Alright, now we’re rolling. All the Reds need is a good start by Johnny Cueto tonight and some more timely hitting, and the Reds can secure a win in the second straight series on this road trip.

Joel Pineiro, who is an average pitcher at best these days, will be hurling for the Cards. A win tonight is key, since it would give Aaron Harang a chance to lead the Reds to a sweep of a division rival tomorrow afternoon.

Discuss it here.

Check this out from Joe Sheehan at BP:

4. Bronson Arroyo. This looked more insightful 24 hours ago, before Arroyo threw a quality start against the Cardinals Monday night in a 4-3 win. With that game in hand, you’re looking at a pitcher with a 29/12 K/BB in 31 innings, excellent numbers. Once again, Arroyo is struggling with the long ball, allowing seven so far in his six starts (one last night). Even that is largely the result of one terrible day against the Phillies back on April 7, with four homers allowed to the 27 batters he faced.

Arroyo’s real problem has been that old bugaboo, BABIP. The Reds aren’t a good defensive team by any stretch—16th in Defensive Efficiency at .706—but when Arroyo has been on the mound, balls have found more holes than usual. Arroyo has allowed 43 hits despite striking out nearly a man an inning, largely thanks to a BABIP of .375. Even if that reverts to his career high of .313, set last year, it will bring his ERA down, and the rest of his numbers make him a good mid-rotation starter, an asset for a Reds team that can be a factor in the wild-card chase.

http://baseballprospectus.com/article.php?articleid=7442

Comment by Dave from Louisville — 4/29/2008 @ 7:28 pm

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It’s an absolute joke that Patterson is playing and leading off tonight. Give me a break, Dusty. Just because he’s a lefty (with speed!) doesn’t make him a better option than Hopper.

Comment by Matt B. — 4/29/2008 @ 8:09 pm

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Oh but Matt, didn’t you know that Hopper is seriously injured and had no choice but to go on the DL with his serious injury that seriously hurts everytime he moves…

Comment by CeeKeR — 4/29/2008 @ 8:17 pm

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Sweet - good start with the first two runners on.

Comment by DevilsAdvocate — 4/29/2008 @ 8:20 pm

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Double steal on a Molina! Too bad it came along with a strikeout of Griffey. Runner at third with less than 2 out…Reds have looked solid in these situations lately.

Comment by DevilsAdvocate — 4/29/2008 @ 8:24 pm

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What a freakin’ bunch of idiots.

Comment by Y-City Jim — 4/29/2008 @ 8:24 pm

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No sooner than I say it. Horrific baserunning.

Comment by DevilsAdvocate — 4/29/2008 @ 8:25 pm

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More absolutely BRAIN-DEAD first-inning base running. What was Keppinger thinking? Patterson had obviously given himself up already when Kep retreated to 2nd.

Comment by renbutler — 4/29/2008 @ 8:25 pm

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that was retarded i cant believe that just happened

Comment by Joey — 4/29/2008 @ 8:25 pm

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that was retarded i cant believe that just happened

Comment by Joey — 4/29/2008 @ 8:25 pm

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stupid stupid stupid stupid stupid. Oh yeah, stupid.

Comment by CeeKeR — 4/29/2008 @ 8:26 pm

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Dumb and Dumber.

Comment by Y-City Jim — 4/29/2008 @ 8:27 pm

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Got Albert out so let’s get two more.

Comment by Y-City Jim — 4/29/2008 @ 8:33 pm

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Johnny having difficulty keeping the ball down.

Comment by Y-City Jim — 4/29/2008 @ 8:34 pm

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So far tonight, they have looked EXACTLY like they did for most of the first 24 games of the season.

Bad freakin’ news…

Comment by renbutler — 4/29/2008 @ 8:34 pm

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Dick Pole needs to make a trip to the mound.

Comment by Y-City Jim — 4/29/2008 @ 8:35 pm

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He is going to get killed if he doesn’t get that ball down.

Comment by Y-City Jim — 4/29/2008 @ 8:37 pm

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Do a Tom Seaver and follow up this bad inning with eight shutout innings.

Comment by Y-City Jim — 4/29/2008 @ 8:42 pm

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Reds have already worked more walks from Pineiro tonight than he’d issued in all his other starts combined.

Comment by DevilsAdvocate — 4/29/2008 @ 8:52 pm

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Keppinger drank some Freel juice on that one. Jesus.

Comment by Chris — 4/29/2008 @ 8:57 pm

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Baker needs to lay off the levers and dials for a while. All the pitchouts, throw-overs, bunts, and hit-and-runs are just getting into the way. I feel like I’m watching Bob Boone out there.

