All season, Francona has stressed the importance of winning the game in front of the Reds. He has used the bullpen very aggressively. As a result, Pagán and setup relievers like Tony Santillan and Scott Barlow have thrown about as many high-stress pitches as any relief pitcher in MLB.
Different relievers have different approaches toward handling that wear and tear.
“I’m trying to control my emotions and just execute as many pitches as I can,” Pagán said. “You work hard in the weight room and in the training room to stay strong.”
Pagán, a nine-year veteran, has a deliberate postgame routine and wraps up his arm after each outing. He also stresses the importance of getting the right amount of work in off the mound between outings.
Setup reliever Tony Santillan is in his first full big league season as a relief pitcher. Injuries impacted him in previous years, but he sees a silver lining now as he learned what not to do in the past.
“The big thing is being honest with myself, knowing my body and really listening to it,” Santillan said. “That’s the big difference now that I’ve been healthy. I’ve experienced a lot of stuff. I understand my body a lot more and understand what really helps me recover and what doesn’t.”
Santillan said that a critical part of his pregame routine is going through a circuit when he spends time in the sauna and then immediately goes into the cold tub.
“It makes you feel a lot better. Even if I feel a little off one day, that resets my body,” Santillan said. “I believe it helps me feel good. The will of wanting to be available also helps. I can feel good, but if I didn’t want to really push myself that won’t matter.”
Credit: AP
Credit: AP
Graham Ashcraft, the Reds’ seventh-inning reliever, is in his first year in the bullpen and has stressed the importance of learning what works for him. He has made a point to ask his teammates for details about their routines, but every pitcher is different.
“I feel like there’s some stuff I’m still trying to figure out with my body in my first year and trying to dial everything in,” Ashcraft said. “Understanding where my body is at and when I can use one day or whatnot. I feel like I’m there when it comes to my arm and knowing if I’m able to pitch or not.”
The back of the Reds’ bullpen has been solid this season, but some individual slip ups over the last few weeks have cost the Reds some notable games. The front office looked to improve the bullpen at the trade deadline, but asking prices for impact relievers were through the roof.
The Reds adjusted their plan and instead acquired starting pitcher Zack Littell. With that extra pitching depth, the Reds were going to move Nick Martinez and Chase Burns to the bullpen. But then, after Nick Lodolo went on the injured list with a blister and Burns went on the injured list with a flexor strain, Martinez moved back to the rotation.
Lodolo and Burns are both working their way back from what could be short-term injuries, and Martinez and Burns could still have the opportunity to make a big impact in the bullpen down the stretch. If the Reds add those two pitchers into the late-game mix, then that will take a lot off of the plates of Pagán, Santillan, Ashcraft and Barlow.
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