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Thursday, July 16, 2009
The Reds drop the first game back from the All-Star Break, falling by a 9-6 score. Not an auspicious start to the second part of the season. Homer Bailey got the start, and was pretty good through five innings, excepting a three-run homer by Prince Fielder in the third. Then in the 6th, things started to go bad, and Nick Masset came in and threw gas on the first as Milwaukee scored five times. Bailey was charged with six hits, four walks, and seven runs in 5 1/3 innings, with three strikeouts. Masset gave up three hits but was charged with just one unearned run in 2/3. Josh Roenicke went two innings and was charged with four hits and one run though he struck out four. Robert Manuel pitched one scoreless inning. Joey Votto blasted a long, two-run homer in the bottom of the third, and Edwin Encarnacion hit a three-run shot in the 8th that made things close again, but that was about it. Encarnacion had three hits, Votto and Jerry Hairston two each. Hairston had a double. Chris Dickerson was scratched from the lineup, his back is still sore. Jonny Gomes played RF instead. Tomorrow night, they play again. | The All-Star Break is over, and the Reds return to action tonight with a home series against the Milwaukee Brewers. The series will last four games. Homer Bailey and Braden Looper will take the mound tonight for the first game of the series. Bronson Arroyo and Jeff Suppan will get the starts on Friday night. Saturday night, Aaron Harang and Manny Parra get the ball. Sunday afternoon in the series windup, Johnny Cueto and Yovani Gallardo will get the call. The Brewers are in second place, and if the Reds have any designs on contending in the latter part of the season this is an important series. | Wednesday, July 15, 2009
So, the Reds are 42-45 as we emerge from the All-Star Break. That puts them in fifth place in the NL Central, five games behind the division-leading Cardinals. Where do we go from here? Francisco Cordero represented the Reds well, pitching a 1-2-3 7th although the AL still beat the NL 4-3. That may give the team a bit of good karma. On the other side, Jay Bruce will now miss several weeks with his broken wrist. The team has reported that the MRI showed no ligament or tendon damage, which was a worry given the hyperextension suffered on that play where he dived for a ball in the outfield. For about six weeks, the Reds will sorely miss his outfield play, which had been outstanding, and his power bat, as he led the team with 18 home runs. So, what's left? Offensively, not much, unfortunately. Joey Votto remains the Reds' only really good hitter. Hopes of getting another bat have not yet been fulfilled. With another open spot in the outfield, things only get more open. We can expect Dusty Baker to continue to insist on playing Willy Taveras, signed to a silly $6.5 million, two-year contract before the season. When you play the contracts, instead of the players, that always gets you into trouble. Votto, batting .351 in spite of DL time, remains the center of the lineup. The Reds have a competent hitter in Brandon Phillips, batting .269 with 14 HR. Other than that, filling out a lineup is a bit sketchy. There aren't many stars to work with here, mostly role players and too many roles to fill. The next-best lineup choices are Chris Dickerson, a good defensive outfielder batting .277 with a .370 on-base, and Ryan Hanigan, batting .338 with a .428 on-base that is likely to come down in the second half. Neither has shown much power, though we know Dickerson has some pop. Both have at least shown an ability to get on base, which is very helpful Hanigan is also a very good defensive catcher. We sometimes talk about how Dusty Baker doesn't like to play young players. That's not entirely true: the youngest players on the Reds are Bruce, 22, and Votto, 25. It is more fair to say that Dusty doesn't like inexperienced players. How they will get that experience if they don't play is hard to answer, but there you go. Dickerson is 27 and Hanigan 28, not exactly young. But neither has played much at the major league level, and neither has the talent level that Votto and Bruce have, so Dusty is wary of them, preferring more experienced players. This is a sign of a manager who is not confident of his own opinions, relying on the previous judgments of others. It is also very common. And it leads to excessive playing time for Proven (mediocre) Veterans like Taveras and Jerry Hairston. So, Votto, Phillips, Dickerson, and Hanigan. It's hard to find another guy you want to stick into the lineup all the time. Jonny Gomes is hitting .311 with 5 HR, but has shown in the past that he is better as a platoon player, getting most of his time against LHP. He is also a poor defensive player. Laynce Nix can play defense, and has shown power with a .247 average and 8 HR, but his on-base is below .300. A platoon in LF is possible, but is relatively low-yield. LF is where the Reds can really use a bat. 3B Edwin Encarnacion is batting .170, but missed most of the first half with an injury. There is hope that he can hit up to standards in the second half, and provide the Reds with another decent bat. However, he is also more of a complementary hitter rather than an impact bat. Catcher Ramon Hernandez, .253 with 5 HR, is "driving in big runs" but should take a back seat to Hanigan, who is performing better. Again, his contract is in the way. Taveras is "hitting" .245, Hairston .251. Neither is doing anything for the offense, outside of Taveras' occasional streaks of hitting. Then there's Paul Janish, who has found his level at .231, and Adam Rosales, at .200. While Janish should play due to his superior defense...he is by far the best shortstop on the roster...the offense is, as it has been, very short. One bat would help, but two are really needed. One way to get a bat would be to trade a pitcher. The Reds actually have some depth in pitching right now, more when Edinson Volquez returns. A current rotation of Aaron Harang, Bronson Arroyo, Johnny Cueto, Micah Owings, and Homer Bailey provides solid outings each time around with no gaping holes. Then, there is the competent Matt Maloney at Louisville, waiting for another call. The Reds could easily trade one of their high-salary veterans, Harang or Arroyo, to bring in a veteran bat of similar pay scale. Both pitchers are signed through next year for eight-figure salaries, and could be dealt to bring in a similar-salaried outfielder. I would like to encourage this. Also, the Reds have a lot of bullpen arms. Contenders at this point are looking for bullpen depth, and the Reds could deal either of their 39-year old veterans, David Weathers or Arthur Rhodes. Both these guys are having strong seasons, and at their age there is no guarantee they can do it again next year. Getting something for them now makes sense, especially with Josh Roenicke, Jared Burton, Carlos Fisher, and Robert Manuel jockeying for jobs behind them. The Reds have no shortage of people for the role. Stop holding on to replaceable talent! Well, that's it, a simple prescription. Deal Arroyo, Weathers, and Rhodes to get a couple of bats, an OF or two and maybe a prospect. without making a move, the Reds will continue to sink due to a lack of offense, in spite of solid pitching. There is the possibility of a complete collapse as Votto cools off, unless Encarnacion can get hot. This is a Reds team that could still win 85, but faces a chance of winning only about 70 if they do nothing about the anemic offense. | Monday, July 13, 2009
Will Carroll of Baseball Prospectus has his first-half injury report up on the website (subscription only). Although the Reds brain trust has complained about the team's injuries, especially with Joey Votto, Edwin Encarnacion, and Edinson Volquez missing time, the numbers of Reds injuries is actually very low. Only four teams have had fewer than the 8 injuries Will counts for Cincinnati: the White Sox, Brewers, Pirates, and Giants. The 224 days lost to injuries is more than only the White Sox, Phillies, and Brewers. So, by that measure at least, the Reds are 28th in the majors in time lost to injuries. Will doesn't think this lack of injuries can hold up. So, we can expect more down time in the second half. The lucky return may be that the guys who miss time may be less valuable. Willy Taveras and Jerry Hairston, perhaps? | With the time off from games over the All-Star Break, it seems most observers are expecting GM Walt Jocketty to make a deal. He might. But what if he doesn't? What do the Reds do about their outfield, with Jay Bruce out until, most likely, September? Well, Dusty Baker is not thrilled about bringing up one of the minor league prospects, Drew Stubbs, Chris Heisey, or Todd Frazier. Those familiar with Dusty's record with young players won't be surprised at this: he is always reluctant about giving untested players a chance to play. Dusty showed some awareness of the factors involved: he is quoted as saying, “This is Stubbs’ first (full) year in Triple-A,” Reds manager Dusty Baker said. “He’s doing pretty good. What is he hitting, .280? (actually .278) What does that equate to here?" OF course, an adjustment is necessary between the majors and minors, but the correct answer to Dusty's question is, "Better than Willy Taveras is doing." A better answer, according to minorleaguesplits.com, is that Stubbs has an MLE (major league equivalency) for the season of a .229 batting average. So, with Stubbs we would be in about the same place as Taveras, but with a 24-year old player who is likely to improve. Now, Heisey is a different story. Heisey has been terrific this year, and has an MLE of .300 with 12 HR. He is also 24. Frazier has an MLE of .264 with 7 HR at age 23. If you were going to call up one of these guys, Heisey would be the guy. I really think Heisey should get a call-up, but the Reds still need to make a deal. We will look at that more later. | Sunday, July 12, 2009
