Kelley L Cox-USA TODAY Sports
When you think of the Cincinnati Reds‘ bullpen, you probably think of big name guys like Aroldis Chapman and Jonathan Broxton. But as of late, the reliever who has pitched the best for the Reds is J.J. Hoover.
Hoover, the 26-year-old Pittsburgh native, has an earned run average of 2.72 and has allowed only 16 runs in 51 games this season. Those stats might not impress you all that much, but according to Elias, Hoover has 23 consecutive appearances where he has not allowed a single run to score — the longest streak of any Reds’ right-handed pitcher. The previous record holder was Ted Abernathy, a player who pitched well from 1955 until 1972.
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Before joining the Reds, Hoover was a pitcher in the Atlanta Braves organization. The Reds made a trade with Atlanta that sent Paul Janish to the Braves and Hoover to the Queen City. Most Reds’ fans didn’t think they were getting much from the trade and that it was just a way to get rid of Janish, but right now, it looks like the Reds won the trade.
The 6-foot-3, 225 pound right-hander is having a ton of success for the team recently, and he, along with every other Reds’ player and fan, hopes that he can continue his success and contribute to many wins in the final 37 games of the season.
The Reds have had excellent starting pitching all season long, so it is a rarity when they hand the game over to the bullpen without the lead. Dusty Baker will trust the bullpen to get the job done as the team heads towards the playoffs.
Coop Ledford is a Cincinnati Reds writer for www.RantSports.com. Follow him on Twitter @CoopLed and add him on Google Plus.
