Loading ...Back to the grind tonight. The Reds are hoping the second half of June treats them better than the first half did; Cincinnati’s record this month is 5-8.
We have depended on Aaron Harang many times over the years, and tonight the good guys are depending on him to help get back into the win column. He’ll face Not-So-Hot-lanta’s Jair Jurrjens, who is a pretty good young pitcher.
I always love beating the Braves. I know it’s because (a) they were always on television growing up; and (b) one of my (three) younger brothers has been a devoted Braves fan his whole life. To me, thumping the Braves is even sweeter than beating the stupid Cubs.
Discuss the game here. Back over .500 tonight!!!
I wonder if I am the only one who will be quite surprised if we win tonight? Sorry for my pessimism. Maybe Laynce Nix breaks out and hits 2 HRs again.
I think there should be a contest to guess when Willy Taveras next hit will be…maybe someone has a good prize idea? Maybe no prizes…
For my prediction…5th inning, Taveras beats out a slow roller to first base for his first hit of the month.
Reds 2
Braves 0
Bphil with a 2 rbi double. Reds will get 6 hits or less on the night. (hope im wrong there)
Fay is reporting at Votto and Encarnacion should begin MiLB rehabs later this week. Volquez should also be doing his MiLB rehab very soon as well.
Line-up from hell again tonight.
Woah! Maybe Votto will play while Louisville is coming through Charlotte next week! Or EE would be nice!
It will certainly improve the Louisville offense.
I was in Cleveland last night for the Brewers/Indians game. My body went into shock with all the runs.
In addition it was “Wild Thing” Rickey Vaughn Bobblehead Night. Bob “Harry Doyle” Uecker threw out the first pitch (he bounced it).
What’s the Taveras streak? 0 for 32?
Why are we carrying 13 pitchers this week when we are at home playing without the DH? By the end of this week we will have played 15 games with 13 pitchers and only 3 of those on the road in AL cities.
I realize next week is on the road vs. AL teams but couldn’t the move to 13 pitchers have waited until then?
Can someone help me understand what the Reds were doing here?
The Indians are desperate in attempts to lure fans to the ballpark, I guess.
What is his average since Arizona?
Mike Leake is pitching on ESPN tonight.
Some other Taveras streaks besides 0-for-32:
No BB in last 50 AB
One line drive in last 32 AB
1 RBI in last 90 AB (read that again, one RBI in last 90 AB)
2 SB in last month (with two CS)
On base 10 times in last 80 AB
Last 37 runners on base he knocked in 1
It worked they had a full house. Not only Rickey Vaugn, Bob Uecker and Fireworks. They have 11 different bobbleheads. Maybe the Reds nedds to take cue from this. I am sure they made money even with the give-a-way which should help to raise their player payroll.
Steve, what makes it even more illogical is that Reds starters are going longer into ball games this season. Granted, there isn’t a wealth of offensive help at Louisville.
Adding to the mystery is that Paul Janish has only played in 10 games in the last five weeks so it like having only 11 non-pitchers.
Taveras gets one day off for an 0 for about 50 slump…pathetic. No runs for Reds tonight, hope harang is perfect
Do not want to slip under .500. I feel it would be demoralizing to this young team that has battled until recently.
Well put Y-City regarding starters going longer. Dusty could use a shorter hook.
Leake gives up a double and a walk to start the game, then a strike out.
I can’t believe some of the pitching at AAA with Roenokie, Manuel and yes…Bailey. They all have like the last 10-15 innings allowing 0 runs…they really should look to trade some of that for hitters perhaps
Leake got a nice DP to end the inning…this kid shows a lot of confidence on the mound…I like it so far…
Thom wouldn’t take Mauer over McCann, apparently.
Only if they plan on keeping the hitters long term, which means increasing the payroll. Otherwise clear out room on the Louisville roster so some of those position players who have a future can move up.
I wonder if you were an odds maker what the odds of Taveras getting on base today are
You didn’t hear Welch weigh in on that catcher comment, did you?
Anyone else not getting the HD feed on DirecTV?
I know no one had that in the pool. Willie rocks.
Taveras is now 1-for-June!
Management needs to really think long and hard over the off season as to who is going to be the hitting instructor for this team with all the young hitters that will be coming up. I know a hitting instructor is only as good as the talent on hand but does anything think Brook Jacoby has the makings of being a solid hitting instructor?
Hey, Willy Mcpatterson with a leadoff knock.
Is this a re-run from last month or was that hit live? They just said Taveras was 7-83!!
A line drive base hit from Taveras. Color me shocked.
Thom on Willy: “Now he needs to remember how to steal a base.”
