MIAMI -- Reds starter Trevor Bauer has long been known for doing things differently than other pitchers. Before Wednesday’s game, Bauer asked if he could bypass his side bullpen session and throw to hitters in live batting practice.
On the field at Marlins Park, Bauer pitched against teammates Derek Dietrich and Kyle Farmer. He was trying to make improvements ahead of his scheduled start on Friday at St. Louis following another rough outing on Sunday in Pittsburgh.
“I think working on stuff in a bullpen setting is good, but sometimes you end up in a place where you can’t really generate as much intensity as you normally would get in a game,” Bauer said on Thursday. “I’ve been struggling throwing a breaking ball for a strike recently. I wanted to work on it more and have a game-like atmosphere or a game-like intensity, so I can get the feel back for it.
“I recover really well, so I really wasn’t worried about any additional stress or being unprepared for my next outing. At that point, it’s like, 'Well, we might as well train like we actually train.' I’m not going to pitch every fourth day, which is what I prefer, so a live BP in between is a nice middle ground, I guess.”
Since being traded from the Tribe to the Reds in a three-team deal on July 31 that involved outfielder Yasiel Puig, Bauer is 1-3 with a 7.62 ERA in five starts. Twice in his last three starts, he has given up eight or more runs, including over three innings in a 9-8 loss to the Pirates.
Bauer, a 2018 All-Star, didn’t go the live BP route often while with Cleveland.
“It depends on who is around and who wants to authorize it,” Bauer said. “I do it twice a week in the offseason, starting usually the first of December. I throw 30-40 innings in the offseason in a situation like that. I’d like to do it in between starts all the time, too. There are a lot of things I do in the offseason that generally aren’t encouraged or smiled upon during the season. Hopefully, by the time I’m done playing, they will be, and it’ll be common practice. But who knows? We’ll see.”
Reds manager David Bell didn’t hesitate to give Bauer the green light to do it on Wednesday when his permission was sought. Bauer even wore his regular uniform.
“I love it. I just feel like there’s a lot of room for improvement in the way we go about training and practicing -- whether it’s Spring Training or during the season -- the way guys prepare for a game each day,” Bell said. “I think it’s getting more normal to do things a little bit different. I don’t know why it took so long. I think Trevor brings a lot of fresh ideas with him, which is nice to see.”
Another unique part of Bauer’s regimen is traveling with his own blood measuring machine. It’s called a Reflotron Plus, which requires daily finger pricks to get samples to measure his blood cell count and the level of creatinine, among other things.
The device looks like an old fax machine and, because it has been discontinued on retail, he carries it on the road himself to protect from damage.
“[It’s] so I know how quickly I get back to gameday norms and how each thing I do affects my recovery," Bauer said. "I know what lever to pull. I know what I can do and what I can’t, and how to still cycle properly for the next start. It turns out it didn’t really affect me any more than a normal bullpen would, so if that’s the case, then why not train at game intensity? You get more out of the reps. You get more benefit. You can work on more stuff.”
Doubleheader starters revealed
For Saturday’s doubleheader at St. Louis, the Reds announced that Tyler Mahle will be recalled from Triple-A Louisville as the 26th man for Game 1, which will serve as a makeup for a June 5 rainout, and Sonny Gray will pitch Game 2. Mahle can remain with the club as a September callup without waiting the 10 days usually required for players optioned out.
House is black and blue
On Tuesday, Reds third-base coach J.R. House was nailed in the right leg by a foul line drive off the bat of rookie Aristides Aquino. On Thursday, House was still sporting a large, dark bruise on the back of his leg near his hamstring.
The exit velocity on the foul ball was 109 mph off Aquino’s bat, according to Statcast.
“I felt every bit of it,” House said.
Bell knows the perils of coaching at third base, a job he held with the Cubs in 2013.
“It’s good they wear helmets,” Bell said. “I’ve wondered why there isn’t thought to letting them wear gloves to protect themselves. It can be dangerous. You have to be alert, especially when guys are on second base. You need to be in position to be able to see everything. I don’t know if there is any way around it.”