That Was The Most Deflating Loss This Season

This loss was as brutal you can imagine. 3-0 lead, Homer and the Reds cruising to the eighth inning, and KABOOM! Pujols with a grand slam off Weathers. After a tying it up, SPLAT! Error on Janish instead of the third out in the ninth. That loaded the bases and BANG! Jarrett Hoffpauir gets his first major league hit to score a pair and BASH! Pujols again, this time a double down the left field line to score another run. How do they recover? You figure the Reds have to win Saturday since Carpenter is on the mound for St. Louis Sunday.

Optimism Is Giving Way To Pessimism

Every baseball season I seem to start out like Yogi. It ain't over 'til it's over. This year the optimism surrounding the Reds was fueled by good pitching, both starting and relief. We knew the offense would be challenged, just maybe not quite this challenged. After almost half the season we know this about the Reds: They aren't bad, they just aren't very good. They're not really losing any ground, they're not gaining any ground either. They aren't a whole lot worse than they were at the end of April, but they're certainly no better. They might be able to hang in the race a little while longer, but I don't see them making a drive to the top. Their pitching is okay, but not stellar, and certainly not good enough to carry a sagging offense. The defense is okay, but certainly not a highlight reel of "web gems", not even close. It's not up to the standard I expected at the beginning of the season. In short, the Reds are a mediocre team. These aren't just the musings of a man suffering through a 9-2 loss at Cleveland. These are the musings of a man allowing pessimism to seep into the small cracks where optimism once lived. It was back in early May when the Reds briefly led the league in earned run average. They are now sixth. They are 12th in the N.L. in runs scored. They are on the minus side of run differential, a stat that doesn't tell the whole story but it does give you a good indication of performance and potential. Plus, the starting pitching has shown some signs of bending. It ain't over, but I've reached that point where I am now a pessimist and no longer an optimist about the 2009 Cincinnati Reds. As for 2010, isn't Homer on the mound Saturday night?

Joey Was Big, Willy Could Be Bigger, And The NBA Draft

Joey Votto leaves his hometown with a bang, and the Reds needed it. Just when they blow the four-run lead, it's Votto with a home run to put the Reds back on top. We know Votto can hit, but the bigger thing to come out of Thursday night in toronto could be (do not hold me to this) Willy Taveras. A three-hit night, a well executed bunt on a suicide squeeze, a stolen base, and a pretty decent centerfield. If Willy can do this a little more consistently, the Reds have a chance to hang in there. I'm not sure why I would think he could do it more consistently, other than the belief he cannot possibly be as bad as he's shown the past month and a half. But I also feel if Willy goes into another tailspin, it's time to put Dickerson in center and give him a chance. Chris flashes some awesome defense when he gets a chance to patrol the middle.

Bronson Arroyo has something in common with "celebrity blogger" Perez Hilton. They both got beat up in Toronto. The good news for Arroyo fans, Bronson cry about it on video. I can't say the same for the overexposed "celebrity blogger". (i don't know what else to call the guy without using words like clown, fool, etc., etc.)

The NBA draft never fails to surprise me. Mainly because there are so many guys drafted in the first round I've never heard of. David Stern had the same problem when he stumbled and bumbled over the name and hometown of Rodrigue Beaubois.

I was disappointed for Derrick Brown. Hopefully he has a good career. A lot of guys have benefited from getting drafted in the second round. You get to the big-money deals sooner. But you have to be very good, and you have to pan-out to make it happen. Brown went to Charlotte with the tenth pick in the second round, the 40th overall pick.

Votto On Board For Toronto

A trusted source game me the verbal thumbs up when I asked if Joey Votto was hopping the plane to Toronto with the Reds. You could tell after Sunday's game in Dayton that Votto was hoping he could get back to the big league team. He sounded like the weight of the world was lifted off his shoulders. He seemed more relieved by playing back to back complete games than nailing three hits in six at-bats. The home run he hit Saturday night was a monster. I don't know if Votto will be shoved back into the starting lineup right away. That is something the Reds may not even know. That is a decision that will probably be made Tuesday afternoon.
Here's a link to the story on our web site and the interview Votto gave the media after Sunday's game in Dayton.

http://www.wlwt.com/sports/19826592/detail.html

http://www.wlwt.com/video/19818653/index.html

Reds Offense and Twitter:Make It Stop!

