***The Cincinnati Reds Thread***

Will add more later but will just start this thread with some of my favorite Reds links.

The Official Site of the Cincinnati Reds:
http://reds.mlb.com/index.jsp?c_id=cin

Three pretty good fan sites, especially the first two:
http://www.redreporter.com/
http://www.redlegnation.com/
http://redsandblues.com/

For Sabermetricians:
http://jinaz-reds.blogspot.com/

Reds Minor Leagues:
http://www.redsminorleagues.com/

Here's a preseason depth chart (not a final roster):
http://reds.mlb.com/team/depth_chart/index.jsp?c_id=cin

News and notes:
-- Homer Bailey was sent down to Louisville (Jay Bruce was sent down a few days back)
-- Bronson Arroyo had a good final tune-up (7 IP, 0 ER, 3H)
-- Opening day is 3 days and 13 hours away
-- Looks like Johnny Cueto is going to be the 5th starter, which is exciting
-- Joey Votto will probably at 1B, which is also very exciting
-- The starting line-up could look like this for Opening Day:

Corey Patterson, CF
Jeff Keppinger, SS
Ken Griffey, Jr., RF
Brandon Phillips, 2B
Adam Dunn, LF
Edwin Encarnacion, 3B
Joey Votto, 1B
David Ross, C
Aaron Harang, P

 

Juuuuuuuuuunior!!!!!!!!!!!!

Unfortunately, Griffey may be on his last legs. Certainly, he's in the twilight of his career. However, we've got Jay Bruce waiting in the wings, and I'm fairly sure he could be your boy, too, in the not too distant future.

Remember the name: Jay Bruce.

 

Yeah, he's an OF. In the minors, he's played CF a lot, but he projects as a corner fielder in the majors - and for the Reds, that means Griffey's spot. I'm pretty sure he's one of the top five prospects in all of baseball now that he's been sent down. There was a decent chance that he'd make the big club, and I do think he'll be up by mid-year. Once he comes up, I think he's there to stay.

 

Some Spring Training Averages:

Brandon Phillips: .288
David Ross: .333
Scott Hatteberg: .352
Corey Patterson: .300
Jerry Hairston: .296
Ken Griffey, Jr.: .341
Juan Castro: .294
Javier Valentin: .273
Ryan Freel: .321

some notable lows

Adam Dunn: .196
Joey Votto: .197
Edwin Encarnacion: .154

What does all of this mean? Really not that much. It might mean the Reds will start the season with Hatteberg at first instead of Votto to ride the hot bat from the Spring, but sooner or later, Votto's going to be playing every day. It is nice to see that David Ross can hit around .333 against a mixture of major and minor league pitching, as last year he hovered below the Mendoza line most of the year. And it'd be good to see Ryan Freel keep up the hitting after being sub-par and then injured most of last year. I'm not really concerned with the low averages. Last time Encarnacion blew away the Spring, he then went into the season and promptly slumped. Adam Dunn is never going to have a huge BA but his OBP is good because he's a patient hitter with a good eye, and we can count on his power. While maybe not a superhero and despite his atrocious defense, Dunn is the best player on the Reds. Votto hit .321 when they brought him up last year, and sooner or later, he's going to hit. It'd be nice if he started making better contact, but I have faith in the guy.

Not long now until Opening Day.

 

I'm ridin' shotgun.

 

Opening Day Roster

According to John Fay via Red Reporter, the Opening Day roster is set

Aside from a couple of relievers, that's basically what I thought.

Editing this post - read that Voot will sit Opening Day; Hatteberg will start.

 

End of Preseason Chatter

Other notable Reds stuff around the Net:

Scott Miller from CBS Sportsline: http://www.sportsline.com/mlb/story/10742428

His NL Central predictions - he's got the Reds in 3rd

In John Donovan's Fearless Predictions at SI.com: http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/20.../03/28/donovan.predictions/index.html?eref=T1

he says this about the Reds:

Amy Nelson at ESPN.com say the Reds are a darkhorse team: http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/preview08/news/story?id=3314824

And here is a preview link in case anyone's interested:
-- http://www.probaseball-fans.com/articles/mlb-previews/cincinnati-reds-preview_022208.html

 

I like Votto a lot, but I'll probably go the other way and say Bruce will have the better major league career. However, if they both have great careers and Votto's is a little better, that's all to the good.

