ST. LOUIS – Highly respected in the game for his work by pitchers and front offices, Reds pitching coach Derek Johnson is currently in largely unfamiliar territory. On Thursday, the Cincinnati pitching staff entered the night ranked last in the Major Leagues with a 5.04 ERA.
Reds starters are ranked 21st out of 30 clubs and the bullpen is 30th. Starter Luis Castillo and reliever Amir Garrett are especially struggling this season. Johnson takes all of it personally as he continues to work with the pitchers.
“I guess the first place that I think of is that you wear it right along with them,” Johnson said. “There is a responsibility you have whether you can influence things or not, you feel like it’s part of your job to do that. Every time they go out and struggle, I’m wearing it right along with them -- maybe not to the degree they are. You’re looking for answers. You’re looking for solutions. The worst thing I think you can do is try to do too much, go too many directions or change directions on them.
“You’re kind of walking this tricky tight rope of giving them the information that you think that they need, that they can use, and then at the same time, not putting them in a situation where it becomes confusing because it’s already confusing enough. Really, at the end of the day, it’s trying to simplify whatever you think is the most important thing at that moment.”
During his big league coaching career with the Brewers (2016-18) and the Reds (2019-21), Johnson has never had a pitching staff rank worse than seventh in the National League. In ’20, the Reds led the NL in strikeouts and were second in ERA.
A big part of Johnson’s approach is to be consistent with the messaging to his pitchers while also trying to empathize with what they might be going through.
“It might not have been this mighty of a struggle but there certainly have been some along the way,” Johnson said. “How do you deal with it personally? I think about it a lot. I think about what the next steps are. I think about my role in that. Trying to figure out how he feels. Trying to figure out where he’s at in any given time. We all have to remember these guys are kids. I’m not saying they’re not grown men, but they’re young men. I think sometimes we forget what it’s like to feel like you don’t know what you’re doing.”
Reds manager David Bell likes sitting in sometimes when Johnson holds pitchers’ meetings. He has built trust through his messaging and motivational skills while also supporting the pitchers through good and bad.
“He’s a coach, he’s a teacher. He’s also a teammate,” Bell said. “He’s in it with these guys every step of the way, doing everything he can to be right there with them. It’s a great staff in general for that. We all kind of see that the same way.”
Castillo, who is 1-8 with a 7.22 ERA, has appreciated the continual support from Johnson as they try to figure out how to turn his season around.
“Ever since I first met him, he’s always been the same person with me and with the rest of us too,” Castillo said through translator Jorge Merlos. “He hasn’t changed through any of that. He always wants to help us any way that he can. I’m just glad that he’s always the same person.”
That ball was a keeper
Called up on Tuesday afternoon from Triple-A Louisville and used during the Reds’ 17-3 loss as a shortstop in a double switch, Mike Freeman found himself pitching the last out of the blowout loss to the Phillies.
In an odd scenario, a position player pitched to a reliever, Archie Bradley. Freeman threw four pitches – none above 61 mph – and Bradley did not take the bat off his shoulder before striking out.
“Really challenging at-bat,” joked Freeman, who hit a fifth-inning single in his first at-bat for the Reds. “I actually talked to Archie after the game — we came up together with Arizona. He was pretty upset. He was coming back from an oblique injury. He was told he wasn't allowed to swing. I think initially when he thought he was going to hit, he was excited and then they pulled the rug out from under him.
“I knew that I was one batter away from needing to pitch and when I saw Archie on deck, I thought, 'Man, this is just the perfect scenario.' We came up together, I know Archie really well. I was expecting for just a master hack first pitch and when he had to take, I knew something was up. It's nice to get my first strikeout. I told Archie, 'We're always going to be linked.' I've always got his number and I've got the ball to prove it.”
Freeman had to tell catcher Tucker Barnhart to give him the ball before it got tossed away.
“To be able to say you have a strikeout in the big leagues, that was my third appearance,” said Freeman, who started at shortstop on Thursday vs. the Cardinals. “I’ve had two guys at two strikes and wasn’t able to close it off. It’s something cool to be able to tell that story down the road. I just wanted to make sure he didn’t launch it into the stands.”