Okay, the Reds are 80-80 with two games to play. Two wins over the Bucs would give the Reds their first winning season since the Truman administration (or so it seems).

Bronson Arroyo goes today, trying to close out his excellent regular season by capturing win number fifteen. I’d love to see it happen.

Discuss it here.

Sorry about the game thread being late. Get started!

Oh yeah, and go Reds.

John Fay seems to think Kyle Lohse will be back next season.

Right-hander Kyle Lohse made the Reds feel a lot better about their plans for him in 2007. Lohse went six innings Thursday, allowing one run on three hits.

Lohse was 0-3 with a 13.09 ERA in his previous three starts. But he was very good - 2-2 with a 2.89 ERA - in his seven starts before that.

Overall, he is 3-5 with a 4.57 ERA.

Lohse is 27 years old and throws 94 mph, so the Reds are likely to give him a shot to make the rotation.

“He’s our guy,” Narron said. “(But general manager Wayne Krivsky) can move anyone at anytime . . . Lohse has given us some very good games. He’s an experienced guy.”

4.57 is about league average, I’d guess. His WHIP with the Reds is 1.41 and he’s allowed .287/.336/.434 as a Red. On the plus side, his G/F ratio is very good for pitching in GABP (1.49).

According to ESPN, he’s making $3.95M this season and, as stated in the print article (but not on-line for some reason), is arbitration eligible. If you have to go to arbitration with him, he’s going to be making at least $5M next year.

For a pitcher that is, at best, league average, that’s too much.

Could he get better? Yes, but on a team with an actual budget, that’s too big a chunk to risk in the hope that he improves. I’d probably talk to him about a lower deal, but I don’t see any reason that he’d agree to it, but there is no way I offer him arbitration.

Just got outta court, so no pithy comments here. Just wanna get this posted quickly.

Discuss the game here…I really want to win this series vs the Fish.

I keep hearing how funny Kent Mercker is, but unlike with Adam Dunn, I never see Mercker’s quotes. That changed, with this interview with Hal McCoy. It’s not like he’s telling jokes, but the guy is just very funny in normal conversation. His perspective is just a little different than most people, which is a great thing.

Oh, and the point of the article is that Mercker wants to play next year. Kremchek has been bragging about his repair job, and says Mercker can start throwing in December. The original target date for throwing was August 2007.

For what it’s worth, I spent last summer in a jury trial involving medical malpractice committed on a major league pitcher - a major issue was letting the guy rehab too soon (clearing him to throw in January after an October rotator cuff repair). I’m obviously not qualified to offer opinions about the contents of Mercker’s elbow, or Tim Kremchek’s surgical work, which is generally acknowledged as excellent. I’m just noting that an over-aggressive rehab can cause problems. But given Mercker’s age, attitude, and situation, there’s not much downside in being aggressive.

Anyway, on to the funny: >> Continue

Steve Stewart’s blog has some excellent pictures from the West Coast Nightmare.  Great advertising for California baseball. 

Good grief, the Reds are just 2.5 games out of first place. What’s going on? These Cardinals just don’t want to win, do they?

Why couldn’t the Reds have won a few games this month?

Oh well, let’s just hope the Reds can win every one through the end of the season. If nothing else, .500 is still very much within reach.

Discuss the game here.

Marc Lancaster shows a picture of Adam Dunn used on Florida’s scoreboard last night.

I agree with the poster that said it looks like the Texas Longhorn emblem.

UPDATE: This quote from Adam Dunn:
“I’m going to grow one,” Dunn said. “If you’re going to play like an ass, you might as well look like one.”

Narron told McCoy that the loss of Ken Griffey was what put the team in the dumper in September.

Narron, though, says Griffey’s lineup absence contributed mightily to the recent collapse of the Reds’ offense.

“Yeah, it changes everything,” said Narron

I sure didn’t realize it, but the Reds actually went 8-9 without Griffey (who was hurt on Sept. 4.) In the 17 games before and counting the one where he got hurt, they had gone 6-11.

The offense did dip in his absence, though, from a mediocre 4.47 runs per game to an abysmal 3.35. (The earlier strech included two 14-run games just before the West Coast Nightmare. Take those out and the averages are essentially the same - not that I’m saying that’s remotely fair or proper analysis).

Red Reporter and Red Hot Mama organized a Reds game get-together recently. Sounds like a good time, other than the lousy game they were forced to watch.

Maybe Redleg Nation will get in on the act next year.

Did you see those two homers that Ross hit tonight? Upper deck moonshots. Unreal. Even more unreal is the fact that the bullpen threw nine innings today, and the Reds didn’t lose.

Now the Reds are one game under .500, but more importantly, with a seventh straight loss by the Cardinals, the Reds are only 2.5 games back. (Yes, I know there are just five games left in the season, but there’s still a chance).

What is discouraging is this: with a simply mediocre September, the Reds would be playoff-bound. Can you believe that? Thanks, Jerry Narron. (And no, it’s not entirely his fault, but how many games has he blown the last month or two?)

The dream lives on.

The Reds are only 3.5 games out of first. Did you know that? Well, of course you guys and gals knew it, but it’s still surprising, especially since September has been a disastrous month. Tonight, the Reds take on the Florida Marlins as they begin the final roadtrip of the season. Matt Belisle starts his first game of the season for the good guys.

Can the Redlegs make up 3.5 games in the standings with only six game left on the schedule. Well, probably not. But I’m telling you there’s a chance….

Discuss it here.

JD is talking about organizing a serious fantasy baseball league for next season.

My interest in fantasy baseball is almost non-existent these days, mainly because I can’t keep interested in these free Yahoo leagues that people keep inviting me to participate in. Something like JD is proposing sounds kinda fun, though; it’s more like what my friends and I did back in law school. It was entertaining.

Jeff Wallner over at A Press Box View has the latest changes to the Reds logos, etc.  It seems that the old-timey Mr. Redlegs will be on the shoulders.  There’s been some mention of adding blue to the uniforms, but I don’t see any indication of that with the logos.

In a strange move, the Reds have re-signed Juan Castro, age 34, to a two-year contract extension. Lancaster reports that Castro will average $1.5M over the deal.

I actually like Castro well enough, despite his anemic offense. I just don’t understand the need to pay almost-league-average salary to a guy who isn’t good enough to start, and can’t even pinch hit. Seems like a strange way to lock up a roster spot and $1.5M per year. Plus, the Reds went down this road once before.

The numbers:

2006: .245 AVG, .274 OBP, .342 SLG (616 OPS)

Career: .232, .271, .339 (610).