Thursday, June 30, 2011

Big Stretch Before The Break

I would like to make some sweeping statement like, "We'll know all we need to know about the Reds when they reach the All-Star break." But I believe our knowledge will be the same then as it is now. At some point this team needs to get traction and reel off some wins. With seven of the next ten games on the road, it's unlikely to happen now. Especially with four of those games in Milwaukee where the Brewers sport a gaudy 29-11 record at home. I fully expect the Reds to win four to five games out of the next ten and remain 3 to 5 games out of first place. The stretch begins with three game at home against Cleveland, then three in St. Louis followed by the four game series in Milwaukee.
At least the Reds can hang their hat on some stellar pitching. The Reds continue to rack up a healthy number of quality starts. Consistent run scoring has been another issue, with the Reds scoring 2 runs here, 2 runs there, then busting out for 10 in a rout. Still, the statistics bode well for the Reds the rest of the way. They are tops in the division in run differential, and that is usually a nice indicator that more wins should be on the way. The left fielders (Gomes, Heisey, Lewis) have fought their way back to respectability, but shortstop remains a bit of a black hole at the plate. Everybody's favorite minor league shortstop, Zach Cozart, has hit .341 in his last ten games at Louisville and had 6 hits in his last 12 at-bats. Just a thought.

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