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    Eduardo Salazer (Photo: Doug Gray)
    Photo: Doug Gray

    Reds MiLB Notebook: Eduardo Salazar strikes out 10

    Doug Gray 8

    Eduardo Salazar took the mound last night in Dayton, making his 8th start of the season. He pitched well once again, allowing two earned runs in 5.0 innings. Through his 41.2 innings pitched this season he’s now posted a 3.24 ERA and held opponents to a .233/.291/.390 line.

    The 23-year-old Salazar is starting full time for the first time since he was pitching for the now defunct Dominican Summer League Rojos as a teenager. The transition from spot starter and reliever to starting pitcher has gone well. Last night he racked up 10 strikeouts, easily setting a new career high. He had previously struck out seven batters in five different games throughout his career, but never more. He needed just 88 pitches, throwing 57 strikes along the way, to send 10 Fort Wayne TinCaps hitters back to the dugout with the bat in their hand.

    Reniel Ozuna has a flare for the dramatic

    A week ago Reniel Ozuna hit a game tying 9th inning 2-run home run as the Dayton Dragons came back from a 5-0 deficit to win. Last night the outfielder came through again in yet another come from behind win.

    Entering the 9th inning Dayton was down 4-1. The team went to work as five of the first six batters reached base to cut the Fort Wayne lead to 4-3 and set up a bases loaded situation for Reniel Ozuna who jumped ahead 3-1 before hitting a laser off of the wall in right-center for a walk-off win.

    Alejo Lopez just keeps hitting

    Last night was a continuation for the great start to the 2021 season for Alejo Lopez. The second baseman began the season in Double-A Chattanooga and hit .362/.437/.448 in 25 games before he was promoted to Triple-A. Since joining the Bats, he’s been even better. On Tuesday against Omaha he went 3-4 with a double. That raised his line with Louisville to .409/.518/.705 with seven doubles, two home runs, 10 walks, and just five strikeouts in 13 games played. He’s now hitting .376/.463/.523 on the season with 22 walks and 16 strikeouts in 38 total games between his two stops.

    Hunter Greene to start for Louisville on Thursday

    Over the weekend we learned that Cincinnati Reds top prospect Hunter Greene was being promoted to Triple-A Louisville. The 21-year-old was dominant in his time with the Double-A Chattanooga Lookouts where he went 5-0, struck out 60 batters with just 14 walks and two home runs allowed in 41.0 innings to go along with a 1.98 ERA. On Tuesday evening the move was made official and the Louisville Bats announced that Greene was scheduled to start on Thursday in Omaha.

    Doug Gray
    Doug Gray is the owner and operator of this website and has been running it since 2006 in one variation or another.

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    8 Responses

    2. Alejo is going to get a shot sooner or later. His BABIP this year is an unsustainable .409, but it was .364 in 2018 and .337 in 2019. Having never seen him, but reading between the lines, he seems to hit the ball pretty hard to all fields but with little power. The strikeout rate was less than 15% in 2019 and less than 10% this year, and his walk rate this year is 12.5%.

      The Reds have 2B/3B types coming out of their ears. Not even considering Suarez as the third baseman, there are India, Senzel, Moustakas, Alejo, Schrock and Blandino, all of whom play both 2B and 3B. Plus Farmer.

      India is going to play, and Senzel will play mostly CF. Moose can also play 1B and can DH. It is hard to see the Reds’ keeping Blandino and Farmer after this year. Alejo would certainly have a chance to stick next year as the last infielder.

      2. Alejo’s breakout reminds me of VanMeter in 2019. Is that an apt comparison? VanMeter hadn’t really given any reason to believe he could hit like that in his past. He made some mechanical changes and was suddenly hitting for much more power. Has Lopez done something different this year, or is he just riding a hot streak?

        1. 2019 was the year of the juiced ball. VanMeter and O’Grady broke out, then faded

          1. Take a quick look at what JVM and BOG are/were hitting in Triple-A right now….

        2. Lopez is certainly hitting better than ever, but it’s not necessarily out of nowhere. He’s hit for average and gotten on base at every level he’s been at. It was a question of whether he could keep that up as he rose through the system and find enough power. So far the answer has been yes!

    3. I watched Chattanooga play the Montgomery Bisquits a couple of times back in early may. It was a short sample size but Lopez was the most impressive position player (more so than Barreo . It was a small sample size). I really like India at 2B but this guy is a much better contact hitter. He has good speed as does India. I could see India shifting back to 3B at some point with Moose or Suarez going to 1B and Votto to DH(next season). The Reds have a surplus of quality OFs , IFs and starting pitching, so some trades could come. Another option would be to make relievers out of some of the starters(cheaper than the market). I would let Senzel become a utility player provided he can stay healthy which is a big if. He is also trade material. Some players are just injury prone and he is certainly one of those. I am able to see the Reds play everyday this season for the first time which gives me some in dept insight into the players abilities.

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