As far as the future, it'd sure be nice for Cinci to have the Reds back for a while. Instead of contending for a playoff spot once every five to seven years, to do it on a consistent basis for a few years in a row would be banner!

And yeah, if Harang, and whodathunkit when we first got him, has become a true # 1, and Arroyo stay strong, and Bailey and Cueto become what some experts favorably project, we could have a strong staff for years to come - maybe not a Braves of the 90s staff, but a poor man's version? I'd take that.

And I'll be lurking over at the Mets thread here and there (along with some others), and when we play the Mets, I'll rear my ugly head.

 

Opening Day: Diamondbacks vs. Reds

Will use this post for game info. (Like my Auburn thread, this one is another I'm mainly talking to myself - hopefully, some other Reds fan will be around.I heard a couple people say they liked them. Anyhoo...

Here's CBS Sportsline's link to the matchup: http://www.sportsline.com/mlb/gamecenter/preview/MLB_20080331_ARI@CIN

It's raining, it's pouring, the old man in snoring...

Weather delay, probably going to be postponed.

Swell.

Well, the game was played, and we took it on the chin 4-2. Harang pitched reasonably well and was victimized by an error, but the Reds pitching in general had trouble giving up the long ball, as will happen in GABP. They just needed to hit a homerun or two themselves. Not much hitting going on at all, though, for the Reds. Still, 161 more. Hopefully, things'll go better on Wednesday.

 

Game 2

Reds fight uphill battle most of the night, but in the 9th inning against Barry Lyon who got the save against them two days ago, Phillips (who'd already homered) singled, Dunner squibs one into left, and then Edwin Encarnacion goes up intending to bunt but gets two strikes. The bunt sign is taken off, and KA-JAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAACK!!!!

And this one belongs to the Reds! 6-5.

WAY TO GO EdE!!! And way to help my fantasy team!!!

Here's a recap link: http://reds.mlb.com/news/wrap.jsp?y...d=2484677&vkey=wrapup2005&fext=.jsp&team=home

 

Johnny Cueto goes tomorrow!!! He'll be up against Doug Davis. Sad note on Davis.

MLB.com reports:

Hope after losing to Cueto and the Reds, he wins his next start against the Dodgers, and then beats the cancer. Best of luck to him.

 

Yeah, I just posted that in your thread. That day I asked you to start one, and you said you weren't that big a fan , I decided to go ahead and start a Reds thread because I am that big a fan.

It's all good. Somebody needs to merge us, but I don't know how to go about having that done.

 

Game 3

Thru 4 - not to jinx him or anything - Johnny Cueto has a perfect game and 7 Ks. Not a bad start for the kid providing he gets through one more inning with minimal damage.

Also, Keppinger has a HR, and Ryan Freel basically ran us out of an inning (out at third) in the fourth when Davis couldn't find the plate and walked three batters. We didn't score, but Davis is chased.

Make it perfect through five on a limited 58 pitches and chalk up an 8th K for Cueto. STUD!!!!!

Well, in the 6th, Upton took Cueto yard, so the shutout is gone. Still, he popped off two more Ks and made it through six up 3-1 with 1 ER and 10 Ks. He's only made around 75 pitches, but I think I'd sit him down after that inning and let the bullpen (crossed fingers) try to finish it off. Guess I'll see what Baker does. Oops, he let him go one more, but it paid off.

 

Cueto was AWESOME! One hitter through 7, 10Ks. Here's a link (and they don't even have Cueto's picture yet):

http://msn.foxsports.com/mlb/gameTrax?gameId=280403117&MSNHPHMA

Of course, with Stormy (David) Weathers walking the bases loaded in the 8th, it was all we could handle, in the form of Mike Lincoln, to get out of the jam with only one run scoring. I will say it's nice to actually have a closer. Cordero came in and did the job in the 9th.