The Reds fell behind 7-0, and though they scored enough runs to make it look good, were never really in this one. The final was 9-7, Mets. Starter Aaron Harang was ineffective, allowing five runs on eight hits and a walk with two strikeouts over just three innings. Josh Roenicke gave up two runs on four hits in 2/3 of an inning, Before Danny Herrera got the last out of the 4th. Robert Manuel then tossed two scoreless innings, then David Weathers came in and surrendered two solo homers in the 7th. Nick Masset pitched a scoreless 8th to wrap up the pitching lines. Willy Taveras had three hits and Brandon Phillips had two. Adam Rosales got the only extra-base hit, a double. The Reds scored three in the 5th when Ramon Hernandez and Edwin Encarnacion walked, and one out later Rosales hit his ground-rule double for a run. Chris Dickerson singled home Encarnacion, and Taveras singled home Rosales. In the 8th the Reds got three more when Taveras and pinch-hitter Jonny Gomes singled, Phillips singled home Taveras, Laynce Nix singled to re-load the bases, Hernandez singled home Gomes, and with one out Phillips scored on a groundout by Jerry Hairston. The last run came in in the 9th when Paul Janish walked, Taveras popped out, Ryan Hanigan singled Janish to third, and Janish scored ona Phillips groundout. Cincinnati heads into the All-Star Break at 42-45, and occupy fifth place in the NL Central. We will look ahead to the rest of the season during the next couple of days. | This game isn't going well. Aaron Harang has given up five runs in the first three innings, and Joey Votto just got thrown out for arguing balls and strikes in the 4th. The Reds are down 5-0 and Josh Roenicke has come on to pitch, with Adam Rosales taking over at 1B. | Adam Rosales has been recalled to take the roster spot of Jay Bruce, who hits the disabled list with a broken wrist. Rosales is not an outfielder, so this is likely a quick fix, until GM Walt Jocketty can make some kind of deal. It's a Nix/Taveras/Dickerson outfield today: Dickerson, RF; Taveras, CF; Votto, 1B; Phillips, 2B; Nix, LF; Hernandez, C; Encarnacion, 3B; Hairston, SS; Harang, P. | Saturday, July 11, 2009
The score was 4-0 again, but this time it was the Reds getting shut out, and the Mets winning. Even worse, Jay Bruce hits the sidelines. He has a broken wrist. Bruce has had a tough first half, with a very low batting average owing to an extremely low batting average on balls in play. Bruce was in his first game back in the lineup after two on the bench. Now he will miss several weeks. Johnny Cueto gave up four runs in five innings on nine hits and two walks with four strikeouts. All the runs scored in the first two innings, then he settled down. Josh Roenicke pitched one and Carlos Fisher two scoreless innings of relief. The Reds got just six hits, doubles by Chris Dickerson and Edwin Encarnacion and singles by Willy Taveras, Joey Votto, Brandon Phillips, and Ramon Hernandez. They just couldn't put enough of them together to score a run. The first inning was the only frame where the Reds got more than one hit. At 42-44, the Reds now cannot reach the All-Star Break with a .500 record. They can get within one game, though, as they send Aaron Harang against Mike Pelfrey tomorrow. | Jay Bruce tried to make a diving catch in tonight's game, but came down awkwardly on his arm, and his wrist hyperextended: word from the broadcast team is that it's broken. That means a DL trip and possibly six weeks out. Ouch. That has to move up the timetable for finding a bat, or perhaps it moves the Reds from buyers to sellers. At any rate, this may provide an opportunity for Drew Stubbs or Chris Heisey. | In a recent blog post, Hal McCoy spent some time shooting down trade rumors. The recent scuttlebutt has the Reds looking at two third basemen, Garrett Atkins of Colorado and Scott Rolen of Toronto. Why the Reds would pursue a third baseman, when they have one in Edwin Encarnacion (who is signed to a multi-million dollar contract, so he isn't just going to the bench) can have one of two explanations: either Encarnacion is going to the other team in the deal, or he is moving to left field. I would be OK with either of those outcomes, as I believe we are past the point of needing to cut bait on Encarnacion at third: he's worked hard, but his defense is still poor there, and he needs to either change positions or change teams. But while other teams don't mind shifting positions for players, (e.g. Skip Schumacher from the OF to 2B), the Reds tend to regard positions as cast in stone, at least once a guy reaches the majors. Now, Atkins would be a really bad idea. He's got a rich contract, and the Rockies are contenders with a better guy available to play third, so they are looking to make a deal. Of course, the same reasons the Rockies want to deal Atkins are the reasons the Reds' shouldn't pick him up: he's not that good. This year, he's batting .227, and that's with half his games in Coors Field. Atkins had a good year in 2006 and a decent one in 2007, but when you account for the ballpark he was below average last year, he is worse this year, and he is not young at 29. These are signs of going downhill. Plus, he isn't good defensively either. More interesting is Rolen, a native of Evansville, IN, and a Hall of Fame talent. His problems: he's 34, and has had injury troubles in recent years, making his durability a question. He also is set to make $11 million this year and next. For all that, I might bite on Rolen, depending on the price. Rolen is a terrifically talented player, hitting .330 this season, when he is able to play. He isn't a top defensive player any more, but he is still a good third baseman. The key to this would be a possible move to left field for Encarnacion. Could he do it? Or would he be moved in the trade? I don't know, but I'd pursue the possibility. The Blue Jays, reportedly looking to deal their ace, Roy Halladay (now, that would make a blockbuster deal) might look at one of the Reds' veteran pitchers, Harang or Arroyo. Dream a little dream... | Friday, July 10, 2009
Bronson Arroyo was very effective against the Mets' tripleA team...or at least, it looked like their AAA team, plus David Wright. Arroyo tossed a four-hit shutout, and the Reds won the series opener 3-0. In the fourth, Joey Votto led off with a homer. Brandon Phillips then doubled. Laynce Nix struck out, but Phillips moved to third on a wild pitch, then Edwin Encarnacion lined out. Apparently afraid of being stranded, Phillips stole home, which was a good idea because Jerry Hairston grounded out. In the 6th, Nix hit a homer for the third and final run. Votto had two hits, and Ryan Hanigan and Encarnacion also doubled. Johnny Cueto and Johan Santana start tomorrow. | The reeling Reds, losers of four of their last five, go to New York to face the also-reeling Mets, who have about half their payroll on the disabled list. The Mets have lost five of their last six, are a game worse than the Reds right now, and just traded OF Ryan Church to get the offensively-inept Jeff Francouer. Now is a good time for the Reds to get back on their feet. Bronson Arroyo pitches tonight, facing Fernando Nieve, who pitched well in his first three starts but has struggled in his last two. We'll see how he looks against the Reds. Saturday, the tiring Johnny Cueto will face Johan Santana, then Sunday afternoon Aaron Harang and Mike Pelfrey get the call. The lineup has: Dickerson, RF; Taveras, CF; Votto, 1B; Phillips, 2B; Nix, LF; Encarnacion, 3B; Hairston, SS; Hanigan, C; and Arroyo. Good to see Hanigan again, especially with Arroyo starting. Of course, the posted lineup has Church in it, so there will be some revision for the Mets. I'm hoping, because right now the Mets have David Wright and not much else. | Thursday, July 09, 2009
Even though the Reds actually scored runs today for a change, and led by scores of 3-0 and 6-4, they fell short in today's ballgame and lost by a 9-6 score. Cincinnati had a little more luck at limiting the Phillies' offense than they did on Monday, but not by that much. Micah Owings had a bad outing, allowing seven runs in 4 1/3 innings on eight hits and four walks with only one strikeout. Josh Roenicke got one out, but also gave up a walk and was charged with a run for his trouble. Danny Herrera got three outs, but gave up a hit, a walk, and a run. Robert Manuel made his major league debut and pitched 1 1/3 scoreless innings, giving up two hits and a walk but getting two strikeouts. Carlos Fisher then pitched a scoreless 8th. The Reds got three in the second, with the key hit a two-run triple by Edwin Encarnacion. Encarnacion also hit a solo homer in the 4th. Brandon Phillips hit a two-run shot in the 6th, but that was all the Reds' scoring. Those were all the extra-base hits, and Encarnacion was the only guy with two hits. The Reds move directly to New York from here, playing a three-game series in CitiField against the Mets to close the pre-All-Star Break schedule. | Once again, the game story for last night's game has manager Dusty Baker bemoaning "wasted opportunities." The TV announcers have been talking about the team's failure with runners on base, how the team is "fourth worst" in the league at such times. Whenever you hear such things, the red flag should go up. What does this mean? Well, in this case, it means that the Reds perform with runners on exactly as they do at other times. If the team is fourth worst, that is, 13th in a 16-team league, should we expect that? I assume this particular 13th place being referred to is for batting average with runners in scoring position. Oddly, that is exactly the same as the team's rank in batting average in ALL situations. Gee, how does that happen? Maybe because hitters tend to perform with runners on much as they do without them on. It is reflective of the overall quality of the offense. Now, the Reds actually rank 14th in the league in runs scored, a much more important stat. They are also 14th in runs per game, ahead of only Houston and San Diego. That means, quite simply, that the team has one of the worst offenses in the league, and is in need of another hitter. It's what I've been saying for months, and so have most fans, and I don't know why this seems hard to figure out. They are 13th in average, 13th in walks, 8th in homers, 14th in on-base percentage, 13th in slugging. Yep, they are doing exactly as you would expect. No surprises here, no matter how much people pretend there is. | Wednesday, July 08, 2009
This time it was the Phillies winning in the 9th, taking tonight's game by a 3-2 score. Not enough homers by Brandon Phillips, you ask me... The Reds got on the board first with a rally in the fourth inning. Hairston and Votto singled, Phillips walked (no, really, he's been doing that more this year), then Laynce Nix singled home Hairston, and Ramon Hernandez hit a sacrifice fly to bring home Votto. Then Jay Bruce grounded into a double play, and the Reds offense was effectively done for the night. Which was too bad, because Homer Bailey is really making a statement about being a major league pitcher. He went six innings, giving up two runs on seven hits, struck out six and didn't walk anybody. That last was the most amazing and the most heartening part. Arthur Rhodes got two outs, but also walked two, and David Weathers came in to get a righty to end the 8th. But, Weathers couldn't get the job done in the 9th, getting two outs but allowing a walk and two hits, which scored the winning run. It was a letdown, but not completely unexpected. One more game left in Philadelphia, a rare Thursday night match with Micah Owings and Jamie Moyer. Once again, the Reds will need a win to get back to .500. | You can get Win Shares, Bill James' invention of a way to evaluate a player's entire performance, at Bill James Online, natch. Membership is $9 per three-month stretch. Having just passed the first-half mark, let's look at the Reds' Win Shares to date. Joey Votto leads the team with 12 Win Shares, even though he has missed more than 1/3 of the games so far. That speaks well of Joey, not so much for the rest of the team. Next are Brandon Phillips and Ramon Hernandez, both at 10 WS. Francisco Cordero has 8, Johnny Cueto and Ryan Hanigan 7 each. Aaron Harang has 6, and a long list stand at 5: Jay Bruce, Chris Dickerson, Jonny Gomes, Jerry Hairston, Nick Masset, Micah Owings, Willy Taveras. Most of Taveras' are defensive WS. | Tuesday, July 07, 2009
