Reds Are Focusing on One Key Change to Improve Their Pitching Staff in 2027

Pitching went from a strength to a weakness in 2026.

Sep 19, 2026; Cincinnati, Ohio, USA; Cincinnati Reds starting pitcher Nick Lodolo (40) pitches against the Chicago Cubs in the first inning at Great American Ball Park. Mandatory Credit: Katie Stratman-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

The Cincinnati Reds need more from their pitching staff in 2027, and Nick Krall’s comments point to a simple focus: throwing more strikes.

According to MLB.com’s Mark Sheldon, the Reds went from 12th in baseball with a 3.86 team ERA in 2025 to 28th with a 4.83 ERA in 2026. They also led the majors with 668 walks and finished fourth with 87 hit batters.

That is far too many walks for a team trying to compete.

“We had 68 more walks and hit-by-pitches to the next-closest [NL] team,” Krall said. “We’ve gotten a lot out of our pitchers over the last few years, but we need to be able to throw a strike 1.”

Getting ahead in the count does not solve every problem, but it gives pitchers a better chance. Falling behind puts hitters in favorable counts, and walks force a staff to work through innings with less room for mistakes.

The Reds made things harder on themselves far too often in 2026. When a team ranks near the bottom of baseball in ERA and leads the league in walks, there is more to address than a few bad outings.

Reds Have Multiple Young Pitchers Who Need to Command Better

The Reds have several young pitchers with great stuff who still struggle with command. Luis Mey, Zach Maxwell and Connor Phillips all have closer potential, but they need to throw strikes more consistently to become reliable big-league relievers, let alone pitchers the Reds can trust late in games.

All three of those pitchers have had flashes of excellence, but it's all about consistency.

Krall’s comments suggest attacking the strike zone will be a priority moving forward. The question is how the Reds turn that emphasis into results. Telling pitchers to throw strikes is easy. Helping them do it consistently is where the work comes in.

Hiring a new pitching coach who shares that emphasis on throwing strikes will be crucial to improving the Reds’ pitching staff in 2027.

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