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David Bell Big Factor in Cincinnati Reds' Recent Success
Bell's decisions catapulted the Reds to multiple victories against the Phillies.
The Cincinnati Reds beat the Philadelphia Phillies on Tuesday and Wednesday thanks in large part to David Bell doing something I have been wanting him to do.
Very early on in the season, Bell seemed to be waiting too long to call on the bullpen. Maybe that was by design so that guys could build confidence, but it seemed to be costly more times than not. This past series, Bell seems to have shifted his thinking.
The perfect example of this was on Tuesday. In the top of the fifth inning, Andrew Abbott walked the bases loaded without getting an out. He had kept the scoreboard clean to this point, but he had done so while allowing hard contact and pitching around base runners. It was clear he didn’t have his best stuff.
After Abbott struck out Kyle Schwarber for the first out of the inning, Bell decided to bring in Fernando Cruz and the best pitch in baseball to shut down the inning. Cruz delivered and Bell looked like a genius.
Just two weeks ago, Bell would have left Abbott in. There were multiple examples of this. Now he realizes he can trust his bullpen, and especially Cruz. This will be a key trait, moving forward, for the Reds to achieve success.
They're back in action on Friday night against the Texas Rangers. First pitch is at 8:05 p.m. ET.
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