RSS Reds Team Notes

[Cincinnati Reds]

WATCH THE REDS PLAY BASEBALL ON TV IN PRIME TIME

CLEVELAND, OHIO - OCTOBER 03: Former manager Terry Francona of the Cleveland Guardians talks with members of the media about his 11 years with the club at Progressive Field on October 03, 2023 in Cleveland, Ohio. (Photo by Jason Miller/Getty Images) | Getty Images

There was a time when I raged, raged against using all caps in headlines. That time is not now.

The Cincinnati Reds are going to play the Cleveland Guardians tonight – Thursday, March 17th – under the lights at Goodyear Stadium, and THEY ARE GOING TO DO IT ON TELEVISION THAT YOU CAN WATCH WITH YOUR OWN EYES.

Sorry, sorry – I know it’s somewhat hyperbolic. Still, they’ve spent so much time plying their trade in the Land of the Endless Strip Mall so far this March without us being able to see any of it that it’s a tremendous boon to my entertainment repertoire.

That they chose to do so (finally) at the same time that the First Four is being played and when the World Baseball Classic is being played between the USA and Venezuela is a complete bummer, and a very, very Reds thing to do. But perhaps you can track down a split screen or a laptop to allow you to watch all the action and celebrate St. Patrick’s Day in the most glorious of sports fashions.

Nick Lodolo will be on the mound looking to fine tune his work, while the Reds are rolling out a stacked lineup featuring Matt McLain, Sal Stewart, Elly De La Cruz, Tyler Stephenson, Spencer Steer, Noelvi Marte, Ke’Bryan Hayes, Rece Hinds, and Will Banfield.

First pitch is set for 9:05 PM ET, and you’ll be able to follow/watch it through both the Reds.tv feed and the Guardians.tv feed depending upon your location.

(It’s also the MLB.com free game of the day!)

Source: https://www.redreporter.com/cincinnati-reds-game-information/50065/how-to-watch-cleveland-guardians

 

[Cincinnati Reds]

Cincinnati Reds to carry six starting pitchers to start season

CINCINNATI, OHIO - SEPTEMBER 24: Chase Burns #26 of the Cincinnati Reds looks on during a baseball game against the Pittsburgh Pirates at Great American Ball Park on September 24, 2025 in Cincinnati, Ohio. (Photo by Jeff Dean/Getty Images) | Getty Images

If you try hard to remember, you’ll actually recall that the Cincinnati Reds spent a good chunk of the 2025 regular season carrying six starting pitchers – at minimum – on their active roster. Such was the luxury of having Nick Martinez around all year, his versatility the linchpin in making sure the rest of the rotation was always as rested as could be.

Once they acquired Zack Littell and promoted Chase Burns, they almost always had more options than a typical 5-man rotation at any given point down the stretch. It’s simply necessary in the modern game, what with max effort velocities and the inevitable injuries that come with them.

It appears the Reds are more than just comfortable with that concept. So comfortable that manager Terry Francona revealed to C. Trent Rosecrans of The Athletic on Tuesday afternoon that they’ll carry six starters come Opening Day 2026.

Terry Francona said the Reds will start the season with 6 starters — all three of Lowder, Burns, Williamson will break camp with the team

— C Trent Rosecrans (@ctrent.bsky.social) 2026-03-17T22:00:45.154Z

Rhett Lowder and Brandon Williamson will make the team after both missing all (or 97%, in Lowder’s case) of the 2025 regular season with injuries. Chase Burns, meanwhile, will make the team despite having run into some mid-spring load management after not recovering well enough from an extended start. Those three will join Brady Singer, Nick Lodolo, and Andrew Abbott on the team’s roster as starting options, something the club will get to juggle early on.

It’s not the end of the world, aside from the fact that it’s Hunter Greene’s months-long absence that even opened this opportunity. The reality is that none of Lowder, Williamson, or Burns was going to approach anything akin to 170+ IP after shortened 2025 campaigns – don’t forget that Burns was shut down for a while with forearm pain and eventually migrated to a fireman role in the bullpen.

So, effectively spreading out their innings now is what’s going to begin the process lest the Reds run into a scenario where they simply have to shut a guy down in, say, an August stretch run that has them chasing a playoff spot. Former Enquirer beat writer Charlie Goldsmith added more context from Francona which more or less echoes this.

Francona: You’ll see Williamson potentially come in after Burns or maybe even start Williamson and have Lowder do it. We don’t need to say it ahead of time, how our strategies go. That’s kind of where we’re sitting. You’ll see (Williamson) pitch one of those two days (Game 4 or…

— Charlie Goldsmith (@CharlieG__) March 17, 2026

Goldsmith also casually dropped that both Connor Phillips and Will Benson have been told they’ve made the team, with Benson’s addition meaning, in all likelihood, that only one of Nate Lowe or JJ Bleday will make the club, too.

It won’t last forever, Francona said. They’ll keep all the guys stretched out.

It’s a way to balance winning — those are some of the Reds best pitchers — with the fact that those are young guys without a ton of innings under their belts.

Also, Phillips and Benson have made the…

— Charlie Goldsmith (@CharlieG__) March 17, 2026

Quite the interesting series of developments ahead of tonight’s matchup against their Goodyear brethren the Cleveland Guardians!

Source: https://www.redreporter.com/cincinn...burns-brandon-williamson-rhett-lowder-fantasy