Well, that turned out much better. A day after getting blown out by the Phillies, the Reds not only show up for the game, they beat the Philadelphia team by a 4-3 score. Huzzah! Aaron Harang gave up three runs in the first three innings-two solo homers in the 2nd, another run in the 3rd-but got himself back in the game, left the bases loaded in the 3rd, and then locked things down, ending up with a quality start as he gave up three runs over six innings, on nine hits and two walks with seven strikeouts. Arthur Rhodes, David Weathers, and Francisco Cordero then each provided a scoreless inning of relief. The Reds entered the 4th down 3-0, but Brandon Phillips took over the offense about then, hitting a two-run homer in the 4th and adding a solo shot in the 6th. That made the score tied going into the late innings, and the Reds got the run they needed in the 9th when Joey Votto doubled, Phillips sacrificed him to third, Laynce Nix pinch-hit and was intentionally walked, then Ramon Hernandez singled Votto home. That was all, but it was also all that was necessary. The other Reds hits were singles by Willy Taveras, Jerry Hairston, and Edwin Encarnacion. Micah Owings and Jaime Moyer start tomorrow night. | Robert Manuel, a reliever with a 2.51 ERA in 43 innings at Louisville, has been recalled to help the bullpen. Drew Sutton has been sent back to KY. Drew, we hardly knew ye. Come back soon. That brings the Reds back to the ridiculous number of 13 pitchers on the active roster. Ostensibly this is because of last night's blowout, but three pitchers (the three veterans, Cordero, Weathers, and Rhodes) didn't pitch at all. I guess is there's another blowout, they want to have a fresh arm to mop up. Speaking of fresh arms, John Fay raised a good point that Johnny Cueto could be tired: he's pitched 104 innings already, with the season now at the halfway point, after 174 last year. And that doesn't include winter ball, or the World Baseball Classic. Shutting him down would be a good idea, or at least skipping his turn over the All-Star Break. | Well, if there was a game I was going to miss for being out of town, it was this one. The carnage was terrible. The Reds lost to the Phillies 22-1, their biggest margin of defeat in the long history of the franchise, as well as the most runs given up since surrendering 22 in 1937. Ten of those Phillies runs came in the first inning. Johnny Cueto was charged with nine runs in 2/3 of an inning on five hits (including two homers) and three walks plus a hit batter. He did have a strikeout. Danny Herrera started the parade of mop-up pitchers, giving up three runs in 2 1/3. Nick Masset gave up four runs (three earned) in one inning. Carlos Fisher pitched two scoreless innings and then Josh Roenicke one, before infielder Paul Janish pitched the 9th and allowed the last six runs. The Reds' only run came on a homer by Jonny Gomes in the second inning. It was a nice try, Jonny. Other hits were by Willy Taveras, Jerry Hairston (a double), Joey Votto, and Edwin Encarnacion. Try, try again tonight, with Aaron Harang and J.A. Happ. | Monday, July 06, 2009
One more game to the actual halfway mark of the season: 80 games played, 82 to go. But, since a new series is beginning, and since I will be out of town overnight and not get a chance to do a write-up after this game, let's do a little half-season review. The Reds are exactly at .500, 40-40. That's really far better than I expected; I thought the team would get off to a slow start after all the upheaval, get its bearings, and do better in the second half. That they have played at this level so far seems a good sign. To win in an NL Central that seems eminently winnable, however, will take more: probably another bat, at least. Yesterday on TV during the blowout, Thom Brennaman and Chris Welsh were discussing the merits of mortgaging the future to bring in a bat: specifically, to trade Homer Bailey (plus likely something else) to get Matt Holliday. They were admirably solidly against it, but that is not the question. In all likelihood, somebody like Josh Willingham, who would greatly help the Reds' offense, could be had for someone like Matt Maloney. The offense to date: mostly Joey Votto. Votto has played just 50 of the 80 games, but is hitting .364 with 10 HR and 41 RBI. Jonny Gomes is the only other player with an OPS over 1000, batting .333 in 32 games with 4 HR and 15 RBI. A way needs to be found to get him in the lineup more often. Hopefully he plays tonight against Cole Hamels. In the 800 OPS range are pitcher Micah Owings, batting .262 with 3 HR and 8 RBI in 42 AB, and Ryan Hanigan, batting .338 in 136 AB. Hanigan has little power (1 HR, 8 RBI), but has walked 22 times and struck out only 12. He is a perfect #2 hitter, even though he has never batted in that spot for the Reds. It is a shame to bench one of your few .300 hitters to play a guy batting .252, in my opinion. In the 750-800 OPS range are Laynce Nix, batting .251 with 7 HR and 21 RBI in 171 AB; Brandon Phillips, doing his usual cold-hot-cold thing and overall with a .268 average, 11 HR and 53 RBI; Chris Dickerson, hitting .278 with 2 HR and 12 RBI in 176 AB; and Jay Bruce, even with his .217 average, because he has 18 HR plus 41 RBI. Two guys in the 700-750 range: Jerry Hairston is batting .258 with 7 HR and 24 RBI in 244 AB, and Ramon Hernandez is batting .252 with 5 HR and 33 RBI in 250 AB. The rest are below 600 in OPS, hitting but very weakly. Willy Taveras (of course) is batting .244 but has 16 steals. He looks to be heating up again. Paul Janish is at .233, but is the team's best defensive shortstop. Adam Rosales, before being sent back to the minors, was hitting .197. Alex Gonzalez, currently on the disabled list, is hitting .214. Edwin Encarnacion, just back from the DL, is batting .125 on the season. Drew Sutton is 0-for his first-3, but has an RBI on a groundout. He'll need more time. The Reds definitely need a bat, and one that plays LF would be fine. Right now, Phillips is on pace for more than 100 RBI, and Bruce for 36 HR. Votto would be on pace for more if not for missing time. We'll see where he goes. Pitching: Johnny Cueto is 8-4 with a 2.69 ERA; Bronson Arroyo 8-8, 5.85; Aaron Harang 5-8, 3.86; Micah Owings 6-8, 4.48; Edinson Volquez 4-2, 4.35 in 9 starts; Matt Maloney 0-2, 6.11 in 3 starts; Homer Bailey 1-0, 5.94 in 3 starts. In the bullpen, Arthur Rhodes has 15 holds and a 1.88 ERA; Danny Herrera is 1-4 with a 1.97 ERA; Francisco Cordero is 1-2 with 20 saves and a 1.80 ERA to be the team's lone All-Star; David Weathers is 0-1 with 1 save and 13 holds and a 2.63 ERA; Jared Burton was sent to the minors with a 4.81 ERA; Nick Masset is 4-0 with a 1.67 ERA; Mike Lincoln is on the DL after a 1-1 record and 8.22 ERA. Also, Carlos Fisher is 1-0 with a 3.93 ERA, and Josh Roenicke is at 0.00 in 7 1/3 innings. I think the team needs a bat; still and all, I can't be disappointed with the first half. This Cincinnati Reds team is in position to post the club's first over-.500 record since 2000. The young pitching staff bodes well for the future. I just hope the club is not afraid of making a deal or two to improve the team. | The Reds spend this week playing four games in Philadelphia. The pitching rotations line up this way: tonight, Johnny Cueto and Cole Hamels in a big-time matchup; Tuesday, Aaron Harang and J.A. Happ go to the mound. Wednesday, Homer Bailey and Rodrigo Lopez will get the go-ahead, then Thursday it's Micah Owings and Jamie Moyer. All games have a 7:05 start, and all will be on Fox Sports Ohio. This is the final push for the Reds before the All-Star Break. | Sunday, July 05, 2009
Bronson Arroyo gave up a double and a homer to the first two batters, and things looked bleak. Then, he retired the next nine in order, restoring hope. But then, he gave up two more runs in the 4th, and it just got worse from there. The Cardinals won, 10-1. Arroyo gave up eight runs (five earned) in five innings on 11 hits and two walks with two strikeouts. In the mop-up, Josh Roenicke pitched two scoreless innings, then Carlos Fisher allowed two runs in two innings of work. The only Reds run came in the 7th when Joey Votto singled and one out later, Jay Bruce tripled him home. Bruce's triple was the only extra-base hit among the Reds' mere six safeties, two by Jerry Hairston. The others were by Willy Taveras and Ryan Hanigan. The Reds are now back to .500 at 40-40. They go on the road in the week before the All-Star Game, with four during the week in Philadelphia, then three at New York. | The lineup for today is the same as yesterday, except Ryan Hanigan is catching Bronson Arroyo. Dickerson, Taveras, Votto, Phillips, Bruce, Encarnacion, Hairston, Hanigan, Arroyo. Fun fact: the Reds are 12-6 when Paul Janish is the starting shortstop. | Saturday, July 04, 2009
