As the Reds win a bullpen game, two rookie relievers show they're indispensable

The low point for the Cincinnati Reds’ bullpen this season was last Sunday in Houston as Terry Francona apologized to the group for overusing them. Some recent short starts forced the Reds’ bullpen to cover more ground than they normally would. Over the weekend in Houston and early this week as the Reds faced the White Sox, the Reds’ front office and Francona had a decision to make.

Do you send down one of Lyon Richardson or Luis Mey so you can bring up a fresh arm? Or do you keep the current bullpen mix, reward the two rookies who had been pitching very well and try to have a taxed bullpen power through?

In what Francona described as a culture-building decision, the Reds kept Richardson and Mey on the active roster. It wouldn’t have been fair to send them down, and the two young right-handers are ready to help the Reds win.

The Reds probably wouldn’t have won on Saturday, a 4-1 victory over the Guardians in a bullpen game, without them. The 23-year-old Mey picked up his first big league victory and has a 1.08 ERA, and the 25-year-old Richardson threw two strong innings, shaped Francona’s entire plan for the game with his ability to throw multiple innings and wrapped up the day with a 1.54 ERA.

“First, thank God, and thank you to the Reds for giving me the opportunity to be here and be performing how I’m performing right now,” Mey said. “I want to prove that I’m going to stay here forever.”

Richardson said, “I’d really like to come into the big leagues and try to prove a point that I belong. It’s nice to see the effort recognized.”

Francona pushed all of the right buttons on Saturday. Chase Petty, a talented prospect who allowed 13 runs in his first two big league starts, was initially the scheduled starter as an injury-riddled rotation tries to piece it together until Hunter Greene returns.

The plan changed late Friday night when Francona decided to use Brent Suter as the opener for Game 2 of the series on Saturday. Francona charted the path for Game 2 in a meeting with Derek Johnson: Take it inning-to-inning and pitch-to-pitch and have Petty ready as a long reliever if the plan didn’t go perfectly or if any reliever struggled.

Suter set the tone with three scoreless innings, continuing a really strong season by the veteran.

Francona faced two key inflection points as he managed the game.

In the fourth inning of a scoreless game, Francona could have made the expected decision and put Petty into the game as the “bulk guy.” Instead, Francona brought in Richardson, who got the job done.

Then in the sixth inning, Francona needed one more inning from the bullpen before turning it over to the Reds’ three best relievers in Graham Ashcraft, Tony Santillan and Emilio Pagán. Francona called on Mey with the score tied at 1.

Richardson and Mey both were very effective. All year, they’ve looked like they’ve been good big league relievers for a while.

Let’s start with Richardson because he pitched first on Saturday.

As a Reds starting pitching prospect, Richardson missed the 2022 season after having Tommy John surgery and then was closely managed on a tight pitch count in 2023 as he worked his way back. He ended up being thrown into the Reds’ starting rotation as the team chased a playoff spot late in the year, and Richardson showed some real promise as a future long-term piece of the rotation.

Then in 2024, Richardson took a step back. He only pitched in one big league game after making four big league appearances in 2023. Following Richardson’s lone big league appearance last season (in July), the Reds sent him down and told him that he’d be moving to the bullpen. Not long after, he landed on the minor league IL with an elbow injury.

Richardson’s stock wasn't the highest when he reported to spring training for 2025. He blew the team away in camp. While he didn’t make the Opening Day roster, he quickly found himself in the Reds’ bullpen.

“I worked a lot during the offseason on being able to calm down,” Richardson said. “What gets me in trouble is when I move too quick. The goal was to slow down. As soon as I slow down, everything works out.”

With a much improved changeup that he’s now relying on a ton, an impactful breaking ball plus a fastball with standout velocity, Richardson has hit the ground running. His middle relief last Saturday against the Astros was pivotal. He pitched two tremendous innings a few days before that and should have been the hero in a game against the Braves before some others blew the game for the Reds.

Then on Saturday against the Guardians, Richardson allowed one run in two efficient innings. His ability to go multiple innings allowed Francona to pass the baton directly to Mey and then to the back end of the bullpen without having to pitch Petty.

Richardson feels like he has found a home in the bullpen.

“It’s more objective,” Richardson said. “You have a goal. You know what your goal is. You have a short amount of time to do it. I think that’s where I thrive.”

Then in the sixth inning, Mey overwhelmed the heart of the Guardians lineup (Jose Ramirez, Kyle Manzardo and Carlos Santana).

“Luis has the mentality of, ‘Give me the ball, I’m better than you,’” Santillan said. “He has that presence. It’s rare to have a guy like him come up and have the mentality coming in of being fearless and aggressive. He always wants the ball. There’s nothing more you can ask for.”

Like Richardson, Mey has become comfortable in high-leverage spots. Mey has been pitching in them all week, including a scoreless seventh and 10th inning during close games in the Braves series.

Francona’s plan in Saturday’s bullpen game against the Guardians only worked with that big inning from Mey, and he delivered again for the Reds.

“It feels chill, even with the pressure,” Mey said. “I have to deal with it. Even if it’s a way more important situation, I have to deal with it because I’m going to be here in the biggest moments. That’s the biggest place I’ll be. I’ve got to get used to it and just keep going.”

He has very big goals, chasing Aroldis Chapman’s velocity record and eying the closer role down the road in the Reds’ bullpen.

Mey is capable of that with a 103 mph sinker that possesses incredible movement. He’s already the youngest Reds reliever since 2019 to make at least eight big league appearances in a season, and Mey’s approach is really impressing his teammates.

“He’s my man,” said Suter, who’s 12 years older than Mey. “The makeup is off the charts. This guy is prepared. He obviously has stuff that’s off the charts too. He’s putting it together with great execution. Great conviction behind his pitches. He’s available every day.”

Suter continued, “There have been some days where, ‘Ok, Mey, you’re not available.’”

“He’s like, ‘I want the ball.’”

“He’s a beast,” Suter said.

If the Reds had optioned Richardson or Mey (Ashcraft is the only other Reds reliever with minor league options) to call up a fresh bullpen arm this week, then that pitcher wouldn’t have been available to pitch on Saturday against the Guardians. Francona would have had to use an entirely different plan.

The way that it played out on Saturday went perfectly for the Reds, and it was one of Francona’s most impressive performances as the Reds’ manager. In the win, the two rookies were indispensable.

“Once we got through Lyon’s innings and it was a one-run game, the script was probably Mey is going to throw the sixth and then we’ve got our horses in the back in Ashcraft, (Santillan) and Pagán,” Suter said. “Once we got the lead, it was a no brainer. Let’s close this thing out. Those guys have been great all year. The script wrote itself after the fifth.”