Cincinnati Reds Press Clippings June 27, 2018

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1 Cincinnati Reds Press Clippings June 27, 2018 THIS DAY IN REDS HISTORY 1998-The Reds wear replicas of the 1942 uniforms worn by the Negro League Cincinnati Buckeyes Harvey boosts stock as Reds hold off Braves By Mark Sheldon 1:22 AM EDT MLB.COM ATLANTA -- Any success that Matt Harvey has on the mound for the Reds has immediate benefits on the field and the potential for even more for business reasons. Harvey went a season-high 6 2/3 innings in Tuesday's 5-3 victory over the Braves at SunTrust Park. The Reds have won eight of their last nine games and 11 of 14. Since the Reds acquired Harvey from the Mets on May 8 for Devin Mesoraco, they have gone "We're on the right path," said Harvey, who gave up one run and six hits with one walk and two strikeouts on 84 pitches. "It's nice to help this team win, especially the run we've been on the last few weeks. I don't want to be the weak link in the rotation." Good starts like Tuesday's can only boost Harvey's value should the Reds try to move him ahead of next month's non-waiver Trade Deadline. "I don't think about that stuff. It's out of my control," Harvey said. Over his nine starts for Cincinnati, Harvey is 3-3 with a 4.31 ERA. On the heels of his six-inning performance against the Cubs last Thursday, he has back-to-back wins for the first time since May 23 and 28, 2017, for the Mets. The former ace had a 7.00 ERA over eight games (four starts) for New York, with a demotion to the bullpen ahead of his departure. Harvey has enjoyed himself since joining the Reds. Not only has some of the turmoil surrounding him in New York dissipated, he's no longer dealing with the myriad injuries that sparked his decline the past few seasons. "I love it. The guys are awesome," Harvey said. "I feel like we've been winning. It's fun winning, and all that other stuff is out of my control. I just do my job and pitch and continue to be healthy." Harvey kept the Braves scoreless through the first three innings. In the third with no outs and a runner on first base, catcher Tucker Barnhart slickly fielded an Anibal Sanchez sacrifice bunt attempt in front of the plate and turned a double play. In the fourth with the Reds leading, 1-0, Harvey gave up Tyler Flowers' one-out RBI double off the wall in center field. But with runners on second and third, he escaped without any more damage. In the sixth with a runner on first, Nick Markakis lined into a double play to second base on a hit-and-run play to end the inning. As a National League East rival of the Mets, the Braves were very familiar with Harvey, and very successful historically. He entered the night 3-7 with a 5.27 ERA in 13 games against Atlanta, including 11 earned runs and 11 hits over eight innings this season. "His velocity was up a little bit more," Flowers said of Harvey. "His slider seemed to be pretty good. You have to respect the [mph] he was able to get to on fastball counts. His command seemed a lot better." Harvey had thrown only 69 pitches when he returned for the seventh. "I was cruising," Harvey said. "I looked up and didn't have that many pitches. It was nice to do. I was kind of used to struggling through with 100 pitches in six innings and getting pulled. It was nice to get some earlier outs and get another win for us."

