Being a Cincinnati sports hasn't exactly been all peaches and cream. Super Bowl 23, Kenyon Martin's broken leg, the embarrassment that is the Cincinnati Bengals, eight straight losing seasons for the Reds... the list goes on and on.
Actually, that's pretty much it.
Listen, I'm not asking for a Boston-type glory run where every single team wins every single championship... but all I ask for every year is meaningful games when the games mean the most. Meaningful Bengals games in December, and meaningful Reds games after Labor Day. It's been a while since I've been fortunate enough to bear witness to either.
But this year, I have a feeling that could change. I'm not quite delusional enough to think the Bengals -- despite a very solid offseason -- can contend in the AFC North this season.
However, I am just delusional enough to think the Reds CAN contend in the NL Central this season.
I'm not sure I thought this two weeks ago when I labeled this team a .500 ballclub, and I'm still not entirely secure in deviating from that just 1/5 of the way through the season. But the thing you keep hearing and reading all over the place, especially after the Reds gave the division-leading Cardinals all they could handle over the weekend, is that the Reds will certainly be in the conversation all year long in the National League.
Like I said, that's all I ever ask for.
Tonight's trouncing of the D-Backs should be taken with a grain of salt -- Arizona is a bad team already in a rebuilding mode and fresh off a managerial change. That said, it is noteworthy anytime you score 13 runs in a game, especially when it hasn't happened since June of 2006. And it's never a bad thing to record single-game season highs in runs (13), hits (18), and extra-base hits (8).
The Reds are now 7-4 in the month of May and are hitting .308 (1st in MLB) since turning the calendar page. They've also shown a ton of resilliency, most notably a 7-0 blanking of the Marlins the day after losing a 14-inning heartbreaker... a hard-fought one-run win over Milwaukee the day after a 15-3 beatdown by the Brewers... two solid victories over the Cardinals with what was effectively a 22-man roster... and a dramatic 9th inning comeback on Sunday capped off by an epic at-bat by Micah Owings, who tied the game with a two-out, two-strike solo home run off Cards' closer Ryan Franklin.
Just what kind of series was it for the Reds over the weekend? St. Louis came in having allowed just 11 home runs the entire season. The Reds hit seven in three days. Message sent.
Then they back it up with tonight's easy win on the west coast -- a time zone which has haunted the Reds in recent years -- to move four games above .500. Before Saturday, the last time that had happened was August 25, 2006 (387 games).
And we haven't even mentioned the pitching staff, which has allowed just 15 earned runs in the Reds' seven wins this month.
Here are some other things to get giddy about, in no particular order.
-- Willy Taveras's 12-game hitting streak, during which he's batting .408 (20-49)
-- Laynce Nix starting and producing. I'm not sold just yet, simply because he doesn't have the track to record to suggest this isn't simply a fluke, but he's clearly a better option than Chris Dickerson
-- Brandon Phillips batting .476 (10-21) over his last seven games with 2 HR and 9 RBI
-- Joey Votto going yard in his first at-bat since missing almost all of the Cardinals series with the flu. Oh by the way, he leading the National League in hitting at .381 (He's bonafide, what are you?)
-- Johnny Cueto's 1.59 ERA (2nd in NL) and 3-to-1 strikeout-to-walk ratio (32/11)
-- The prospect of the Reds facing any team in a short series with Harang, Volquez, and Cueto staring you in the face
-- Jay Bruce's improved plate discipline. Doesn't it seem like every at-bat he's had the last 10 days ends up in a full count?
-- Ramon Hernandez and Ryan Hanigan batting a combined .295 (And no, the Reds don't miss Ryan Freel or Paul Bako one bit)
-- Adam Rosales. You can't argue with 13 hits in 12 games since being called up...
What you can argue about, however, is his hilarious home run sprint (we saw it again tonight) which has gotten serious national media attention the last 48 hours. Some people say it's just an exuberant kid being exuberant... others think it's somehwat unprofessional and could be construed as showing up the pitcher.
Everyone needs to settle down about this, incluidng Rosales probably (although that isn't likely to happen). That's just the way this kid is. He runs to first base on a walk. He runs in and out of the dugout. He runs everywhere. Isn't that the way we all played little league, and the way we want our kids to play little league?
Incidentally, he's also remarkably consistent -- Sunday's home run dash was 15.5 seconds, compared to tonight's scamper which was 15.7 seconds. Impressive.
So are the Reds these days. Let's hope I'm saying this when it really counts -- in September.
Tuesday, May 12, 2009
Monday, May 4, 2009
Fish Story
After a weekend hiatus, I'm back and so is the Reds starting pitching. Friday we saw Bronson Arroyo throw another gem, retiring 10 in a row at one point and 16 of 17... Sunday we saw Johnny Cueto officially become an absolute stud while not allowing a single Pirates hitter to reach 2nd base... and tonight we saw Aaron Harang go pitch-for-pitch with perhaps the best power pitcher in all of baseball that no one knows about -- Florida ace Josh Johnson.
