Getting Beat 22-1 Takes Something Away From Your Next Win

Posted by Under Argo on 8. July 2009 00:46

Tonight the Reds beat the defending world series champions, the Philidelphia Phillies, 4-3.  Usually, that is reason to celebrate, it is always good to beat the team that won it all the year before and it's always nice to beat a team that shares a state with Shittsburgh.  However, the night before, the Reds lost to that same team 22-1.  There is no doubt in my mind that the Reds are still in the race in the NL Central and even though they did get beat 22-1, it only counts as one loss.  Just because they got blown out doesn't mean that they get 4 losses in one game.  It should be easy for me to shrug it off and forget the game but for some reason I just can't. 

Watching this team get slaughtered made me remember all of the tiny problems that I think the Reds have.  For example, I'm not completely convinced that Dusty Baker knows where he is all the time.  I'm not convinced that Bronson Arroyo can ever put together a complete season without the fastball that every major league pitcher seems to have (lets face it, we all know that Arroyo isn't ever going to be the next Greg Maddux).  The teams batting average is still not where it should be if they want to play in October and after the usual starting 5 pitchers, there isn't a lot of depth (more on that in a minute) so when somebody gets hurt, there are holes in the rotation. 

I'm not a bandwaggon fan.  I will root for the Reds just as much tomorrow as I did in the beginning of the season.  Watching them beat the same team that slaughtered them the night before goes to show how inconsistant the team is and to me, it exposes the glitches that need to be fixed.  Like I said before though, the Reds are still "in it" and we're just beginning to see advertisements for the All-Star Game so there is plenty of time left.

There is one thing that I've seen over the past couple weeks that excites me and that is the play from Homer Bailey, especially with his performances on June 27th and July 3rd where he pitched a combined 12.5 innings with 6 hits and 5 runs and 1 win (his only win of the season).  I don't need to tell you about Bailey's history of getting called up to the show and getting rocked, then getting sent back down and doing okay, then getting called up and getting rocked, then getting sent down and doing okay, so on and so forth.  This is the first time recently that I can remember him puting a few decent games together.  Is this the end of the endless Homer Bailey cycle?  I hope so.

Worst Loss Ever And Fans Are Ready To Call It Quits

Posted by CincyRedhawk on 7. July 2009 11:12

I'm at a loss for words after watching the Reds implode last night.  It wasn't just our most reliable starter that got rocked, but two of our top relievers, Herrera and Masset, that got taken advantage of also.  When you play 162 games you can expect to have a few blow outs where the team has an off night...but this was the worst loss ever out of 19,427 games.  I guess if there's a bright side to it, I can tell people I watched it?!?

Here is what I love about Cincinnati fans in general.  As soon as something bad happens, fans are all of a sudden running to throw their Brandon Phillips jersey in storage for the rest of the summer and trade it in for a sweet Hawaiian shirt.  Based on the polls below from Lance McAlister's blog, a large number of Reds fans are ready to become Parrotheads and forget about baseball.  I know there are cynics out there who think they're being more of a fan for trashing the team than just being a fan, but seriously 37% of people are done with the Reds?  That doesn't even register in my brain.  Look at the facts people, the Reds are still in this thing.  I was recently in NYC taking in a Mets vs. Yankees game at the New Yankee Stadium.  People there are fans.  They don't root against their team even when things aren't going well.  What's wrong with people here having that sort of pride?  Seriously, if you want to be a dbag and turn your back as soon as things get a little rough, there's a team in Ann Arbor you'd fit right in with.  This team is still in the race, 3.5 games out of first, one game under .500....yeah, their season is such a bust.  Im pretty sure we're only 50% of the way through the season.  How long has it been since we've had a team still in the race in July?

Let's hope the Reds can shake off the debacle last night and pull out a W tonight! We've got Harang on the hill, the bats have to wake up sometime soon, so let's give him a little run support for once.

Pitching keeping the Reds in the thick of things

Posted by CincyRedhawk on 19. June 2009 11:36

It's been years since Cincinnati has seen quality pitching like they've has thus far this season.  The top 5 in the bullpen have only given up 26 earned runs in 128.1 innings this year.  Are the Nasty Boys back?  The starting pitching has also been string this year.  It seems like a rare night where the started doesnt make in into the late innings of the game. The battle cry around Cincinnati the past few seasons was always "If only we had some pitching."  That time may finally have arrived.  If they can get the bats going and out of this slump we could be a very dangerous team.

Speaking of the batting, it wasn't too long ago when people were all aboard the Rosales express.  It seems like he isn't getting the regular playing time anymore that his bat is being affected.  With a young kid like Rosales it makes you wonder if he'd be better served back in AAA for a bit to get his confidence and swing back.  Maybe even give Hairston a few days off since he's cooled down recently.  The good news is that Joey Votto started his rehab assignment yesterday and should be back within the next 10 days, and EE should be starting his rehab soon.  I know EE is hitting a measly .127, but he's a proven major leage hitter with a career .260 average.

Even with the lack of offence, the Reds are only 3.5 game behind the Brewers in the NL Central.  It's nice having a team again that's hanging around and making every night enjoyable for the fans.