2 Cincinnati Ws in 11 of the last 14!#RedsCountry 11:07 PM - Jun 26, 2018 Trouble came in the seventh when Harvey gave up a pair of one-out singles to Charlie Culberson and Johan Camargo. After Dansby Swanson's lineout moved Culberson to third, interim manager Jim Riggleman summoned Amir Garrett from the bullpen. Pinchhitter Danny Santana represented the go-ahead run but struck out. "It was a hot, humid night here, and he did a great job," Riggleman said of Harvey's start. "Like I've said, if you can get six innings - - anything more than that you can really set up your bullpen any way that you want." Despite the results, Harvey didn't feel like he had his best stuff on display. "I'm used to that through the years," Harvey said. "The struggles of not feeling good, not being totally healthy showed in the numbers. I think the health is coming back, is definitely a good sign. To not feel great and get to seven innings is a sign that things are going in the right direction." MOMENTS THAT MATTERED Insurance run, No. 1: Jesse Winker, who missed a bases-loaded chance in Monday's extra-innings loss to Atlanta, returned with a 3- for-4 game and two RBIs. In the eighth inning, it was his RBI single to center field that made it a 4-1 game, and it proved to be an important run as the Braves chipped away. "He's just such a good hitter," Riggleman said. Insurance run, No. 2: Ahead 4-3 and facing Shane Carle in the ninth, Scooter Gennett fell into a 0-2 count before fouling off the next four pitches. On the fifth pitch, Gennett connected for an RBI single to right field that scored Barnhart. "Whenever you can tack on some extra runs late, it's important," Gennett said. "It takes a little pressure off everything. That guy had a pretty good curveball, a little harder than I thought. It ended up falling in. It was nice." GARRETT LEAVES GAME Upon returning for the eighth inning, Garrett was struck on the left knee by leadoff batter Ender Inciarte's comebacker to the mound. After being down for several moments, Garrett left the game. X-rays were negative, and he was diagnosed with a lower left leg contusion. His status is day to day. Michael Lorenzen took over for Garrett and gave up Ozzie Albies' double, which led to a pair of RBI groundouts to make it a onerun game. More > YOU GOTTA SEE THIS In the fifth inning with two outs, Inciarte hit a long drive to right-center field. Scott Schebler -- in place of Billy Hamilton -- made a lengthy run to catch the ball on the warning track to take away a potential hit. According to Statcast, it was a four-star grab with a 45-percent catch probability. Schebler had to go 82 feet in 4.6 seconds. HE SAID IT "I think it's just normal Matt Harvey. Every time we come in and face him, he's sitting around 95 [mph] and he'll bump it up to 96, 97, 98. I think his stuff's there. The more he goes out there, the more I think comfortable he gets. He's able to command his pitches better and better. Even per start, you can see that confidence going up. I'm just really happy he's got an opportunity over here to get back to his normal self, and it looks like he's doing that." -- Gennett UP NEXT For the series finale at 12:10 p.m. ET on Wednesday, Luis Castillo will make the start for the Reds against the Braves and lefty Sean Newcomb. It hasn't been a great June for Castillo, who has a 6.33 ERA in four starts this month. But in a 6-3 victory over the Cubs on Friday, he gave up three earned runs and four hits over 5 2/3 innings with one walk and five strikeouts.

3 X-rays negative after Garrett hit by comebacker By Mark Sheldon 12:08 AM EDT ATLANTA -- Reds reliever Amir Garrett exited in the eighth inning of Tuesday night's 5-3 win over the Braves at SunTrust Park after being hit on the left leg by a hard ground ball off the bat of Ender Inciarte. X-rays were negative, and he was diagnosed with a lower leg contusion. Garrett, who replaced starter Matt Harvey with two outs in the seventh and stranded two runners, returned for the eighth. Inciarte led off with a sharp comebacker. Garrett couldn't avoid the ball, which struck him near the knee and sent him down on the ground flat on his stomach. "At the time when it hit me, it hurt me pretty bad, I'm not going to lie," Garrett said. "I tried to get the ball and my leg gave out." After a few moments, Garrett got up and was looked over by head trainer Steve Baumann and interim manager Jim Riggleman. He was able to leave the field but showed a clear limp as he walked to the dugout. "I'll be alright, probably a day or two," Garrett said. "I don't know, that's what I'm guessing. It's a bruise. We'll go from there." A starting pitcher last season, Garrett has emerged as a key reliever for the Reds this season. With Wandy Peralta struggling much of the year and being sent down to Triple-A Louisville last weekend, Garrett is now the primary lefty setup man. In a staff-leading 37 appearances, he has a 2.59 ERA and has stranded 25 of 28 inherited runners. Garrett liked helping out Harvey with a key third out to pick up his 15th hold and keep the