Reds 10 Game Wrap

After 10 games, the Redlegs sit at a pedestrian 5-5, 1 game back of first place St. Louis.

The Good:

• Opened the season 4-2 against two WS favorites (LAA and Washington), with the only losses coming in extra innings.

• The team is not relying solely on Votto for offense.

• Choo! Say all you want about his bobbles, the guy can rake! By the way, the game he had with 2 errors which allowed 3 runs, he also had 3 RBIs. For those hockey fans out there, that is a wash then on the +/-.

• Cueto and Latos – Both have 2 starts, both have 2 quality starts, and both have sub 3.00 ERAs.

• Frazier – Speaking of raking, the guy is hitting .333 with 3 HRs, 10 RBIs, and 23 TBs in 9 games. Anyone miss Rolen yet?

• BP – Also raking. 4 HRs, 11 RBIs, and 30 TB is what you want from a cleanup hitter.

• Attendance – 100,000+ for the first series and 95,000+ for the second. Sure, the opponents helped that draw too, but that is approximately 36,000 more fans through the first two series from 2012, and the second series in 2012 was the Cardinals (54,000 compared to 95,000 in 2013). 22% increases are good.

• Sam Lecure – 4 GP, 1 W, 9 K/9, 1.80 ERA. What more evidence do you need regarding the power of a moustache!

• Chapman – 1 W, 2 SV, 16.20 K/9, 2 BBs, and a 0.00 ERA. That all I got to say about that (Forest Gump).

• Broxton – 4 IP, 4 Ks, 1 Hold, 0.00 ERA.

The Bad

• Leake – How long can his leash be? Especially with Tony Cingrani throwing lights out in AAA. I still believe this team was better off with Chapman starting. The team is on a 3 game slide and Chapman has not thrown a pitch. A closer is useless if you can’t get to him with a lead. The Reds are 0-2 when Leake starts. Leake has a 6.75 ERA and a staggering 1.83 WHIP (although Hoover is jealous of that).

• Bailey – 1 good start, 1 terrible start. Typically of the inconsistency we have come to know with Bailey. At the end of 2012, it looked like something may have clicked, but count me in the boat of folks that still do not trust Bailey. Reason? His issues are between his ears. That is tough to fix. When something goes wrong (i.e. an error, a bad call, a HR, etc) Bailey can’t get past it and he unravels. Don’t believe me, watch him. His last outing he was cruising, through 4, then gives up a solo HR in the 5^th and the flood gates opened. 4 runs in the 5^th, 4 runs in the 6^th, and Bailey is done. One of the most frustrating players in Reds history.

• Votto – .294 isn’t bad for the average player, but it is bad for Votto. He is collecting his walks (14 – leads the majors), but he doesn’t get paid $252M to walk. He gets paid to hit and drive in runs. Through 10 games, Votto has 0 HR, 1 2B, 1 3B, and just 2 RBI! Given those stats, it is surprising this team is 5-5. Lucky for Votto, the guys around him have been making up for his lack of run production. Generally speaking, this would not be concerning. However, ever since his knee injury in 2012, we have yet to see the Votto we are used to. Since June 24^th 2012, Joey Votto and I have the same amount of major league HRs! Including the playoffs, that is now 55 games without a HR! That is concerning.

The Ugly

• J.J. Hoover – Calling Arredondo…. Why is he pitching so much? He has pitched in 6 of the 10 games! His stats? 5.2 IP, 5 ER, 4 BBs, 7.94 ERA, and brace yourself….2.12 WHIP!! The Reds have 5 losses…Hoover has 3! Dear Dusty and Walt, don’t let the facts get in the way of your decision on Hoover.

• Heisey – Wow does he suck! I don’t understand how he does well off the bench and then sucks when he starts. Don’t get me wrong, he is still better all-around than Stubby, but, a .143 avg and 13 Ks in 9 games is not good. Every year, Dusty has a guy who sucks continue to play despite other options. In the past it has been Taveras, Patterson, Gonzalez (Janish), then Janish himself (Cozart), Stubbs (Heisey), etc. Now it’s Heisey himself playing most everyday while Paul sits on the bench with his .400 avg and 6 RBIs in 10 Abs….Heisey has 3 RBIs in 35 Abs.

• Cozart – Speaking of suck, Cozart is hitting .114! Worse yet, take away his 1 game where he went 2-4 with 2 HRs, 5 RBIs, and 2 R, and the guy would be hitting .057 with 2 R, 2 H, 0 2B, 0 HR, 2 TB, and 0 RBI! Those numbers make Paul Janish look like Tony Gwynn! While I don’t expect this to continue, the Reds need more production from Cozart.

• Hanigan - .043. The only players with an AB and a worse average are Latos, Arroyo, and Cueto (.000). Parra, Bailey, and Leake all have as many (1) or more hits than Hanigan. Hanigan has a track record of hitting, so I am not terribly concerned, but right now, the 7 and 8 hitters in the Reds lineup are giving them less than the 9 hitter.

