McLain went 1-for-4 with a stolen base in Thursday's 5-3 loss to the Cubs.
McLain swiped his ninth base of the season in the third inning but was stranded there, as the Reds went 0-for-8 with runners in scoring position. The infielder has a combined 19 steals between Triple-A Louisville and the majors in 2023. He also struck out twice, raising his count to 15 over the last 34 plate appearances (44.1 K%).
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Reds' Jake Fraley: Swipes base in loss
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Fraley went 0-for-3 with a walk and a stolen base in Thursday's 5-3 loss to the Cubs.
Fraley walked and stole second in the first inning but was stranded there. The theft was Fraley's third in the last four games and 20th in 25 attempts over 92 games this season.
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Reds' Tejay Antone: Throws for Louisville
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Antone (elbow) struck out one and threw 11 pitches in a perfect inning for Triple-A Louisville on Wednesday.
Antone's rehab moved from the Arizona Complex League to Triple-A over the weekend, and the right-hander made his debut for the Bats. He's working his way back from a second Tommy John surgery and is tentatively targeted to return Aug. 19.
Reds' Spencer Steer: Homers in second straight game
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Steer went 2-for-4 with a solo home run and a double against the Cubs in a loss Thursday.
Steer brought the Reds to within a run with his eighth-inning solo blast to center field, but that was as close as Cincinnati would get. The long ball was Steer's second in as many days and marked the sixth time in his past seven games that he's driven in at least one run. Over that span, the talented 25-year-old is batting .286 (8-for-28) with three homers, seven RBI and six runs.
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Reds' Elly De La Cruz: Belts eighth homer
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De La Cruz went 1-for-4 with a solo home run Thursday in a loss to the Cubs.
De La Cruz smashed a 424-foot blast on the first pitch of the contest for his second leadoff homer of the campaign. Of the rookie phenom's eight long balls this season, four have come over his past 10 games. However, De La Cruz struck out twice Thursday, and he's posted a massive 42 percent strikeout rate over 18 contests since the All-Star break. Despite De La Cruz's recent slump, Reds manager David Bell intends to leave him at leadoff, per Gordon Wittenmyer of the Cincinnati Enquirer. The rookie, who was moved to leadoff 15 games ago, is slashing .203/.277/.407 atop the order.
Weaver (2-4) took the loss against the Cubs on Thursday, allowing four runs on four hits and four walks while striking out five batters over three-plus innings.
Weaver's wildness was largely to blame for his poor outing, as he threw only 46 of 83 pitches for a strike and tied a season high with four free passes. Those four walks came in a span of five batters in the third frame, with the latter two each forcing in a run. Weaver was allowed to close out that inning but was given the hook after allowing a single to the first batter he faced in the fourth. The right-hander was solid in a quality start against the Dodgers his last time out, but he's been otherwise awful of late -- Thursday was the fourth time in his last five outings that he's given up at least three earned runs while going four of fewer frames. Weaver's season ERA now sits at an ugly 6.98, and it's fair to wonder if he'll be long for the rotation with Hunter Greene (hip) and Nick Lodolo (lower leg) both expected to return later this month.
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Reds' Lyon Richardson: Scratched from Triple-A start
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Richardson was scratched from his start Thursday at Triple-A Louisville with no reason provided, Mark Sheldon of MLB.com reports.
It's possible the Reds are considering Richardson as a rotation replacement for Ben Lively, who landed on the injured list Wednesday with a right pectoral strain. A second-round pick in the 2018 MLB Draft out of a Florida high school, Richardson missed the entire 2022 season following Tommy John surgery but has roared back to deliver a 1.86 ERA with 81 strikeouts in 58 innings (19 starts) this season between Low-A, Double-A and Triple-A. Connor Phillips and Levi Stoudt are among the other -- less exciting -- possibilities to get the call to Cincinnati.
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Reds' Tyler Stephenson: Out of Thursday's lineup
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Stephenson is out of the lineup for Thursday's game against the Cubs.
Stephenson has a .547 OPS in 14 games since the All-Star break and will head to the bench Thursday after starting the previous two contests. Luke Maile will work behind the plate and bat ninth in the series finale at Chicago.