The Reds offense continues to give me an uneasy feeling. They are 11th in the National League in runs scored. But maybe the pitching is good enough to continue giving them chances to win, even with Votto still out there somewhere on the horizon. We've heard for years and years that good pitching is a wonderful thing. It is, and the Reds have it. The Reds are still on the plus side in runs scored, but plus eight after 59 games is a razor thin.

Usually games involving the Washington Nationals result in scores more suited to the Metro Softball Tournament at Rumpke Park. Lately though, the Nationals have had trouble scoring as well, and that's how the Reds were able to get out of D.C. with two wins while scoring just nine runs in three games. Only twice in the last eight games have the National scored more than two runs. That is beyond brutal.

Did you ever think you would long for the days to have Edwin Encarnacion back at third base? With Rosales in the tank, the Reds are there. Clearly Jerry Hairston Jr. is more comfortable at other positions.

Twitter is the "pet rock" fad of 2009, at least that's what I hope. Please, make it STOP! I refuse to follow anyone on the stupid thing, and if that puts me behind the 8-ball with pertinent sports information, so be it. A lot of sporting types, agents, players, etc., are using the thing to fire out thoughts, sometimes news, but usually just a bunch of meaningless information. I mean really, who has time to read all of that crap some of these people put out? I've had to cull through some of that stuff for work, and quite honestly, who the hell would go through that stuff on their own time? It's mainly a bunch of gibberish. Is this what it's coming too? I'm perplexed by this thing. But whatever floats your boat, I guess. I have to personally thank Chad Ochocinco for perpetrating the tattoo hoax through his twitter account. The more junk like that coming out means the less reliable it is. Ask guys like Tony LaRussa. He's suing the place. I'm going to help Tony out. I'm going to find my "pet rock" from the 70's and fire it right through the front window of Twitter.

As I've clearly stated in the past, I've grown so tired of the Ochocinco thing. The antics I can do without, but when he does his interviews, something funny usually comes out. He is a funny, funny, man. The Brokeback Mountain comment earlier in the week was hysterical. (although Carson may have failed to see the humor) I genuinely feel Chad means no harm. But if the Bengals need a nice comedian, Jay Leno has some time off this summer. A healthy, focused Chad can help, but I still can't believe it's been worth the drama of the last 18 months.

When "Probably not" sounds like "Not good".

When Dusty Baker was asked if Joey Votto will return to the lineup when he's eligible to come off the disabled list, Baker reportedly responded, "probably not." The earliest Votto could return is June 14. That's one week away. He has not been taking part in baseball activities while he deals with the stress-related issues. According to Dusty, a little rehab in the minors is probably in store for Votto before he gets back to playing with the Reds. In all honesty, that shouldn't be too surprising. But also in all honesty, I figured after 15 days Votto would be close, if not ready to roll. Obviously, these things are tough to pin down and figuring out a long-term treatment has to be tricky too, especially if it's something that involves medication while trying to hit 95 mile per hour fastballs. Whatever time it takes to get Votto right for the long-term, that's what the
Reds should and will do. Hopefully for the Reds and Joey's sake, it won't be a long time after the 15 days are up. I'm still optimistic about the long-term. The New York Times ran an item today that talks about players dealing with social anxiety disorder. No one has said, or even hinted that Votto is dealing with that, but it's an interesting, quick, read and Votto's name is mentioned in the article. Here's the link:

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/06/07/sports/baseball/07spotlight.html

Wow! Could The Weekend Have Been Worse?

