I was saying yesterday that Phillips needed a day off he struck out like 4 or 5 times in a row over 2 games…but I didn’t really think Hopper and Freel would both get the start, potential for some speed on base anyway….if Freel can get on that is.
I like Keppinger batting 6th…with the way Dunn has been walking we need somebody to move him over and in.
Also, if we can get Lilly out of the game somewhat early, Griffey and Dunn being back to back might force Lou to use his only lefty before he wants to…I like that call.
Jeff Brantley is talking about how Patterson may not belong in the leadoff spot. “I don’t believe you can succeed as a leadoff hitter with an on-base of less than .300. I just don’t think you can do it.”
What is going on with this team? Castro has no business being on this team, esp. with Cabrera and Hairston tearing the cover off the ball in Louisville. We need right handed sticks. Bailey, Belisle, and Justin Lehr have been dominant as well. The Bats have been unbeatable, I wish I could say the same for the Reds.
cmon Edinson, it’s the pitcher for christ sakes…you cant walk the pitcher with bases loaded…thats unacceptable…throw it right down the middle at least…god
I caught the pre-game interview with Dusty Baker and the first half inning on radio.
re: Fogg/changes – Dusty was non-commital. Said he and Krvisky need to talk about it. Don’t be surprised to see roster changes prior to Friday’s game, but wouldn’t reveal what he was going to request from Krivsky.
Re: Volquez & bullpen – He said he’s going to go a little longer with Volquez than he normally would because the bullpen got so much work last night.
Said that Affeldt and Lincoln are probably unavailable today. Maybe one, two-thirds of an inning at most.
Re: lineup vs. lefties – Commented on Dunn batting 4th behind Griffey. Said that if Philly can do it with Utley/Howard, then no reason Griff/Dunn can’t.
Comment: Well there’s a great big old “duh”. I hope this is more than a 1 game change. Let’s see Junior/Dunn or Dunn/Junior lineups more often!
During the first inning, they said Lilly’s fastball is topping out at about 84mph. The team is calling it “an unexplained drop in velocity”. Brantley predicts an impending DL trip due to a shoulder injury.
gameday isn’t the the be all end all of strikes and balls. the ump was all over the place. sure edinson should have been able to adjust with the pitcher up there, but he got squeezed for sure.
“Come to think of it..I don’t think I’ve ever seen gameday say it was the opposite of whatever an ump says.”
That happens FREQUENTLY. A couple times an inning, usually.
The best example was the strike three on Valentin when the bases were loaded (I think it was a Monday afternoon game against Philly). That pitch was a good six inches off the plate, and Gameday called it perfectly in spite of the ump’s terrible ruling.
I don’t know what Brenly is talking about. He said if the Reds continue to struggle, there is a lot of speculation that they made unload Griffey AND Dunn.
Bako looks like a pitcher when he bats…and that’s not a compliment to him. (For what it’s worth, Edinson also looks like a pitcher when he bats…but that’s to be expected).
Dunn’s not getting much to hit, especially with Encarnacion and Vott/Hatteberg struggling. Votto has been hitting the past week, so hopefully that will start to change. But I think most opponents are going to take their chances with Votto/hatteberg instead of Dunner. I’d really like to see a lineup like this stick:
Hopper
Keppinger
Griff
Dunn
Phillips
Votto
Encarnacion
Catcher
Pitcher
If Patterson has to play, he bats 7th or 8th, Kepp leads off and Encarnacion bats 2nd.
“I think the ump has no idea what is supposed to be a strike… It’s all over the place.”
I hate to defend an ump (some of them are terrible), but this one has been on the money. EV has a ton of movement, which can fool you. It’s not where the pitch is caught but where it crosses the front of the plate.
Voltron is at 93 pitches after 4 – I think thye’d be wise to pull him. At the rate he’s going, he’d need 116 pitches to finish 5 innings – way too much for him at this stage.