Hairston lines out, Hernandez singles, then Nix pinch-hits and doubles in the bottom of the 8th. Trever Miller will come in to pitch to Chris Dickerson. Thom Brennaman says the Reds won't pinch-hit, but if Dusty was smart he would send up Jonny Gomes here, because Nix is now in the game to play LF. Of course, Dickerson bats, and strikes out. Two down and Taveras up, he already has three singles. Loops one to center but caught to end the inning, and it remains 5-2 as we go to the 9th. Francisco Cordero now in to work to the bottom of the Cards' order. Fly to CF is first out. Grounder to third for the second out. And Cordero strikes out Tyler Grreene to end the game. Reds win 5-2. Micah Owings gave up two runs in 6 2/3 innings on six hits and two walks with six strikeouts. Danny Herrera gave up a hit, then Nick Masset got an out (Pujols!) to end the 7th. Arthur Rhodes and Francisco Cordero each threw a shutout inning of relief. Taveras had three hits, Votto two. Every starter but Encarnacion had at least one hit. Owings and Votto had solo homers, Votto a triple, Hairston and Nix doubles. Much better, even with the steady light rain today. Arroyo and Carpenter tomorrow. | Reds go down 1-2-3 in the bottom of the 7th, now Arthur Rhodes comes in for the 8th. Brendan Ryan pinch-hits for Chris Duncan and lines one right back at Rhodes, who deflects it with his glove while going down like a shot. Ryan gets a single. Rick Ankiel bats and flies out in a less destructive fashion. Yadier Molina, who is built to hit into the double play. Cards know it and start Ryan, but Rhodes picks him off. He left too early. Two out with nobody on now. Now Molina flies out for #3. Inning over, Reds ahead 5-2. | Owings back out for the 7th. Gets pop fly for first out. Liner caught by Hairston for second out. Silver lining...this is the bottom of the order. Base hit by Schumacher, the leadoff man. Now Rasmus. Dusty calls to the bullpen for Danny Herrera to pitch to the lefty. Pinch-hitter likely. Ludwick pinch-hits a single. Now Pujols with two on and two out, Pujols coming up as the tying run. Shades of last night. Except, Nick Masset is called on this time, rather than David Weathers. First pitch, breaking ball for a strike. Now an outside fastball, with a bit off of it, for a strike. 0-2 count. Fastball going outside again, Pujols hits a grounder off the end of the bat and Phillips throws him out. Inning over, big sigh of relief. | Cardinals push one home on sacrifice fly, then Jay Bruce makes a leaping catch at the wall for out #3, to hold the score at 5-2. That was close, and should be the last inning for Micah Owings. Owings will lead off the bottom of the inning, and might bat for himself but be taken out anyway. New pitcher for the Cards, Hawksworth. Owings tries to bunt his way on but is thrown out. Dickerson out on chopper to short. Now Taveras gets his third hit, a single into right. Taveras looks to be on another of his hot streaks. Votto hits one hard to left, but caught at the wall. Score 5-2, Reds. | Cards go down 1-2-3 in the top of the 5th, then Joey Votto starts the Reds' half with a solo homer. Cool. Phillips singles, then Bruce singles. Encarnacion strikes out. Hairston grounds out 5-4, but can't get the double play, and Phillips scores from third. Another Thurston misplay. Hernandez flies out to end the inning, Reds up 5-1 after five. | Molina lines out to Dickerson, one away. Joe Thurston grounds out to Votto, and the pitcher strikes out. Nice, quick 1-2-3 inning. The kind we like. Owings, Dickerson, and Taveras for the Reds in the 4th. Owings grounds out back to the box. Dickerson...almost got a hit down the line. Just foul. Now he draws a walk. Taveras with one on and one out. Willy has two singles. Swings through that breaking pitch. Taveras loops one into right, Ankiel catches it and throws to first to double off Dickerson, who was going with the pitch. Inning over, still 3-1. | Phillips, Bruce, and Encarnacion due up for Reds. Phillips grounds to hole between short and third, shortstop throws it into the dugout. Phillips on second. Bruce with an RBI opportunity. Bruce hits it deep but Rasmus runs it down in right-center. Phillips tags and goes to third. Encarnacion up now, runner at third and one out. Encarnacion strikes out on a slider out of the zone, but Molina throws down to third to try and catch Phillips off base, but throws the ball away. Phillips scores! Bad play, Molina had no chance to get him. Gift run. Hairston rips a ball into the left field corner for a double. Hernandez with a runner at second and two out. Hernandez drives it to right, but Ankiel catches it. Inning over, but another run in, Reds 3-1. | Schumacher grounds one to short, but Hairston can't make the play. Runner on first. Rasmus to the plate. Owings strikes him out, Pujols now up. Pujols a long at-bat. Now 3-2, keeps fouling off pitches looking for one to drive. Owings goes too far outside for ball four. Two on, one out. Chris Duncan up. Punches him out, two down, Rick Ankiel to the plate. Ankiel hits it deep but Bruce has enough room for out #3. Still 2-1 Reds. | Much the same lineup as yesterday, but Encarnacion is in at third and batting 6th, with Hairston at sS and Hernandez batting 8th. Hairston starts the 2nd by striking out on a slider sliding waaaay out of the strike zone. Hernandez to the plate and on the 3-2 pitch he flies out to CF. Now Micah Owings gets to hit. Owings hits it out! Homer to left-center. Boy, you can't throw Owings a fastball, he will lose it for you. Nope, that was a hanging curve, not even a FB. Pow! Now Dickerson singles to left. Taveras bunts and once again Joe Thurston proves he can't defense that. Runners at first and second, two down for Votto. Votto trying to extend the 2-1 lead. Nope, struck him out. Votto didn't like the called strike three, but his opinion doesn't count here. Inning over, Reds up 2-1. | Colby Rasmus hit a solo homer in the first, which stirred up bad memories of yesterday, but in the bottom of the inning the Reds got the run back. After Chris Dickerson grounded out, Willy Taveras singled and stole second, then Joey Votto tripled him in to tie the game. Brandon Phillips walked, but Jay Bruce and Edwin Encarnacion grounded out. In the top of the 2nd, the Cardinals threaten again. Flyout, single, single, sacrifice, and TV announcers Thom Brennaman and Chris Welsh are on Encarnacion for charging instead of covering third. I can't tell, because I don't know how they practiced that play in spring training. If they didn't, then it's the coaches' fault, not Encarnacion's. But Owings strikes out Schumacher to end the inning, so no damage. | The word on the 40-man roster spot is in: Wilkin Castillo was transferred to the 15-day disabled list to the 60-day disabled list, effectively making a merry-go-round with Edwin Encarnacion going from the 60-day to the active roster, and Danny Richar from the roster to the 15-day DL. Players on the 60-day disabled list do not count against the 40-man roster limit of players the major league team can control. | I think I would feel better about losses like last night if just once Dusty Baker would say, "You know, I really screwed up." However, our manager seems to consider it a sign of weakness to accept blame. | Friday, July 03, 2009
Homer Bailey was great, but his bullpen, and to some extent his manager, failed him on this night, as the Reds went down to defeat 7-4 to Albert Pujols and the Cardinals. It looked a lot like a coming-out party for the young pitcher. Bailey gave up a single and a walk to the first two hitters, then struck out Pujols. The punchout seemed to give him confidence, and was the first of 13 consecutive hitters Bailey retired. After plunking Joe Thurston with a pitch, retired seven more in order before allowing a double to Yadier Molina, then got Thurston to end the 7th. At this point, the Reds were up 3-0, Bailey had pitched seven strong, and was scheduled to lead off the bottom of the 7th. The fans rose and applauded as Bailey left the mound, anticipating a pinch-hitter. However, Dusty Baker sent Bailey up to hit for himself. Was this a wise move? Bailey had pitched seven shutout innings, thrown less than 100 pitches, and given up but two hits. It was a perfectly reasaonable thing to leave him in the game. However, there were signs. He had gone deep into the game, the score was still close, an insurance run would be a good thing and a PH might help, and the bullpen would get to start a clean inning, which is better. But Bailey hit for himself, the Reds did not score in the 7th, and the Cardinals started the 8th with a single, a fly out, and a walk. Arthur Rhodes was called in here to pitch to lefty-hitting Chris Duncan, who was pulled for a righty pinch-hitter...who walked, as Rhodes had trouble finding the strike zone for the second straight appearance. David Weathers was then called in with the bases loaded to pitch to Albert Pujols, in another second-guessing opportunity. From a sabermetric perspective, this is an obvious place to use your best reliever...who would be Francisco Cordero by most measures. That's why he gets the big bucks, after all. But, Cordero is the closer, and conventional wisdom today says the closer only pitches the 9th inning when his team has a lead, not the 8th with the other team's best hitter up as the potential go-ahead run. Personally, I think the conventional wisdom is nuts. But, Dusty lives by "the Book," so in came the setup guy. And Pujols hit a grand slam. That made it 4-3, Cardinals. The Reds came back to tie it in the 8th, but the Cardinals scored three in the top of the 9th and held the Reds off in the bottom of the inning, even though they loaded the bases. Epic fail, as the kids say. Dusty's moves were defensible, but they are also open to question. Especially since they didn't work. Dusty's moves were not the ones I would have made in the same situation, but there is no guarantee that what I, or anyone else would have done would have worked either. That doesn't make me any less frustrated tonight. Bailey was charged with two runs in 7 1/3 innings on three hits and two walks with five strikeouts. Rhodes walked one guy and got charged with one run. Weathers gave up one hit, guess which one, and was charged with one run in 1/3 of an inning. Nick Masset got one out in the 9th, Danny Herrera pitched 1/3 of an inning and gave up three hits and three unearned runs, and Carlos Fisher got the last out. Willy Taveras and Brandon Phillips had two hits each. Chris Dickerson, Jay Bruce, Jerry Hairston, Phillips, and a pinch-hitting Edwin Encarnacion had doubles. It just wasn't enough because the bullpen, for one of the few times this year, failed. Micah Owings and Brad Thompson tomorrow afternoon for the 4th. | The Reds have signed Humberto Valor, a shortstop from Venezuela. Davey Concepcion is also from Venezuela. So are Alex Gonzalez and Ramon Hernandez. | Edwin Encarnacion has been activated, with Danny Richar being placed on the disabled list with his bum shoulder. No word yet on who has been dropped from the 40-man roster to make room. Lineup: Dickerson, LF Taveras, CF Votto, 1B Phillips, 2B Bruce, RF Hernandez, C Hairston, 3B Janish, SS Bailey, P | A big series this weekend for the holiday, as the St. Louis Cardinals come to town. The Cardinals are in second, percentage points behind the Brewers, with the Reds in third, two games back. Not only that, but the Cubs and Astros are right behind, with Pittsburgh not that far off the pace, either. This really is a key series. Homer Bailey will try to calm down tonight as he makes the start, facing Joel Piniero. Piniero has posted a fine 3.44 ERA this season, but has lost 9 of his last 11 starts. We'll hope to keep that going, and add to the Cincinnati runs of winning four of the last five games and five of the last seven. Saturday and Sunday are afternoon outings, in what is forecast to be pleasant weather. Saturday will match Micah Owings and Brad Thompson, while on Sunday Bronson Arroyo and Chris Carpenter take the hill. Come out for some exciting baseball this weekend! | Rebecca Glass, blogger at This Purist Bleeds Pinstripes, asked several bloggers to rate their GM for a piece on her blog. Since it would be a shame to write for her and not put it here, here follows my look at Walt Jocketty: The Cincinnati Reds' General Manager is Walt Jocketty...who is better known as the long-time GM of the St. Louis Cardinals, before