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Let’s imagine for a moment that the Reds had won six games in a row. Now, imagine further that you were a Loyal Citizen of Redleg Nation, and you desperately wanted to see the Reds win a seventh consecutive game.
I know all that is difficult to envision, but stick with me. If you really wanted that seventh win, you’d probably want Johnny Cueto on the mound, right? I mean, he’s the Reds best pitcher, and one of the best in the league.
You’d also probably want Cueto starting against a team that’s 16-27, had only won 3 of their last 13 games, and had just snapped a six-game losing streak in which they surrendered 43 runs. That seems like a good opponent for this dream sequence we’re imagining, right?
Okay, open your eyes.
Discuss the game right here. Go Redlegs.
heres to hoping the Reds don’t let up! hopefully they don’t act like my bearcat basketball team and play down to their competition
Chad, as always great opening comments.
-As long as our boys play hard and pitch smart, I will be more than happy with whatever the outcome is this weekend. I pray Bruce gets back on track thou.
-I am excited to be in 1st place and on a good streak!
-I pray everyone has a great and safe weekend! As well as enjoy the games!
Go Reds!!
@laus Deo: Love the name. Praise be to God. The Washington Monument has that on top for a reason.
Thank you sir. Yep!
Howdy! FTLT here. I hope to be a regular here.
Anyway, I find Brantly to be a fine annoncer. His FtPr * is no higher than the other
Announcers – it’s just that his F* is more memorable due to his folksiness and
Regionalisms.
Point two – is it just me or does anyone else think that Votto and Bruce
Should be batting back to back?
FtPr = Fatuosness to Pith ratio
In English?
“When you wish upon a star…”
- Jiminy Cricket
Anything less than 2 of 3 would be an unmitigating disaster
Tonight’s Lineup:
Zack Cozart 6
Drew Stubbs 8
Joey Votto 3
Brandon Phillips 4
Chris Heisey 9
Ryan Ludwick 7
Todd Frazier 5
Ryan Hanigan 2
Johnny Cueto 1
vs. LH Christian Friedrich (1-1, 5.00). It’s Friedrich’s fourth career start.
Maybe it’s time for Bruce to hit second so he can “get going”.
Ok, I understand Hanigan HAS to hit 8th because he’s a catcher. Not even worth discussing that one, because it’s so obvious. But why is Frazier behind Ludwick? Normally I’d assume it’s because Ludwick had a few hits against the starting pitcher a few seasons ago, but that doesn’t apply here. And of course we’ve got the “Frazier is a rookie” argument, but Cozart is a rookie, and he’s five spots ahead of Ludwick. My best guess is that Ludwick is probably slightly faster than Frazier. Anyone have a better theory?
I’m going to throw a random thought out that I have never seen discussed. Had the city of Cincinnati either not earned an expansion franchise, or just plain didn’t buy into the multiuse cookie-cutter stadium fad, would the Reds being playing their hundredth season in Crosley, or eventually built something new? No use in talking about it during a game, but it seems like something too interesting to forget considering.
Also, go Red7egs.
Joey is back
Joey still in a mini-slump. 1 hit is not a slump buster.
How about 3 hits?
How about 4-4 with 2 doubles?
Something’s wrong with Cueto.
well, that’s pretty disappointing. i guess they learned nothing in spring training.
all of cueto’s pitches are up right now. and his fastball is topping out at 89-90.
doesn’t look very sharp. not a great way to start.
I guess those two homers Cueto gave up to Helton in that spring game weren’t harmless after all.
I was about to post – if vegastypo is here, he sorta called that homer on the other thread.
vegastypo
5/25/2012 at 3:18 pm vegastypo(Quote)
I always fear overconfidence, but with series against the Rockies, at Pittsburgh, at Houston and back home for Pittsburgh, it would be a good time to keep the pressure on the Cardinals to keep winning.
Note to Cueto: Helton might be hitting .220, but he turned around two of your pitches for homers in spring training. Let’s hope Cueto was just trying to get pitches over the plate, rather than worrying about how to pitch to the batter!
Send Chapman in!
no ground balls yet.
Definitely appears that his fastball has lost some velocity.
TOS. Can’t even hit a rag arm pitcher that isn’t getting anyone out.
Cueto not sharp at all. Gonna be a looooooong night.
If Chapman was being stretched out to eventually start tonight would be a night where he’d have been used.
2 balls on the ground so far this inning. maybe settling in?
This looks to be a tough game. Cueto isnt super sharp.
I immediately dislike this game.
Scutaro looked out of the baseline bigger than sh!+.
@Robert: are you even watching the game? the rockies pitcher looks fine. former 1st round pick, lost 20 lbs over the break, had two great starts to begin the season, striking out 17. he’s not a nobody.
his next two starts were his first at coors field. that’s been known to give pitchers trouble.
show the kid some respect, and respect that the reds offense has been hitting good pitching the last week or so, and we’ll probably get to this guy too.
We will see. I’m not impressed with Friedrich. Should be very hittable.
the thing about cueto is that his a good PITCHER. he made a big mistake to helton, but for the most part, when he doesn’t have his best stuff, he still pitches a good game. he’ll keep us in it.