I appreciate what Hatte has done the past two years for us, but Joey Votto has to start playing everday. Move Junior out of the three hole and plug him in right behind Kep and in front of Phillips, put Dunn, Edwin, Griffey any way you want 5-7. It’s time to stop catering to everyone’s ego and see what’s happening on the field. Also, to anyone who saw him play 1st in the minors, why was there always a complaint about his defense. From what I have seen he has nice instincts, good arm, league average range and footwork. He’s not Will Clark, but how people thought he would bring the Reds defense down a notch, I will never understand.
hope volquez gets through this inning and gets in line for the win. he needs to get more pitch efficient, for sure, but i’m still really excited about him and happy for him that he’s having success.
if fogg hadn’t bombled last game, his sub-2 ERA would be all people would talk about.
Volquez is the first Reds pitcher this year, not named Harang or Arroyo, to throw over 100 pitches. Overall, I’m glad to see that restraint from Baker and the coaching staff.
Burton and Coffey were the only relievers not to see any action last night.
renbutler: I’m not sure you’re watching the same game we are in regards to the strike zone. I’m watching it on TV (are you only relying on gameday or some such thing?)
“renbutler: I’m not sure you’re watching the same game we are in regards to the strike zone. I’m watching it on TV (are you only relying on gameday or some such thing?)”
Some pitches are obviously balls or strikes. When it’s close, I defer to Gameday. It picks up on things our eyes (and sometimes hearts) can’t.
Sometimes Gameday proves an umpire’s ineptness, and at those times I’ll call them out. But today’s not one of those days. Sorry.
I hope Baker is tempted to start and leadoff with Hopper more against RHP than Patterson. Would also like to see Griffey & Dunn stay back-to-back in the lineup.
2009 stats: Sarasota 2-1 8 Games 8 Games Started 42.1 IP 4.89 ERA 1.44 WHIP
Carolina 3-2 6 Game 6 Game Started 36 2/3 IP 2.95 ERA 1.09 WHIP
Louisville 2-2 5 Game 5 Game Started 29 IP 2.48 ERA 1.21 WHIP
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Hopper and Freel at the top of the line-up
I was saying yesterday that Phillips needed a day off he struck out like 4 or 5 times in a row over 2 games…but I didn’t really think Hopper and Freel would both get the start, potential for some speed on base anyway….if Freel can get on that is.
I like Keppinger batting 6th…with the way Dunn has been walking we need somebody to move him over and in.
Also, if we can get Lilly out of the game somewhat early, Griffey and Dunn being back to back might force Lou to use his only lefty before he wants to…I like that call.
Reds are up there hacking against a pitcher who hasn’t made it through 5 innings yet this year…. At least Griffey knows enough to take a pitch.
I’d say Dunn will be taking some pitches to lead off the second…Hopefully Lilly will get out of his comfort zone.
edinson looks like he’s got nasty stuff throught he first two batters. see how he deals with lee.
lots of strikes. i love starting lee off with the get-over curve ball. no way he was swinging at that.
3-2…just don’t leave anything up.
that’ll work
Wind seems to be moving the ball A LOT on popups so far
Another first pitch hack
Reds managing to make Lilly look like Cy Young as well…
Why doesn’t FSOH have a RoboCam like WGN?
Thanks, Blanco.
Jeff Brantley is talking about how Patterson may not belong in the leadoff spot. “I don’t believe you can succeed as a leadoff hitter with an on-base of less than .300. I just don’t think you can do it.”
So…media getting on board!
This ump is horrible.
What’s the deal with the home plate ump?
Gameday shows that the ump has been pretty accurate. His move on ball four to Lilly was weird, but it was certainly a ball.
Wow…a walk to the opposing pitcher (despite one, if not TWO, of the called balls were strikes)…
No thanks, Lilly. Oh Edinson, this is the NL! Throw strikes to the pitcher.
I can’t believe these calls! How big is the strike zone? The size of a postage stamp?
That’s terrible umpiring, though. Don’t act like you’re going to make a strike call and then hold back. That just makes you look bad.
What is going on with this team? Castro has no business being on this team, esp. with Cabrera and Hairston tearing the cover off the ball in Louisville. We need right handed sticks. Bailey, Belisle, and Justin Lehr have been dominant as well. The Bats have been unbeatable, I wish I could say the same for the Reds.
Are u seriously going to use gameday in defense of the ump?…They probably just have some guy puttin a dot where he thinks it is.
cmon Edinson, it’s the pitcher for christ sakes…you cant walk the pitcher with bases loaded…thats unacceptable…throw it right down the middle at least…god
All four balls to Lilly were out of the strike zone, although the first pitch was very close. Look at Gameday.
