It was an intriguing week in the great city of Cincinnati. The Reds started the week by losing a series to their rivals, the Pirates. Then, they swept the Rangers to close the week. FCC ended up with a rough loss to Toronto. The Bengals made some signings. Plus, some significant CBB news and transfer portal insights. Let’s dive in!
Past Week Recap
Bengals: The Bengals bolstered their secondary by signing former Patriots and Steelers Safety Kyle Dugger. He will bring physicality and experience to a secondary which really struggled last year. As for the NFL Draft, the Bengals have been taking some heavy looks at Ohio State. This includes Sonny Styles and Caleb Downs.
FCC: The Garys took a tough loss to the New York Red Bulls on Saturday, falling 4-2. The match started out hot, with Julian Hall punching one in during the 12th minute for New York. This was soon followed by a Pavel Bucha equalizer in the 17th. At the half, it remained 1-1. New York came out firing, with an Emil Forsberg goal in the 48th. Then, in the 65th, NY forced a Kyle Smith own goal, giving them a 3-1 lead. However, Smith came back 7 minutes later and put in one of his own for FCC. New York took the 3-2 lead to extra time, where Alvas Powell was then carded for FCC after a Mohammed Sofo goal. This game was pretty even, NY just finished the ball better. Both teams had 6 shots on goal, 18 v 17 total shots (Favor NY) and a 52 v 48% on possession (Favor NY).
Reds: The Reds went 4-2 this week, with a very strong close.
Game 4/162 | Pirates @ Reds | Reds win 2-0 | Great American Ball Park
All credits go to pitching here, Chase Burns pitched 5 scoreless innings, only allowing one hit. The bullpen was near perfect, only allowing three hits in 4 innings. All the scoring was done in the 4th inning, with a Spencer Steer sac-fly and a Will Benson triple to bring in Eugenio Suarez.
Game 5/162 | Pirates @ Reds | Pirates win 8-3 | Great American Ballpark
The Pirates used a huge 2nd inning to kill the Reds. Brandon Williamson was shelled, allowing 6 runs in 4.2 innings. This was an ugly game overall for the Reds. The only positives were home runs by Sal Stewart and Elly De La Cruz.
Game 6/162 | Pirates @ Reds | Pirates win 8-3 | Great American Ballpark
Oneil Cruz started out the game hot, with a three run shot in the 1st inning. It was a rough day for Andrew Abbott, only making it 5.2 innings, while letting up 4 runs. In the 6th, Eugenio Suarez hit a 410 foot home run to make it 4-3. The score remained there, till the 9th. Emilio Pagan let up four runs and the Reds couldn’t recover.
Game 7/162 | Reds @ Rangers | Reds win 5-3 | Globe Life Field
Home runs carried the Reds through this one, with Spencer Steer, Elly De La Cruz, and Tyler Stephenson going yard. Steer started out the scoring with a two-run bomb (399 ft) in the 2nd. Cruz had a solo shot in the 6th. It was 3-3 in the 9th, and Tyler Stephenson hit a two-run homer to win it.
Game 8/162 | Reds @ Rangers | Reds win 2-0 | Globe Life Field
Rhett Lowder threw six scoreless innings, only allowing three hits. Both of the Reds’ runs were scored in the 1st, with singles by Sal Stewart and Elly De La Cruz. Emilio Pagan picked up his third save of the year.
Game 9/162 | Reds @ Rangers | Reds win 2-1 | Globe Life Field
Chase Burns tossed a great six innings, allowing just one run. The Redlegs scattered the scoreboard with an RBI single from Eugenio Suarez in the 4th, and a lead taking single from Elly De La Cruz in the 8th. Brock Burke closed the 9th by striking out the side, successfully completing the sweep.
Xavier: No news this week, surprisingly. However, there’s a ton to come.
UC: Shon Abaev has announced he’s entering the portal. With the portal officially opening 4/7, expect many more to follow.
Miami (OH): Byers, Elmer, and Perry are portaling. Rumors are Skaljac might come back, but awaiting confirmation on his return.
NKU: The Norse had 7 seniors. All are gone. However, it appears there will be no guys moving on via the portal this year. They have lost 75% of their minutes and 88% of their scoring. It’s a complete overhaul.
This Week’s Preview
Bengals: Keep an eye out for more draft prep as the week goes on, and possibly a few more free-agent signings. The offseason is heating up.
FCC: Cincy has a game with Toronto on Saturday that they really need to win. It hasn’t been an ideal start to the season, and a turnaround must happen soon. FCC has dropped to 10th in the standings, while Toronto is up to 6th, having won two in a row. These two have already met this year, Toronto won 1-0 with an 85th minute goal. FCC dominated the possession, but the deciding factor was chances on goal. Toronto got more opportunities, and one finally went in. Whoever can dominate the possession and unlock some shots should have a great shot here.
Reds: The Reds have no off-days this week, so let’s dive in.
Reds @ Marlins | April 6th-9th | LoanDepot Park
The Reds will look to stay hot in Miami for a 4-game series, as they are riding a 3-game win streak. Brandon Williamson starts the series, so they will need him to step up his game and set the tone. Then followed by Andrew Abbott, Brady Singer, and Rhett Lowder. Overall, starting pitching has been solid so far, so offense is where most improvement is needed. The Marlins are also 6-3, and are a very offensive team, putting up a solid 5.4 runs per game. Miami will look for Xavier Edwards to stay hot, as he is batting .471 so far. The Reds offense must be able to keep up with the Marlins, or they will run away with the series.
Angels @ Reds | April 10th-12th | Great American Ballpark
The Angels have had an interesting start to the year, winning their first two games, then losing five of their last six, and now winning two in a row. The Angels only put up around 4.1 runs a game, meaning they play more like the Reds. They have a strong pitching staff, and struggle to put runs on the board. They will be starting the bottom two of their rotation, and their ace, Jose Soriano, who has let in zero runs through two starts. The Reds will have to be clicking on Sunday, in order to beat Soriano. The Reds will be starting Chase Burns, Brandon Williamson, and Andrew Abbott, so the same order as the Angels. Starting pitching will be vulnerable in the first two games. On Sunday, it’s possible that one run will be the winning number.
Xavier: Keep an eye on LSU big Mike Nwoko. He’s been linked by multiple sources as a Muskie priority so far. There are a couple of guys in the ACC to monitor – Tru Washington from Miami (Fl) is the clear one.
UC: Elmer (Miami) is someone I’d keep an eye on for the Bearcats. Dra Gibbs-Lawhorn is a guy I’ve heard connected with the Bearcats.
Miami (OH): At this time, not much has come out about the RedHawks in terms of any guys they’re liked to. There will be more to come!
NKU: No clear targets at this time. The staff has operated a bit quieter this offseason than previous years. As information is confirmed, I’ll pass them along.
It’s another busy week in Cincy with 7 games for the Reds, a key match for FCC, and the transfer portal opens for college hoops on Tuesday, which means total chaos. Keep checking our site for transfer portal updates and insights for all of our college teams all week!
