Matt’s Take: Opening Day week is here; what to know
By Matthew McAdow
HCP columnist
At last, we have arrived to the week of Opening Day. A tradition like no other, where the roads are full of Red, music is blasting throughout the Banks, and the Stadium is full of those who waited months for Reds baseball to resume.
Cincinnati is a baseball town and you’ll quickly find that out if you ever attend Opening Day. No other sport, superstar, or concert will ever fill the streets of Cincinnati quite like Reds baseball and this is the year that Cincinnati brings excitement back to the ballpark. Winning baseball is headed back to Cincinnati and Francona is ready to deliver.
Opening Day – What to Know
• Findlay Market Opening Day Parade Begins at Noon. It’s always good to arrive early, as there will certainly be heavy traffic.
• Grand marshal for this year’s parade is Chris Sabo, alongside honorary grand marshal, Michael Waltrip (Nascar).
• Check out the new food surrounding Great American. BBQ Walking tacos, Baby Ruth Ice Cream, Pretzel burgers, Chicken Parm Sandwiches, Goetta Rueben Sliders, and more have been added to the menu this season.
• Expect Bengals stars such as Tee Higgins and BJ Hill to make an appearance, as they have hinted towards this on Twitter.
Roster Updates
By the time you are reading this, I expect the Reds to have already added someone from the market, as I don’t expect Hurtubise and Blake Dunn to both be on this roster together.
I could be wrong, but I expect to see someone else come aboard this Reds roster.
With Diaz also being on the injured list to begin the season, as he has pitched well below his expectations, Gibaut has now made the roster. Graham Ashcraft will also be in a bullpen role, which is very intriguing to see how he transitions from a starting role.
My expectations for Opening Day against Logan Webb (RHP) include the following:
• CF – Friedl
• 2B – McLain
• SS – De La Cruz
• LF – Hays
• DH – Lux
• 3B – Candelario
• 1B – CES
• RF – Fraley
• C – Trevino
• SP – Greene
This lineup unfortunately doesn’t include Steer or Stephenson, as they are beginning the season injured. Andrew Abbott is slowly getting healthy, but he will miss his first start of the year, opening up the door for Carson Spiers as the last spot in the rotation. Lowder is also working to make it in the rotation, as he has some elbow soreness.
Depth means everything this season and with the additional piece of Wade Miley (injured for now), along with many young guys on the fast track to the league, I feel better about our rotation now than I have for a few years.
A full and healthy year from Lodolo would go a long way in getting this team to the post season.
I’m looking forward to Opening Day and saying “This one belongs to the Reds” after 9 innings, a day full of ice cold beverages, a few hot dogs, and smiling on the way back to the car. Reds baseball is back.