Why Cincinnati Reds Manager Terry Francona Apologized To Team After Loss To Astros Sunday

HOUSTON – At the end of the grueling stretch of games that includes a miserable road trip through Atlanta and Houston, Cincinnati Reds manager Terry Francona held a quick meeting to tell his guys how much they deserved Monday’s scheduled day off.

And to apologize.

Francona leaned especially hard on his bullpen the past week after short starts by Hunter Greene Wednesday, Brady Singer Saturday and Chase Petty Sunday, along with extra-inning games Tuesday and Thursday.

They covered all those extra bullpen innings without swapping out young guys like Lyon Richardson or Luis Mey for fresh arms from the minors.

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“We didn’t want to send anybody down that didn’t deserve it,” said Francona, who was forced to use Mey in a pressure-cooker 10th on Thursday — his third outing in four days — and to use Richardson three of the final four days of the trip to get 14 outs. 

“Because we’re trying to build something,” Francona added. “I think loyalty and all that comes into play. And (general manager) Brad Meador felt the same way.

“Saying that, we got caught short, and I had to ask some guys to pitch too much, and that bothered me.”

Veteran lefty Brent Suter, for instance, was the first one out of the bullpen Sunday after multi-inning appearances Wednesday and Friday, to put out the fire of a bases-loaded, nobody-out jam in the fourth against a nearly all-right-handed Astros lineup.

He gave up a sacrifice fly, then got a strikeout and grounder to limit the damage.

In all, the bullpen pitched 30 1/3 of the staff's 61 2/3 innings during the 2-5 trip to Atlanta and Houston – 11 2/3 of 17 the last two games.

Sunday’s 6-0 loss was the Reds’ seventh in nine games.

After the apology?

“Then I told them to flush it and that if any team deserved a day off it was these guys,” Francona said. “And also we need to show up ready to go (Tuesday).”

This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: Why Cincinnati Reds manager Terry Francona apologized to team Sunday