I caught the pre-game interview with Dusty Baker and the first half inning on radio.
re: Fogg/changes – Dusty was non-commital. Said he and Krvisky need to talk about it. Don’t be surprised to see roster changes prior to Friday’s game, but wouldn’t reveal what he was going to request from Krivsky.
Re: Volquez & bullpen – He said he’s going to go a little longer with Volquez than he normally would because the bullpen got so much work last night.
Said that Affeldt and Lincoln are probably unavailable today. Maybe one, two-thirds of an inning at most.
Re: lineup vs. lefties – Commented on Dunn batting 4th behind Griffey. Said that if Philly can do it with Utley/Howard, then no reason Griff/Dunn can’t.
Comment: Well there’s a great big old “duh”. I hope this is more than a 1 game change. Let’s see Junior/Dunn or Dunn/Junior lineups more often!
During the first inning, they said Lilly’s fastball is topping out at about 84mph. The team is calling it “an unexplained drop in velocity”. Brantley predicts an impending DL trip due to a shoulder injury.
Cubs do a Reds imitation by leaving the bases loaded.
“Are u seriously going to use gameday in defense of the ump?…They probably just have some guy puttin a dot where he thinks it is.”
Not at Wrigley and most other parks. It’s tracked electronically, and I’ve never seen it miss. Sometimes it shows the ump was wrong.
Occasionally the equipment will malfunction, and somebody will manually apply the “dots,” and those are frequently way off.
Ted Lilly is single handedly beating us. How sad is that. Let’s hope our hitters quickly realize that Lilly is not good.
gameday isn’t the the be all end all of strikes and balls. the ump was all over the place. sure edinson should have been able to adjust with the pitcher up there, but he got squeezed for sure.
Every call that goes against the Reds is a bad call, as far as I’m concerned.
Now the WGN guys are commenting that the strike zone is pretty small.
Hopper does what a leadoff hitter is supposed to do.
Keppy should never bat lower than the 2 hole. If anything, he should probably lead off. He should be given as many ABs as possible.
First SB of the year for Hopper.
Come to think of it..I don’t think I’ve ever seen gameday say it was the opposite of whatever an ump says.
Freel does what a number two hitter isn’t supposed to do.
You are correct.
“Come to think of it..I don’t think I’ve ever seen gameday say it was the opposite of whatever an ump says.”
That happens FREQUENTLY. A couple times an inning, usually.
The best example was the strike three on Valentin when the bases were loaded (I think it was a Monday afternoon game against Philly). That pitch was a good six inches off the plate, and Gameday called it perfectly in spite of the ump’s terrible ruling.
Gameday is accurate, people. 100%? Probably not.
uh-oh, Volquez at 50 pitches with only 2 innings in the books.
Beautiful play.
Nice DP!!!
Nice to see a Reds pitcher work inside for a change.
WGN guys saying some wonderful things about Nuxhall.
Let’s get some offense.
And some oxygen for the bullpen. Volquez at 70 pitches after 3 innings isn’t going to give the bullpen the break they need.
Volquez definitely needs to get out of the 4th in about 15 pitches.
I wish Dunn would hit a 800 foot homer just to express the frustration of the fans with this offense.
Is this the guy in Louisville who people are wanting to call up for some RH batting help?
I don’t know what Brenly is talking about. He said if the Reds continue to struggle, there is a lot of speculation that they made unload Griffey AND Dunn.
I’ll settle for the 90 foot walk.
Keppinger is about the only Red who can hit “Cy” Lilly… 2 on, 1 out – make it count.
Losing two of their best bats would certainly fix their offensive woes.
Getting pretty much automatic. Dunn at the plate, that’s a walk. Occasionally a pop-up to vary it a little.
They might as well call Hairston up if it’s true that he has an out in his contract after one month.
Career stats say no to Hairston.
Let’s go Votto…get us goin.
Solution to our hitting issues. Clone Jeff Keppinger
Encarnacion making his case as a miniversion of Adam Dunn. Another walk for him, bases loaded.
YES SIR!!