“Eric Davis had a lenghty talk with Willie Tavares.” Hopefully it was like that conversation Eric had with Ray Knight.
Hallelujah!!!!!!!! The streak is over!
one more out for Taveras!
169 outs on the season for Taveras
The footage of Votto take batting practice was really nice to see. This is me optimistic.
Taveras got a hit?
His OBP just skyrocketed to .200 I think.
I wonder if any manager in baseball this year has hit two batters at the top of their lineup with worse combined OBPs.
To create HAVOC you have to have some balls. Willy doesn’t.
funny….maybe Yahoo sports just assumed Taveras was going to get an out
They showed it as a line out
Gonzalez is worthless.
they just changed it to single
Seriously. How did Taveras steal 68 bases last year? He never goes in an ideal situation or really at all, for that matter.
I can’t see tonight’s game, so I’m following on MLB.com’s box score.
So for about five minutes, they had Taveras at 0-1. Frankly, I was believing the box score more than the rest of you here.
Glad you were right, though. The box score finally showed the hit.
For all the Adam Dunn lovers it was Jacoby who Dunn credits for getting him to the big leagues as his minor league hitting instructor and a reason he came back to the Reds was to improve Dunn as a big leaguer.
I have no idea why he is still around.
Hit from Taveras!! Unbelievable…good news on Votto and Encarnacion, although I can’t say I hold the same optimism about EE that some of you do. Hairston Jr. and Rosales have been so bad lately though that EE would probably be an upgrade!
Willie’s not the stolen base threat he should be because, you know, he doesn’t get on base.
I’d really love to know how Willy got all those SBs last year.
Havoc!
HAVOC!!!!!!
Amen, Kenny. Janish’s .283 AVG and .353 OBP coupled with his 10.3 UZR/150 look really nice. Too bad he never gets a chance.
Wow, this is a career night for Taveras.
And, most importantly, Phillips now has a harder time to hit into a DP.
Willy getting all Wonka on the bases. Get him in.
Alright! Way to be BP!
YES, it’s team Phillips! Can they bring anyone home?
How the hell does Taveras not score on that?
Nice try by McClouth. Not Willie’s fault there.
I’m not getting the Reds OR the Braves feed in HD on DirecTV (MLB Extra Innings), even though the guide says that we’re supposed to be getting both. Am I the only one?
Do you want a sac fly, or go for the base hit? The way we’ve been scoring, I say sac fly.
Gonzo is worse than worthless he’s been a NEGATIVE….
It’s amazing to think of the 40 SS with at least 100 PA and including defense (supposedly his value) that 35 of those 40 SS have been more valuable than Gonzo
It’s also somewhat of a surprise that there are 4 who have been less valuable.
Greene, Aviles, Cabrera, and Betancourt
Willie played the ball right there, Matt B.
Not a sac fly, but I will take the run, thank you very much Nixy.
Nix with the groundout for a 1-0 lead…The offense is on fire tonight.
I agree he played the ball right, for the most part, but he stumbled back and forth between going to back to 2nd and going to 3rd twice, and at least I think he could have scored if he just waited instead of doing that. Oh well. Moot point.
Chad
I’m not getting the HD feed on Insight. It’s supposed to be on.
So close Jay, so close!
I hate Nate McLouth. A hit there would have helped Bruce’s confidence.
Bruuuuu…..bummer.
Reds score first, their record is like 24-5 when they do that…don’t think about how bad it is if they don’t score first!
Leake – Inning 2 – K, E-1 (on bunt),BB, K,K
Mike Leake has great stirrups. And a good changeup, too.
Not watching. Is Harang looking as sharp as he sounds on the radio?
I don’t think he’s looking particularly sharp, but he’s not laboring or anything.
Francoeur’s OBP makes me think he’d look good at the top of our lineup.
We are getting close to our quota for runs on this homestand.
Leake has gotten out of two nice jams in two innings…1 DP and the other was 2 SO.
I have Gameday on, and it says 27 pitches, 23 strikes. Strikes sounds great. Number of pitches not so great.
Nice soft grounder for Harriston.
Man, Hanigan looks like an epileptic up there when he’s getting ready to hit.
23 out of 27 pitches for strikes through 2 innings not that great?
I don’t think Harang threw a ball in the 1st inning
I didn’t see one anyways and Yahoo said he threw 13 pitches, 13 strikes
Reds do well in rain delays, maybe that is a good sign or something
Got the split screen going tonight w/ Reds and Leake-ASU, nice. HD is good to go in Toledo tonight, 9 out of 10 times its on when its scheduled to be in HD, the 1 out of 10 times and call cable company and get credits for their error.
