Reds' Bell, Mahle clear air after pitcher complains about being pulled

Cincinnati Reds right-hander Tyler Mahle was apparently less than pleased when he was pulled in the fifth inning of Friday's game against the Texas Rangers with one out and two runners in scoring position.

Reliever Wandy Peralta struck out the first batter he faced before issuing a walk and an ensuing grand slam to Rougned Odor. The Reds eventually lost 7-1.

Mahle was charged with four earned runs on four hits and three walks in 4 1/3 innings. He said postgame that he thought he deserved the chance to try to work through danger.

"I think I've gotten yanked out of some games where I'm having a really good game, or just a decent game, and haven't really got the chance to battle through the game, battle through six innings or whatever," Mahle said, according to Mark Sheldon of MLB.com. "It's getting pretty ridiculous at this point."

Reds manager David Bell said he spoke with the pitcher about his concerns and that the air was cleared.

"It's absolutely over," the first-year skipper said. "We had a brief conversation. We're going to talk again later today. I expect these things to happen just because of what it takes to play this game. Tyler Mahle is a great teammate. He's super competitive. He's tough. He's a big part of our staff. I don't want to change Tyler one bit."

Bell said he's actually glad the disagreement happened because he wants to do his part to listen when his players are upset.

This isn't the first time a Reds pitcher has publicly complained about his role this season. Reliever Raisel Iglesias ripped the team in May for using him outside of save situations.

Mahle is 2-7 with a 4.46 ERA, 1.25 WHIP, and 73 strikeouts in 70 2/3 innings this year. Of his 13 starts, he's finished more than five innings on six occasions and has maxed out at five over each of his last four outings.