Cincinnati will have a large spotlight this weekend as they host the 2009 Civil Rights Game.  All the festivities and hype around the game should make for a great atmosphere at the old ballpark.  I'm looking forward to an exciting weekend of Reds baseball!

Rosales vs. Encarnacion

Posted by Under Argo on 4. May 2009 10:16

In the left corner with 63 at bats and only 8 hits with a whopping batting average of .127.... Edwin Encarnacion (on the DL with a wrist injury).  And in the right corner with 12 at bats and 5 hits and a batting average of .417 Adam Rosales (called up from AAA ball in Louisville to replace Edwin while he is on the DL).  The winner of this fight will stay on the Reds roster... Who's it going to be?

                            VS.

It is no secret that the Reds biggest strength is their pitching and their biggest weekness is hitting.  Right now, the Reds are enjoying a winning record (13-11) and are tied with Chicago at 3.5 games behind first place St. Louis in the NL Central.  It's an exciting time for Reds fans... for now.  Baseball fans know that even though pitching is important, you can't rely just on pitching.  Playoff teams score runs and scoring runs is what the Reds are having a hard time doing.  Right now, the Reds are third from the basement when it comes to team batting average, hitting only .241. 

If the hitting does not improve, the Reds will not be able to maintain their current over .500 record.  All it takes is an injury in the pitching staff, a pitcher having a bad week, or the pitching staff having a couple bad series to send this team into a hole that they won't be able to get out of because they can't score runs. 

Common sense says that when there is a problem, you should fix it.  One problem for the Reds may have been fixed for them but will the front office keep it fixed?  When Encarnacion went to the DL bringing up Rosales, the reds 3rd baseman position potentially went from a .127 batting average to a .417 average.  I know that Rosales's batting average will even out over time (if he is given time) but if it evens out and stays above .127 it's still an improvement.  For arguments sake, I'm going to play both sides of the argument:

Why Rosales should stay after Encarnacion comes off the DL:  When your team is hitting .241, anything to imporve the teams batting average must be done.  After 15 days, if Rosales does anything better than Encarnacion (which he already has) he has to stay on the Reds... right?  Fans have already fallen in love with him; he helped the grounds crew before a game (how many players do you remember doing that?), he sprints to first base after a walk (remind you of someone?), and he sprints back to the dugout after he flies out.  How can a kid like this, who obviously loves the game of baseball, not make you want him to stay.  Another reason is what happened to Encarnacion last time he was sent down to the minors.  He was having a season much like this one.  He wasn't hitting and somebody from the Louisville Bats was (I think it was Jeff Keppinger in 2007).  When Edwin came back, he went on a tear.  Could that happen again?  Who knows.

Why Encarnacion should go back to 3rd base when he comes off the DL:  Money.  Plain and simple, money.  He's making too much money to sit on the bench or to continually need to be sent down to the minors so he can stay motivated.  Edwin can also go on these ridiclous streaks.  He has the capability to change games or a whole series because of his bat.  Unfortunately he's unbelievably inconsistant. 

Who wins (or who should win):  Rosales.  Encarnacion is not hitting and he's a liability on defense.  Keeping Rosales on the Reds will do nothing but improve this team in all aspects of the game, especially in hitting which is what they really need.  Like I said, it's common sense.  If Rosales finishes these 15 days and is still hitting above .400 or in the .300's, the Reds would be smart to keep him on the team.  We'll see what happens in 9 more days.

Rake anyone?

Posted by Number 1 fan on 29. April 2009 09:13

Apparently Edwin Encarnacion has been placed on the 15-day disabled list Tuesday with a chipped bone in his left wrist.  This gives the Reds the first opportunity of the season to bring up Adam Rosales from Triple A Louisville.

So far this season all this 25 year old kid has done is hit the ball.  In 71 plate appearances he has a .431 batting average, .479 on-base percentage and .754 slugging percentage.  This is good news because the Reds can use some offense.  This homestand has been pretty terrible so far.

I Know It's Early, But.....

Posted by Under Argo on 23. April 2009 19:01

The Reds will not have another road trip this year that is longer than the 10 game trip that they just completed.  They will play 10 games on the road one more time later in the season.  The Reds finished 7 and 3 on their trip, where they played three division rivals.  They faced Milwaukee first, then Houston, and finally they wrapped up the series in Chicago, beating each team 2 out of 3 games.  As it stands right now, the Reds are a game and a half out of first place behind St. Louis.

Good pitching is largely to credit for the winning trip and the tail end of the bullpen was very instrumental.  Especially the work from Francisco Cordero, the Reds closer, who has 6 saves so far this season making him only the 11th pitcher in the long history of major league baseball to have 100 saves in both the National and the American league. 

I know it's too early to make any real educated statement about the rest of the season.  However, it's always something to write about when a team goes on a trip where they play 10 away games in just 11 days and they come home 7 and 3.  Is this the year?  Do we finally get to watch the Reds play in October?  I know I'm getting way ahead of myself but nobody can blame me for being excited, because finally there is something to be excited about.  Good job Reds.