...Not for the Cincinnati Reds. Friday the Reds give up small-ball and lose a game while allowing just three hits. Saturday Votto goes on the disabled list. Saturday night Harang does nothing to ease the pain. Sunday the Reds leave 11 men on base while scoring just two runs. The result, three losses and panic-time in Redsland.
I thought they could go 4-3 on the trip because the pitching would win the day. But I wasn't banking on Votto leaving the lineup, and taking with him the timely hitting that has made this team an efficient machine. Now, I just hope they can keep the amount of wins within five or so of the amount of losses while Votto is out of the lineup.
I was glad to hear Brandon Phillips pop off some after Sunday's game. He was right about the Reds not doing the little things right in Milwaukee. We'll see if this was just a hiccup as the team tries to steady itself after getting walloped with the news that their best hitter is on the disabled list.
We will never know if Harang's outing Saturday night had anything to do with staying in last Monday's game after a two hour rain-delay. We will never know if the outcome would have been different Friday night if the Reds had tried to bunt in the eighth inning Friday night. But I do know both of those decisions were very unnecessary risks. I like a lot of things about Dusty and his managing style. Contrary to popular local belief, or at least popular local belief before he managed the Reds, Dusty does a nice job handing young players. I think he's a good manager when it comes to setting an air of confidence for a team. I think he keeps things very positive. But the two aforementioned decisions have given me a major headache. Here's hoping the team, and more importantly the manager, learned something from it.

Small-ball takes a back seat to something else

All of this talk about the Reds playing small-ball and they blow off an obvious bunting situation. It led directly to a rally-killing double-play Friday night in Milwaukee. Runners on first and second, nobody out, in the eighth inning with the Reds trailing the Brewers by one run. Let's see, it's late in the game, you can push two runners into scoring position, and pinch-hitter Chris Dickerson doesn't even make an attempt at laying one down. Dusty had statistics on his side with Todd Coffey allowing lefthanders to hit him at will. But you also have to keep in mind what has been working for your team all season long. Coffey ran the count to 2-0. Dickerson fouled off the next two pitches, then came the fateful bouncer to second base. Rosales could have made himself a tougher out as opposed to running head-on into the tag, but that is beside the point. It's amazing that the Reds have a pretty good season going while playing a certain style of ball, and that style goes out the window at the most critical juncture of Friday night's game. I didn't like it.

Anyone else have an uneasy feeling about this Votto thing? I'm sure you all do. Votto had to leave another game early, and I'm sure it's just the inner-ear thing. Make that I hope it's just the inner-ear thing. This will sound crazy, but I figure all of the changing air pressure that comes with flying could be taking a toll on Votto's situation. Maybe they should just have him drive from city to city. Or maybe they should sit him for a couple of weeks. I think the latter is more likely than the former. Not good. Not with all of these upcoming games against N.L. Central foes.

Dusty Did it, Not Sure I Would Have

After a two hour rain delay, Dusty Baker sent Aaron Harang back to the mound. The Big Hoss of the reds rotation was one out away from qualifying for a win. If you know Aaron Harang, you know he would pitch 20 innings one day and try to pitch 20 more the next. He's fearless when it comes to his arm. He's a gamer. Managers need to keep gamers from overdoing it. But Dusty has a soft spot and wanted his big man to get a win. Harang's suffered through miserable run support in the past, and the Reds had a 5-spot on the board. No doubt, Harang is a moose. But given what happened last year after the relief stint in San Diego, I would have told my big man to hit the showers. Dusty sent him back out there, and in the end, Harang got the win and probably loves his manager more than ever. I get all of that. I just would not have had the nerve to send Aaron back out there. Way too many much too lose with way too little to gain. For Dusty and Aaron's sake, I hope it worked out for the best. So far it has.

By the way, this road trip coming up against Milwaukee (three games) and St. Louis (four games) is huge. I'm guessing we won't see Brandon Phillips try to play before Friday. Get that right thumb as healthy as possible before the games against the Brew Crew. It was good to see Joey Votto enter the game Monday and stay in the game. Hopefully his problems are a thing of the past.