Reds ahead. "I like to come in in those situations," Garrett said. "He pitches a great game and I didn't want to let those runs score. I was going to do everything in my power to get out of that inning clean. I did my job, and the best thing is we got the win." Struggling Finnegan moving to 'pen in Minors By Mark Sheldon Jun. 26th, 2018 ATLANTA -- When the Reds optioned Brandon Finnegan to Triple-A Louisville on May 9, they hoped the left-hander would figure things out and return to the big league rotation. Finnegan, who voiced his displeasure about that demotion a few weeks later, hasn't found it in Louisville either. The organization is now recalibrating the goal. President of baseball operations Dick Williams revealed Tuesday that Finnegan will be moved into Louisville's bullpen for upcoming games. "This is no punishment, whatsoever. We're just not seeing the performance that we've seen before," Williams said. "At the end of '16, he was an effective starting pitcher. Then because of the time off for injury or whatever, he just hasn't gotten back there. He hasn't recaptured it. We've just got to get him in a role where he can experience some success again." In seven starts since moving to Louisville, Finnegan is 2-5 with a 7.50 ERA. Over his 36 innings, opponents have seven home runs with a.911 OPS. In his last start against Norfolk on Friday, he surrendered 10 earned runs, nine hits and four walks over 3 1/3 innings. Finnegan, 25, went 0-3 with a 7.40 ERA in his five starts for the Reds after he began the season on the disabled list with a left biceps strain. In 20 2/3 innings, he gave up 20 runs (17 earned) with 27 hits, 15 walks, 14 strikeouts and five homers. In 2016, Finnegan pitched 172 innings over 31 starts, but he was limited to four starts in '17 because of injuries to both shoulders. "We think, based on what we've seen, to get through a lineup he was having to use a lot of changeups," Williams said. "The fastball wasn't playing up quite the way it used to. He had to get real changeup heavy. The control wasn't there. He wasn't turning over the lineups the way he needed to go deep into games as a starter. "We still think this is a young kid with a lot of talent. But right now, we think his personality may be better suited, [and] his stuff, to get worked out in the 'pen. I also think we value him getting into games more frequently and having that more consistent action as opposed to four days down and one day on. He wasn't getting real comfortable in that role this year."

4 The Reds acquired Finnegan and fellow lefties Cody Reed and John Lamb from the Royals in the 2015 trade for ace Johnny Cueto. Lamb is now with the Angels and Reed is with Finnegan at Louisville after multiple callups. A first-round pick of the Royals in the 2014 MLB Draft, Finnegan debuted later that season for Kansas City and was successful out of the bullpen, with a 1.29 ERA in seven appearances. He became the first player to appear in the College World Series and the World Series in the same season. Williams said that Finnegan was on board with the decision to try bullpen work again. "It came from us, but he was very receptive to it," Williams said. "He's done it before and had success. He's anxious to help the team and experience success again." Hughes deserving of All-Star nod? Middle relievers and setup men are becoming more valuable to clubs, but recognition for All-Star Games has been infrequent. Could Reds right-hander Jared Hughes break through after what has been a very strong first half? "He should. It's tough when guys aren't the closer [and] don't get the attention or recognition that they deserve," catcher Tucker Barnhart said. "Jared has been phenomenal all season. [His ERA] is pretty remarkable for a guy who essentially throws just one pitch. It just shows how good that one pitch is." Hughes, 32, is 2-2 with a 1.30 ERA that ranks fifth among qualified National League relievers. He also has a WHIP in 35 appearances this season, his first with the Reds after he signed a two-year, $4.5 million contract in December. A sinkerball pitcher, 64.3 percent of the contact against Hughes comes via the ground ball. He has allowed one home run, and from May 4-June 13, he had a career-high streak of 19 1/3 scoreless innings. Hughes is also five for six in save chances. Last year, submarine-style relief pitcher Pat Neshek broke through for the Phillies to be an All-Star. Setup men like Dellin Betances of the Yankees and Andrew Miller of the Indians have made multiple All-Star Games. "Of course that's a dream of mine," Hughes said. "It always has been since I was a kid. At the same time, I understand how it works. I think the closers usually have the inside track, and I really think they should, because a lot of those guys are the most elite pitchers in the game. I'm happy to even have anybody bring up my name." Hughes' value to Cincinnati has come in high-leverage situations. He has a 0.71 ERA when appearing in one-run games and a 0.00 ERA in six games when he has pitched in extra innings. "He's a