Taveres just secured his position in CF for the next 0 for 32 slump :poke:
Rain delay.
crap, rain delay. Time to turn to AZ State and Louisville
It’s raining in the Y-City and in Cincinnati.
Interviewing UVa’s coach on ESPN.
Brian O’Connor is a great coach. Wish he were managing the Reds.
Man, I loathe me some ESPN…but I love me some Erin Andrews. And im not even a huge fan of blondes.
Leake looks seriously old-school. Windup, socks, the whole deal.
Darnell McDonald has a hit in Louisville and is hitting .292. Could he be the answer?
NOT.
Oh, was Erin Andrews conducting that interview? Didn’t notice.
I don’t think Leake has been over 89 mph.
He’s not a flamethrower, but what outstanding movement on his pitches!
Leake looking pretty tough, IMO. Anyone know if the rain will stop anytime soon?
another k for Leake
got the early lead, pitcher throwing strikes, rain delay. great. just great.
Thom and Chris wearing the same tie? What are they, the Bobbsey Twins?
Sounds like Pat Paulsen (Smother Brothers Show) is broadcasting the Texas-Arizona State game.
Castillo is out of the game early in Louisville replaced by Tatum. Anybody know why?
If Thom were on a desert island, he’d only need two items to be happy: a tanning bed and hair gel.
since there is a delay and I really didn’t have any other place to post this I wanted to mention something really great thing ESPN’s Baseball Tonight did last night.
They had a fun/silly thing on hitting stances where they had some actors do some famous hitters and unique stances. Then they talked to some of those hitters about their stances.
Eric Davis was one of the hitters and he explained his stances and they had someone parody his stance. It was really fun and great to see Davis and that he’s still in great shape.
Joe Morgan shows up and Pete
I really love the way this is done
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LYkKDat3J2g
I dunno, but I do know that Castillo shouldnt have been in the lineup in the first place.
Looks like the rain could be an hour, maybe two.
Leake doesn’t throw all that hard, but has great movement and location.
Y-City, ageing yourself. Not many of us can speak in the first person about Paulson or the Smothers Brothers.
Texas not playing like the #1 seed.
Pat Paulsen for President!
Watching Cleveland-Milaukee. Fielder looks fatter than ever.
Why would someone name their child Prince?
That was a great YouTube clip, Mike. I’d seen that one guy on YouTube before. He’s awesome.
Re: #104
Eric Davis was my all-time favorite player, and his stance definitely stood out among major leaguers. It was so — laid back.
That guy was simply cool to the core. I didn’t know the word for it back then, but I suppose “mancrush” would describe how I felt about him.
Gotta love Eric the Red.
Man, looks like a monsoon behind Thom and Chris.
Texas looking terrible!
anyone think IF they come back and play that Harang will be out there?
Probably get to the 5th again.
I think baseball changed it’s rules but I don’t remember
IF they cancel the game, does Taveras hit go into the records? Or do the stats not count?
wouldn’t that be, well, funny, if his hit didn’t count and then he goes 0-fer in his next game
Shouldn’t count
Leake finally threw the ball in the 90s and gave up a 3-run homer. It really straightened out.I am concerned about the velocity. To give first round money to a giy that rarely hits 90 and when he does it is straight is concerning.
Got to have movement, but have to have minimum velocity too, especially for what they will have to pay him. 80-90 mph isn’t worth first round money.
Everybody points to Maddux when it comes to velocity but when he came up he was 90-93 consistently.
Stubbs now has 8 game hitting streak
Who?
Texas just tied it up against Leake 6-6. Why the Reds didn’t take White I don’t know?
Leake – its time to put a fork in him.
Drew Stubbs?
If the game is cancelled (doesn’t reach 5 innings) then it is not suspended, it is as if it never started. So Willie’s hit would be erased.
Any chance the rain will stop?
So Willy won’t have to go 0-32 again, he can just continue his no-hitting streak and Dusty can continue his no-thinking streak
anyone see the Reds put Lincoln through waivers, which he cleared because no one wanted to pay him at his current salary. That is a Shocker huh.
since I’m procrastinating about 10 projects and the talk of Leake’s fastball is in discussion, I’ll call this post, know your Reds
Average Fastball velocity in 2009 for Reds starters
93.6 Volquez
92.6 Cueto
92.3 Bailey (up 3 years in a row)
90.0 Harang
88.4 Owings (velocity down 3 years in a row)
88.1 Arroyo
couldn’t find PitchFx data for Maloney
Leake looked awful. The Reds look worse than awful. This is prime time anguish.
He is 14-1 with a 1.86 ERA. He had an off night. I’ve seen him pitch before and he is pretty good.
