Cincinnati Reds Bill Bray goes on 15-day disabled list – MLB News
As the Cincinnati Reds brace for the toughest stretch of games ahead, reliever Bill Bray on Tuesday, July 31, fell on the disabled list, complicating the problems for the team. The lumbar muscle strain in his back resulted in consigning Bray to 15-day disabled list.
Only on June 22 was Bray activated after straining his left groin, missing a big chunk of games in the first half of the season.
The team manager said that problems might well be all related. "It's probably all related," said Reds' manager Dusty Baker. "Like that old song, 'The ankle bone is connected to the knee bone, the knee bone is connected to the hip bone.' Sometimes when one thing happens to something, you end up favoring something else."
Although the Reds bullpen has been faring well, topping the National League, Bray has not been able to demonstrate the kind of excellent performance that team would have been expecting from him.
For instance, he has pitched a total of six innings in his nine appearances ever since his return, walking no less than 11 batters. Compared this to his last year’s performance wherein he had given up only 17 walks in 79 games, there is a lot to worry.
The Reds are currently trying to go for mix and match. There is only left-hander in the bullpen in the form of Sean Marshall.
Be that as it may, the Cincinnati Reds are keeping their fingers crossed for early return of Bill Bray, with full form and fitness to be able to strengthen the bullpen.
"Hopefully we can get him right and have him down the stretch," Baker said. "Right now, we only have one left-hander in Marshall out there. We're doing the best we can to mix and match and just try to win as many ballgames and finish as strong as we can."
For now, though, the Reds will have to rely on Todd Redmond, the team’s right handed reliever who was recalled on Tuesday. It will be interesting to see if Redmond delivers at a time when Bray failed to embolden the team’s bullpen.
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