The Reds Dominant Start in the Pitching Staff

The Cincinnati Reds have climbed back to .500 after a rough start to the season, as they are now 8-8. They are coming off a three-game weekend sweep of the Pittsburgh Pirates and will be welcoming the red-hot Seattle Mariners into Ohio this upcoming week.

Spearheaded by their ace Hunter Greene, the starting pitching and the bullpen have been dominant. The Reds are at or near the top of the league in many categories, pitching-wise, carrying the offense, which has not performed as well to begin the season.

Cincinnati’s Pitching Rankings

We know Cincinnati’s pitching has been good, but how does it stack up relative to the league?

Total Pitching Staff:

2.9 fWAR – 1st in MLB

.181 BA – 2nd in MLB

Reds Starters:

2.5 fWAR – 1st in MLB

2.68 ERA – 2nd in MLB

17.8 K-BB% – 4th in MLB

Reds Relievers:

3.23 ERA – 8th in MLB

Notable Standouts

Hunter Greene – (SP)

Greene has shoved to a 0.98 ERA in his first four starts of the year. He has taken on his SP1 title after a breakout year in 2024 and has not looked back. His peripherals are excellent; his 2.46 xERA and .194 xBA are in the 81st and 82nd percentile, respectively. His command has exceeded expectations, as he’s walking just 4.0% of batters faced (87th percentile), all while missing plenty of bats (31.3 K% and 33.3 Whiff%).

As the season progresses, Greene is certifiably the head of the rotation, and if the Reds play their way into October baseball, Greene will, without a doubt, toe the rubber in game one of the series.

Graham Ashcraft – (RP)

Ashcraft is making the first transition in his career, going from a starter to a reliever. There were doubts about this transition, as he struggled heavily in spring, but he has been lights out in  7 1/3 innings this year, allowing zero runs.

Emilio Pagan – (RP/CP)

Pagan has stepped in as the Reds closer in place of the injured Alexis Diaz. He has been nails so far, notching four saves already, posting a 1.23 ERA in 7 1/3 innings. With how much Diaz is currently struggling in Triple-A Louisville, chances are Pagan will be able to hold onto the closer role throughout the remainder of the season.

Nick Lodolo – (SP)

Lodolo has started three games so far this year, tallying 18 2/3 innings of 0.96 ERA ball. He is every high school baseball coach’s favorite player, as he walks just 1.4% of batters faced, good for the 96th percentile. He is also limiting hard contact well, with a 4.9 Barrel% (72nd percentile) and a 36.1 Hard-Hit% (67th percentile).

Season Expectations

This pitching staff is one of the best in the league, and the team needs them to continue their dominance to have a shot at playing October baseball. The offense is currently 29th in the league in wRC+, with important players like Jeimer Candelario, Spencer Steer, Jake Fraley, and Christian Encarnacion-Strand all struggling to be impactful at the plate. Matt McLain hitting the shelf with a hamstring injury early in the season isn’t helping either.

The offense will be what the offense is, but they can perform better. The Reds have lost three games with the score of 1-0, which is not the fault of the pitching. As the position players begin to step it up at the plate, Cincinnati can become a sneaky team that can squeeze its way into October, most likely through a Wild Card spot.