Having to eat Lincoln’s 4 mil is not going give Mr C the warm and fuzzies.
Leake isn’t panning out and needs a change of scenery, think we can get Dye for him?
Hey Mike, is Arroyo’s velocity up from last year? He never was a hard thrower but 88.1 seems pretty good for him.
anyword on the rain delay?
I just hope we don’t see Lincoln tonite.
I imagine the Reds have put everyone on the team on waivers either revocable or non-revocable. That is pretty routine among all teams before trade talks begin.
Arroyo’s fastball velocity is down 3 years in a row but only very, very slightly
Essentially it’s the same.
88.9 (2007), 88.3 (2008), 88.1 (2009)
Brian – Where did you see the Reds put Lincoln through waivers?
actually Arroyo’s FB velocity is down every year since his peak in 2005 with the Sox
So are you saying you want to pay first round bonus money to another Bronson Arroyo and a 5′10″ one at that or would you say you are a little concerned about that?
To the stats guys, how many 5′10″ pitchers have had winning records since 1975? I think the last time I heard the stat and it was 3 or 4 years ago, but the number was one.
Is Lincoln gone?
The Lincoln thing is up on Fox Sports. It pretty much says that the Reds put him on waivers but no one else wants him at the cost we are paying him. He can still pitch for the Reds since he is still on the major league roster and due to his service time he can decline any minor league assignment.
http://msn.foxsports.com/mlb/story/9690456/Reds-reliever-Lincoln-clears-waivers
here ya’ go.
Thanks Mike. 1/2 mph doesn’t seem like all that much. Arroyo’s drop in speed may correspond to his becoming more of a pitcher and less of a thrower as he ages….hope…hope…hope
its pretty much standard for a guy with a lot of service time like lincoln. however, if it gives the Reds one thing its rationale on why he should take a minor league assignment if the reds want him to, because he won’t get paid as much by another team.
I imagine the Reds have put everyone on the team on waivers either revocable or non-revocable. That is pretty routine among all teams before trade talks begin.
That’s simply not true.
It’s true that players have to clear waivers to be traded after the non-waiver trade deadline at the end of July.
Before July 31, players can be traded without clearing waivers.
Well, it would be nice to see Manuel, Roenoke, and Fisher to compete for 2 spots on the ML roster…one of which is Lincoln’s
well I should say its standard for a vetaran who is struggling and getting paid.
I think it’s pretty clear that this is a precursor to Lincoln being designated for assignment. He will accept the minor league demotion.
Jimmy James – I completely agree, I think he will be sent down in the next day or two. Who gets the call up, since we are carrying 13 pitchers right now its not a guarantee it would be a pitcher.
Jimmy’s probably right. I can’t imagine that any of this is a surprise to Lincoln and you’d think the Reds would have an idea of Lincoln’s intentions before they waived him.
Are there any major league ready first basemen or catchers in Louisville? PS I don’t consider Castillo a catcher.
Bankston plays first I think…no, no ML ready ones.
Maybe they’ll call up Darnell McDonald!
:clown:
Are they going to cancel this game?
I think there being few tall pitchers has more to do with scouts having something against them more than actual performance
The quality active 5′10″ or less pitchers include; Tom Gordon, Mike Hampton, Guardado, and Cueto
some of the recent quality guys that height and shorter include; John Franco, Gene Garber, Teddy Higuera, and Steve Farr
What is interesting is to turn the question around. Can you think of 5′10″ or shorter pitchers who have been awful? Ricky Bones comes to mind. Jesus Sanchez, Dave Johnson and Travis Smith
I think there might be something to being a tall pitcher but nothing is proven and more so I think it’s scouts getting in the way of quality short pitchers making it to the bigs or even getting drafted
The funny thing is I think most of the GREAT Reds pitchers of the past were short
Noodle Hahn was shorter than 5′10″ as were Luque, White, Mullane and handful of others.
The height “requirement for starters is a recent phenomena
I’m not saying Leake is a good or bad pick, just that his height has nothing to do with it at all.
Y-City Jim, I just saw your post. Does Fay have some inside dope on Votto?
I wouldn’t eliminate a AA player if they go for a position player and no I don’t think it will be Alonso that is not what I am saying. I just wouldn’t rule it out since AAA seems to not have much right now with Valaika hurt and all.
What was Luque? 5′6″ tiny by today’s standards.
Isn’t Pedro Martinez only 5′10″ ??
Isn’t Herrara like 5′6″ and Cueto like 5′9″. I’m not worried about his height so much.
Pedro’s 5′ 11″
I’m in NYC, anyword on the game?
