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Time for a recap of tonight’s titanic struggle….
FINAL
Philadelphia 4
Cincinnati 3
WP: Hamels (2-2)
LP: Cueto (4-2)
S: Lidge (8)
BOX SCORE
POSITIVES
–Brandon Phillips and Ramon Hernandez had two hits each. And BP has even started hustling since Adam Rosales joined the club. I think Hernandez is hustling, but I can’t really tell since he’s slower than Joe Oliver.
NEGATIVES
–After reaching first place, the Reds have now lost four in a row, and they’ve looked pretty ragged in the process.
–When Willy Taveras and Jerry Hairston don’t get on base, it’s tough for the Reds to score. They didn’t get on base tonight (though JHJ did crush one ball for a homer).
–Jay Bruce hit a homer, but he is still looking pretty bad at the plate. Of course, he was facing Cole Hamels tonight, and there aren’t many tougher lefties out there. Still, Bruce has to get his swing back soon, especially if Votto is going to be out for any significant amount of time.
–Darnell McDonald went 0-4, and he is now .189/.231/.243. Yep, that’s a 474 OPS. I really do feel sorry for the poor guy; he’s so overmatched out there, it’s tough to watch. There is no acceptable reason whatsoever that the Reds shouldn’t FREE JONNY GOMES. It’s absolutely indefensible.
At this point, I believe the Reds are refusing to make a move solely because the fans are clamoring for it. McDonald should have been designated for assignment more than a month ago (well, he never should have made the Opening Day roster, but you get the point).
ETC.
–Other than the fifth inning, Johnny Cueto really looked pretty good. Unfortunately, that fifth inning cost the Reds the game.
–Thom Brennaman was talking on the radio about the fact that Alex Gonzalez is clearly not able to run at full speed. If that’s the case, why is he on the stupid roster??? Why is he playing every day? Why isn’t he out on a rehab assignment?
–Take a look at tonight’s lineup. Then tell me the last contending team that had players like Darnell McDonald, Alex Gonzalez, Jerry Hairston, and Adam Rosales playing significant roles. Without Joey Votto and Edwin Encarnacion, this lineup looks exceedingly weak.
Case in point: in the ninth, down one run, the Reds had two guys leading off the inning whose averages were under .190. Tough to win that way.
–Votto, by the way, is still taking tests. I’m officially worried.
–Bill Bray did have Tommy John surgery, and he’s out until 2010. We wish him a speedy recovery.
–Go listen to the Redleg Nation Radio interview with my four-year-old son. He’s a great kid.
–During the game, George Grande said he lets his dog kiss him on the mouth. Ewwwwwwwww.
–Aaron Harang vs. Jamie Moyer tomorrow. Good night for the Redlegs to get back on the winning track!
Janish was used to pinch run for Gonzalez. Let’s just say that before the season started I may given Janish better odds on whether he would have pitched a game during the season than be used as a pinch runner.
That’s what we call a full-service shortstop.
Still getting pretty good pitching…that leaves hope for a turn around at some point. But the every day 8 is right there with the Padres and Pirates as far as capablitiy to put runs on the board.
A few more thoughts…doesn’t it always seem like the Reds are holding on or giving chances to players who it is inevitable will not be the ultimate answer? Alex Gonzalez at SS…what are we trying to prove here? Who really thinks this guy is that much better than Paul Janish or even Jerry Hairston Jr. on an every day basis? Willy Taveras…Willy’s been up and down, but deep in your gut you know it’s extremely doubtful he is going to be the answer in the leadoff spot. Drew Stubbs, or maybe more likely Chris Heisy in Double AA will probably be better answers in the near future.
Edwin Encarnacion…injury has put him out of the picture, but it just seems like he is never going to pan out. I guess this is what happens when you’ve been a losing organization…you end up putting your hope in question mark type of players, old veterans, because you aren’t able to develop players through your farm system.
Hopefully that is changing as it seems the Reds to have some talented position players in the minors.
Can’t disagree with any of that, except the Encarnacion part.
EE career OPS+: 100
Brandon Phillips career OPS+: 87
EE is two years younger. EE has had 3 above-average offensive years in his career already. Phillips has had ONE.
I think EE has ALREADY panned out. I’m not sure what people are expecting. Yeah, he stinks defensively (which evens up the comparison with BP, since BP is great with the glove), but EE is just entering his prime years. He’s going to improve.
Didn’t get that involved in tonite’s game, more concerned about Joey V. Let’s hope we get good news soon.
Tonite’s lineup was just too weak to do much. I presume that Hernandez was catching because Cueto was pitching.
Has Hannigan caught either Cueto or Volquez even once this season ? Anyway with Harang pitching tomorrow, hopefully Hannigan is catching, Hernandez is at first base, and no McD in the lineup.
McDonald is so much worse than Corey P., they shouldn’t even be mentioned in the same sentence. When was the last time the Reds had a player this bad on their roster for this long ?
I guess I am just not an Encarnacion believer. I can’t recall him ever really hitting good when the Reds needed him to hit. I could be wrong, but it seems like when he’s come on it’s been when the Reds season is lost already and they are 10 or more games out of first place.
