Akiyama adjusting to bench; HBPs take toll

ST. LOUIS -- Reds outfielder Shogo Akiyama has continued to wait for his turn to contribute in a more meaningful way this season.

And wait…

And wait …

It hasn’t been easy, especially for a player who is used to being a lineup fixture. In Japan with Seibu, he played 825 consecutive games over a span of six seasons. Akiyama has started only six of his 21 games in 2021 and has 44 plate appearances while batting .179 entering Saturday.

“Daily routine-wise, preparation-wise going into the game, I’m just running every day, lifting every day,” Akiyama said via translator Luke Shinoda. “That doesn’t change. But I think mentally at the beginning of the game, that’s a little different. I’m just paying attention to the game and seeing where I might be going in. I think that’s the biggest difference.”

First, a strained left hamstring felled Akiyama on March 13 during Spring Training and cost him the first five weeks of the regular season. But cracking the lineup has been hard. The top two hitters in the Major Leagues -- Nick Castellanos and Jesse Winker -- are Reds outfielders. Tyler Naquin emerged and currently leads the team with 38 RBIs while being fourth with 11 home runs.

With Joey Votto, Mike Moustakas and Nick Senzel all out with injuries, Naquin’s bat has been essential in the middle of the order. Akiyama gets it and appreciates that manager David Bell has been up front with him.

“I’m very thankful for David and the amount of communication he’s had with me is beyond the amount he should even be responsible for,” Akiyama said. “With player decisions, it’s not only David making the decisions, but he’s been the most caring about my family and my situation, too. I’m really thankful for everything he’s been doing for me so far.”

Signed to a three-year, $21 million contract before the 2020 season, making him Cincinnati’s first Japanese player in the big leagues, Akiyama initially struggled to adjust to the pitching. But he led the club in September with a .317 average and a .456 on-base percentage and was a big catalyst that helped the Reds make the playoffs.

Akiyama wants to show that he can do that again -- if he can get the chance.

“I’m very eager, to say the least,” Akiyama said. “With a full season coming in, it was my job to be able to produce those results throughout the whole year. But it’s my responsibility that I got injured. My job has changed for the moment, but I am eager to produce results and get the team going again.”

Hit-by-pitches piling up
The Reds were hit by four pitches from the Cardinals during Friday’s 6-4 win, but one was especially costly. Alex Blandino, who was hit by Jake Woodford in the fifth inning, suffered a broken right hand and will miss three to six weeks.

St. Louis pitchers entered Saturday leading the Majors with 47 HBPs and Reds batters lead in being hit by pitches 40 times. On April 25, Cardinals ace Jack Flaherty hit Jonathan India on the head, but Bell was ejected for protesting when both benches were warned by umpires.

“I can't control how other teams pitch or pitch us. I always -- until it's obvious -- give teams the benefit of the doubt that it's not intentional,” Bell said. “I don't believe it is. It doesn't make it any easier. I think there's an element of needing to be careful. Our pitchers, we want them to be aggressive. We want to get outs and that's the name of the game. Sometimes hit-by-pitches do happen.

“At some point there needs to be an awareness of where the ball's going. I know we've been hit a lot. I know we've been hit a lot by this team. Sometimes I get a feeling or a sense when it's on purpose, and I haven't gotten that.”

Infield depth low
Blandino is the second backup first baseman to be injured since Votto went on the 10-day IL with a fractured left thumb from -- naturally -- being hit by a pitch. Moustakas was playing first base when he bruised his right heel last month.

At first base, Cincinnati started Mike Freeman on Saturday but has also used rookie catcher Tyler Stephenson there extensively. Scott Heineman can also play first base, so Bell doesn’t expect to seek out another player to try playing the position.

“You look at what Tyler Stephenson has done in the middle of a season for a young player, really remarkable how he's stepped in and done a really good job at first base,” Bell said. “I think we can keep making it work. I don't think we need to do anything too drastic or move someone out of position at this point with Joey being real close to being back. It's a matter of days now.”

When Blandino was put on the 10-day IL, the Reds called up reliever Ashton Goudeau. The club only has one other infielder on its 40-man roster in shortstop prospect José Barrero (formerly Garcia), who is at Double-A Chattanooga.

“We’re definitely not the only team that’s in a position of losing players to injuries,” Bell said. “I think that’s been well noted. I think that’s what it takes. You need depth. You need guys to step up. We’ve been able to do that. That will continue to be our approach.”