. Do they want to settle for the most convenient spot and risk being in range of a baseball or do they want to park far away in relative safety?

We know what Hunter Greene chose on Tuesday, and let me tell ya — he absolutely regretted that decision.

As the Reds pitcher was throwing some live BP to Elly De La Cruz, Greene’s pitch was fouled back and out of play at one of the back fields in Goodyear, Ariz. It seemed harmless enough, but that foul ball could not have landed at a more unfortunate spot for Greene.

It smashed the window of his Mercedes-Maybach GLS SUV. Depending on how that car is spec’d, it can go for well over $200,000.

Greene — who is on a six-year, $53 million deal — apparently told Elly that he was paying for it. The Reds infielder pointed out that Greene makes more than him (plus, insurance will probably cover that one). And let’s be honest, if you’re parking a Maybach within striking distance of a baseball field, it’s a disaster waiting to happen.

Fans, though, had plenty of jokes for the smashed window. Of all the cars for Elly to hit, it had to be Greene’s. Unreal.

Fans paid tribute to Joey Votto as his 17-year run with the Cincinnati Reds officially ended

After 17 years, Joey Votto is no longer with the Cincinnati Reds.

Perhaps the greatest baseball player to ever wear a Cincinnati Reds uniform might be headed elsewhere next season.

Barring him being re-signed by the team, the Reds announced on Saturday that they will decline the club option on first baseman Joey Votto to send him into free agency.

Votto has played all of his 17 years in the MLB with Cincinnati since entering the league in 2007, and he has been selected to six MLB All-Star games while playing for the Reds.

He also earned the National League’s MVP honor and Hank Aaron Award in 2010 and a Golden Glove award in 2011.

Now, the 40-year-old veteran will be available to sign with a new team should he choose to continue his career.

Baseball fans, particularly those with a rooting interest for the Reds, were devastated to see Votto’s time in Cincinnati end like this.

There were also plenty of good vibes sent Votto’s way, from those confirming his clear Hall of Fame credentials to those who wish for him to get a chance at a World Series before retirement with a new team.

Nick Senzel, Reds defeat Cardinals, 19-2

Former Vol Nick Senzel and Cincinnati defeat the Cardinals, 19-2.

Cincinnati defeated St. Louis, 19-2, Friday at Busch Stadium in St. Louis, Missouri.

Former Vol Nick Senzel entered the game as a pinch hitter and remained in the contest in right field. He was 1-for-2 and scored one run. The contest was Senzel’s first appearance for the Reds since Sept. 24.

Senzel was the No. 2 overall selection in the 2016 Major League Baseball draft. He played at Tennessee from 2014-16 and was an All-America standout and an All-Southeastern Conference performer.

Senzel came to the Vols from Farragut High School in Farragut, Tennessee.

Cincinnati will next play Saturday at St. Louis. First pitch is slated for 7:15 p.m. EDT at Busch Stadium.

Nick Senzel records two hits against Detroit

Former Vol Nick Senzel records two hits against Detroit.

Cincinnati defeated Detroit, 6-5, Tuesday at Comerica Park in Detroit Michigan.

Former Vol Nick Senzel started at second base for the Reds. Senzel was 2-for-3 and recorded one double, his tenth of the season.

Senzel was the No. 2 overall selection in the 2016 Major League Baseball draft. He played at Tennessee from 2014-16 and was an All-America standout and an All-Southeastern Conference performer.

Senzel came to the Vols from Farragut High School in Farragut, Tennessee.

Former Vol Andre Lipcius did not play for the Tigers.

Cincinnati will next play Wednesday, concluding a three-game series against the Tigers. First pitch is slated for 6:40 p.m. EDT.