Tim Adleman is not one of the top prospects in the Cincinnati Reds organization. He’s 28. He’s a 24th-round draft pick. He has appeared in 117 minor league games and four big-league games.
Yet the Reds plan to start him Friday against the Los Angeles Dodgers at Great American Ball Park because he had the best numbers of any starting pitcher at Triple-A Louisville, and that includes Robert Stephenson, who has been one of the franchise’s top prospects for years.
“He’s our next best,” Reds manager Bryan Price said of Adleman. “You can look at guys we call our prospects. They’re heralded prospects, but you have to perform beyond your prospect status. You can be a prospect, but you still have to perform. We stay on top of what’s going down in our system and who’s performing well. It’s nice to reward guys who are performing the best.’
Adleman was 3-1 with a 2.38 ERA in 10 starts in Louisville. Stephenson is 6-9 with a 4.29 ERA in 21 starts.
The Reds promoted Adleman on Tuesday to take the roster spot of reliever Michael Lorenzen, who was put on bereavement leave because of a family medical emergency. If the Reds need to use Adleman in long relief, they will start Keyvius Sampson on Friday instead, but Price wants to see Adleman make the start.
Adleman was 1-1 with a 3.72 ERA with the Reds in May but then went on the disabled list with a strained oblique. He made six rehab starts, five for Louisville.
“I like the way he was pitching before he got hurt,” Price said. “That goes a long way for me.”
Schebler's streak: Reds left fielder Scott Schebler snapped an 0-for-28 streak Monday with a home run. He's hitting .146 in 12 games since being promoted from Triple-A on Aug. 2 following the Jay Bruce trade.
“It felt like forever,” Schebler said. “Pittsburgh was obviously a tough series for me. But after that, I felt like I was putting decent at-bats together. It just wasn’t falling my way. That’s just the way the game is sometimes. You can’t stay hot forever, and I got hot in Louisville for two months straight.”
Hot bat: Catcher Tucker Barnhart took an 11-game hitting streak into Tuesday. He's hitting .359 (14-for-39) in that span. He has raised his season average to .267.
Wednesday's game: Homer Bailey (2-1, 4.30 ERA) will start the 7:10 p.m. game Wednesday against the Marlins. It's Bailey's fourth start since returning from the disabled list. He pitched a season-high six innings in his last start Friday, allowing no earned runs and three hits in a 7-4 victory over the Brewers.
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