Great win to go 2-1. Harang, Arroyo, and Cueto isn't a bad top three. Hopefully, Volquez and Fogg can do the job with the last two spots in the rotation -- although for their first starts they'll be pitching against a tougher hitting line-up coming up in the Phillies (but I was meaning during the year).

But I'm psyched about Cueto. As psyched as I was for Josh Hamilton last year. And that's saying something.

 

The Reds found out the hard way yesterday what trotting out your 4 & 5 pitchers means against the stout Phillies line-up. It means you better put up about 10 runs. We didn't. We lost.

Today, we sent out our staff ace, and Aaron Harang did a much better job although he didn't shut them down completely. We didn't win the game until the 9th, so Harang still has no record. But again, nice to have Franciso Cordero even if we did overpay to some degree. Cordero, in his two appearances, has a win and a save (no blown saves).

It's Edison Volquez tomorrow, our # 5, but also the fella we obtained in the Josh Hamilton trade. From all accounts, though his record and ERA in the majors is not so hot to this point, he has some nasty stuff. He'll need to be at the top of his game to keep the Reds in it with the Phils, who have Brett Myers scheduled. He and Hamels are their two studs, and lucky us, we get Hamels on Monday (sure would have liked to seen the Reds get lucky and skip Hamels in the Phils rotation.

Still 3-2 - that's .600 baseball to this point!!! Which is meaningless, except to say there're three wins that can't be taken away. Go Reds!

 

The NL Central, supposedly the weakest division in the National League, has gotten off to a pretty hot start. Right now, the records look like this:

NL East: 13-17
NL Central: 22-15
NL West: 14-17

Of course, the Phillies and Diamondbacks have had the disadvantage of playing the mighty Reds, but 7 games over .500 doesn't look so bad for the rest of the Central either. Obviously, all this will be obsolete pretty soon, but I thought it worth noting for now. Also, for what it's worth, the dastardly Cardinals and the buggered-pain-in-the-arse Brewers have both leapt out to 5-1 records, a game ahead of my Reds. So boo on them!

As for today's game, a cool quote from Kent Merker (hat tip to Red Reporter), after Johnny Cueto became the first player to debut with 10 Ks and no walks, went like this:

"You know what, Volquez is just as good."

And Edison showed his stuff today. Yeah, he only went 5.1 innings, and it took 95 pitches to get him there, but he pitched against the Phillies line-up, which - not to take away anything from Cueto's awesome first outing - is a little tougher than the Diamondbacks'. The 5 hits and 2 walks in his 5.1 innings were mitigated by 8 strikeouts, and like Cueto, he only gave up one earned run. Both guys finished their first games with ERAs under 2.00.

Right now, the only weakness in our starting five is Josh Fogg. So hurry up, Homer Bailey!!! Because if Homer can come close to what scouts were saying about him just a year ago (he was the Reds # 1 prospect, then), our pitching staff could be stellar. It's been a looooooooooooooong time since you can say that as a Reds fan.

As for the line-up, right now, Keppinger seems to be carrying the team, and really, Patterson is helping, too. Griffey has 5 RBIs, which has helped, and Phillips, though he won't take a walk to save his life, has been good with the bat. Those four guys have been the offense with a little luck from Bako here and there. Besides Griffey, the corner positions of our infield and outfield have been pretty lackluster. They'll come around, but Hatterberg, Votto, Encarnacion (although he had a huge 3-run game-winning dinger), and Dunn are all hitting below the Mendoza. I get worried for Votto and Encarnacion, because as young as they are, they could get sent down, and I don't like to see that. I want those guys to succeed - now.

Side note: Jay Bruce, who was pretty good before getting sent down in the last part of Spring has been pretty bad thus far in Louisville. Hopefully, he'll pull it back together soon.

 

Echoing Aqua's sentiments, good to have you, 54 Fins!