Roy Oswalt can’t be much taller.
Fay article on Votto and Encarnacion:
http://news.cincinnati.com/apps/pbcs.dll/section?category=blog07&plckController=Blog&plckScript=blogScript&plckElementId=blogDest&plckBlogPage=BlogViewPost&plckPostId=Blog%3ae57bcc87-152a-4f72-96fb-cc08b1f396efPost%3a183cdde7-02dc-41ba-a503-375274074add&sid=sitelife.cincinnati.com
Play to resume at 10:00. Tarp coming off the field.
I don’t see much difference in ability betwen 5′10″ and six foot. Its 6′3″ and above when you see guys that have the real leverage advantages when it comes to pitching.
Thanks Y-City
thanks Y-City. Hope that light at the end of the tunnel is not the train.
Herrara is 5′6″ and Cueto says he’s 5′10″ but he looks 5′9″ when standing next to others
Oswalt is listed at 6-0, 170 (170!), which means he’s probably 5-10, 165.
Glenn, I agree, half a mile an hour is nothing essentially
BUT I should point out Arroyo is going through a normal FB speed curve that comes with age
His velocity increased in 2003, 04, 05, essentially stayed the same in 06
and now is every so slightly declining since 06
Here is an interesting part of the picture
His Horizontal movement is increasing and his Vertical movement is decreasing
I’m not sure what that means other than it’s clear he’s changing the way he’s throwing his fastball
There’s no way Oswalt is 6′ tall. I remember when the Washington Redskins used to list DB Pat Fisher as being 6′. Many years later I saw him at an autograph show in St Louis. I’m 5′10 and I towered over that guy. It was a feeling I don’t normally get too often.
Whitey Ford is another one. Height has NOTHING to do with it.
Kudos to Dusty for bringing in Herrera, the kid is alright!
Tim Lincecum is 5-11
Jolbert Cabrera ends game against bats…looks like he ended up in minors after all, who’d a thunk?
Rain on Rain off
perfect timing. I can watch the game during dinner, which is a rarity unless the Reds are on the West coast
Billy Wagner, Mike Hampton both 5-10
Thanks Mike, I’ll look for the movement you mentioned the next time Arroyo pitches. Good call.
Crap! The tarp is going back on.
Bobby Shantz, 1952 MVP was 5-6
a well timed 7 hour mid day nap and now I wake to realize I have NOT missed the game! it is nice to catch a break now and again and Harang seems cursed by the weather
I think it’s great that the Reds thought outside the box and picked a short pitcher if they thought he was the best available.
For the record, however, on draft day, Leake said he was a shade under 5-9. Five-eight and a half or something.
Of course I spoke too soon…uuugggggllllhhhhhhh
they just going to ppd it now?
I tried to see this kid pitch last Sat but he pitched Fri…wondering what everyone’s opinion is on this guy? BTW, he’s 5′11″ and 165 lbs.
Check out his stats: http://web.minorleaguebaseball.com/milb/stats/stats.jsp?n=Travis%20Wood&pos=P&sid=t249&t=p_pbp&pid=475243
Carolina Mudcats have one ugly mascot.
I’ve read a couple of times that the reason Lincecum went so low in the draft was his height
I WOULD LOVE TO HAVE HIM AS A RED
Instead we have Stubbs
funny connecting the dots in an odd way. Anyone remember the player selected #1 in the 2006 draft, 9 places ahead of Lincecum?
Hochevar, the pitcher with a 5.27 career ERA who recently shut down the Reds
drafting is tough and it’s still a little early to analyze a draft as recent as 2006 but when you look at the top 20 picks you see one player who clearly stands out
of the top 20 picks, 10 have not made it to the big leagues yet
of the 3 hitters to make it so far only 1 has been successful. Longoria
of the 7 pitchers to make it so far, 4 have been successful. Morrow, Kershaw, Lincecum, and Scherzer
1 Reds pick from the 2006 draft made it to the bigs for a short period of time.
Roenicke
damn who was the last Reds draft pick to have a serious impact in the bigs?
Does Ryan Wagner count?
2002 Joey Votto
I would like to be their mascot and ride the 4-wheeler around.
According to CTrent, the he’s 5-10.5
* On his height: “You want the dirty truth or do you want me to sugar-coat it?” I answered, “lie to me.” But said, yeah, while we’re talking, tell me the truth: “About 5-10-and-a-half.” That half is important: “It’s very important.”
Huh. Don’t know where I got 5-8 1/2.
Good.
What’s that in metrics?
We’re playing ball!!!!!
