The Reds Report: September 4

The last 24 hours haven't been the easiest for Kentucky fans. Why not distract yourself from the disappointment of yesterday by reading about a baseball team that went 2-4 this week, and stands 57-78 on the season. Well..at least there are only 39 days until Big Blue Madness. To Drew Franklin's dismay this is the final month of baseball's regular season, and we can start to reflect on what we've watched since April. While it's been a down year for the Reds there have been some encouraging signs as the season has progressed. In the first half the team went 32-57 and they were outscored by a grand total of 154 runs. However, since the All-Star break they're 25-20, and they've outscored their opponents by 40. It ultimately won't matter for this season, but it's a reason for optimism heading in to 2017. Let's get to this week's Reds Report. 1. The first part of this week the Reds hit the west coast to take on the Angels. They were swept in three games by a combined score of 16-4. We'll just skip this and move on. 2. Saturday provided your Billy Hamilton highlight of the week

Just @BillyHamilton doing his thing, NBD. 💯 pic.twitter.com/4JQf6r3GX7

– Cincinnati Reds (@Reds) September 4, 2016

3. Speaking of Hamilton, he bounced back from a tough series against the Angels (1-13), and tormented the Cardinals for a couple of days. On Friday and Saturday he went a combined 4-8 with 2 walks, 3 runs, and 4 stolen bases. He currently leads MLB in steals with 58 (7 ahead of second place Jonathan Villar). This was great, but... 4. Hamilton injured himself on a check swing on Sunday. It appears to be a strained oblique. This is why we can't have nice things.

.@Reds manager Bryan Price provides an update on @BillyHamilton and addresses his status for tomorrow's game. https://t.co/uGrituIshp – FOX Sports Ohio (@FOXSportsOH) September 4, 2016

5. This week the calendar changed from August to September. As of September 1 MLB rosters expanded (a process explained here), and the Reds took advantage by calling up a handful of minor league players to the big league roster. Robert Stephenson, Keyvius Sampson, Cody Reed, and Wandy Peralta were all added to the club on Friday. C. Trent Rosecrans took some time to talk about Stephenson's promotion and what it means for the team. He'll get the start for the Reds against the Mets on Monday. It will be his first taste of big league action since April 19. Stephenson ranks as the Reds 4th best prospect by MLB Pipeline. In 24 starts for Triple-A Louisville this season Stephenson is 8-9 with a 4.41 ERA. 6. A prospect that fans have had their eyes on for a number of seasons is outfielder Jesse Winker. There was some belief that he might make the Reds in 2016, but he's spent the year in Louisville. Zach Buchanan took a look at Winker's season, and discussed the concerns over his recent lack of power. A corner outfielder in the big leagues is expected to have more pop in his bat than Winker has shown this season. If this development holds, how will it affect his long term future? 7. There was a scary moment for Jose Peraza in Monday's game against the Angels. He was hit in the face by a pickoff throw from Matt Shoemaker. His injuries could have been a lot worse, but he was able to return to the lineup the next night. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bc71IkoQts4 8. Cincinnati was able to add a top international prospect to it's system this week. The Reds signed Vladimir Gutierrez to a $4.75 million deal. According to Tony Wolfe of Red Reporter, "Gutierrez, 20, was No. 4 on MLB Pipeline’s top 30 international prospect list, and was the highest-ranked right-handed pitcher." The Reds are stockpiling as much young pitching as possible over the course of the current rebuild. 9. In non-Reds news, on Monday Zach McAllister of the Indians made one of the most impressive defensive plays you'll see all season. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=56ChCGe7uzU The Reds remain home for a three game series against the Mets starting on Monday. They'll head to Pittsburgh for four games against the Pirates beginning on Thursday. You can follow the Reds all season long, and Eric's writing, at Red Reporter.