Frankie Montas exits Reds game after being hit by a line drive
Cincinnati Reds starting pitcher Frankie Montas was hit by a 101 MPH line drive on his pitcher arm by Taylor Ward in the top of the 1st inning on Sunday afternoon. He did recover enough to pick up the ball and throw Ward out at first base. But the training staff came out to check him out and Montas exited the game. As he walked off of the mound and to the dugout he didn’t move his right arm, holding it at a 90° angle against his body while heading to the dugout and subsequently the tunnel to the clubhouse.
For the Reds they are going to have to essentially have a bullpen day. And it comes at a bad time for them, too, as Nick Martinez – the guy who is best equipped to throw multiple innings – threw three innings in the game on Saturday and is going to be unavailable. To further complicate things, Cincinnati doesn’t have an off day for another 11 days. They are going to need some starters to step up and cover some innings over that stretch to try and give the bullpen arms a little help after a day where they’ll need to cover at least 8.1 innings.
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‘Losing my confidence’: Pirates SS Oneil Cruz candid about struggles with strikeouts
Oneil Cruz not only leads the major leagues in strikeouts but has more than twice as many as he does hits. The Pittsburgh Pirates shortstop, who set the Statcast record for exit velocity, appears as confounded as anyone about his struggles at the plate.
After his 10th consecutive game with at least one strikeout and ninth games in the past 13 without a hit in Sunday’s 6-1 loss to the Boston Red Sox, Cruz could come up with only one reason for the scuffling.
“It’s all about confidence,” Cruz said through interpreter Stephen Morales, a Pirates coach. “I’ve been losing my confidence a little bit lately, but, game by game, hopefully, I’ll get it back.”
That’s a striking statement from the 6-foot-7, 230-pound Cruz, who previously proclaimed his belief that his combination of power and speed made him capable of joining the prestigious 40-40 club for home runs and stolen bases.
The easy explanation is that Cruz hasn’t regained his rhythm or timing after missing the majority of last season with a fractured left ankle that required surgery and extensive recovery and rehabilitation. He played in only nine
games before being injured on an awkward slide into home plate against the Chicago White Sox at PNC Park.
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