His demeanor kind of bothers me too. He just seems lackadaisacal. I don’t think he’s a guy who doesn’t care. I think he does care, but he doesn’t exude confidence on the field. It seems like he exudes negativity to me! But in the end it’s all about results. Maybe his lackadaisacal negativityness (made that word up) is more valuable then Rosales’ grit, hustle, but average hitting ability. I just think there’s a better answer then Encarnacion. Unfortunately, Rosales, has not really taken the bull by the horn.
I am a Norris Hopper believer though haha…I guess we all have certain players we believe in or don’t believe in rightly or wrongly.
Yeah, I forgot about Hopper…bring him up rather than Dumbell McPatterson…I mean why is it that Dusty has his favorites? There’s no reason why McDonald is up and Hopper isn’t, besides the guy is fast and plays hard
Hopper on the 7day DL…darn it…and hitting .315
We left after the 8th. With the bottom of the order coming up in the 9th I knew there was no reason to stay.
The team lost two very close games and then two close games to elite pitchers. I think we can attribute it to the offensive injuries and lack of roster flexibility at this point. This team is being done a disservice by its management right now, they are not starting the best hitting substitutes and do not appear to be willing to move anyone to improve the offense. With either Votto or Encarnacion, OR with a viable big league bat at SS or LF the Reds probably split those 4 games.
I am OK with Taveras for now. I don’t believe Stubbs or Heisey is quite ready. Agree on Gonzales. I would say the jury is still out on EE (defense is important and he is brutal).
I did find this interesting. Right now the NL Central is far and away the best division in baseball
http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/stats/rpi
Votto hasn’t played since what…Saturday? And they say he’s going to undergo more tests, which means he’s out for at least several more days..DL him and get someone up that might help. No matter who you bring up, it’s better than someone that you KNOW isn’t going to play.
Bill, what is this “DL” you speak of?
I’m not worried about Votto. The flu is a serious illness, even as common as it is and as good as the treatment is today. I’m sure he’s just overextending himself on limited energy and maybe a bit dehydrated. But what are the odds that he’s played at every other level just fine for years, and now in his sophomore big league season a serious problem is just showing up?
And yeah, I agree, put him on the damn DL. How long does a guy have to be out before you replace him?
Baker cited the 40 man roster for why the brought up Ramirez while Masset is on the DL. Isn’t Bray still on the 40 man? Why don’t they put Bray on the 60-day DL and add someone (cough: Jonny Gomes) that will give them flexibility without having to put someone on waivers? This would have been a simple solution, also, if they really wanted to bring up Viola instead od Ramirez.
This team is not the same without Votto. There just is no offense at all.
Secondly, Gonzo is the shortstop because he makes over $5 mil a year and for no other reason.
While I can agree w/ Brennaman about his conclusion that Gonzalez can’t run, it drives me nuts to listen to him use charged words like clearly, absolutely, and certainly throughout his broadcasts. Really, you’re in his body? Maybe that IS his top speed post-surgery. Smarmy, unfunny, cynical. Leave the opinionating to Welsh, dork.
Well put JerBear—what ARE we trying to prove here? Gonzalez, McDonald, heck, even Gomes. They’re all band-aids. We’re almost a third of the way thru the season, plenty of teams have a good idea that they’re not going to be competitive. As soon as AGon gets hot, package him and Dickerson, maybe Hairston or Rosales, anybody in the minors not named Soto or Alonso, for a legit left fielder. Oh, right, that would require a proactive front office. Nevermind.
*AGon will never get hot* I realize the futility of my post.
Anybody in the minors not named Soto or Alonso? Can’t agree with that. I’d like to see them add a slugging corner OF, if he’s young and cheap..but don’t go trading any young guys for a Jermaine Dye aged guy…I’ll pass.
Also, holding the Phillies to 4 runs in GABP ain’t bad either…
What’s the current season total of games of 3 runs or less by the Reds offense?
The Reds have scored 3 runs or less 19 times (50%).
They’ve allowed 3 runs or less 18 times (47%).
The Reds scored 3 runs or less
2008: 74 times (46%)
2007: 57 times (35%)
2006: 69 times (43%)
3-yr Avg = 41%
The Reds pitching allowed 3 runs or less
2008: 64 times (39.5%)
2007: 55 times (34%)
2006: 55 times (34%)
3-yr Avg = 36%
Excellent, thanks Greg. When I set the over/under at 40 games of 3 runs or less at the beginning of the season, it appears I set the bar a very low at 40 based on the past years performance you listed. I was just guessing. All bets are wiped clean, the over/under is reset at 70.
I wonder where their 3 year average places them amongst other NL teams, what a “normal” expectation should be for scoring that few runs in the scheme of things.
To finish my thought, I knew that last year was particularly bad for run support over many games. The 2006 numbers surprise me a bit, but it explains the end of the summer swoon they hit probably. Interesting to look at the runs scored game by game rather than in aggregate. Thanks again for looking it up Greg.
2006 was the year of The Trade at the all-star break.
The Reds scored 5.0 R/G before the break and 4.1 R/G after the break.
They scored 3 runs or less 39% of the time before the break and 47% of the time after the break.