Cincinnati

Reds

An elite speedster with an improving bat, Stafura represents an interesting lottery ticket for Reds in the early stages of the second round. The 18-year-old middle infielder is a long way off from the majors, but there’s plenty to work with here from a tools perspective and he could make a major impact for Reds down the road.

Lowder is coming off a dominant junior campaign that saw him go 15-0 with a microscopic 1.87 ERA and 143/24 K/BB ratio across 120 innings (19 starts) for Wake Forest. The 21-year-old righty makes great use of a terrific changeup, and his fastball and slider should be major-league quality pitches, even if neither stands out. The total package should make him a potential No. 2 or 3 starter for the Reds, and it’s quite possible he’ll debut at some point during the 2024 season.

As a team, the Reds totaled just four hits on the day. Steer grounded out to short in his first at-bat, then went down swinging in each of his next three trips to the plate. The 25-year-old finishes the first half slashing .277/.367/.477 with 14 homers, 5 RBI and nine stolen bases.

The 31-year-old right-hander struck out five batters on the day while issuing two free passes. The lone tally against him — and the only run scored by either team in the game — came on an RBI single by Jesse Winker in the opening inning. Lively got six swings and misses on 75 pitches on the night, posting a CSW of 31 percent. He finishes the first half with a 3.83 ERA, 1.24 WHIP and a 50/15 K/BB ratio over 51 2/3 innings in 10 appearances (eight starts).

Friedl usually finds himself on the bench against southpaws but will get a rare start against Wade Miley on Sunday. Friedl has been excellent this season, hitting .307/.381/.462 with 16 stolen bases and 34 runs scored.

Mariot was added to the Reds roster on Saturday but didn’t get into the game and was quickly removed from the 40-man roster on Sunday. The 34-yeear-old will likely go unclaimed on waivers and return to the Reds’ minor league system.

Lively was placed on the injured list on June 24, retroactive to June 21, with a strained right pectoral. He will get the start against the Brewers and has pitched well for the surging Reds this season. The 31-year-old has a 4.11 ERA, 1.26 WHIP, and 45/13 K/BB ratio in nine appearances (seven starts) this season.

The steal of home came in combination with the steal of third; he took the base without a throw, rounded a bit and then dashed home while Elvis Peguero wasn’t looking. De La Cruz has swiped bags in five straight games, and he’s 16-for-18 in 29 games since being called up.

It doesn’t matter... when Weaver pitches, the Reds win. They prevailed 8-5 today, so they’ve now won his last eight starts, even though he’s given up 34 earned runs over 35 1/3 innings in those games. That’s an 8.66 ERA. If the Reds had anyone to replace him, he would have been gone weeks ago. And, yet, 8-0.

It might be interesting to see who gets ninth-inning honors for the NL All-Star squad on Tuesday, though based on recent history, it’s unlikely that there will be a bottom of the ninth. But Díaz and Camilo Doval both picked up their 26th saves today, and they’re tied for the major league lead. Then there’s Josh Hader, who has the longer track record and the superior ERA at 1.11. All seem like fine choices, of course. It’s just a matter of getting a taking a lead into the late innings.