Friedl went 2-for-2 with a home run in Wednesday's 16-6 loss to the Cubs.
Friedl, who opened the game on the bench with a lefty starter on the hill for Chicago, pinch hit for Stuart Fairchild in the seventh inning and homered off righty reliever Mark Leiter. He stayed in the game to play center field. It was his eighth long ball in 87 games. Friedl is not typically subjected to sitting against left-handers, so this was likely just a maintenance day.
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Reds' Nick Senzel: Still with Reds
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Senzel started at third base and went 0-for-4 with three errors in Wednesday's 16-6 loss to the Cubs.
Senzel's usage has picked up recently as a result of Jonathan India (foot) landing on the injured list, as Senzel, presumed to be a trade chip at the deadline, remained with the Reds. The influx of youth has marginalized Senzel, who told Gordon Wittenmyer of the Cincinnati Enquirer that he loves the organization but would like more playing time, something that could have occurred had he been traded. "I'm at a different point in my career than the younger guys we have on our team because I'm getting paid year-to-year now," Senzel said, referring to the two more years under club control. "With that, I need at-bats; I need the innings; I need the games played." Senzel is slashing .231/.306/.376 over 248 plate appearances.
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Reds' Jonathan India: Ramping up baseball activity
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India (foot) took groundballs on the field prior to Wednesday's game, MLB.com reports.
Following a brief period of rest, India increased his baseball activities Wednesday. The infielder is dealing with plantar fasciitis in his left heel, but the condition is considered minor. The club believes India will miss the minimum amount of time on the injured list.
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Reds' Spencer Steer: Belts 16th homer
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Steer went 1-for-4 with a two-run home run in a loss to the Cubs on Wednesday.
Though Cincinnati would eventually be blown out, Steer set the team off on a positive note with his two-run blast in the first frame. It was his 16th long ball of the campaign, tied for fifth-most among MLB rookies. Steer's strong season also includes a .272/.357/.463 slash line, 22 doubles, 61 RBI, 54 runs and nine stolen bases through 105 contests.
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Reds' Joey Votto: Slugs two homers Wednesday
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Votto went 2-for-4 with a pair of home runs and three RBI in Wednesday's loss to the Cubs.
Votto belted a solo shot to center field in the second inning and added a two-run blast in the fourth. He finished with multiple hits for the third straight game, a span in which he's gone 6-for-13 with three homers, four runs and seven RBI. The hot stretch follows a poor start to the second half, as Votto went 5-for-46 (.109 average) over his first 14 games following the All-Star break.
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Reds' Brandon Williamson: Can't get out of fifth inning
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Williamson allowed five runs on four hits and two walks while striking out seven batters in a no-decision against the Cubs on Wednesday.
Williamson got enough early run support to hold a 5-3 lead through four innings, but he allowed two of the first three batters he faced to reach base in the fifth before getting the hook. Both runners came around to score after his departure, marking the first time Williamson has allowed five runs in an outing since he yielded six to the Dodgers on June 7. The southpaw as least managed to contribute seven punchouts in the start Wednesday despite notching just four swings-and-misses. Williamson came out of the All-Star break by picking up two wins and posting a 2.55 ERA over his first three starts, but it's uncertain if he'll hold onto a rotation spot when Hunter Greene (hip) and Nick Lodolo (lower leg) return from the injured list, which is expected to happen later this month. Williamson should have at least a few more starts to prove himself before the Reds need to make that decision.
The Reds recalled Duarte from Triple-A Louisville on Wednesday.
With Ben Lively (pectoral) landing on the injured list Wednesday, Duarte will come up from Triple-A one day after being demoted to clear a spot for Sam Moll. The 26-year-old righty has been unimpressive in middle relief, putting up a 4.30 ERA and 1.57 WHIP through 14.2 innings in the majors this season.
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Reds' Ben Lively: Placed on injured list
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The Reds placed Lively on the 15-day injured list Wednesday with a right pectoral strain.
Lively's pectoral injury could help explain why he allowed 13 earned runs over four innings during Tuesday's blowout loss to the Cubs. The 31-year-old righty will now be sidelined for the next two weeks. Meanwhile Daniel Duarte will come up from Triple-A Louisvile to fill Lively's roster spot.