The Reds had been 10-1 this season when getting a quality start, but a joint miscue in the 14th inning by Paul Janish and Daniel Herrera gave the Marlins a 3-2 victory in a game the Reds probably should've won.
By the way, you can get used to hearing Paul Janish's name quite a bit for at least the next few weeks because Alex Gonzalez -- who I'm beginning to think is composed entirely of balsawood -- is likely headed to the DL (again) with a strained oblique he suffered in his final at-bat. It's a shame too because Gonzo was riding a six-game hitting streak heading into tonight's contest.
The bullpen was stellar once again, allowing just the unearned run in six innings of work... but one can only wonder why the Reds only true long reliever (Nick Masset) faced a grand total of TWO batters in a 14-inning game. Instead, Dusty Baker was forced to use Mike Lincoln for two innings and it nearly cost him when Lincoln loaded the bases in the 12th inning before getting Cody Ross to ground out with the bases loaded.
By the way, just making sure everyone else knew (as I did) that the game was over when Herrera walked Ronnie Paulino to lead off the 14th inning. As the scoreboard at the old Riverfront Stadium/Cinergy Field used to remind us...
Walks will haunt!
The Reds had been 10-1 this season when getting a quality start, but a joint miscue in the 14th inning by Paul Janish and Daniel Herrera gave the Marlins a 3-2 victory in a game the Reds probably should've won.
By the way, you can get used to hearing Paul Janish's name quite a bit for at least the next few weeks because Alex Gonzalez -- who I'm beginning to think is composed entirely of balsawood -- is likely headed to the DL (again) with a strained oblique he suffered in his final at-bat. It's a shame too because Gonzo was riding a six-game hitting streak heading into tonight's contest.
The bullpen was stellar once again, allowing just the unearned run in six innings of work... but one can only wonder why the Reds only true long reliever (Nick Masset) faced a grand total of TWO batters in a 14-inning game. Instead, Dusty Baker was forced to use Mike Lincoln for two innings and it nearly cost him when Lincoln loaded the bases in the 12th inning before getting Cody Ross to ground out with the bases loaded.
By the way, just making sure everyone else knew (as I did) that the game was over when Herrera walked Ronnie Paulino to lead off the 14th inning. As the scoreboard at the old Riverfront Stadium/Cinergy Field used to remind us...
Walks will haunt!
Wednesday, April 29, 2009
Special Ed
The last two times Edinson Volquez has taken the mound, he's allowed just two measly base hits. But what a difference a few days can make...
4/24 vs ATL: 5 IP, H, 7 BB, 7 K, 3 ER, 97 pitches
Tonight vs HOU: 8 IP, H, BB, 6 K, 0 ER, 106 pitches
In case you missed it, it was a sight to see...
The Reds finish the month of April 11-10, just 3.5 games out of first place.
Run-ning Scared
With the exception of a 7-run outburst in Chicago last Thursday and an 8-run explosion Sunday versus the Braves, this is what the Reds have done offensively the last two weeks (since April 15th) per game:
3, 2, 0, 4, 4, 2, 3, 3, 2, 1, 3
Look, no one was gonna mistake this team for the Big Red Machine coming out of Spring Training... but it's almost May 1st and it's time to start hitting. I've never bought the whole "it's early" argument -- what, do these games count any less than the ones in June or Septemeber?
And if you take away Joey Votto's blazing start... the Reds offensive numbers in April are, well, offensive.
Votto has 28 hits -- the three hitters behind him in the lineup (Phillips, Bruce, Encarnacion) have 37 COMBINED. For an in-depth breakdown of their struggles at the plate, click here.
Incidentally, I have no problem removing Phillips from the clean-up spot -- but who you gonna put there in his place? Exactly, nobody. His approach was much better last night... other than that, there isn't much else anyone can do besides wait for him to get hot.
There were much bigger concerns anyway on Tuesday, such as another shoddy defensive effort (three errors) and Aaron Harang looking very hittable. When Harang is in the middle of the plate and not hitting his spots, I literally close my eyes sometimes because I'm scared to see how far the other team is gonna hit it.
I said about two weeks ago that this team looks a lot like a .500 ballclub, and thru 20 games they're 10-10. I also keep saying that every start is a big one for Edinson Volquez, especially after that seven-walk abomination his last time out. Today is obviously no exception, especially with the off day tomorrow.
3, 2, 0, 4, 4, 2, 3, 3, 2, 1, 3
Look, no one was gonna mistake this team for the Big Red Machine coming out of Spring Training... but it's almost May 1st and it's time to start hitting. I've never bought the whole "it's early" argument -- what, do these games count any less than the ones in June or Septemeber?
And if you take away Joey Votto's blazing start... the Reds offensive numbers in April are, well, offensive.