competitor willing to pitch in the first inning or the ninth inning," Barnhart said. "It doesn't matter what the situation is. He's unselfish. He's a lot of fun to catch. When I need a guy to throw a ground ball, he's a guy I'd throw out there for sure. He just comes right after guys." CINCINNATI ENQUIRER Matt Harvey pitches Cincinnati Reds to a 5-3 win over Atlanta Braves John Fay, Cincinnati Enquirer Published 11:01 p.m. ET June 26, 2018 Updated 5:39 a.m. ET June 27, 2018 ATLANTA Matt Harvey s audition for contending teams is going really well lately. Harvey, the 29-year-old right-hander, went 6 2/3 innings and allowed one run on six hits in the Reds 5-3 victory over the Atlanta Braves on Tuesday night before a crowd of 28,356 at SunTrust Park. He walked one and struck out two. One down note for the Reds: Left-hander Amir Garrett took a line drive on the left leg and had to leave the game in the eighth inning. X-rays were negative. He has a lower-leg contusion. Harvey has won back-to-back starts for the first time since last May. "It was one of those starts where physically I didn't feel great," he said. "I was able to execute and make pitches and get guys out early. When they hit a couple of balls hard, it was right at somebody." Harvey only threw 84 pitches. "I was cruising," Harvey said. "I looked up and didn't have that many pitches. It was nice to do. I was kind of use to struggling through with 100 pitches in six innings and getting pulled. It was nice to get some earlier outs and get another win for us."

5 Harvey seems to have found himself again after a rough stretch. He went six innings and allowed two on five hits in his previous outing. The Reds will likely be willing to trade Harvey if they get any decent offers for him. Harvey is a free agent after the season. Harvey is 3-3 with a 4.31 ERA in nine starts for the Reds since the May 8 trade that brought him over from the New York Mets. "It's normal Matt Harvey to me," Scooter Gennett said. "He's at 95, and he can bump it up it up to 96, 97, 98. His stuff is there. I think the more he goes out there the more comfortable he gets." Again, Harvey didn't have his best stuff Tuesday. "A start like today where you're facing a good lineup, and you don't have your best stuff, and you grind through it, it's a step in the right direction," he said. "You're not always going to have your best stuff. I'm used to that through the years. The struggles of not feeling good, not being totally healthy showed in the numbers. I think the health is coming back is definitely a good sign. To not feel great and get to seven innings is a sign that things are going in the right direction." The Reds had a seven-game winning streak snapped Monday. They were anxious to start a new one. We ve played really good baseball," Reds manager Jim Riggleman said. "I m so proud of our guys the way they are battling and the way they want it. The seven-game winning streak, they wanted that game last night so bad. It got away from us and they came back and got it tonight. They give you good effort every night. The Reds took a 1-0 lead in the fourth. Gennett singled with one out and stole second. He moved to third on Eugenio Suarez s fly out to right. Jesse Winker got Gennett home with an infield single. Harvey was cruising to that point. But he hit Ozzie Albies with a pitch to start the bottom of fourth. Freddie Freeman followed with single, sending Albies to third. Nick Markakis hit a bullet back at Harvey. It went off his glove, but he recovered in time to get Albies, who had strayed too far off third. Tyler Flowers got Freeman home with a double to tie it. The Reds took the lead back in the fifth. Jose Peraza led off with a triple. An out later, Scott Schebler doubled to get Peraza in. The Reds added a run in the sixth. Gennett led off with a double. Two outs later, Adam Duvall singled to get Gennett in and make it 3-1. The Reds kept adding on, as they say. Gennett led off the eighth with a walk. He moved to second Suarez s groundout and scored on Winker s single. The Braves cut the lead to one in the eighth. Ender Inciarte led off and hit the ball off Garrett for an infield single. Michael Lorenzen took over and gave up a double to Albies. Inciarte scored on Freeman's groundout. Markakis got Albies in with another groundout. Closer Raisel Iglesias came on and got the final out. The Reds added a run in the ninth. Tucker Barnhart and Joey Votto walked. Gennett fouled off four 0-2 pitches before lining a single into left to make it 5-3. "When you tack on runs late, it's important," Gennett said. Garrett was sore. "When it first happened, it really hurt," he said. "I'm not going to lie. But I think I'll be OK in a day or two." Cincinnati Reds manager Jim Riggleman loses some sleep over his decision to bunt with Scooter Gennett John Fay, Cincinnati Enquirer Published 7:20 p.m. ET June 26, 2018 Updated 8:15 p.m. ET June 26, 2018 ATLANTA Reds Interim Manager Jim Riggleman says the decision to have Scooter Gennett bunt Monday night in the 10th inning made for a rough night.

