Loading ...Yes, Willy Taveras is back in the leadoff spot today.
Note to Dusty Baker: most of us don’t mind if Taveras is in the lineup against left-handed pitchers. Really, we don’t mind. But he MUST be hitting 8th or 9th, if you are going to play him. Wee Willy just does too much damage to the offense if he is leading off.
I know, I know, this plea is falling on deaf ears. Dusty is smarter than we are; just ask him.
Anyway, the Reds have a chance to win a series today. Discuss it here.
I wonder what the rational is for Dickerson last.
It’s sad that Dusty can’t see the obvious… :-((
Kurt, I would guess because of the LHP…but regardless Taveras is the worst option as a leadoff hitter against any pitcher…
I don’t have so much a problem with playing willy but please not leading off – just doesn’t make any sense, I would rather see Hairston first since he has atleast hit recently.
However, I am atleast hopeful since Dusty has started playing Dickerson against lefties and even though I would rather have Dickerson in Center and Nix playing Left everyday, since Gomes can DH, atleast maybe Dusty will have his eyes opened by Dickerson having another solid game today because I think we all know what is coming with Willy, I hope I am wrong but I don’t see today being a blue moon in that he actually hits today.
I will admit that I am someone that said when Willy started to not hit (this entire month) that Dickerson was a left handed version of Willy with a little better power.
He has opened my eyes in not only his hustle but he looks like he did at the end of last year in that, he looks like he has a game plan each time he hits and he didn’t seem to have that early on in the year and Willy just doesn’t have a clue.
By the way I think the Cards got a steal in getting DeRosa for a RP and a player to be named later.
Moves like the DeRosa trade are what has set the Cardinals apart from the Reds over the past decade. Looks like that is continuing even though we have imported St. Louis ownership and GM.
I’m not one who is clamoring for a trade, although I’m not opposed to trading Harang or Arroyo now while we can get something for them.
Instead, if the Reds handled their current roster properly, they could improve their chances without a trade. You know how they say with players coming off the DL it’s like making a trade for nothing. Well the same thing applies for the Reds by playing Dickerson instead of Taveras, Hanigan instead of Hernandez and Janish instead of Gonzalez.
If EE comes back soon and can hit even as well as he did last year the Reds would have enough offense with the right lineup.
With this lineup I’d probably bat Owings 8th and Taveras 9th. But why would you normally put Taveras 8th? If you do bat him 8th the only thing he really does well (steal) is completely useless. At least at first if he does get on base he can use the speed. Otherwise he is completely useless.
But why would you normally put Taveras 8th? If you do bat him 8th the only thing he really does well (steal) is completely useless. At least at first if he does get on base he can use the speed. Otherwise he is completely useless.
Wow, this line of thinking makes no sense at all to me. You bat him 8th because he can’t hit or get on base. That’s where you bat useless hitters.
If you want him in the lineup at all, it has to be because of his defense and because you think he’s better against lefties than other options (we can have a debate about that). But he still isn’t going to get on base at a good enough clip to justify leading him off.
Who cares about his speed if he can’t get on base? That’s going back to the old way of thinking employed by managers in the middle of the last century.
“Let’s put him at leadoff. He’s fast!!! That’s all that matters at leadoff!”
His pathetic on-base “skills” hurt the team too much at leadoff, and his speed doesn’t mitigate that pain much at all.
I’m just sayin…..
:p
I was hoping I’d seen the last of Reds killer DeRosa when he went to the AL. The worst has happened. DeRosa’s gonna be a nightmare facing the Cards in Sept.
Taveras struck out swinging to start the game. He looked fast going back to the dugout.
Looks like the same old inefficient Micah today.
Way to battle out of a runners-on-the-corners, no-outs jam. A lot of pitches, but the second hit was a lucky bloop.
Double off the wall against a lefty for Bruce. I’m starting to get excited that he’s coming around.
There’s the speed, fast Willy with a bunt hit.
Sweet bunts by both Willy and Hairston.
Good to see our guys can get bunts down this year.
Bases loaded for team BP.
I’m not watching on tv, would someone slower than Willy have made it from 2nd on that line drive?
Alright Phillips! 2-1 Reds now, I like it.
Hernandez with a triple! This is the kind of offense that’s fun to watch.
Before the game started, I was thinking of all the ways the Reds might score today.
A 2-run triple by Ramon Hernandez was not one of them.
I was out of the room. Is it true that Ramon tripled? Wow.
The ball was poorly played off the wall. Hernandez even hesitated a bit before deciding to take third. Dickerson or Taveras would have made it all the way around.
Did I hear Hal McCoy on the radio correctly? I think he said that someone in the Indians organization told him this morning that the last two teams in competition for Mark DeRosa were the Cardinals and the Reds.
I hadn’t read or heard anything about the Reds being in on him that seriously. I wonder what we were offering.
Has anyone else heard or read anything about that? Kudos to Jockety, I guess, for being able to operate in such secrecy.
I hadn’t heard that either Steve. Though supposedly the Reds have been dangling Bailey amongst other players…
GG just stated that Shapiro said the Reds were making offers up til the last minute, but Cards offer was superior.
Sidenote, Billy Mays died.
Owings doing well today staying out of too much trouble.
I think Grande said the Reds offered Josh Roenicke, and maybe one other player for DeRosa.
Way to go, BP. And alert baserunning.
I didnt hear that about Roenicke, but it makes sense.
Phillips having a nice game today!
Gomes!
