Cincinnati Reds Continue to Weather Luke Weaver's Starts in Historic Fashion

Weaver is boasting an 8.79 ERA over his last 10 starts, but the Reds have still managed to cobble together a 9-1 record in those games.

Sam Connon | Jul 23, 2023

Cincinnati Reds Continue to Weather Luke Weaver's Starts in Historic Fashion /

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Cincinnati Reds

Right-hander Luke Weaver put forth another shaky start on Sunday, but that didn't slow down the red-hot Cincinnati Reds.

Weaver allowed three earned runs, eight hits and two walks in 4.0-plus innings against the Arizona Diamondbacks. Still, the Reds' offense came alive and lifted them to a comfortable 7-3 victory, extending their winning streak to five games in the process.

Over his last 10 starts, Weaver owns an 8.79 ERA and 1.952 WHIP with 6.0 strikeouts per nine innings. Opposing batters are hitting .348 with a 1.038 OPS against Weaver in that time.

The Reds, however, improved to 9-1 in Weaver's last 10 starts with their latest win on Sunday.

According to ESPN Stats & Info, Weaver's 8.79 ERA is the highest in a 10-start span for any pitcher whose team won at least 9 games in that stretch since ERA became an official stat in 1913. Cincinnati has been able to pull out wins in those contests by scoring 7.8 runs per game.

Weaver signed a one-year, $2 million contract with Cincinnati in the offseason. 17 starts into the 2023 campaign, the 29-year-old is 2-2 with a 7.20 ERA and 1.675 WHIP.

Ironically, the Reds went 0-3 when Weaver had a 2.81 ERA and 1.250 WHIP between May 14 and 25. They scored an average of two runs in those games.

The Reds are currently 55-46, which is 0.5 games back of the Milwaukee Brewers for first place in the NL Central.

Cincinnati and Milwaukee are set to face off in a three-game series that gets underway Monday at 8:10 p.m. ET. Unfortunately for the Reds, their underperforming good luck charm is not slated to make a start in the road series.

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Published Jul 23, 2023

SAM CONNON

Sam Connon is a Staff Writer for Fastball on the Sports Illustrated/FanNation networks. He previously covered UCLA Athletics for Sports Illustrated/FanNation's All Bruins, 247Sports' Bruin Report Online, Rivals' Bruin Blitz, the Bleav Podcast Network and the Daily Bruin, with his work as a sports columnist receiving awards from the College Media Association and Society of Professional Journalists. Connon also wrote for Sports Illustrated/FanNation's New England Patriots site, Patriots Country, and he was on the Patriots and Boston Red Sox beats at Prime Time Sports Talk.