Taveras – the new streak begins
Listening to the WLW feed tonight and just wanted to add that the callers are absolutely frightening and can’t stop creating all sorts of reasons for JV’s absence. On the other hand the host (don’t know the name is just as retarded).
Don’t get hurt team BP !!!
Did BP pull something there, or did he just not enjoy getting wet on the slide?
Not enough quick dry on the infield.
Team Nix!
Why did Aaron get pulled before the rain, is he hurt now to?
Wow, that ball was hit HARD by Nix. Wow.
NIX!!!!!
If the Reds were to go with a new hitting instructor next year, who would be a good choice?
Votto in uniform looks good.
Agree, Jim.
Dusty Baker? http://www.amazon.com/You-Teach-Hitting-Dusty-Baker/dp/0940279738
As pitiful as 3B play has been lately, I think the Reds need Encarnacion more than Votto. Obviously, they need both plus the reincarnation of Ted Williams.
Tony Perez?
Pretty good article on Chris Heisey and Mudcats: http://web.minorleaguebaseball.com/documents/2009/06/10/5249434/1/Vol_15_Issue_4_Web.pdf
Mike, let’s order a copy for Jacoby.
The teams that think outside the box are typically not as successfull as those that stay in the box and go with the percentages. Many of you all go with that thinking when the Reds acquire or don’t resign player and you site the stats on OBP, OPS,…
I am pulling for Leake as much as anyone, and hopefully tonight is an anomoly, but 5′8, 85 to 90 mph, and a fast ball that loses its movement at 90 mph sends up a red flag to me. I am just not sure I want to gable and give a guy that far out of the box the seven figure bonus, or roster spot it will take to sign him.
Maybe Leake and Daniel Ray can both be on the All Short All Star Team.
Daniel Ray – 2009 ROY!
I know the game’s been re-started, but about Taveras’s hit and the suspended game…it would be kind of funny, in a sad sort of way, for the game to have been suspended, and then Taveras’s hit to have been suspended until he was to get a hit in another game…
Then everyone; if the game is played at a later date…someone would have to keep track of when the hitless streak actually ended…and that discussion would have been held on sites like this for years to come as our memories faded…
I had forgotten Denis Menke’s hitless streak until I read it on here the other day….Menke was a “hitting” shortstop with the Braves and Astros when the Reds got him to be a non-hitting, walking machine to play 3B. In his second year with the Reds he batted .191 but had an OBP of .368.
I think they pulled Aaron because after a pitcher gets warmed up and then cools down he should not try getting warmed up again. Not good, for starters anyhow…it may increase the risk of injury.
I bet Herrara leads the majors in provoking four letter word responses from hitters.
Mike, let’s order a copy for Jacoby.
That would be be hilarious, Jim. Send it straight to his office. It would have to be the illustrated copy, too!
On short players…
Bill James has said he’s interested in doing a study on the “perfect” body type for baseball.
He says his instinct, contrary to conventional wisdom, was that short players actually seem to perform better in baseball, including pitchers. He said he felt it may be due a lower center of gravity.
He specifically mentioned Kevin Mitchell as one example. Also used some pitcher examples such as Roy Oswalt.
He also said as a qualifier, it could be that smaller players seem to do better because the smaller ones that make it are really good since there’s a bias against them to begin with.
The problem with studying the issue has already been mentioned here tonight…
Everybody lies about their size…he said he thought Mitchell was closer to something like 5-6 and 285 pounds….
Danny Ray gets a walk!
Totally off off topic, but Joe Buck Live premiere last night was a train wreck. Anybody else watch last night….and cringe?
Y-City:
Is that He-Man: Master of The Universe?
Anybody heading down to the GABP for the Civil Rights Game this weekend?
That lousy Indians team in 1988 Thom mentioned had Brook Jacoby (.241 .300 .335 .635) at 3B.
Thor. I thought the Reds needed some thunder.
On waivers…
Teams do ordinarily ask waivers on players, especially if they want to trade overpaid players or other guys they are willing to move. For revocable waivers, they’ll do this konwing they can pull the guy back, but find out whom they can make a deal with. For irrevocable waivers (usually stated with the comment “for the purpose of giving so and so they’re unconditional release”).
However, I don’t think we would have lost Lincoln’s salary if he had been claimed. If a player is acquired off waivers, I believe they can pay major league minimum, while the original team has to pay the balance of the contract (same with releasing a player). If a player is traded, then the salary is transferred unless other arrangements are made. (am I right about this?..it’s what I remember…Rob Neyer used to have a primer about this, but I have a slow connection tonight).
Waivers have to be cleared after the trade deadline to trade a player. As a sign that trade talks are heating up, waivers are asked more often…and, teams will sometimes ask waivers on their best players along with several other players, hoping teams won’t notice them if they’re looking to deal them to a specific team.