he was pushed out in a St. Louis power play. Jocketty had been the Cardinals' GM for 13 years, bringing Mark McGwire, among others, to the Gateway City. Jocketty got a rep in St. Louis of dealing prospects to get veterans for the pennant race, but with two caveats: few of the prospects he dealt ever became stars, and that was what his manager for most of that time, Tony LaRussa, favored. Jocketty and LaRussa seemed to work well together, and the Cardinals had a lot of success over that time period. In October 2007 Jocketty was dismissed from the Cardinals, and in January 2008 he was hired as an "adviser" by the new Reds owner, Robert Castellini. Everyone knows what that means, and in April 2008, shortly after the season had started, Jocketty was named Reds GM after Wayne Krivsky was fired. So, Jocketty has been the Reds' GM for a little more than a calendar year, just one offseason. What has he done? Not a lot, really, although it did involve remaking the club. He dumped off the team's two sluggardly sluggers, Ken Griffey Jr. and Adam Dunn, at the end of 2008 as their contracts were ending. Jocketty did not pick up an amazing amount of talent in those trades, though he did bring in some useful properties: 5th starter Micah Owings, middle reliever Nick Masset, backup IF Danny Richar, reserve Wilkin Castillo, prospect Dallas Buck. Filler, mostly, but inexpensively so, and probably no less than anyone else would have managed for the pair. In the offseason, Jocketty set out to put together a "pitching-and-defense" version of the Reds, who had some good arms but had now lost their offensive power. Jocketty's key offseason moves: re-signed reliever Mike Lincoln to a two-year deal acquired catcher Ramon Hernandez for Ryan Freel signed reliever Arthur Rhodes to a two-year deal signed OF Willy Taveras to a two-year deal re-signed IF Jerry Hairston. Of those five moves, none is an unmitigated success, and the signing of Taveras to a two-year deal for $6.5 million could possibly be termed a disaster. The Reds had talents of his type already, as does everyone else, and could have gotten another comparable player for one-tenth of the cost, but went for the name. This is a weakness both of Jocketty and Dusty Baker, the name. Paying Lincoln for two years and $4 million also looks disastrous, as well as a strange move given that Lincoln had had a merely decent season as a middle reliever in 2008 after two years off due to arm trouble. The chances of either signing succeeding were very long, and it was easy to see this in advance as well as retrospect. Of the other three, Rhodes has done well in his limited role, Hernandez has been an improvement over last year's catchers, and Hairston has gone back to being what he was before last year's career year. Both Hernandez and Hairston have been played too much by Baker, a forseeable outcome. Veterans, you know. Before the deadline, Jocketty still needs to make the deal he needed to make all offseason: to bring in a strong bat, one that can play LF. That shouldn't be hard to do, but it has escaped his abilities so far. The Reds may deal a veteran pitcher (Aaron Harang or Bronson Arroyo) to keep payroll on an even keel if they bring in a veteran OF. They can do this because they have depth in their starting pitching. Jocketty's grade so far? Probably a "C" because we don't have enough info to give him anything else. He has made good moves and bad moves. You would have to give him an "A" for his time with the Cardinals, I would think, because of the success there: six playoff appearances and one World Series win in 13 years. If he could approach that in Cincinnati, fans would be very happy. | Thursday, July 02, 2009
It took 10 innings, but the Reds won their afternoon game versus the Diamondbacks because, as has often happened this year, Joey Votto came up with a key hit. Also in the usual category was the good defense and weak offense. Aaron Harang started and, naturally, got a no-decision. He went seven innings and gave up two runs on four hits and three walks with eight strikeouts for another quality start. Nick Masset and Danny Herrera pitched scoreless innings, as did Francisco Cordero even though he walked the bases loaded in the 10th. However, Jay Bruce helped him out by throwing out yet another runner at the plate, this one trying to score on a fly ball. This time the Reds put lots of runners on base, but had trouble scoring. They collected a total of 14 hits: 4 by Joey Votto, 3 by Ryan Hanigan, and 2 by Chris Dickerson. The first run scored in the 5th when Jonny Gomes doubled, Ryan Hanigan got a bunt single, and Chris Dickerson singled home Gomes. That tied the score at 1, which lasted until Mark Reynolds homered off Harang in the 6th. That continued until the 9th, when the Reds got the run they needed to tie the game and send it into extra innings. Jerry Hairston singled, Votto singled, Brandon Phillips grounded out but the runners moved up, and pinch-hitter Drew Sutton got his first major league RBI in his first major league at-bat, when he grounded out but Hairston scored. That tied things at 2. In the 10th, Dickerson singled, Ramon Hernandez walked, Jay Bruce bunted a single to load the bases, but Laynce Nix struck out, and Hairston flied out too shallow for Dickerson to score. Then, to save the situation, Votto singled home the winning run. The Reds are now 39-38, and will host the Cardinals for three games this weekend. | Wednesday, July 01, 2009
The Reds beat the Diamondbacks by a 1-0 score in the middle game of their series. Not much offense, but there was enough pitching. Johnny Cueto battled soreness to get through six shutout innings, even though he walked four in the first two innings, while favoring a sore back or hip. Still, he gave up just one hit, and no walks after the second. Cueto struck out eight. Arthur Rhodes pitched the 7th, and gave up a hit and walked two to load the bases, but escaped without a run. David Weathers and Francisco Cordero followed with 1-2-3 innings. The only run scored in the 6th when Chris Dickerson doubled and Joey Votto singled him home. The team had a total of nine hits. Dickerson, Votto, and Ramon Hernandez had two hits each. Brandon Phillips, Danny Richar, and pinch-hitter Paul Janish had the other hits. Dickerson and Hernandez had the doubles, the rest were singles. Tomorrow is Aaron Harang and Doug Davis. We will see if the Reds will go over or under .500. | As soon as I posted the last entry on lineups, I found out that Jared Burton has been optioned and Drew Sutton called up. It's overdue, and I'm glad to see him, but it also probably means less playing time for the team's best shortstop, Paul Janish. Hopefully, Sutton will get chances at 3B. Tonight's lineup actually has Chris Dickerson, although Hairston is at SS and Richar at 3B. Dickerson, CF Hairston, SS Votto, 1B Phillips, 2B Nix, LF Hernandez, C Bruce, RF Richar, 3B Cueto, P No Hanigan either. Oh well. | Last night Dusty Baker put forth a lineup that did not include Jonny Gomes, Ryan Hanigan, or Chris Dickerson. It may or may not be a coincidence that the Reds got two runs on six hits, since Hanigan and Gomes are two of the Reds' three .300 hitters (Joey Votto is the other) and all three are among the six with above-average OPS numbers. But, of course, Willy Taveras is a proven leadoff guy, Ramon Hernandez drives in those key runs, and Laynce Nix is, well, left-handed. Yeah. So, what should the lineup be? The Reds have 12 position players on the roster, because for some unknown reason they are carrying 13 pitchers (we'll get to that later). That means 8 play and four sit, as opposed to 9 and 3 when they were in AL parks. During that time, defensively-challenged Jonny Gomes was able to DH in every game. Now, we must pick eight and deploy them into some sort of defensive unit. Against right-handers, the OPS order is: Votto, (Owings), Gomes, Nix, Bruce, Dickerson, Phillips, Hanigan, (.700 mark), Hernandez, Hairston, Janish, Taveras, Richar. Richar really hasn't played enough to judge, and his rank shouldn't be held against them. Plus, you really have to play two of Hairston, Janish, and Richar, as no one else can play SS or 3B. So, one of those guys sits (I vote for either Hairston or Richar, as Janish's defense is by far the best at SS). It is becoming very clear that Taveras should sit, although the team does not want to make that decision after committing to a big contract in the offseason; and Hanigan is a bit ahead of Hernandez, but both can play. So, if Richar, Taveras, and Hernandez are on the bench, who else sits? Either Dickerson or Gomes, it appears. Dickerson because he is lowest on this list, Gomes because he is the right-handed hitter. Against LHP: Votto, Gomes, Hanigan, and Phillips are above 900; Hairston is at 801; the rest are below 700, with Hernandez, Dickerson, Bruce, Nix, Taveras, and Janish, and Richar has no AB against lefties. So, the first five are the guys you really want in there, and you use whichever three others you need to have. Now, the sample size against lefties is much smaller, so there is some play here. But a pattern emerges. While a manager needs to respond to changing conditions, I think there are some sensible things that emerge. Hanigan should get most of the work behind the plate going forward, with Hernandez getting about half the at-bats against righties. Joey Votto and Brandon Phillips need to play every day, of course, and Paul Janish also should because of his defense. Danny Richar and Jerry Hairston could platoon at 3B for the time being, until Edwin Encarnacion returns. In the OF, Chris Dickerson and Willy Taveras should platoon in CF, Laynce Nix and Jonny Gomes in LF, with Jay Bruce in RF. Gomes could also spell Bruce, with Dickerson playing some LF against lefties. However, Taveras will continue to get most of the work in CF, as will Hernandez behind the plate, and when Encarnacion returns Hairston will take over at SS. This is because of a favoring of veterans over younger players, as well as favoring those signed to larger contracts. It's not right, and it will cost the Reds a few games, but it is what will happen. | Tuesday, June 30, 2009
