In a game that took parts of two days to complete due to rain, the Reds fell to the Braves, 4-2, on Aug. 3.
BRISTOL, TN − It wasn't necessarily the loss itself to the Atlanta Braves that frustrated the Cincinnati Reds after the Speedway Classic. It was the circumstances and the possible price the Reds will pay going forward that bothered some players following the rain-soaked event.
In a game that took parts of two days to complete due to rain, the Reds fell to the Braves, 4-2, on Aug. 3 at Bristol Motor Speedway, the famed auto-racing venue that staged the one-off, tentpole MLB event.
In the process of arriving at the loss to Atlanta, the Aug. 2 showcase was forced into two rain delays and finally suspended and pushed to Aug. 3. That's when things got complicated for Cincinnati in meaningful ways.
The Reds were forced into a bullpen game due to losing starting pitcher Chase Burns because of the interruptions, and lost what would have been an off day Aug. 3. Absent Burns, Cincinnati also had to burn through five relievers to cover eight innings.
“It’s never good when you lose a day like that,” Matt McLain said, “and then you’ve got to use guys in the bullpen. But we’ll handle it and get through it.”
Reds catcher Tyler Stephenson, a veteran leader in the clubhouse, echoed McLain's sentiments about the club's bullpen.
"Not the most ideal situation last night," Stephenson said. "Feel like it could have been handled a lot differently. I feel like, for both sides, having to lose a starter is tough, especially where we're at in the season and this bullpen's been through a lot this year and they've carried us a lot.
"To ask them to do what they did today is hard."
Asked if the key decision in the course of the Speedway Classic was the Aug. 2 decision to begin the game that night, Stephenson said: "How do you not know it's going to rain? That's all I'm gonna say."
Looming large over the contest were the postseason implications for Cincinnati, which was a buyer at last week's trade deadline and geared up for a stretch run in hopes of reaching the playoffs in a 162-game season for the first time since 2013.
Gavin Lux, a former Los Angeles Dodgers player who knows well the high stakes of August and September baseball, also voiced concerns for how events at Bristol Motor Speedway transpired on Aug. 2.
"Honestly, I think, looking at the radar, all we had to do was wait another hour," Lux said. "We could have been fine and we don't have to burn Chase. Honestly, I think it was poorly handled by the MLB. Not to call anybody out but it was just poorly handled all the way around and it kind of dimmed a light on a really cool event last night. Obviously, you can't control the weather but I think we could have done some things on their side."
Others in the Reds' clubhouse expressed differing views on the Speedway Classic.
Reds manager Terry Francona, who is consistently laser-focused on the game directly in front of him, acknowledged the unfortunate circumstances Cincinnati faced but didn't blame the loss on the rain delays.
Before the game, Francona said "no one was terribly thrilled" about the previous night's events, and that there were other considerations to keep in mind.
"It's a huge event," Francona said. "I mean, they're thinking about things. We're thinking about things. Everybody's got their own area that you worry about. Hopefully you try to be respectful that there are other areas but ultimately what we're here for is to try to win a game and I just wanted to make sure nobody lost sight of that."
Scott Barlow, one of the relief pitchers deployed when play resumed Aug. 3, said he'd look back on the event fondly. He also seemed to be of the mind that the team couldn't allow itself to be deterred by losing any one game.
"Gotta move on," Barlow said, "and play the next day."
This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: Reds on Speedway Classic: 'It could have been handled a lot differently'
Category: Baseball