Green Lantern sure wasn’t working for them.
How long was the delay???
How about Danny Ray Herrera? People just can’t hit him!
At Louisville…
First baseman is Kevin Barker, the Louisville Bats’ all-time leader in home runs.
Wes Bankston backs him up, usually plays the outfield.
Neither one of them could hold a long term big league job, but Barker would hit as much as Hernandez with more power and is actually a first baseman. Over a year, he’s probably a .240-.250 guy with 20 homers. Bankston would be about the same.
As an organizational soldier, frankly, he deserves a chance to play with the Reds, and would clear waivers on the way back down. He would help the Reds because he would be a better pinch hitter than Maloney….
As for 13 pitchers, I thought Chris Welsh said it best…the Reds don’t know who to send down….
Hi five for team Phillips!
But Barker at 1B means Hernandez back at C, which means Hanigan back riding pine.
Nix having a studly night!
I am going to the Civil Rights game with my family. Got tickets today.
Hernandez over Hanigan would be a Dusty error.
How many of us said that in the offseason, too?
Im going to my annual reds games tomorrow and Thursday. Just drove up from Baton Rouge tonight. I wish I was seeing Cueto, but am somewhat excited about getting to see Maloney.
I’m going to the Civil Rights game and also tomorrow night.
Daniel Herrera has a walk – one more than Taveras has managed to pull in 50+ AB.
I hope the waivers on Lincoln is a precursor to sending him down to the minors for a hitter – tomorrow. How exciting to see Stubbs play if that’s the case.
How great was it to see Joey Votto in the dugout with uniform on!!
Week’s worth of runs for the Reds tonight.
Great to see Joey again! :love:
Yep, this is definitely their quota on runs for the series
I got my tickets for Saturdays game thru stubhub yesterday, is it officially sold out? Still no word on Obama first pitch, unfortunate.
Hairston sort of has the same ritual as Pedro Cerrano when he holds the bat out like he does.
“I look after you. I do a lot for you. If you do not help me now, I say f**k you Jobu, I’ll do it myself.”
It was not sold out as of this morning. I got three tickets for the game this morning.
I’ve wanted to go to the underground railroad museum in Cinci but haven’t had time. What’s the quick history of that in Cinci?
who is the Reds bullpen coach?
Very good call, Y-City.
Has Chipper Jones lost a lot of weight?
Juan Lopez is the bullpen coach.
Bruce almost had him.
Juan Lopez huh? I’ve never heard the name before.
Either way. He gets my vote for Reds most valuable person so far this season
Did someone sneak Gary Majewski into a Reds uniform?
Masset is due to get hit, not good!
Juan Lopez is a Dusty guy. Was with him in San Francisco and Chicago.
Thom just told Chris that he and George were on the “Kiss Cam” the other night. Chris said that if he knew it he would have planted one on George. I guess that’s one way to get George to say “Damn”.
How ’bout Nix?
watching Taveras and Gonzo hit makes me want to watch something stupid, like a sit-com or some such crap
I am now flipping to the As game when they come up
nice to see when your reliever can’t find the strike zone and allows a few dribbler hits that the pitching coach is snoring on the bench
there’s that awful defensive ss again
Playing 1B has done wonders for stretching out Hernandez’s groin.
Oh Lord! Here comes the Gonzalez is a defensive god praise.
I turn on the sound for 30 seconds on the TV broadcast to almost puke up my burrito within seconds.
“and what a year Gonzalez is having at shortstop defensively. EVERY night he makes” bla bla bla.
these idiots believe in ghosts as well don’t they? how bout football field size pink tea pots in the sky?
I didn’t just turn off the sound, I turned off the game
ugh
I should know better by now.
He is awful.
That was a softly-hit ball that bounced three times before it got to Gonzo. It was ONE STEP to his right.
And yet he had to leave his feet to catch it.
He’s not even close to being the gold glove shortstop that people want to claim. At this point in his career, he’s average at best. He just can’t move.
Paul Janish would have fielded that ball cleanly by getting in front of it like you teach little leaguers. He wouldn’t have had to dive.
Fasten your seat belts! Here comes some turbulence! Stormy Weathers front approaching!
Oh no, not another Storm?
Great, Stormy is going to face three straight lefties. I’m worried.
Nix almost saved us on that one.
Leadoff double for Chipper Jones.
Well, two straight easy fly balls help matters.
There is still a serious amount of water on the warning track.
Wow! Weathers has induced two weak fly balls after the smash by Jones.