Today's game, a businessman's special at 12:35 EST, pairs Hamels against Arroyo. Cole Hamels, imo, has come into his own, and is now one of the scariest pitchers to face in the NL. He's the Phillies ace, in my book. He lost a 1-0 heartbreak in the first game, and those kinds of scores are usually how he loses if he loses, nowadays. Reminds me of Jose Rijo some years back taking 2-1 and 1-0 losses on the chin on a consistent basis when the Reds offense didn't put up runs for him. Well, Bronson Arroyo has his work cut out for him, and he'll have to be right on his game to keep this one close. It was really good that Volquez won yesterday, because I don't have a lot of faith in this one. Every once in a while, though, Bronson flashes his A-game, and when he's on, he can be as good as Hamels. Let's hope for that.

Meanwhile, yeah, I'm hoping the bottom of the order gets well fast, but it might be asking a lot to do it today against Hamels. I'm just hoping we scratch out a couple of runs in seven innings and crossing my fingers that Arroyo does something similar. Our relief has been pretty good to date - HURRAY! and nice change from the last couple years - so if we're in the game in the final innings, we have a chance. Come on Dunner! Go long today!

 

Yesterday wasn't a great day for the Reds. First of all, granted GABP is a launching pad, but Bronson Arroyo giving up four dings in the first three innings... just... not... good. Makes it tough on an offense, and especially when we're facing Cole Hamels. We scratched an early two against Hamels, which is what I was asking for, but Arroyo has to give us better starts than his last two. Cinci, on the other hand, hit no home runs, but with the early sewerage-like play of Dunn and Encarnacion coupled with a line-up that includes Freel, Hopper, Bako, and Castro - we're not going to hit many. That wasn't a line-up built for GABP, yesterday. That was a line-up that said, "We're happy with a 2-2 split with the Phillies." And that doesn't make me happy.

Maybe today will. Johnny Cueto against Jeff Suppan. Gotta like this match-up if Cueto can keep rocking and rolling. Also, it'd be nice to get a series against the Brew Crew here early. They've started out hot, so there are no gimmes (and there never are for the Cincinnati Reds). It's our first road game, and I'll cross my fingers that some of our slumping guys (i.e Dunn, Votto, Encarnacion, Hatteberg) can get it going away from home.

As far as the question as to pick up Corey Patterson, I'd probably say no. If you have unlimited transactions in your fantasy league and just want to ride out a hot streak, that's one thing, so sure go ahead - but I don't think most leagues are that way. I wouldn't spend a transaction on Patterson, personally, if you only have a limited number per year. But that's just me. If your transactions are just limited weekly but not for the season, then it's probably not a horrible idea, depending on what you're looking for.

 

Does anyone in the history of baseball kill a team like Bill Hall kills the Reds?

Now, we're down 2-1 in the bottom of the 8th. Cueto pitched great but is in line for the loss due to the anti-heroics of the afore-mentioned Bill Hall. Burton pitched well in relief but walked his last batter. That brings up Mercker , who is fortunate to get Fielder after throwing three straight balls to him.

By the way, what in the heck was Baker thinking in the top of the seventh batting Cueto down 1-0 with Votto on second? Cueto was at over 80 pitches. We're down with only eight outs left, and we're batting Cueto. We were lucky Patterson got a hit that scored Votto, but that was crazy to me. Plus, Cueto just went 90+ pitches. He's never pitched in a 162 game season before. Aside from the strategy blunder, it just makes sense not to wear Cueto out in the first half of '08. Anyway, I didn't get that.

Freel on to pinch hit for Bako, facing Gagne. On and gone. Gagne gets the K. Valentin to pinch hit foir Mercker. That leaves only the venerable Juan Castro as a position player left. Think I'd feel better with a pitcher hitting if it came down to extra innings. Doesn't look like it's going to though... Valentin out to first. Down to our last out. We need a hero. AND HOLY KABILLOLIES!!!! Patterson belts a homer!!! It's 2-2. Unbelieveable! C'mon Kepp! Go back-to-back! Or a single. That's fine. But Junior goes down swinging. Still, better than I thought.

Okay, enough of me being a live-blogger. C'mon Reds! Pull this one out! We're gonna need it. Fogg goes tomorrow, I think.

