Derek Johnson on the Cincinnati Reds’ pitching staff: ‘It’s going to be a process’ – The Cincinnati Enquirer

When the Cincinnati Reds ended a seven-year playoff drought last season, they relied on the strength of their pitching staff. It carried the teams struggling offense.

Through the first month of the 2021 season, the pitching staff has been much more of a mixed bag.

The Reds have a third-highest ERA (4.73) in the Majors, with a large split between the starting rotation (4.07) and the bullpen (5.57). The rotation rates in the middle of the pack and the bullpen had its notable struggles. The Reds have issued more walks than any team other than the Chicago Cubs, and they rank in the top-10 in strikeouts.

[ Series Wrap: What we learned about the Cincinnati Reds' offense in wins over Dodgers]

Cincinnati Reds starting pitcher Luis Castillo (58) is visited at the mound by catcher Tucker Barnhart (16) and pitching coach Derek Johnson in the third inning of the MLB National League game between the Cincinnati Reds and the Arizona Diamondbacks at Great American Ball Park in downtown Cincinnati on Tuesday, April 20, 2021. The Diamondbacks led 3-2 after five innings. (Photo: Sam Greene)

The rocky start wasnt a surprise to pitching coach Derek Johnson. In fact, he predicted it. He knew the staff would have to scrap in the first few weeks because of injuries.

I feel kind of like I had a little bit of a crystal ball there because it happened in a lot of ways, Johnson said. Ive seen some good things, some things that I think we can draw from. I think some guys are taking some small steps toward good progress. Obviously, we have taken a couple of lumps too, which I thought was going to happen and it did.

Were probably about exactly where we should be, maybe exactly where I thought we would be. Again, still hopeful for what we have yet to come.

The Reds were down two starters at the beginning of the season, Sonny Gray and Michael Lorenzen, and had three relievers who barely had enough time to make the Opening Day roster after injuries (Tejay Antone, Lucas Sims and Amir Garrett).

[ How Sonny Gray predicted his impressive start before Reds loss to Dodgers]

Then the club had a lot of pitchers in new roles. Trevor Bauer and Anthony DeSclafani were gone, so it meant Jeff Hoffman needed to step up in the rotation. Closer Raisel Iglesias and reliever Archie Bradley were jettisoned to lower player payroll in the offseason, so it meant more inexperienced arms in the bullpen.

So, what does Johnsons crystal ball look like for the rest of the season?

This is going to be one of those years where theres going to be sort of a constant feel, he said. Were going to be working with guys as hard as we possibly can pretty much every day. Not that you dont do that during a normal season, but I do think that you end up getting guys right and you sort of leave them alone for a while, let them kind of do their thing.

This one feels to me a little bit like the boy clogging the holes in the dam. There is just going to be anotherhole in the dam that were going to have to plug.

Cincinnati Reds starting pitcher Jeff Hoffman (23) is visited at the mound by pitching coach Derek Johnson and catcher Tyler Stephenson in the third inning of the MLB Interleague game between the Cincinnati Reds and Cleveland at Great American Ball Park in downtown Cincinnati on Friday, April 16, 2021. The Reds led 7-1 after the third inning. (Photo: Sam Greene)

Johnson likes the potential of the staff. Its just a lot of pitchers who are a work-in-progress. Hoffman frequently talks about the incremental changes hes making with Johnson between his starts. Jos De Len racks up strikeouts, but hes been inconsistent. Lefty Cionel Prez, who was sent down to the alternate site last week, has an electric arm, but hes walked too many batters.

Theyre working at it, Johnson said. I think theyre open for anything that can help them be better. I just think its going to be a process and its going to take a while.

Some of the drills that Hoffman does in his bullpen sessions includepitching without a glove. Sometimes, he will hold a baseball in each hand. Its designed to help him synchronize his delivery.

Lucas Sims was throwing a pitch in a side session Monday where Johnson stood in front of him until ducking out of the way at the last second.

There are other things that I have done for a long time and I do feel like they work and they're a little bit out there, Johnson said. I can't name any of those off the top of my head simply because I've been doing this for a long time and I've got a lot of weird drills.

Its a different team and a different type of staff from last year. There might be some growing pains, but some guys have seen progress throughout the first month. Tyler Mahle and Wade Miley have been key to the teams success. Tejay Antone looks like a star and Sims has been excellent.

The key will be developing pitchersthroughout the season, even if it involvesweird drills.

Jeff happens to be a kid who likes it, who needs it, Johnson said. It helps him understand maybe a little bit better and helps him feel it a little bit faster. If we can do that just a little bit faster, get that pitcher there a little bit faster, then I'll stand on my head in front of them if I have to. That's just the way it's got to be.

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Derek Johnson on the Cincinnati Reds' pitching staff: 'It's going to be a process' - The Cincinnati Enquirer