6 Riggleman did so knowing the Atlanta Braves would walk Eugenio Suárez to load the bases, thus putting the game in the hands of Jesse Winker. Winker ended up popping out, and the Reds lost 5-4 in 11 innings. That one causes me to lose sleep over, Riggleman said. I m tossing it around in my mind before the situation comes up. It s late. We need one run. If we re looking for more runs earlier in the game, I don t do that. We re looking for one run. Winker has been so good in that situation as of late for us. I felt like we were going to get one. Gennett was leading the National League with a.331 average. But he knew he might be asked to bunt. Scooter had come to me before the at-bat and said, Hey, if he gets on, you want me to bunt them over? That shows how much a team player he is, Riggleman said. For him to give up his at-bat to move a runner over. I said, I m thinking it over. If we do that, they re going to walk Suárez, and we d be putting on Winker. To get one there, I think we could do it. You certainly could make a case, Jim, you shouldn t have done that there. But if we get a sacrifice fly there, it was the right thing. That would be one that would be really interesting for someone to do the analytics. What are the probabilities of getting the run there with bases loaded with Winker or first and second with nobody out and Scooter up? Both of them facing a left-handed hitter. A lot of it had to do with the way Winker is swinging. Winker was glad for the chance. That s how baseball is, Winker said. Sometimes you provide the big moments. Sometimes, you don t. But anytime your manager can show that confidence in you as a player... He said to me, they re going to walk Geno, and you re going to provide the big hit. That s how it unfolded. I went with my gut, Riggleman said. It didn t turn out. If it comes up again, we ll have to look at all things involved. I was absolutely looking for one run. I don t know it was the soundest strategy, but that s what my gut instinct said. ALL-STAR? Right-hander Jared Hughes has made a pretty good case for making his first All-Star team. Hughes, 32, went into Tuesday 2-2 with a 1.30 ERA in 35 games and 41 ⅔ innings. When I managed, I tried to stay out of the who should make the All-Star team debate based on the manager s choices, Riggleman said. I never wanted to strongly campaign for my players because it puts the manager in the position where he s got 13 managers saying it should be my guy. Hughes has had an outstanding season to this point. I think he will be on the team. I don t know. He s really pitched good. LEFTY OPTION: Riggleman has been using left-hander Kyle Crockett pretty much like he used Wandy Peralta. That is to say in stressful situations. He s responded well, Riggleman said. The game against the Cubs, he got (Kyle) Schwarber out. The next game against the Cubs, he gave us a nice inning. (Monday) night, those were tough hitters he was facing there. They hit left-handers really well. Crockett, 26, spent part of the last four seasons with the Cleveland Indians, going 4-1 with a 3.44 ERA over 107 games. Brandon Finnegan moved to bullpen for Louisville Bats John Fay, jfay@enquirer.com Published 6:36 p.m. ET June 26, 2018 ATLANTA Left-hander Brandon Finnegan is going to the bullpen. Finnegan, 25, will pitch out of the bullpen for Triple-A Louisville beginning immediately. He has struggled as a starter since getting sent to Louisville on May 8. He was 2-6 with a 7.24 ERA in eight starts for the Bats. This is no punishment, whatsoever, Reds president of baseball operations Dick Williams said. We re just not seeing the performance that we ve seen before. At the end of 16, he was an effective starting pitcher. Then because of the time off for injury or whatever, he just hasn t gotten back there. He hasn t recaptured it.