Hernandez follows Gomes blast with a double. Once again, this is an offense that’s actually fun to watch!
Two solid games in a row? The Reds went how many weeks without ANY solid games?
I switched over to the USA/Brazil soccer match just in time to miss the Gomes HR.
These guys ain’t so fu**in bad.
renbutler- I did the exact same thing.
USA up 1-nil!!
USA 1 – Brazil 0!
Unreal!
So, which team is more likely to choke away the win. Reds or USA soccer?
Memo to Dusty: Hernandez plays a lot better when rested.
I don’t actually have a problem with Hernandez and Hanigan sharing the catching duties, if Hanigan played more. Arroyo and Homer prefer Hanigan. By Dusty-think, Hernandez has to catch Cueto and Volquez, because he speaks Spanish.
Harang is the swing vote – I’d go with Hanigan.
I can’t believe I’m watching soccer right now, but this is unreal.
That it is, jdarts84…that it is.
Now I’m watching Reds/Indians on MLB’s box score. Looked like an easy fifth for Owings.
Hey, here’s a hypothetical question. I really don’t watch AL “baseball,” so I don’t know all the DH rules.
Suppose Owings is still the active pitcher, and Dusty wanted to use Owings as a right-handed pinch hitter. Could he do so? If so, could he ONLY replace Gomes in the five slot? Or could he go in for, say, Dickerson?
I’m not saying he would ever want to do that, but would that be legal?
Color me flummoxed, renbutler. Godd question.
WOW!!!!! Donovan Scores!!!!!!!!! 2-0!!!!
This is wonderfully crazy!
U-S-A!
And Taveras just hit a double!
I’m going outside to look for the apocalypse.
Im stlll trying to soak this lead in at the moment. Just unbelievable.
TV pitchman Billy Mays (OxiClean, OrangeGlo, etc) died.
A third hit for Phillips on his b-day.
Brewers, Cardinals, and Cubs all currently losing
Nice, thx Tyler.
It would be nice if the Reds could rip off a substantial winning streak but I think Dusty’s continually line-up craziness reduces the likelihood of it. It will especially difficult once Encarancion comes back because Hairston will be the everyday SS.
I missed seeing Hernandez’s triple. How badly botched was that play for him to end up on 3B?
Jay Bruce heating up…even against LHP…love it.
Is Jay Bruce getting locked in or is Indians pitching really, really bad?
Jim, the Hernandez triple wasn’t terribly botched, but it bounced off the wall a little funny. The CF whiffed as the ball rolled halfway back to second base. The LF had to track it down.
Kate Smith – “God Bless America”
The Reds need to break out the old Jerry Vale recording of the “Star Spangled Banner.”
I knew it had to have done some bouncing around to give Hernandez time to chug around to 3B.
Has Owings pitched into the 8th inning yet this year?
Nope. Just 7 innings twice.
and now three times.
Great showing by the #5.
Owings has not pitched into the 8th inning yet this year
He pitched 7 innings twice. Not surprisingly his two best games, April 26th vs Atlanta and May 12th vs Arizona (anyone should be able to pitched into the 7th vs Arizona)
Owings hasn’t pitched into the 8th since September 18th 2007 when he pitched a complete game vs SF
Herrara must be so annoying to face…especially if you ground into a double play against him.
Cubs, Cardinals, and Brewers all still losing too. Houston is tied, and the Pirates are behind but delayed.
I guess it was too much to ask for Brazil to go away quietly…
Man did they score right away in the second?!
2-1 USA now, Brazil came out of halftime firing away.
Three hits now for Taveras!
Jim, I wouldn’t take it as a given that Hairston will be the everyday SS when EE returns. Janish has really been flashing some leather, and this team is supposed to give defense a priority.
It would really be nice to have Hairston in a utility role, filling in at multiple positions.
On the other hand, Hairston is one of Dusty’s favorite sons and if Janish slumps he won’t get the patience that other slumpers have.
Janish has been decent with the bat, but he’s never been a great hitter at any level to the best of my knowledge. That said, he’s by far the best option for defense.
Renbutler (46) As the pitcher, I don’t believe Owings could pinch hit. He’s not in the batting order but he is in the full lineup (including defense), that is he’s in the game, and a person alreay in the game he can’t pinch hit.
Taveras has 2 infield hits today, that’s his whole game, he needs to keep it going.
Dodged a bullet at FIFA(temporarily)
Should have been a goal for Brazil.
Yes it should have been.
Bottom of the ninth for the Reds. Chicago down 4 in the 6th, Milwaukee down 5 in the 6th, Houston up 1 in the 8th, and St. Louis down 3 in the 7th…makes this game an extra good one to win!
Amazing how the Reds are STILL in the thick of things.
2-2 now for US and Brazil…too bad.
US may be toast now.
Brazil just getting too many shots. You knew it was only a matter of time.
D’oh.
anybody else notice any time Phillips is called out in public for being lazy or something related he then he plays great for the next week or so?
Pinson, the Reds say speed and defense but Dusty’s line-up card does not always echo that.
Yea!!!!! Red win!!!!!
Good win for the Reds. Great job M.O.
Nice inning by Roenicke. Good win by the Reds – nice to take a series.
And this one belongs to the good guys.
They didn’t have much pressure on them, but you have to like the way Herrara and Roenicke closed out the last 3 innings.
It seems we have a deep bullpen at last.
Heisey now 3/4 (two singles, one double) in first game with Louisville!
Brazil with yet another goal.