Phillips Not Happy That Indians Are Coming To Town

Brandon Phillips is like a lot of greater Cincinnatians because he doesn't like Cleveland. At least he doesn't like the Cleveland Indians. He's also tired of hearing about them, since each and every time the series comes around he gets a questions or two about it. Phillips was drafted by the Expos in 1999, then traded to Cleveland in 2002. It was in the Indians organization that his career practically flamed out. The Reds traded for Phillips in April, 2006, and you know the rest. The Phillips acquisition is on target to go down as one of the best trades in Reds history. The only downside for Phillips, he has to face his former team each season, and field questions about them. If he didn't have such an obvious dislike for the Indians, the questions might go away. So here's the question. Does playing his former Cleveland team matter any more?

For the record, I love that answer. In six game against the tribe last season, Brandon had 9 hits, 1 homer, and 7 rbi. The Reds won five of the six games. I understand Brandon was asked a few question about Cleveland earlier in the day, and I bet he gets a few more tomorrow. They won't be coming from me.

First Place, The Scene Of The Crime, and Hard Knocks

The Reds aced the first part of their west test. Now it's on to San Diego, and the scene of the crime in 2008. Maybe it's good that Aaron Harang starts for the Reds in his hometown Friday night. The last time he pitched in San Diego may have derailed his 2008 season. May 25, 2008, the Reds and Padres were battling through an 18-inning marathon. Harang volunteers to help out with a relief stint. He goes 4 innings, strikes out 9, and fires 63 pitches. In his next 8 starts, Harang only had 3 quality starts, then had to be shut down for a month. Harang has a chance to exorcise that Diego demon Friday night against a Padres team that stinks of late.

Soooooo, what happens when Gonzalez is ready and Edwin is ready? I would work Gonzalez back in slowly. I swear the Reds would have put him on the D.L. if they had known Hairston was going to get hot at the plate and in the field. Considering Gonzalez hasn't played in 10 days anyway, the D.L. would have been the move anyway. I would suggest the Reds work in Gonzalez slowly, against left handed pitcher. That will keep Hairston in the lineup and in the 2 hole as he plays left field against lefties and shortstop against righties. The Rosales-Gonzalez thing is easy, at least for now. Edwin gets a nice, long, convenient, minor league rehab assignment until/if Rosales cools down.

HBO is about 3 years too late on this Hard Knocks thing. Can you imagine if they had been on hand for all of that drama? There is still plenty left, with Carson's elbow, Chad, Andre Smith, (more on that in a moment) Coles, new defensive players, and the usual Bengals hilarity that seems to pop up every year in the weeks before the season. (see-Aug. 2008, return of Chris Henry)

Red Flag, Red Flag- ugghhhhh. Look, Andre, pick an agent and get ready for the season. If all of this uncertainty coming from the Andre Smith camp concerning his agent is true, I'm concerned. I'm more than willing to give the guy a chance after all of the drama, from missing the bowl game through skipping out on the combine. After he was drafted, the Bengals first round choice told anyone who would listen that it was all behind him and he had learned from it. Now this? This really smacks of interference from his inner circle of family and/or friends. Get a handle on it big fella, get focused, and start thinking about your job. The NFL is hard enough without distractions. As I sit here right now and think about it, I'm concerned.

I can't leave on a downer. Don't you just love the way this Reds team plays the game? Remember when they used to talk about doing all of the little things right, and they did none of the little things right? That's what Arizona reminded me of this week. They were the gang that couldn't shoot straight, couldn't throw straight, couldn't hit straight, and couldn't think straight. Just like the Redlegs used to do it.


Okay, I will leave on a downer. Adam Dunn. He says after he was part of a pennant race last year with Arizona he now knows how to prepare for the game. He says he knows a lot more about hitting now, that he never really knew about hitting before. If baseball is your job, how did this not happen sooner? It's maddening, and perhaps outside influences could have been at play. You wonder if it would ever have clicked here. I'm guessing that getting traded last year and enduring a less than enthusiastic courting in free agency woke the big fella up. He currently has a .310 avg., 11 Home Runs, and a .444 on base percentage.