7 Finnegan pitched out of the bullpen for Kansas City in He went 3-0 with a 2.96 ERA in 14 appearances and pitched in the postseason. Williams said Finnegan is on board with the change. We ve had discussions with him about the role change, Williams said. It came from us. But he was very receptive to it. He s done it before and had success. He s anxious to help the team and experience success again. Finnegan went with a 3.98 ERA in Last year, he was 1-1 with a 4.15 ERA in four starts before injuries to both shoulders ended his season. We ve just got to get him in a role where he can experience some success again, Williams said. Then if he experiences success, we can decide whether the best role for him is to come back up in the bullpen or if we can build on that success to have him start again. But for now, we think based on what we ve seen, to get through a lineup, he was having to use a lot of changeups. The fastball wasn t playing up quite the way it used to. He had to get real changeup-heavy. The control wasn t there. He wasn t turning over the lineups the way he needed to go deep into games as a starter. We still think this is a young kid with a lot of talent. But right now, we think his personality may be better suited, his stuff to get worked out in the pen. I also think we value him getting into games more frequently and having that more consistent action as opposed to four days down and one day on. He wasn t getting real comfortable in that role this year. Finnegan is behind Robert Stephenson, Cody Reed and Homer Bailey on the starter depth chart, so his quickest path back to the majors is likely as a reliever. It'll depend on our needs at the big-league level, Williams said. We're fortunate right now because you've got some Triple-A starters that we've been patient with that are starting to have some success. Robert's really started to go out there and pitch well, Cody's pitching well in a starting role. We've got a guy like (Justin) Nicolino as an emergency guy. You've got a guy like Homer working through his issues as a starter. It's not like we've got to keep Finnegan somewhere because of need, we just want to put him right now where we think he can experience some more success. Bailey has struggled in two rehab starts, but Williams said Bailey would continue to start in Triple-A The idea is that right now, while he's trying to get healthy and trying to get his stuff worked out, Williams said. It s much better done where he's able to throw more pitches, stay in the game longer, work on more situations. That's the plan, to see if he can't figure it out as a starter. THE ATHLETIC Matt Harvey s trade value on the rise with another strong outing Tuesday By C. Trent Rosecrans Jun 27, 2018 ATLANTA Matt Harvey is enjoying his time as a Cincinnati Red, but the better he pitches, the less likely his time as a Red will continue. Harvey allowed just one run on six hits over 6 2/3 innings, as the Reds beat the Braves 5-3 and Harvey picked up his second win in as many starts. It s the first time he s won back-to-back starts since May 23 and May 28 of A lot of different things seem like a long time (ago), Harvey said. We re on the right path. It s nice to help this team win, especially the run we ve been on the last few weeks. I don t want to be the weak link in the rotation. The Reds are since picking up Harvey in a trade with the Mets on May 8. They were 8-27 before the trade. The Mets were at the time. Former Reds catcher Devin Mesoraco joked, I gained 15, 20 wins coming here, after the trade. It was 10 at the time, but now the Reds actually have a better record than the Mets, who have gone since the trade and are to the Reds I love it, Harvey said of playing for the Reds. The guys are awesome. I feel like we ve been winning. It s fun winning and all that other stuff is out of my control. I just do my job and pitch and continue to be healthy.