After listening to Thom and Chris gush about a mediocre shortstop, I will never again complain about George Grande trying to sugarcoat everything.
Why do these guys feel the need to go so far overboard in praising Gonzo? Welsh should know better.
see, it’s better and more fun to watch the game through you guys
“fasten your seat belts! here comes some turbulence” and “oh no, not another Storm” and I know what’s happening in the game!
(note: not really joking)
JJ. The key to what you said is “ONE STEP”. The worst SS in the game, Jeter, could have even gotten that one. OK cheap shot, Jeter is not the worst. But I’ll bet the worst, Betancort or the ancient-and-now-not-good-defensively Tejada could have both gotten that
JJ I agree, Welsh should know better.
and they go so far overboard It sounds like they are paid to sell @#$%#$%^ from McDonalds or Walmart of some evil corp like that
Yeah, his lack of range kills me.
He still has pretty good hands and a decent arm, but he can’t move out there.
Once again, BP shows Gonzo what RANGE looks like. Phillips couldn’t get the out, but he covers a lot of ground out there.
Reds need to line-up a pharmaceutical company that produces nerve meds to sponsor Stormy’s appearances.
Passed ball. Runners now at second and third with two outs.
They haven’t hit a ball hard since Chipper’s double, but Stormy’s about to find a way to blow it anyway.
If we get out of this mess, it will be a miracle.
D**** W*******
Please get out of this jam.
God is a Reds fan tonight.
Okay, I can breathe now.
I thought we were screwed there for sure.
JHJ hit by a pitch. He’ll be on the DL tomorrow.
Let me guess. We will not score this inning.
Count on Taveras for that good old dependable ground ball.
He did something right.
Funny line up the DL by the way.
Gonzalez swung at three balls in his eyes. Fortunately, the last one was pitched there.
Good job, Alex!!!!!
Chad you know better JHJ won’t be on the DL tomorrow
He’ll be “day-to-day” for 2 weeks
True, Mike. How could I have forgotten?
Thank you, Gonzo, by the way. I’m not quite as nervous about the bottom of the ninth now.
Bring some reading material to the ballpark, Janish. You banishment to the bench is prolonged with that hit. Dusty will be praising it in post game.
The Reds shot down my negativity.
Dusty for Manager of the Year.
Getting up to a month’s worth of runs now.
Nix having a great night.
Joey Votto smiling. That’s a good thing.
7 Runs! 10 Hits! Multiple Extra Base Hits!
Yesterday, I believe, Bill James published a study on runs batted in vs. rbi opportunities. By and large, guys expected to get rbis performed as they should.
It probably no surprise here, but Taveras had one of the lowest rbi ratios in baseball; bottom five I believe
That is…of runners in scoring position, he was next to the bottom in getting them home.
Most runs by the Reds since June 3 against St. Louis.
The two doubles hit by Nix tonight were two of the hardest-hit balls I’ve seen all season.
Hey, Janish gets a half-inning of work!
Heaven forbid they move Gonzalez to 3B in order to put Janish at SS. We need some more dramatic one step dives.
Lots of comments tonight. Must have had some great discussion.
And this one belongs to the Reds! I had almost forgotten what it was like to win.
Reward for those fans that stick around. Free tickets for another ball game.
Finally, one that belongs to the Reds.
How many times have the Reds had 7 or more runs this season with more than 15 base runners?
9 (tonight is the 10th time)
It’s happened a total of 390 times in baseball this season
Cleveland has done it 21 times
only 4 teams have done it fewer than 9 times. Texas, Houston, SD, and Seattle
Five and a half hours leads to a lot of comments. The Reds should reward all of us bloggers for sticking around until the end (even if we might be wearing pajamas and watching the game in bed).
Titanic Struggle Recap is posted and I’m going to bed. Always fun to hang out and enjoy a victory.
And yes, the die-hards should be rewarded!
The broadcast is sponsored by Viagra.
I don’t think Thom and Chris need Viagra. They just need to watch replays of Alex Gonzalez’s one-step dives. Seems to get them pretty worked up.
Having Votto in the dugout in uniform in a good mood must have been a huge morale boost for the club. Nice win.
I’m on a business trip in Ireland, there’s a 5 hour time difference between here and Cincy. So I give up on the game at 3 AM, wake up at 5 AM thirsty, check out the Reds and watch them (via GameDay) rally in the 8th and put it away.
Funny that there was that long discussion about height and then Herrera is the hero, along with Nix and BP.
Before EE comes back, it would be nice to see Janish get some playing time at 3rd. Playing him at SS and Gonzo at 3rd would be better but won’t happen.
Having Votto around helped morale, I would imagine.