Reds and Braves Both Dealt Bad Hand at Speedway Classic

The Reds, the Braves, and Major League Baseball all hoped the weather would cooperate on Saturday night at the first-ever Speedway Classic.

It did not.

The game was about to kick off when rain started coming down as hard as it had all day.

The game entered a delay and Braves starting pitcher Spencer Strider, along with Reds starting pitcher Chase Burns had already warmed up.

About two hours later, the rain stopped again and the teams were ready to begin play. The Braves said Strider would not pitch as they wanted to be cautious after he already warmed up. The Reds, however, elected to pitch Burns. He tossed a scoreless inning and struck out two of the three batters he faced.

But then, the rain came again. With runners on first and second in the bottom of the first and Cincinnati already leading 1-0 after an RBI single by Austin Hays, the grounds crew took the field and another delay came. 30 minutes later, Major League Baseball announced the game would be postponed until Sunday at 1 pm ET.

The Reds went onto lose 4-2 on Sunday and a couple of players voiced their displeasure about how Saturday night was handled.

"Not the most ideal situation last night," Reds catcher Tyler Stephenson told The Enquirer’s Pat Brennan. "Feel like it could have been handled a lot differently. I feel like, for both sides, having to lose a starter is tough, especially where we're at in the season and this bullpen's been through a lot this year and they've carried us a lot.”

Gavin Lux agreed.

"Honestly, I think, looking at the radar, all we had to do was wait another hour," Lux said. "We could have been fine and we don't have to burn Chase. Honestly, I think it was poorly handled by the MLB. Not to call anybody out but it was just poorly handled all the way around and it kind of dimmed a light on a really cool event last night. Obviously, you can't control the weather but I think we could have done some things on their side."

I understand the frustrations, but I’d argue that the Reds had the advantage and had every opportunity to win that game.

Spencer Strider is one of the game’s best pitchers when healthy. The Reds no longer had to face him and instead got to face Triple-A pitcher Hurston Waldrep, who had a 4.42 ERA and was walking almost five guys a game in the minor leagues.

He also mentioned on the broadcast that he was notified of his start at 11 pm on Saturday and that a car would pick him up around 5:30 am on Sunday to drive him from Gwinnett to Bristol,

I imagine he barely slept. Advantage Reds.

And on top of all of that, he was forced to start with a man on first and second and down a run. The Reds stole second and third on the first pitch. Miguel Andujar grounded into a fielder’s choose at third base and the rally was over.

Waldrep would cruise through 5 2/3 innings, allowing just one run on three hits.

Braves third baseman Austin Riley left the game due to an injury in the first inning. Their slugger, Marcell Ozuna wasn’t even in the lineup. Again, advantage Reds.

The Reds’ bullpen has certainly been gassed recently, but the Reds have been hesitant to send guys down if they “don’t deserve it” just to have a fresh arm.

Both teams were at a disadvantage, but the Reds had every opportunity to win that game. They fell short and they have nobody to blame, but themselves.