Bengals Become More Active in Free Agency

Over the years, a few things have proven to be staples in Cincinnati. Death, taxes, incompetent city council members, and the Bengals waiting in free agency. Mike Brown doesn’t shop at Saks. He waits for the name brands to come to TJ Maxx and then he goes on a shopping spree. As an avid supporter of ‘The Maxx’ myself, I can’t blame him on such an excellent strategy! The start of FA is a high price risk that rarely works out. A few weeks later, you get low priced equivalents that are productive and do not cause issue down the road with the salary cap. Bang on Mike all you want, but he has a good strategy. Who would you prefer to see at the MLB position on the Bengals next year, Ellerbe (at $7M) or Dansby (at $2-3M)? I would take Dansby hands down. Especially at 1/3 of the price of Ellerbe. Here’s your update on recent activity by the Bengals:

Jason Allen

Released. Can’t be shocked by this one. You can’t keep a guy that can’t stay on the field (Bernard Scott).

Karlos Dansby

Brought in for a visit. Strong move if they sign him. I would sign him for a 1 or 2 year deal, move Rey outside, and let Burfict be mentored by Dansby.

Felix Jones

Why? Speaking of guys that can’t stay healthy, Jones is made from the same glass his former Arkansas running mate (Darren McFadden) is made of. Fast? Yes. Serves a purpose on the Bengals? No. Draft 1 or 2 RBs.

Kerry Rhodes

Brought in for a visit. A decent veteran to have back there if they don’t bring back Crocker. Crocker makes more sense, but Rhodes is a decent second option to provide experience and a mentor for a young safety they are sure to draft.

Ahmad Bradshaw

May be brought in for a visit. I don’t see where he fits. He would be a change of pace type guy (when compared to BJGE). The draft has a ton of these guys that will be available throughout the first 5 rounds, all of which are younger and have less injury issues than Bradshaw. I would favor drafting 2 RBs in this years draft – 1 in rounds 2-3 and 1 on the 3^rd day of the draft.

James Harrison

Brought in for a visit. I would rather not. Sure, he brings an attitude, but he also brings an aging, injury plagued bitter player. I would pass.

 

Opening Dud…I mean, Day, Review

 

Opening Day in baseball is one of my favorite days of the year, and lucky for me, I live in Cincinnati where Opening Day is done right, and more importantly, done every year. Since 1869 the Cincinnati Red Stockings have been hosting Opening Day baseball. And, like many have since the 1890, I descended upon the Queen City to take in the Opening Day festivities, celebrate with my fellow Cincinnatians on the Reds Unofficial holiday, and spread some of my prospective…12oz’s at a time! 

The festivities were exciting. The game, not so much. As fans (especially Cincinnati fans), we are a doom and gloom bunch, however, I am here to be your voice of reason.

The Good: 

-          I know it is cliché, but it was just 1 game. 1 game with 161 to go. And 1 game against a very good Angels team.

-          The Angels likely have the most potent offense in the majors and were playing in one of the most offense friendly parks and the Reds held them to 1 run for 12 innings and 3 in 13. That is good.

-          The Ryan Ludwick injury is not catastrophic. Sure it hurts, but his WAR was 1.7. That means Ludwick is worth 1.7 more wins over an average replacement over the course of a 162 game season. Chris Heisey and Xavier Paul are pretty decent options. So while it hurts, it is not catastrophic.

-          Choo Choo Baby! My man Choo got 2 hits in the leadoff spot. That did not happen much the past few years.

-          Cueto and the bullpen looked good.

-          There are 161 more games left.

-          By the time this hits the stands, there are only 160 games left and the Reds are tied for 1^st.

The Bad:

-          Situational hitting. Seems like every year, different players, same problem. It is frustrating to watch this team try and play fundamental baseball. I have never seen a team struggle so bad at scoring a man from third with less than 2 outs. Monday was no different, and even Votto failed. Hopefully this is more the exception rather than the norm this year.

-          Jay Bruce’s inability to hit a breaking ball low and away. 0-5 with 4 K’s….didn’t take him long to get his first Golden Sombrero of the year! For this team to reach its’ potential, Bruce has to reach his - meaning he can’t continue being the worst hitter in baseball for 4 months  of the year and  the best hitter in baseball for 2 months every year.

-          Strikeouts. Sure it went 13 innings, but 13 strikeouts is too many strikeouts. BTW, Cueto batted twice and did not account for any of those strikeouts. Just sayin.

-          Joe Torre throwing out the first pitch for the most historical Opening Day in the Majors? Rule for Opening Day First Pitch Throwers: Has to be a huge name or a historical tie to the organization. By my calculation, Torre fits neither. A team that regularly has Presidents of the  United States (and past Presidents) throw out first pitches went with a guy with…Joe Torre? Former manager of the Yankees and Dodgers? Well, at least his wife is from Cincinnati.