Can’t remember a big hit like that in quite some time. Way to go, Joey!
volquez needs to go for the k a little less, but at least he’s not giving up runs. more than a lot of our pitchers can say.
Dang!!! Votto cleans the bases!!!
Go Joey! Bye Hatteberg!
Wow, a hit with runners on! Good work Votto.
Drill one Voltron!!!
Bako looks like a pitcher when he bats…and that’s not a compliment to him. (For what it’s worth, Edinson also looks like a pitcher when he bats…but that’s to be expected).
Wow! A Latin American player lied about his age.
Tejada lied (hmm, where have I heard that before?!)
Love this at bat from Volquez no matter what…great job of making him throw some pitches.
Dunn’s not getting much to hit, especially with Encarnacion and Vott/Hatteberg struggling. Votto has been hitting the past week, so hopefully that will start to change. But I think most opponents are going to take their chances with Votto/hatteberg instead of Dunner. I’d really like to see a lineup like this stick:
Hopper
Keppinger
Griff
Dunn
Phillips
Votto
Encarnacion
Catcher
Pitcher
If Patterson has to play, he bats 7th or 8th, Kepp leads off and Encarnacion bats 2nd.
Will the Reds force Lilly out, or be the first team he faces in 2008 to see him in the 5th inning? Oh, the suspense…
8 pitch at bat by the pitcher with 2 outs in the inning…take that every time.
When was the last time the Reds had a lead?
Nice 9-pitch atbat for Volquez!
He’s pitched in the 5th…he just hasn’t finished a 5th yet…hopefully that continues.
Volquez looks a bit disgruntled with the ump right now…
Cubs’ announcers making fun of Cubs’ fans and their stupid, misspelled signs.
volquez just isn’t throwing anything but his fastball for a strike right now.
fortunately his fastball is awsome. he needs to be throwing more of them right now.
I think the ump has no idea what is supposed to be a strike… It’s all over the place.
I love Blanco.
Cubs try to sacrifice bunt with no outs, pitcher due up…. Volquez says thank you very much for the free strike out.
Was blanco trying to bunt that whole AB or just on that third strike?
Did anybody else see the grab Bako made on that foul bunt by Lilly?
Voltron’s going to get close to 100 pitches by the end of the 4th.
The whole at bat.
1 more fastball gets Volquez out of this…Let’s see.
VOTTO THE HERO…helluva grab.
Nice play Votto…saves a couple of runs.
i normally hate blaming umpires, but this strikezone is pretty nebulous, and it’s definitely led to edinson’s pitch count climbing up so high.
“I think the ump has no idea what is supposed to be a strike… It’s all over the place.”
I hate to defend an ump (some of them are terrible), but this one has been on the money. EV has a ton of movement, which can fool you. It’s not where the pitch is caught but where it crosses the front of the plate.
Top of the order coming up..hope we don’t let Lilly out of the 5th.
U gotta be kiddin me, Hopper’s out before the commercials were over.
Voltron is at 93 pitches after 4 – I think thye’d be wise to pull him. At the rate he’s going, he’d need 116 pitches to finish 5 innings – way too much for him at this stage.
Hopper and Freel’s plate approach is embarrassing.
I appreciate what Hatte has done the past two years for us, but Joey Votto has to start playing everday. Move Junior out of the three hole and plug him in right behind Kep and in front of Phillips, put Dunn, Edwin, Griffey any way you want 5-7. It’s time to stop catering to everyone’s ego and see what’s happening on the field. Also, to anyone who saw him play 1st in the minors, why was there always a complaint about his defense. From what I have seen he has nice instincts, good arm, league average range and footwork. He’s not Will Clark, but how people thought he would bring the Reds defense down a notch, I will never understand.
this is a good AB from Dunn. nice to see.
Griffey not running on 3-2 count…Cubs announcers say that’ll cause friction in the clubhouse. I say losing 6 in a row will cause more friction.
I agree with Volquez being in for the 5th, let him try to get the win.
doesn’t it seem like votto is playing everyday?
hope volquez gets through this inning and gets in line for the win. he needs to get more pitch efficient, for sure, but i’m still really excited about him and happy for him that he’s having success.
if fogg hadn’t bombled last game, his sub-2 ERA would be all people would talk about.