8 A free agent after the season, Harvey was acquired to be traded. The Reds front office was gambling on taking an asset at its lowest point Harvey had been designated for assignment after he refused an assignment to the minor leagues and hoped that he d regain value heading into the trade deadline. Tuesday s outing against the Braves was Harvey s third straight start allowing three or fewer runs. He gave up just two runs on five hits in six innings against the Cubs last week and then pitched into the seventh inning for the first time as a Red on Tuesday. Harvey didn t strike out as many batters Tuesday (two) as he did against the Cubs (six), but he was the most efficient he s been in a Reds uniform. Even when he left the game, he d thrown just 84 pitches (and 61 for strikes). That s the fewest pitches he s thrown since his second start with the Reds when he was still being stretched out. A start like today where you re facing a good lineup, and you don t have your best stuff, and you grind through it, it s a step in right direction, Harvey said. You re not always going to have your best stuff. I m used to that through the years. The struggles of not feeling good, not being totally healthy showed in the numbers. I think the health is coming back is definitely a good sign. To not feel great and get to seven innings is a sign that things are going in the right direction. Tuesday was the third time the Braves had seen Harvey this season, but it was easily the best. Everything was crisp. His breaking ball was really good tonight, Braves manager Brian Snitker said. His fastball, his whole game, the whole thing was a lot better than the last time I saw him. Harvey s fastball averaged 94 mph and peaked at 96.5 on Tuesday, according to BrooksBaseball.net. He didn t get a single swing and miss with his fastball or changeup, but Braves hitters swung through a third of his 24 sliders. The slider had good movement, he said. I was able to throw it for a strike and also keep it down and get some quick outs when I needed to. The Braves saw Harvey in his final outing as a Met, when he gave up five runs in two innings of relief on May 3. They were also the opponent in his last start as a Met, battering him for six runs on eight hits in six innings on April 19. His velocity was up a little bit more, Braves catcher Tyler Flowers said. He seemed to have a good feel for how to use fastball counts when you have to respect that 95 to 97 he was able to throw, too. (He had) pretty good command for the most part, so it was tough at-bats. That s good news for the Reds, who are all ears as teams start looking for reinforcements. Harvey won t command the king s ransom that he would have before his injuries, but he s shown enough that there will likely be interest as the trade deadline approaches. For now, though, Harvey is just enjoying his time with the Reds and his teammates. I don t think about that stuff, he said. It s out of my control. Harvey has another strong start as Reds beat Braves, 5-3 By CHARLES ODUM ASSOCIATED PRESS ATLANTA (AP) Matt Harvey is starting to discover his old winning form in his new home with the Cincinnati Reds. Harvey pitched six-hit ball into the seventh inning, earning back-to-back wins for the first time this season and leading Cincinnati to a 5-3 victory over the Atlanta Braves on Tuesday night. A start like today where you re facing a good lineup, and you don t have your best stuff, and you grind through it, it s a step in the right direction, Harvey said. Jesse Winker had three hits and two RBIs for last-place Cincinnati, which has won eight of nine. Scooter Gennett had two hits, including a run-scoring single in the ninth, and scored three times. Harvey (3-5) allowed one run in 6 2/3 innings in his longest start since lasting seven innings with the New York Mets on April 21, 2017, against Washington.

9 I was cruising, Harvey said. Harvey pitched out of trouble in the fourth when he allowed Tyler Flowers run-scoring double before stranding two baserunners. The more he goes out there, the more comfortable I think he gets, Gennett said. He s able to command his pitches better and better... you can see that confidence going up. I m just really happy he s got an opportunity over here to get back to his normal self and it looks like he s doing that. It was Harvey s ninth start with the Reds after he was acquired in a trade with the Mets on May 8. He allowed two runs in a 6-2 win over the Cubs on Thursday. Braves manager Brian Snitker said everything was crisp in Harvey s pitch selection. His breaking ball was really good tonight, Snitker said. His fastball, his whole game, the whole thing was a lot better than the last time I saw him. The last time Harvey won consecutive starts was May 23 and May 28, 2017, for the Mets against the Padres