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I had forgotten about complete games. Good work by Bronson Arroyo yesterday, huh?
Boy, Arroyo is a frustrating type. He was so bad to start the year, but he’s had several stretches in his Reds career that have been completely lights-out. Truthfully, he’s not a bad #3 pitcher. He’s not better than that on a consistent basis, and there’s an argument to be made that he’s making too much for a #3 pitcher (I don’t necessarily agree), but I like having the guy around. If nothing else, Arroyo gives this team some character.
Of course, as Winston Wolfe says, just because you are a character doesn’t mean that you have character.
Given the salaries given out to mediocre starting pitchers (Paul Byrd for 7 million per year?) I think Arroy’s deal is defensible
Some Reds complete game #s
Since 2000 39 Reds starters have pitched complete games.
Arroyo is the first of 2008
5 of the 39 were Reds losses
Sine 2000 here are the Reds CG leaders
CG
10 Harang
5 Arroyo
3 Lidle and Harnisch
There have been 43 CG in the NL this year. 5 by Sabathia
In the last 50 years the Reds leader in CG is Bob Purkey with 81 CG!
Will the Reds win 70 games this year?
They have 30 games left to play, currently at 58-74. If they match their year-to-date WPct, they’ll finish 71-91. However, with a .304 August WPct, they’re trending towards a total of wins in the 60-69 range.
Excluding strike-shortened seasons, they’ve failed to win 70 or more games only 3 times since baseball expanded to a 162 game schedule in 1962.
1982 (arguably Mario Soto’s best individual season performance)
2001 (Boone’s first year)
2003 (Boone’s last year)