The Reds got a much-needed lift from Louisville on Sunday, and it came from two pitchers who could help steady a club that badly needs arms.
Tony Santillan and Brandon Williamson both made encouraging rehab appearances for Triple-A Louisville, giving Cincinnati a reason to breathe a little easier after two rough losses to the Miami Marlins over the weekend. The bullpen issues have been front and center, and Santillan’s return looks especially close.
Santillan, working back from a left oblique injury, opened Sunday’s game against Toledo and worked a clean inning. He allowed no hits, no runs and struck out one while throwing 13 pitches, eight of them for strikes.
It followed another sharp outing on Friday night, when he tossed a scoreless inning, punched out two and landed nine of 13 pitches for strikes. After back-to-back solid appearances, the sense is that Big Tony is nearing a return to Cincinnati.
Mike Petraglia reported that Santillan is expected to pitch Tuesday or Wednesday before the Reds make a roster move to activate him. That timing matters for a bullpen that just watched two leads slip away against Miami.
Williamson’s outing was a step in the right direction, too, even if his path back isn’t nearly as clear. He went 3 2/3 innings for the Bats, giving up five hits, one run and striking out two.
That was a major improvement over his August 6 appearance, when he didn’t escape the first inning and was tagged for four earned runs on two hits in 2/3 of an inning. He threw 34 pitches in that outing, with 19 strikes.
The Reds could use Williamson in a hurry. Hunter Greene is out for the season, and with Chase Petty being converted to a reliever, the rotation picture has thinned out.
Louisville had one more bright spot on the day. Juan Brito, whom the Reds acquired in a trade with Cleveland, hit his first home run as a Bat. The former #29 prospect for the Guardians launched a three-run homer in the bottom of the third inning, and that swing helped Louisville beat Toledo 5-1 and split the six-game series.
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