Votto has 28 hits -- the three hitters behind him in the lineup (Phillips, Bruce, Encarnacion) have 37 COMBINED. For an in-depth breakdown of their struggles at the plate, click here.
Incidentally, I have no problem removing Phillips from the clean-up spot -- but who you gonna put there in his place? Exactly, nobody. His approach was much better last night... other than that, there isn't much else anyone can do besides wait for him to get hot.
There were much bigger concerns anyway on Tuesday, such as another shoddy defensive effort (three errors) and Aaron Harang looking very hittable. When Harang is in the middle of the plate and not hitting his spots, I literally close my eyes sometimes because I'm scared to see how far the other team is gonna hit it.
I said about two weeks ago that this team looks a lot like a .500 ballclub, and thru 20 games they're 10-10. I also keep saying that every start is a big one for Edinson Volquez, especially after that seven-walk abomination his last time out. Today is obviously no exception, especially with the off day tomorrow.
Tuesday, April 28, 2009
I Don't Know... Third Base?
Sorry for the two-day delay... but sadly sometimes life gets in the way of watching baseball. Perish the thought.
Sunday's win was fun thanks to Micah Owings and Jay Bruce -- last night's loss, not so much. That 0-2 pitch to Hunter Pence right down the middle still haunts me. I'll just chalk it up to a bad outing for Coco Cordero -- he was probably due for one anyway. It's just a shame that it came on the heels of another gem by Johnny Cueto, who has turned in back-to-back stellar performances. Jeff Brantley said last night we might be watching the coming-of-age of a young pitcher right before our very eyes. Normally, he's 100 percent wrong, but I think he probably nailed that one.
The big news today is Edwin Encarnacion heading to the DL with a a chip fracture in Encarnacion's left wrist. The injury was suffered on a swing during his final plate appearance last night. He'll be in a cast for one week, then re-evaluated, but could miss more than a month.
This helps explain (at least partially) why Encarnacion was 0 for his last 12 and 1 for his last 28.
Adam Rosales takes his roster spot after a red-hot start in Louisville, hitting .431 through 17 games. In case you're not familiar with Rosales, he's basically Jeff Keppinger with upside. We'll see whether he or Jerry Hairston gets the majority of the playing time at 3B with Encarnacion sidelined.
Sunday's win was fun thanks to Micah Owings and Jay Bruce -- last night's loss, not so much. That 0-2 pitch to Hunter Pence right down the middle still haunts me. I'll just chalk it up to a bad outing for Coco Cordero -- he was probably due for one anyway. It's just a shame that it came on the heels of another gem by Johnny Cueto, who has turned in back-to-back stellar performances. Jeff Brantley said last night we might be watching the coming-of-age of a young pitcher right before our very eyes. Normally, he's 100 percent wrong, but I think he probably nailed that one.
The big news today is Edwin Encarnacion heading to the DL with a a chip fracture in Encarnacion's left wrist. The injury was suffered on a swing during his final plate appearance last night. He'll be in a cast for one week, then re-evaluated, but could miss more than a month.
This helps explain (at least partially) why Encarnacion was 0 for his last 12 and 1 for his last 28.
Adam Rosales takes his roster spot after a red-hot start in Louisville, hitting .431 through 17 games. In case you're not familiar with Rosales, he's basically Jeff Keppinger with upside. We'll see whether he or Jerry Hairston gets the majority of the playing time at 3B with Encarnacion sidelined.
Sunday, April 26, 2009
Not So Merry
Not really much to say about last night's loss... I can only imagine that this is what it must felt like watching Bronson Arroyo get bombed...
Reds will try and avoid the sweep today with Micah Owings still looking for his victory.
Friday, April 24, 2009
Basis on Balls
There's plenty to say about Edinson Volquez's calamitous outing tonight which ruined my afternoon and cost me a DirecTV controller (I can neither confirm nor deny the rumor that it was thrown across my living room with tremendous force)...
But of all the things that bothered me about his performance -- and they were numerous -- there's one thing that truly irked more than the others:
Didn't it feel like he was shaking off Ramon Hernandez multiple times on seemingly every single pitch?
This, after the following anecdote was relayed to Hall of Fame beat writer Hal McCoy by Reds pitching coach Dick Pole on the heels of Johnny Cueto's superb outing versus the Cubs on Wednesday:
“He’s learning,” Pole said about Cueto. “He’s a young man. But the big thing I noticed was that he is trusting his catcher (Ramon Hernandez). He wasn’t shaking him off as much as he had been doing.”
Wow, what a novel concept. Trust your catcher. Trust your stuff. Try not to strike everyone out. Follow those rules and maybe you can avoid pitching lines like this one:
5 IP, H, 7 BB, 7 K, 3 ER, 97 pitches
If Volquez doesn't become more pitch efficient -- and doesn't begin to embrace the notion of pitching to contact -- he's gonna be in for quite a lengthy season. And so are the Reds.
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