and Pirates. The Reds led 4-1 before Atlanta scored two runs in the eighth. Ender Inciarte reached on a single that bounced off Amir Garrett s left leg, knocking him to the ground and out of the game. Ozzie Albies doubled before Freddie Freeman and Nick Markakis produced run-scoring groundouts. Raisel Iglesias recorded the final out in the eighth on Johan Camargo s fly ball to right field with runners on first and second, and then pitched the ninth for his 14th save. Anibal Sanchez (3-2) left with two outs in the fifth inning due to cramping in his right calf, but he is expected to make his next start. He allowed two runs and five hits in 4 2/3 innings. TRAINER S ROOM Reds: X-rays on Garrett s left leg were negative. Garrett tried to chase the deflection before falling to the ground in pain. At the time when it hit me, it hurt me pretty bad, I m not going to lie, Garrett said, adding my leg gave out. He said he hopes to return in a day or two. Braves: RHP Arodys Vizcaino (right shoulder inflammation) has felt good playing catch and is expected to throw on the mound when the team begins a weekend series in St. Louis on Friday. If all goes well, Vizcaino could come off the 10-day DL on Sunday. SHORT VISIT Right-hander Lucas Sims was sent back to Triple-A Gwinnett only three days after his promotion. Matt Wisler was recalled from Gwinnett and allowed one run in 2 1/3 innings after replacing Sanchez in the fifth. NEW ROLE Reds left-hander Brandon Finnegan is being moved to a relief role at Triple-A Louisville. We ve just got to get him in a role where he can experience some success again, president of baseball operations Dick Williams said. TRAE S PITCHING FORM Atlanta Hawks first-round draft pick Trae Young threw out the first pitch. Young is best known for his 3-point shooting on the court, and he lofted a slow pitch that was caught in the left-handed batter s box. UP NEXT Reds: RHP Luis Castillo (5-8, 5.70 ERA) will start in Wednesday s finale of the three-game series. He allowed two runs in four innings in his only preview start against the Braves, an 8-1 loss on Aug. 20, Braves: LHP Sean Newcomb (8-2, 2.59 ERA) is 1-0 with a 3.27 ERA in two career starts against the Reds. Transactions

10 06/27/18 Detroit Tigers signed OF Parker Meadows. 06/26/18 Minnesota Twins signed LHP J.T. Perez. Chicago Cubs placed 3B Kris Bryant on the 10-day disabled list retroactive to June 23, Left shoulder inflammation. Chicago Cubs optioned RHP Duane Underwood Jr. to Iowa Cubs. Chicago Cubs recalled 2B David Bote from Iowa Cubs. Chicago Cubs recalled RHP Dillon Maples from Iowa Cubs. Chicago Cubs recalled RHP Luke Farrell from Iowa Cubs. Arizona Diamondbacks sent RF Steven Souza Jr. on a rehab assignment to Visalia Rawhide. Milwaukee Brewers placed CF Lorenzo Cain on the 10-day disabled list. Left groin strain. Milwaukee Brewers recalled CF Keon Broxton from Colorado Springs Sky Sox. RHP Dan Straily roster status changed by Miami Marlins. Atlanta Braves sent 2B Phil Gosselin outright to Gwinnett Stripers. Houston Astros optioned RHP Dean Deetz to Fresno Grizzlies. Houston Astros reassigned RHP Dean Deetz to the minor leagues. Texas Rangers recalled LF Ryan Rua from Round Rock Express. Texas Rangers placed 1B Ronald Guzman on the 7-day disabled list. Concussion. Baltimore Orioles recalled LHP Donnie Hart from Norfolk Tides. Baltimore Orioles placed RHP Dylan Bundy on the 10-day disabled list. Left ankle sprain. Atlanta Braves optioned RHP Lucas Sims to Gwinnett Stripers. Atlanta Braves recalled RHP Matt Wisler from Gwinnett Stripers. Toronto Blue Jays designated 3B Gio Urshela for assignment. Chicago Cubs placed RHP Justin Hancock on the 10-day disabled list. Right shoulder inflammation. Philadelphia Phillies sent RHP Pat Neshek on a rehab assignment to Reading Fightin Phils. Arizona Diamondbacks recalled RHP Jimmie Sherfy from Reno Aces. Arizona Diamondbacks optioned RHP Braden Shipley to Reno Aces. Arizona Diamondbacks signed RHP Ryan Miller. Arizona Diamondbacks signed RHP Matt Mercer. New York Mets recalled RHP Gerson Bautista from Las Vegas 51s. New York Mets optioned SS Luis Guillorme to Las Vegas 51s. Boston Red Sox recalled Justin Haley from Pawtucket Red Sox. Boston Red Sox placed RHP Steven Wright on the 10-day disabled list retroactive to June 23, Left knee inflammation. Miami Marlins signed RHP Justin Evans. Miami Marlins signed RHP Sam Bordner. Miami Marlins signed C Cameron Barstad. Miami Marlins signed OF Tristan Pompey. Miami Marlins signed SS Osiris Johnson. New York Yankees signed 2B Matt McGarry. New York Yankees signed C Alex Guerrero. New York Yankees signed RHP Keegan Curtis. New York Yankees signed 3B Mitchell Robinson. Minnesota Twins recalled Jake Cave from Rochester Red Wings. Toronto Blue Jays recalled LHP Ryan Borucki from Buffalo Bisons.