Comment by Chris — 4/29/2008 @ 8:59 pm

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Typical Cardinal karma working tonight.

Comment by Y-City Jim — 4/29/2008 @ 9:06 pm

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I can’t watch any more of this.

Comment by Y-City Jim — 4/29/2008 @ 9:07 pm

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Yikes. Time to write this one off.

Comment by DevilsAdvocate — 4/29/2008 @ 9:08 pm

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Oh for f’s sake.

Comment by Chris — 4/29/2008 @ 9:08 pm

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What in the name of all that is holy were Dunn and Patterson doing out there?

Comment by Chris — 4/29/2008 @ 9:09 pm

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dang, that’s brutal. a worse combination of pitching and defense would be hard to imagine. have to hope that cueto can get this straightened out fast.

Comment by al — 4/29/2008 @ 9:09 pm

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Strike that - WTF was Dunn doing?? That was the worst thing I’ve ever seen.

Comment by Chris — 4/29/2008 @ 9:10 pm

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Dunn secures a spot on blooper reels for the next 20 years.

Cueto wasn’t as bad as the results, but he also can’t be throwing fastballs down the middle when he’s ahead 1-2.

Comment by Chris — 4/29/2008 @ 9:11 pm

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i also agree with chris 21. marty and thom raved about dusty’s aggressiveness with the double steal in the first, and all i could think about was how many outs the reds have run into that they didn’t need to over the last could weeks.

Comment by al — 4/29/2008 @ 9:11 pm

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Time to concede the Tivo to my wife, and (sigh) American Idol. Later, gents.

Comment by Chris — 4/29/2008 @ 9:12 pm

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i’m listening not watching, but yeah, it sounded like cueto was getting burned when he was ahead in the count. what’s up with that pitch calling?

Comment by al — 4/29/2008 @ 9:13 pm

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What is going on with this team???

Comment by RagTag — 4/29/2008 @ 9:37 pm

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Well, it was a nice winning streak while it lasted … JC has looked hittable his last couple of starts … not a good omen

Comment by Ron — 4/29/2008 @ 9:48 pm

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He is a rookie pitcher. That’s what rookie pitchers do…they are inconsistent. I’m not too worried about him. Yet.

Comment by RagTag — 4/29/2008 @ 9:51 pm

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I wouldn’t worry about Cueto yet. His problems his last couple of starts have been control and location, both easily correctable. If he had lost velocity or movement, I’d be worried, but he was throwing 96 tonight, just right over the heart of the plate. Plus, if MLB’s gamecast and my eyes on the tv can be trusted, near the end he was only throwing fastballs, must not’ve been feeling the slider tonight. He’ll be alright.

Comment by nycredsfan — 4/29/2008 @ 10:08 pm

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But, what’s the deal with the Reds making Joel Pinero look like Pedro Martinez?? One hit in 15 ABs?!? Really?

Comment by nycredsfan — 4/29/2008 @ 10:12 pm

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Making mediocre pitchers look good is our specialty ??:

Comment by Ron — 4/29/2008 @ 10:24 pm

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I return from listening to the Louisville game, only to find that still the only hit the Reds have is the single to lead off the game?

To put it politely: discouraging.

Comment by DevilsAdvocate — 4/29/2008 @ 10:35 pm

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That was a terrible game… Let’s hope Cueto gets it together in time for his next start…and let’s hope the Reds can pull out tomorrow’s game in order to win the series.

Comment by CeeKeR — 4/29/2008 @ 11:41 pm

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Not that it would have mattered in last night’s start, but where is all the run support love for Cueto?

When Cueto starts, Reds average 2.3 runs per game.
Volquez starts average 7 runs per game.

Game scores from Volquez’s starts:
8-2
0-1
9-2
8-1
10-1

The Reds have never scored more than 3 runs for Cueto, which ironically is all the support that Volquez has needed up to this point. They’ve scored exactly 3 runs in three of his starts and less than 3 runs in his other three starts.

How could they let Piniero look so good last night?

Hopefully we don’t see a terrible “getaway” lineup for today’s game.

Comment by GregD — 4/30/2008 @ 8:23 am

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Even the “getaway lineup” should be able to hit Braden Looper. And with Harang on the dish, we shouldn’t need much. We could really use the series win.

Comment by RiverCity Redleg — 4/30/2008 @ 10:50 am

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I thought the same thing last night, but the Lopper > Piniero, IMHO.

Comment by GregD — 4/30/2008 @ 12:00 pm

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