Cincinnati hasn't done well against good pitching, and Dan Haren is a good pitcher. The results: the Reds get two runs on six hits, while Arizona has two three-run innings and posts a 6-2 victory. Bronson Arroyo was charged with all six runs, five earned, on 10 hits and four walks, including two home runs, in 5 1/3 innings. He had two strikeouts. Not one of Arroyo's better outings. Carlos Fisher pitched 1 2/3, Jared Burton and Josh Roenicke one each. Six different guys got the Reds' hits: doubles by Jerry Hairston, Laynce Nix, and Ramon Hernandez, and singles by Willy Taveras, Joey Votto, and Jay Bruce. Not much to get excited about. Johnny Cueto and Jon Garland tomorrow, and we'll hope for a better outcome. | The Reds are home, at .500, in third place, and three games back of first-place Milwaukee. It's not a bad place to be on the last day of June. Now attention turns to the three-game series with the Diamondbacks. Arizona is struggling at 30-46, and the Reds swept them in Phoenix in May. This is a series that can be used to set up the intra-division play coming up in July, as the fight for the postseason reaches a new level. Tonight's scheduled starters are Bronson Arroyo and Danny Haren. Tomorrow night, Johnny Cueto and Jon Garland get the call. Then in a Thursday afternoon game, Aaron Harang and Doug Davis will get the starts. The wait is on for Edwin Encarnacion. Will he be activated for tonight's home game, or during this homestand? No word from the club yet. After a slow start, Encarnacion has been hitting recently during his minor league rehab stint. He will be back soon, but it is hard to guess who will go down to make room (Danny Richar?) or who will be removed from the roster...if you remember, when Richar was called up, Encarnacion was put on the 60-day DL in a procedural move to make roster room...so a space on the 40-man roster must be cleared for Encarnacion to return. In a related story, Mike Lincoln is also eligible to come off the disabled list, though we haven't gotten any word on him or his bulging disk lately. At any rate, the Reds are still in need of a bat or two. Encarnacion might help out there. Interested to see what the lineup is tonight. | Sunday, June 28, 2009
With a win today over the Indians, the Reds took two out of three in the series, for the second time in the year, and evened their record at 37-37. It was a very successful day all around. Micah Owings got the start and gave up one run in six innings, allowing five hits and four walks with four strikeouts. Danny Herrera tossed two scoreless innings, taking over after Owings hit the first batter in the 7th, then Josh Roenicke came in and pitched a scoreless 9th. Every Reds starter got a hit except Paul Janish got a hit. Willy Taveras, Brandon Phillips, and Ramon Hernandez had three hits each. Jay Bruce had two. Jonny Gomes homered, Hernandez had a triple and a double, Bruce and Taveras each had a double. The RBI were concentrated: three each for Phillips and Hernandez, two for Gomes. The Reds take Monday off, then start a homestand with three games against Arizona,then three against St. Louis over the weekend. | The Reds add to their lead in the 5th, as with one out Joey Votto reaches on an error, then Brandon Phillips singles him home and goes to second on the throw to the plate, then Jonny Gomes hits a two-run homer. Three come in for a 7-1 lead. | Micah Owings has looked hittable, but gave up one run in the first, then none in the 2nd. The Reds then got four in the 3rd as Chris Dickerson singled (though he should have had a double), Willy Taveras got a bunt single, Jerry Hairston bunted them both up, Joey Votto walked, Brandon Phillips singled in Dickerson and Taveras, then after Jonny Gomes flied out Ramon Hernandez tripled in Votto and Phillips. Reds up 4-1. | Saturday, June 27, 2009
The Reds took the middle game of the Cleveland series and Homer Bailey got a victory, though it was a struggle with control and perhaps a narrow strike zone. But, the Reds put up their best lineup of the year, and got a win by a 7-3 score. Bailey got the call and made a start, though he lasted only five innings due mostly to seven walks, but just three hits for three runs. He struck out two. The bullpen then did the job, with Nick Masset, Arthur Rhodes, David Weathers, and Francisco Cordero each pitched a scoreless inning. The only Reds starter not to get a hit was Brandon Phillips, and he walked twice. There were 13 hits, three by Jerry Hairston, and two each by Chris Dickerson, Joey Votto, and Laynce Nix. Jay Bruce had a solo homer, and Dickerson, Hairston, and Votto each had a double, while Nix had two. Last game of the series tomorrow afternoon with Micah Owings and David Huff. | Two on and two out, Hanigan flies out. Now Bailey will try to get through the fifth with a 6-3 lead. Bailey has thrown 87 pitches through four innings. Getting another inning in for the win is going to be a struggle. Choo grounds out 3-1, close play partly because Homer was a little late covering. Votto also a little slow on the throw. Got the out, still. Garko hits a foul homer, good thing it doesn't count. Retires Garko, Hafner up. Fly out to left, Bailey has a 1-2-3 fifth. Cool. It wasn't easy, but he got the five innings. | Reds get another in the top of the 4th. Homer has a 6-1 lead, the question is can he keep his pitches in control enough to make it through five to get the win. Popup, then a single, then a wild pitch, not going to be a quick inning this time either. Groundout for the second out. Now two walks load the bases. Dick Pole back out to chat. Sizemore up. Base hit to right, two score. It's 6-3. Martinez up, Herrera warming up in the bullpen. Bailey retires Martinez to end the inning, finally. This is too hard. | Homer not looking dominant, as his control isn't real sharp, but his stuff is good. Fastball is fast and moving, splitter is breaking well, curve has lots of movement. It's throwing consistent strikes that is the problem, and at least part of that is nerves. Confidence is important. Homer walks two more for a total of five in three innings, but no runs this time. | Adam Rosales was the one sent down to add Bailey to the roster. 13 pitchers now. Wow, and 8-man bullpen. Geez. Laynce Nix scores on a sacrifice fly by Bruce. Bruce has an RBI in each try so far. | Bailey is throwing some gas: stadium radar gun saying 93, 94, 95. Garko works count full, fouling off pitches. Now a walk. Hafner up. Hard grounder eats up Phillips, two on. Peralta up. Lead in danger. Ball scored a hit, Phillips was in too close on Hafner. Should have been on the grass. Walks Peralta, bases loaded with none out, Valbuena up, Dick Pole visits Bailey. "Throw strikes, kid." Sound advice, coach. Finally a strike, 1-1. Bouncer, 6-unassisted-3, double play with a run scored, runner at third and two out. Reds still up 4-1. Well done, Paul Janish. Fly ball, Bruce catches. Inning over. Whew. | Jay Bruce homers! Reds up 1-0. Cool. Bruce has had terrible luck, a ridiculously low BABIP, and is due to just start hammering the ball. Hanigan up. Hanigan lines one up the middle for a single. Janish in the lineup again, yay! Bunt, Janish safe. Two on, none out. Dickerson up. Dickerson rips it into right past Choo, gets a double for another run, Janish to third. Hairston up. Rips one off the wall in left, double for another run but it got out there so fast Dickerson only gets to third. Dickerson slipped going around third. Votto to the plate. Hairston ribbing Dickerson for costing him an RBI. Broke his bat, grounded out to first but Dickerson scores. 4-0 Reds lead, one out, Hairston at third, Phillips up. Phillips flies out to RF, Hairston thrown out trying to score. Quick end to a good inning, Bailey has a four-run lead to work with now, | Jamey Carroll leads off. Homer not throwing strikes right off. Pump it in there, dude, just like at Louisville. Walks Carroll on full count. Sizemore coming up. Sizemore hits it hard, but right at Bruce. One down. Victor Martinez up. High fly to center, Dickerson has room: he drops it, ruled no catch though it looks to me like he lost it in the exchange between glove and hand. At any rate, Dickerson threw it in and they got Carroll on a force at second. Same difference, one on and two out. Shin-su Choo up. Strikes out Choo, scoreless first. Cool. | Dickerson tries to bunt his way on, but is retired. Hairston is waiting out Ohka, a junkballer. Hairston bangs a single up the middle. Hey, I din't realize the Indians had gone to a kine of blocked C on the caps. Interesting. Votto up now, Ohka is checking Hairston at first. Martinez catching, usually easy to run on. Votto hits it well but too close to RF Choo. Phillips now up. Phillips, batting .269 with 11 HR, not exactly a classic cleanup hitter...or #3 guy, for that matter. More like a #6. Phillips tried to convince the umpire the 1-2 pitch hit him, but McClellan not buying. Next pitch, Phillips sticks his elbow in the way of the pitch, but again McClellan not buying, just a ball. Well, he's trying to take one for the team, at least. Now it's ball four and he gets to first anyway. Two on, two out, Nix up. Laynce Nix, slumping the last two weeks. Hasn't played much lately, the Reds have faced a lot of lefties. Ohka having trouble throwing strikes now. Did Phillips psych him out? That's a strike, 3-1. Came back with ball four, bases loaded for Gomes. Pitching coach out. "Hey, dude, the bases are loaded. Throw strikes." Pitching coach visits are so helpful. Especially with non-English speakers. A hit by Gomes would get this game going just the right way. Hit solidly but to the shortstop, force at second. No runs. Bummer. | I will spend some time tonight blogging Homer Bailey's return to the Cincinnati staff, hoping that it will be permanent this time. | Tonight's lineup is, in my opinion, the best lineup the Reds could muster against a right-hander like Tomo Ohka, the starter for Cleveland. It goes: Dickerson, CF Hairston, 3B Votto, 1B Phillips, 2B Nix, LF Gomes, DH Bruce, RF Hanigan, C Janish, SS Now, I would shift the order a bit, flipping Hairston and Hanigan as well as Phillips and Gomes, but order is not as important as getting the right guys IN the lineup. As far as I'm concerned, these are the right guys tonight. | Friday, June 26, 2009
When Jeremy Sowers holds your offense in check, that's a problem. Especially as the Indians stake him to a 9-0 lead and coast home. Aaron Harang did not have his A-game, giving up seven runs, five earned, in 4 2/3 innings on 10 hits including two homers plus a walk, and three strikeouts. Jared Burton went 1 1/3, giving up two more runs. Carlos Fisher and Arthur Rhodes then each pitched a scoreless inning. Meanwhile, the Reds got just six hits. The two runs came when Brandon Phillips doubled in the 7th and Jonny Gomes singled him home, then in the 8th when Chris Dickerson and Willy Taveras hit consecutive doubles. Gomes and Ramon Hernandez had singles. Well, we've got Homer to look forward to tomorrow. I hope it brings good news. | | The lineup for tonight against the Indians looks like last night's, with lefty Jeremy Sowers on the mound: Taveras leading off, Janish (yay!) and Dickerson at the bottom. | In a minor league deal, the Reds swapped off Norris Hopper to the Chicago White Sox for catcher Corky Miller, formerly a Red. Hopper was off the 40-man roster, and a longshot to ever be called up to the team, although I'd rather have him than Willy Taveras. Miller was acquired for AAA depth, with Wilkin Castillo now out for the season. Miller played briefly for the Reds in each of the seasons 2001-2004, and has appeared in each major league season since then, including 14 games with the White Sox this year. The 33-year old is good defensively, but has a .179 career average in the major leagues. He has a ,253 minor league average. | The Reds arrive in Cleveland for a three-game weekend series. Cincinnati sports a 35-36 record, one game under .500 and good enough for third place in the NL Central, a fraction ahead of Chicago, and 3.5 games back of leading St. Louis. Friday night's game will match starters Aaron Harang and Jeremy Sowers. On Saturday, Homer Bailey and Tomo Ohka will take the hill. Sunday afternoon, it's Micah Owings and David Huff. The Indians have had starting pitching trouble this year, and the Reds miss ace Cliff Lee for the series. Of course, the Reds have spent much time making mediocre starters look like Cy Young candidates this season, so we will have to see what happens. | Thursday, June 25, 2009