Edinson is now the first Red to exceed 100 pitches this year, right?
Volquez is the first Reds pitcher this year, not named Harang or Arroyo, to throw over 100 pitches. Overall, I’m glad to see that restraint from Baker and the coaching staff.
Burton and Coffey were the only relievers not to see any action last night.
Yet another bad ball/strike call by the ump…this one in our favor..thanky.
Ah – I thought even Harang was stopped short of 100 in his outings. But not quite.
“Yet another bad ball/strike call by the ump…this one in our favor..thanky.”
Caught VERY low, but it nibbled the very bottom of the strike zone at the bottom of the knee as it reached the plate.
Jesus would u just get off it.
he’s getting tired, gotta get this out here.
Best inning so far coming in the 5th for EV..gotta love that.
Harang: 99, 108, 99, 110
Arroyo: 96, 102, 99
Cueto: 92, 96, 82
Volquez: 95, 75, 112 and counting
(not that I’m keeping track or anything)
7 game hit streak for Edwin.
Cubs were taking a lot of pitches that inning, even the good strikes.
Whew. Most exhausting 5 IP, 1ER outing ever.
VOTTO IS ON FIRE!!!
Joey Votto is for real!
Middle of the order has finally started playing ball!
It’s the Joey Votto Show!!!
Big day for Joey! All 5 RBI!
VOTTO!
he’s got some work to do, maybe even a lot of work to do, but volquez is doing great in my book.
15.1 IP, 2ER, 12H, 8BB, 16K
And the reds offense comes alive!
watch out Brewers, this is the type of game the reds needed to get going. Votto heating up, EdE heating up, Dunn looking better.
renbutler: I’m not sure you’re watching the same game we are in regards to the strike zone. I’m watching it on TV (are you only relying on gameday or some such thing?)
As for the Reds, how ’bout that Votto eh?
“Jesus would u just get off it.”
So it’s okay to rag on umpires (which it should be) but it’s wrong to defend them?
Please explain.
That’s been the problem. Votto is supposed to get the starts versus LHP.
What! Volquez hitting!?
“renbutler: I’m not sure you’re watching the same game we are in regards to the strike zone. I’m watching it on TV (are you only relying on gameday or some such thing?)”
Some pitches are obviously balls or strikes. When it’s close, I defer to Gameday. It picks up on things our eyes (and sometimes hearts) can’t.
Sometimes Gameday proves an umpire’s ineptness, and at those times I’ll call them out. But today’s not one of those days. Sorry.
Baker just didn’t want to use a PH with 2 out and bases empty, sez Marty: Burton’s still coming in for the 6th.
what is dusty doing… a 111 pitches already….. nooooooooooooo!
112 PITCHES EV SHOULD BE DONE!!!!
okay okay O was scared for a mintute!
Why did Volquez bat for himself there? Burton replaced him in the bottom of the 6th.
I thought about it….I agree with Dusty’s move.
Do you really think if a pitch hitter got on that Hopper and Freel would bring him home with 2 out?
i think we would have seen a pinch hitter if votto hadn’t gone yard.
Thank god, put this damn thing on ice JB. CUBS SUCK
Is it really legal to carry your bat to first with you? I don’t know, which is why I’m asking. It seemed wrong.
*pinch
Now it looks like the strike zone is getting a little wide. A strike to Volquez and at least one to Johnson were outside.
ha ha – sweet egregious defensive miscues by someone other than the Reds. Seems so rare to see that happen on the other side.
Woo hoo! Burton can’t slam the door, but the offense can!
Griffey heating up a little. Definitely needed.
hope they can carry this into the next series. the offense is finally looking like it’s supposed to. for the most part.
I hope Baker is tempted to start and leadoff with Hopper more against RHP than Patterson. Would also like to see Griffey & Dunn stay back-to-back in the lineup.
Don’t know if I agree with the error ruling.
WGN broadcasters very complimentary toward Voltron.
No clue why one of the bench guys was robbed of an AB there.
Because Baker still can’t see that Patterson just isn’t that good of a player.
Coffey attempts to close it out.
EEEE is now EEEEE even though our defensive specialist didn’t help out a whole lot.
The JavaMan responds!!!
Finally, a win! Good work today Reds…let’s keep the winning going!