Cincinnati Reds Pitching Staff Starting to Silence Doubters

The Reds' pitching staff has been good this year.

May 5, 2024; Cincinnati, Ohio, USA; Cincinnati Reds pitcher Andrew Abbott (41), pitcher Hunter Greene (21), pitcher Frankie Montas and pitcher Graham Ashcraft (51) share a laugh in the dugout in the fifth inning against the Baltimore Orioles at Great American Ball Park in Cincinnati. Mandatory Credit: Kareem Elgazzar-USA TODAY Sports | Kareem Elgazzar-USA TODAY Sports

The Cincinnati Reds entered the 2024 season with a huge question mark on the pitching staff. As of the first big checkpoint of the season, Memorial Day, the Reds are answering this question in a positive way.

The Reds are viewed favorably through the lens of FanGraphs WAR calculation. According to that, the Reds have the fourth-best pitching staff in MLB. They have a total of 6.8 WAR, so far, which is just behind the Kansas City Royals at 6.9.

Hunter Greene (1.9 WAR), Nick Martinez (1.3), Fernando Cruz (1.1), and Nick Lodolo (1.0) comprise the majority of the Reds pitching WAR. This has been the biggest reason to be excited for a turnaround in this team. They have shown just how good they can be over the past four games.

The Reds are 10th in MLB in strikeouts per nine innings and right around league average with most other pitching statistics. The one thing they do need to improve on is grind ball rate. They are second to last in forcing ground balls with a rate of just 37.5%.

The performances that the Reds have seen at the top are the kind they can rely on for a playoff run. Don't look now, but the Reds may have a good pitching staff this season, which gives them a great foundation as they head into the summer.

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