The Reds broke a four-game losing streak and beat the Blue Jays, but it wasn't easy. It looked like it would be when Cincinnati scored four runs in the first, but the game would get way too interesting for comfort. Four doubles in the first inning, including a leadoff one by Willy Taveras on a grounder down the first-base line, keyed a big inning. The next two guys went down, but then Joey Votto doubled, Jonny Gomes doubled, Ramon Hernandez walked, and Jay Bruce doubled. A very nice inning, and things looked good. The Jays got one in the bottom of the first, but the Reds got it back in the second when Votto singled in Chris Dickerson. 5-1, it's all good. And so it was, until the Jays scored four in the 5th. The score was tied at 5, and things looked bleak. But, the pitching held there, and Votto homered in the 7th. In the 8th, Taveras plated Paul Janish with a suicide squeeze. The bullpen finished things off, and the final was Cincinnati 7, Toronto 5. Cueto gave up five runs in six innings on five hits and three walks with four Ks. Nick Masset, David Weathers, and Francisco Cordero each tossed a shutout inning of relief. Votto had four hits, Taveras three, Gomes and Janish two each. Only Brandon Phillips went hitless. Hernandez had a later double. The Reds now head to Cleveland to play three against the Indians. | The lineup for tonight, as the Reds try to avoid a sweep, has Willy Taveras in the leadoff spot with a lefty going for Toronto. Dickerson is in LF, batting 9th again. Good news: Paul Janish gets a start. Bad news: Ryan Hanigan doesn't. Go, Johnny Cueto, go! | Wednesday, June 24, 2009
Bronson Arroyo gave up three home runs in the first inning. However, major league rules, unlike World Baseball Classic rules, do not allow for ending a rout early with the "mercy rule," so the game played through nine innings. The Jays won 8-2. Arroyo lasted 3 2/3 innings, giving up seven runs, six earned, on eight hits and three walks with two strikeouts. Ouch. For the mopup crew, Josh Roenicke pitched 2 1/3 shutout innings, then Carlos Fisher gave up one run in two innings. Meantime, the Reds got four hits. Two were by Jonny Gomes, including a solo homer in the 2nd that briefly gave some hope. The other run scored when Jerry Hairston singled home Chris Dickerson in the 3rd. That was all the Reds' scoring. The other hit was by Danny Richar, who started at third base. Johnny Cueto and Brett Cecil tomorrow. Go, Johnny go! | Responding to questions about rumors in the Boston papers about Bronson Arroyo being headed back to the Red Sox, GM Walt Jocketty opined that the Reds were buyers, and in the market for a hitter. Of course, these things are not mutually exclusive, and since starting pitching is an area where the Reds have a surplus, Arroyo or Aaron Harang could be dealt to bring in a hitter. Jocketty also said the current timetable would have Edwin Encarnacion back in the lineup in seven to ten days. Likewise, he would neither confirm nor deny that Homer Bailey will make the Saturday start, but he would be on schedule for that after starting for Louisville Monday. Alex Gonzalez had surgery to remove the bone chips in his elbow, and surgery for Wilkin Castillo to repair his torn left labrum will be later in the week. | Tuesday, June 23, 2009
Micah Owings got beat up, and the return of Joey Votto didn't spark the offense as much as hoped. Of course on this night it would have been hard to spark the offense enough. Owings gave up six runs in 5 2/3 innings on nine hits including three, yes three, homers. He walked two and struck out one. So no, he wasn't sharp. Carlos Fisher went 2/3 of an inning and was charged with a hit and a run. Danny Herrera gave up two hits in 1/3 of an inning, and Jared Burton got the final four outs without incident. The Reds scored five runs, but only got six hits. They also had four walks, which helped. The only extra-base hit was a double by Jay Bruce in the 7th that brought home two runs. Chris Dickerson had two hits. The other hits were by Jerry Hairston, Joey Votto, and Brandon Phillips. Jonny Gomes walked twice. On the bright side, when Willy Taveras came up in the 9th with one on (Dickerson) and two out, Dusty Baker pinch-hit for him. He sent up Danny Richar, but he did pinch-hit. On the explanation side, Laynce Nix had already been used, to hit for Adam Rosales. Back at it again tomorrow night, with Bronson Arroyo and Scott Richmond getting the starts. Thursday night, it's Johnny Cueto and Brett Cecil. | Joey Votto has been reactivated, with Wilkin Castillo being sent to the DL with a torn labrum that will require surgery. Votto spoke with the press and said his problems with depression went back to his father's death last year, and were exacerbated by his inner ear infection that affected his balance, apparently emotionally as well as physically. We wish him well. Votto is in the lineup tonight, and playing first base (I thought he might DH). The Reds lineup against Toronto's Brian Tallet, a lefty: Taveras, CF Hairston, SS Votto, 1B Phillips, 2B Gomes, DH Hernandez, C Bruce, RF Rosales, 3B Dickerson, LF Micah Owings is pitching. | Monday, June 22, 2009
An 8-14 record since Joey Votto went on the disabled list shows both the team's shallowness of offense and the dependence of that offense on the first baseman. The good news is, Votto seems ready to come back, and presumably wants to return and play in his hometown of Toronto. That would be a big boost for the Reds. Votto has been successful in his minor league rehab stint, and we can hope that indicates he is successfully dealing with the as-yet undisclosed issues and can resume his career. That Votto's issues have been mental rather than physical makes them no less real. As someone who battles depression, I can attest that an emotional problem can be every bit as debilitating as a physical problem. The stigma attached to such things no doubt makes Votto reluctant to talk about his problems, and for that matter he may not know exactly what the problem is. So, best wishes to him. The Cincinnati Reds need Joey Votto. Now that the Reds stand 34-34, in fourth place and four games back in the NL Central, a boost is needed. Why the Reds recently called up Danny Richar, who wasn't on the 40-man roster, rather than Drew Sutton, who was, is hard to figure. The only reason I can figure out is that Richar has that all-important major league experience. Of course, most of what Richar's experience has shown is that he is not a good enough hitter to be a regular. Sutton, we could find out by playing him at 3B some while Alex Gonzalez is out for surgery for the bone chips on his elbow. If Dusty Baker plans on playing Jerry Hairston at SS anyway, rather than giving Paul Janish some time, why not Sutton? Instead, we get more of the slumping Adam Rosales. Dusty seems to love slumping players. Kudos to Brandon Phillips, who has stepped up in Votto's absence. The Reds will need him to continue to hit when Votto returns, and get more offense from their guys who have been hitting: Ryan Hanigan, Laynce Nix, Chris Dickerson, and Jonny Gomes. That means less of Rosales, Willy Taveras, and even Ramon Hernandez. Trouble is, Dusty doesn't seem to have time to work out a lineup of Dickerson, CF; Hanigan, C; Votto, 1B; Phillips, 2B; Nix, LF; Hairston, 3B; Bruce, RF; and Janish, SS, to play against righthanders, with Taveras and Gomes entering against lefties. But what do I know. I'm just a blogger. A blogger with two more college degrees than Dusty will ever have, but a blogger nonetheless. | Sunday, June 21, 2009
The offense was back to normal today, with six hits and one run. That wasn't enough, and the result was a 4-1 loss to Chicago's White Sox. Jonny Gomes had two hits, one a double that was the only Reds safety for extra bases. Jerry Hairston, Jay Bruce, Ryan Hanigan, and Chris Dickerson (pinch-hitting) had the other singles. Only two walks, those by Hairston and Bruce. Phillips drove home Dickerson on a sacrifice fly in the 8th. Aaron Harang had another quality start, allowing three runs in seven innings on eight hits with seven strikeouts. Nick Masset gave up a run in his 1 1/3 innings, then Danny Herrera got the last two outs. The Reds have another Monday off before heading to Toronto for three games. | Saturday, June 20, 2009
The Reds scored the first five runs of the game, but the White Sox scored the next eight, and after the back-and-forth was over the Chicago team had a 10-8 victory in the 2009 Civil Rights Game. With a 5-0 lead after three innings and Johnny Cueto on the mound, things looked good for the Reds. It wouldn't work out, though, as Cueto soon lost effectiveness and the White Sox started belting the ball all around the yard the same way they kept throwing the ball all over the yard. The Reds capitalized on errors, but couldn't match the opposition's slugging. Cueto pitched three shutout innings but was pulled after 4 2/3, allowing five runs on 10 hits, three of them home runs. Danny Herrera got the next three outs, but allowed a hit and a walk for two runs. Nick Masset went 1 1/3 and allowed a home run. Arthur Rhodes struck out Jim Thome, but gave up two runs on a hit, a walk, and his own error. Jared Burton was charged with no runs but two hits in 1 2/3. It wasn't a great day for Cincinnati pitching, at least over the last six innings. Willy Taveras did stage a comeback, banging out three hits and scoring twice. Brandon Phillips, Jay Bruce, and Ryan Hanigan had two hits each. Jonny Gomes hit a two-run homer and Bruce a solo shot. Bruce and Chris Dickerson had doubles. The Reds had 14 hits, just not enough pitching this day. Aaron Harang and Mark Buehrle tomorrow in a veteran matchup. | The lineup vs. lefty Clayton Richard: Taveras CF Hairston SS Phillips 2B Gomes LF Hernandez 1B Bruce RF Hanigan C Rosales 3B Cueto P So much for Janish getting into the lineup. Well, there's still time. | An interesting turn of events: Alex Gonzalez has gone on the disabled list with bone chips in his elbow. The Reds called up Danny Richar, but he had to be put on the 40-man roster to do that, so Edwin Encarnacion was moved to the 60-day DL. Encarnacion, of course, is nearing 60 days on the DL already, and will certainly be out long enough to make that stretch. That does mean that when he is ready to come back, another roster move will have to be made to make room. For now, though, it appears Paul Janish will get most of the playing time at SS, and Richar will probably take Janish's place riding the pine, although as a lefty hitter Richar may get some more ABs. Also, the Reds finally got down to 12 pitchers, but rather than do it by optioning a reliever they sent starter Matt Maloney back to Louisville following his difficult outing Thursday. With off days on Monday of this week and next, the Reds can get by with four starters for now. Wilkin Castillo returns as the 25th man. None of this will do much to boost Cincinnati's lineup, but with the struggling Gonzalez out of the mix, perhaps at least the defense will pick up. | For the last few months, I have been submitting articles to Fanbase, a new on-line sports almanac built by fan submissions. The website is now open to the public, and you may want to take a look. Naturally, I contributed mostly to Cincinnati Reds history, but there are plenty of articles, and also plenty of space for more. Take a look if you're interested. | Friday, June 19, 2009
