Bauer bidding tomake history
Could become fifirst Reds pitcher to win the Cy Young Award.
TrevorBauercontinues tomake a push for the National League Cy Young Award, something no Reds pitcher has won, as the Cincinnati Reds make a push of their own — toward the playoffffffffffffs.
Bauer allowed one earned run on four hits in 6 1/3 innings Monday in Game 1 of a doubleheader against the Pittsburgh Pirates. The Reds won 3-1 on a walk-offffffffffff, two-runhome runbypinch-hitter Tyler Stephenson in the seventh.
Bauer loweredhisERAfrom1.74 to 1.71 and trails only New York Mets ace Jacob deGrom(1.67), the winner of the last two Cy Youngs. Bauer fanned 12 and now leads the league with 83 strikeouts. Bauer also leads the NL with a 0.81 WHIP (walks and hits per innings pitched).
When deGrom won the Cy Young last season, he led the league in strikeouts, tied for the best WHIP and owned the secondbest ERA.
With 11 games left in the regular season, Bauer should get two more starts to state his case. He said Sunday it means a lot to him to be in contention.
“That’s a goal of mine every single year,” Bauer said. “I was there in 2018. I think I was probably the favoritewhen I brokemy shin. Itwas a little bit frustrating because I didn’t get a chance to reallyfifinishthat seasonandreally compete for it.”
Bauer was 12-6with a 2.21 ERA in 2018 in 27 startswith theCleveland Indians. He fifinished sixth in Cy Young voting. Blake Snell of the Tampa Bay Rays won the award. He was 21- 5 with a 1.89 ERA in 31 starts.
“It’s stuck with me,” Bauer said. “I’m thankful I’m in that position again, and hopefully I can completemy last three starts
and actually compete for it.”
Bauer watches the scoreboard to seewhat the other pitchers in contention are doing. In addition to deGrom, he’s also competing with the Chicago Cubs’ YuDarvish(7-2, 1.77, 72 strikeouts), the Philadelphia Phillies’ Aaron Nola (5-3, 2.40, 77) and the Atlanta Braves’ Max Fried (6-0, 1.98 ERA, 47 strikeouts).
Those are the five favorites, according to the most recent odds from SportsBetting.ag, which lists Darvish as the favorite and gives Bauer the fifth-best chance.
In his most recent start, Bauer pitched six scoreless innings and then gave up a game-tying, lead-off home run to Colin Moran in the seventh.
“That pitch wasn’t amistake,” Bauer said. “It was right where I wanted to throw it. Maybe I picked the wrong pitch in that situation. I don’t know. The wind was blowing out. As soon as itwent out, the wind switched and started blowing
in.”
Two of the next three batters singled against Bauer. Then Raisel Iglesias replaced him, ending the inning with two strikeouts.
The Reds (23-26) won the second game of the doubleheader 9-4, moving within one game of the San Francisco Giants for the final
NationalLeagueplayoffspot.
The expanded playoffs and shortened season have madetheRedsacontenderin September for the first time since they won a wild-card bid in 2013. The only player left from that 2013 team is first baseman Joey Votto.
“It feels so good to be playingmeaningfulgames,” Votto
said. “It feels so much better to feel you have a shot, to feel the games are meaningful, to feel like you’re playing in front of people who care. It feels great.”