 

Crapola. Weathers came in and his fast ball is a bit too straight right now. Couldn't get anybody out. Loss 3-2. That hurts. So does playing uphill all game.

Fogg/Bush tonight. That game could look like football or basketball scores. If we can score some runs in the first, maybe we'll have Milwaukee doing the chasing tonight. We really need some guys to come out of slumps. Nice to see Votto go 2-3 last night to up his average to .267, but an extra base hit might be nice coming from our corners. Aside from talking bases on balls - and that's important; anytime an out is not made, it's important - Dunn and Encarnacion have been non-existent. Get well tonight. This is a big chance. Go get Bush tonight guys. Oops. Sorry. Freudian slip. I'm sure no one's ever made that slip before. Like 100 million times in the guy's life, probably.

5-4 will sound so much better than 4-5.

 

It's a get-away day, so another early afternoon start, Cincinnati time (around noon for me).

Aqua's covered last night a bit so I won't say too much. Fogg did what he can do. And yes, if we put up 12 for all of our pitchers, we'll win 150+ games. Adam Dunn... FINALLY!!! Corey Patterson has been great so far. It can't keep up, but I'll take it while I can get it.

Looking at those standings Aqua posted, this first half is going to be interesting as the contenders sort themselves out. Not sure how long the Cardinals will stay hot, but the Cubs and Brewers will be in it for the long haul, imo. Hopefully, the Reds will, too.

Question: Does it seem like we have an over-abundance of left-handed sticks on the bench or else a scarcity of right-handers (and please don't include Castro as a worthy RH pinch-hitter; he is not that)? I think we need at least one more right-handed bat to pinch hit.

Nice to see Homer Bailey go 5 2/3 shutout innings to get the win down in Louisville. I'll be keeping my eye on Bailey as the season progresses.

And today, we send our ace back to the hill. Aaron Harang. (Throw in superlatives here.) He has one loss in two outings, but he's pitched very well. Here's hoping for win # 1 today. He'll oppose Carlos Villanueva, who went 5 1/3 with 6 Ks, 2 BBs, and 2 ER against the Giants, to get a win. He's 1-0. He worked his way into the rotation via a good Spring where he posted a 2.63 ERA. The youngster looks good to this point, but let's hope last evening's offense for the Reds carries over and we get to Villanueva. Always good to get an a series win against a potential contender, no matter what time a year. Even with a win, we're still a 1/2 game behind them, but better that than 2 1/2.

C'mon Reds!

(And by the way, the little league coach pitch team I manage, my son's team - also the Reds - scratched out their first win last night. We're 1-1, just like the real Reds were. But I'm hoping for better than 5-4...)

Game has started, and Bill-frickin'-Hall is at it again. Brewers 1-0 in the third.

Hey! EdE smacked a dinger (raised his average from an unbelievably pathetic .083 to a merely pitiful .115 with the hit) with Dunner on after singling. Hatteberg doubled and Bako drove him in. 4-1 Reds, top o' 7. Finally, some support for Harang, who just helped his own cause with a single. Still no outs in the 7th, Patterson up and Villanueva chased for Shouse. Oops. After Patterson moved the runners over with his out, Keppinger intentionally walked to load the bases, but Junior bounced into the 6-4-3. Buzzards! Good inning, nonetheless. Just... it could have been on ice.

 

Cordero shuts the door on the Brewers in nine pitches for a perfect ninth and notches his second save of the season. Reds win 4-1 behind another gem by Aaron Harang. Harang didn't strike out many, but the defense played well behind him, he stayed ahead in the count all day, and he got through eight innings pretty efficiently (99 pitches).

While it wasn't exactly bombs away, Edwin knocked his second ding of the season along with another hit, Dunn had a single, and Hatteberg poked a single and a double along with his walk for a .750 OBP on the day. So a little help from the middle of the line-up today. Against the grain of the season to this point, our 1-2-3-4 hitters went 0-fer (0-16, that is). Griffey did manage a walk.

Still, we haven't lost a series to this point, and it always seems to be nice to say this:

Bring on the Pirates.