Cincinnati led off its batting order with Chris Dickerson and Jerry Hairston tonight, and scored four runs. Coincidence? Maybe, but the four runs was enough for a 4-3 victory over the Chicago White Sox. It didn't look real promising early, even though the Reds enjoyed the benefit of a leadoff hitter who could reach base. Dickerson bunted for a single, moved to second on a bad throw, then to third on Hairston's sacrifice (in the first inning? Crazy.). Dickerson would be stranded at third, though, as Brandon Phillips grounded out and Laynce Nix flied out. It was pretty quiet until the fourth, when Chicago second baseman Chris Getz hit a two-run homer, and the home fans got worried. Cincinnati managed to get one back in the bottom of the inning on consecutive doubles by Nix and Ramon Hernandez. It was still 2-1 in the 6th when Hairston singled and Phillips hit a two-run homer to give the Reds the lead for the first time. It got even cooler the next inning when Dickerson doubled, Hairston singled, and Phillips hit a sacrifice fly for a 4-2 lead. That run proved necessary when the White Sox got a homer from Paul Konerko to lead off the 9th, but that was it. Reds win! Bronson Arroyo made the one mistake on the homer by Getz, but through 6 2/3 innings gave up just two hits with four walks for two runs. Arthur Rhodes got the last out of the 7th. David Weathers pitched a shutout 8th, then Francisco Cordero gave up the homer, plus another hit, in the 9th. The Reds actually got 11 hits on the night, two each by Dickerson, Hairston, Nix, Hernandez, and of course Ryan Hanigan. I like that kid, he's hitting .325 and is deserving of a Gold Glove too. Hanigan hit a triple down the right field line in the 5th, but was left stranded at third. Get this kid higher in the lineup! Cueto and Richard tomorrow. The White Sox throw lefties the next two games, so Taveras and probably Gonzalez are supposed to return to the lineup. Too bad. | Ooh, Dusty's getting mad at us. Note this quote from the Enquirer blog: " Quite honestly, I’m getting a little tired of having to testify to who I play and why, and how long and when.” Well, we're sorry Mr. Baker, perhaps we should just sit on our hands and politely watch the ballgame so we don't bother all you poor ballplayers and coaches making hundreds of thousands, even millions of dollars. Better yet, we'll just leave you alone to do your work in private. Yes, I'm feeling snarky about this. These guys are entertainers, and get paid well to face the slings and arrows as well as receive adulation. The lowest-paid ballplayer gets ten times what I make, and on the scale of things my job teaching is far more important than anything they will ever do. I don't begrudge anyone in baseball their salary. I do get a little miffed when they get whiny about it. So forgive me, Mr. Baker, if I, a middle-aged teacher, get a little sore when you can't figure out that having a couple of .210 hitters at the top of the order is a bad prescription for getting an offense going, and that playing a leadoff hitter and center fielder who is stumbling around in the field while going 1-for-46 without a walk at bat might just be a bad idea. Maybe, just maybe, you should take him out of the lineup for a few days to figure out what is wrong with him without killing the team by letting him "play it out" on the field. If you can't take that kind of criticism, quit. It's very simple. Goodbye, and don't let the door hit you on the butt on your way out. You will not be missed. | The White Sox come to town for this weekend's interleague matchup. Tonight, Bronson Arroyo and Jose Contreras take the mound to start the excitement. Saturday night, in the "Civil Rights Game," Johnny Cueto and Clayton Richard will match up. Then, in Sunday afternoon's finale, veterans Aaron Harang and Mark Buehrle will take the hill. Taveras on the bench tonight, and Gonzalez moved back down in the lineup. The order goes: Dickerson CF Hairston 3B Phillips 2B Nix LF Hernandez 1B Bruce RF Gonzalez SS Hanigan C Arroyo P Of course, we can't bat Hanigan second, he's not fast even though he gets on base. What was I thinking? Sheesh, gotta remember my Dusty lessons. | Thursday, June 18, 2009
It's hard to win if you don't score any runs, and the Reds didn't today against the Braves, dropping the finale of the three-game series 7-0. Tommy Hanson and three relievers gave up just five hits to the Cincinnati team. Those five hits, all singles, were by Brandon Phillips, Ryan Hanigan, Jerry Hairston, Adam Rosales, and a pinch-hitting Chris Dickerson. They also drew four walks, two by Hanigan and one each by Phillips and Jay Bruce. The top two in the order were Willy Taveras and Alex Gonzalez, again, and it should be no surprise to anyone that neither was on either list. Reds fans, it's time to revolt. Matt Maloney had his worst start, being charged with six runs in 5 2/3 innings on six hits and two walks with five strikeouts. Carlos Fisher didn't help a lot, making the sixth worse, getting charged with one run on two hits and two walks in 1 1/3 innings. Josh Roenicke pitched a shutout 8th, and Jared Burton a shutout 9th. Next up is more interleague action, with the Chicago White Sox stopping by Great American Ball Park for three games this weekend. Hopefully, the lineup will get some rethinking by tomorrow night. | Wednesday, June 17, 2009
The Reds beat the Braves for the second straight night, emerging with a 4-3 win in a nip-and-tuck battle. Micah Owings again hit better than he pitched, but it worked. Owings made a quality start, though it was a bit of a battle. He allowed two runs in six innings on six hits and two walks with no strikeouts. It wasn't a work of art, but it did get the job done. Nick Masset was not sharp tonight, giving up a hit and a walk good for a run in 2/3 of an inning. Arthur Rhodes came in to get the last out of the 7th, then got two outs in the 8th before yielding to David Weathers, who got one. Francisco Cordero then pitched the 9th. The Reds' offense was a Jay Bruce solo homer in the 2nd, and an Owings three-run shot in the 5th. Yes, all the runs scored on homers. That's not always a bad thing. Jerry Hairston and Ryan Hanigan scored in front of Owings. Hanigan had the two hits that weren't homers, as the Reds got just four. Part of the reason for that was that the top five hitters in the order did not get a hit, and only Brandon Phillips, with a walk, got on base. That happens sometimes, but with this Reds batting order it is happening far too often. Afternoon game tomorrow, 12:35 start, with rookies Matt Maloney and Tommy Hanson pitching. | Mike Lincoln has been placed on the disabled list with "a bulging disc in his back." Either that, or a badly inflamed ERA. Josh Roenicke has been recalled from Louisville. So, the Reds continue to go with 13 pitchers and an 8-man bullpen. Probably a panic move after the "bullpen game" caused by last night's rain delay. Of course, there are two relievers that didn't pitch at all yesterday (Burton and Fisher) plus four who pitched a single inning after a day off. But we have to have another on hand. Who needs Drew Sutton or Drew Stubbs to help the offense? | Mike Lincoln has passed through waivers. The question is, what does this mean? Lincoln passed through the "revocable" waivers, not the kind which leads directly to your automatic trade or release. There are two reasons why the Reds would have waived Lincoln in this way, and both could be at work. One is that they were attempting to see if there was any trade interest in Lincoln. Since he went through the waiver wire, the answer would appear to be "no," but that could just mean no one is willing to pick up his contract at full value. The second reason is to send Lincoln to the minors. With his contract, he can't be sent down until he clears waivers, so that he could go to another team if they wanted him. Lincoln also has the right to refuse minor league assignment and become a free agent, but if he did that he would forfeit the rest of his two-year, $4 million contract, so that is unlikely. The most likely outcome of this is that the Reds send Lincoln to Louisville to clear space for a position player, getting down to 12 pitchers, without actually cutting loose a guy they signed to a big contract and paying him for nothing. But, no announcement on this yet, so we will have to wait. | By the time I got back to the computer, the rains had started. They waited nearly two hours, re-started play, then had to wait another half-hour or so, but then the game finally went to completion. The Reds' offense finally showed up. Aaron Harang pitched the first two innings, but did not return after the rain delay (thank God). Harang gave up three hits but no runs, and struck out three. Danny Herrera was called on to make up some time. He pitched three innings: I wouldn't have asked the little guy to go that long, but he pitched shutout baseball, giving up two hits and striking out two. Nick Masset gave up a run while pitching the 6th, Arthur Rhodes pitched a shutout 7th, David Weathers gave up three hits and a run in the 8th, then Francisco Cordero pitched a 1-2-3 9th. Those two runs could have been a problem in some recent game, but the Reds tallied three in the first seven innings, then tacked on four in the 8th to lock up the deal. Brandon Phillips and Laynce Nix each had three hits and two doubles apiece as well. Alex Gonzalez also doubled. Nix had three RBI, Gonzalez two, both coming in that 8th. Phillips scored twice. Ramon Hernandez and Jay Bruce each walked twice. That puts the Reds back above .500. Micah Owings and Javier Vazquez tomorrow night. | |
