Cincinnati Reds' manager come up with unique strategy to keep the winning pace intact – MLB News
The Cincinnati Reds' manager Dusty Baker said on Sunday, July 22, that his focus right now is to keep the players strong and healthy to meet the challenges. He was alluding to the recent remarkable success that the team has made in countering all the rivals and to make it to the top of the National League Central.
The formula for keeping the guys healthy, for Dusty Baker, is to go for mixing and matching. "We're just mixing and matching and trying not to let guys be off too long," said the team manager Dusty Baker. "I'm trying to keep guys strong and healthy and keep their timing to a degree."
This mixing and matching involves not to try a player too often at the same position. For example, the Reds have frequently changed even the starters, not having a certain spot for them in the lineup.
The Reds, for all the good reasons, have a lot to celebrate. For instance, the fact that they have won 10 of the last 12 games is a reassuring fact. This success can be attributed to the strategy Baker has pursued this season.
Part of the strategy has materialised in the form of switching Todd Frazier and Miguel Cairo in the absence of Joey Votto who recently underwent surgery. Also, the team changes position between Ryan Ludwick and Scott Rolen when it comes to the left.
Dusty Baker explains it further and said, "When guys are starting to drag, that's called dog days. This is very important in how we program these guys, and you hope that the opposition might have a different outlook on how to run the race, and run their guys in the ground, hopefully. Or they don't have the depth that we have, so I don't have to run them."
In the coming days, the Reds will have 46 games to play in as many as 49 days. With such tough schedule ahead, Dusty Baker’s strategy appears to be not only timely but also effective in keeping the team balanced. Keeping the players less overstretched and healthy will be part of the same plan.
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