This is getting ugly
hmmm, back to back walks is not what you expect from cueto.
Got a little lucky that inning.
6IP, 2ER. that’s my prediction.
Time to hit some homeruns!
I’m not quite sure what that inning was, but I’ll take it.
I think he is pitching well. This may be another game where the Reds have to pull it out against the bullpen.
TOS still.
2 out doubles don’t help when the team hits .190 with RISP.
The Reds will get shutout again.
aside from the walks to cargo and tulo, i’m liking the grounders from cueto.
not the usual Cueto tonight –
the way the Reds offense looks like their typical about-to-get-shutout selves, it’s not looking so good right now.
God Bless our Troops serving in far off lands on this Memorial Day weekend, and all the Veterans who came before them. Go Reds! Keep that winning Wagon Train going.
Well said and a big AGREE!
Johnny can’t get anyone out.
yikes. well, that one to frazier should have been an error.
Yes but giving up the hit to the pitcher is his fault.
there was talk of needing to get Simon some work. Tonight is looking like the night!
Pitchers best friend – that helps. I dont think the Reds are out of it but they are going to have to do a better job this time through the order.
@eastcoast redsfan: definitely. i was just thinking of my prediction of 2ER in 6IP. i wouldn’t be surprised if that scoring decision is changed. either to a straight error or to a single and an error. if it’s a straight error the 3rd run is unearned.
If the Reds don’t win 2 of 3 in this series, it will be a major disaster.
Too early in the season for that kind of major disaster. A major disaster would be Votto gets hurt.
@Sergeant2: Amen. My #2 son was commissioned a 2nd Lt. in the U.S. Air Force yesterday. Reports for pilot training in about 2 weeks.
Congrats!
Heisey with his 1st?
@Robert: on what grounds?
heisey should have been going the other way there.
why in the world is ludwick hitting in front of todd frazier?
Think maybe Ludwick heard that Melvin Mora rumor a few days ago???!!!
need to get some more here.
@al:
I think they will change the scoring decision to an error on Frasier.
Got to get at least 1 more.
Frasier giveth – Frasier taketh back, with interest.
Fraiser is much much better than rolen.
Except on defense.
Like I said: Mr. Simon, we might not need you tonight either…..
Id walk Hanigan if I were Colorado.
@eastcoast redsfan:
But what do I know?
Whoever said the Reds would heat up when the weather did, hit the nail on the head. A tip of the cap to ya Nostradamus.
i’m always so surprised when hannigan strikes out.
Rolen = Doran as Frasier = Sabo
cueto is at 72 pitches. he just needs to bare down and get through two more.
@hoosierdad: Congrats hoosierdad on your Sons promotion. Sounds like hoosierdad is also a proud Dad, as you should be.
Cueto is just about done for the night.
Time for a reliever.
Really need Chapman here.
Need a strikeout then double play.
Crap.
@Myles: Chapman can’t come in everytime a pitcher gets in a jam.
To be a long reliever on nights like this I mean.
should pull him before it gets out of hand. scattering 10 hits plus some walks over 4+ is not getting it done.
Doggone it, Simon, didn’t I tell you to get warmed up?????????
I guess it’s Hoover in the bullpen …
Phils now up 2 on the Cards. Pour it on! A comeback from our REDS and we’re up 2! Thanks, Seargent2. Gave his first salute to my brother, retired Tech Sgt.
If he can get out of this without giving up another run, I still like the Reds chances overall.
this would be another bigtime statement win if the reds can come back. winning without bruce has given the offense confidence. picking up cueto will give the pitchers more confidence that they don’t always have to be perfect.
here’s hoping they can get johnny off the hook.
they were commenting on radio that the Rockies have the fewest strikeouts in the NL. Just keep fouling pitches off until they get one to put into play. Hitting hasn’t been this team’s problem, apparently
Johnny doesn’t have it tonight. Good night for long relief. No shame in pulling him after five tonight if the Reds can score 2 in the next inning.
Can anyone who is watching notice the problem?
Time to come back again.
Rockies starter is running up his pitch count, too. Keep working these at-bats, guys.
This would be a nice time for Heisey to get his first.
He swung at 4 balls during that AB.
Chris Heisey just had 9 balls thrown to him in succession. He swung at 6 of them, fouling off 4, missing 1, and popping out on another. And they missed by a mile; they weren’t close pitches.
Anyone that thinks that Chris Heisey, long term, can be a good regular LF, please go back and watch that at bat. It’s hard for me to believe anyone lacking that much discipline can ever be more than a bench player. Obviously, the Reds have few options.
Gee, if the Reds lose tonight, will jump of the Suspension Bridge? Talk about over-reacting. Kid hit 18 HRs last year playing part time. He’s playing for a manager that clearly does not believe in him or he would have been given the job for at least a month a long time ago. Did you see what Ludwick and Frazier swung at their first time up? Every single non-regular goes up hacking on the first pitch more often than not because they know that’s their manager’s philosophy, it’s what he wants done–and if Heisey doesn’t do it, he may not be in the lineup tomorrow. All that, plus the fact that he wants to contribute something to the team because these situations don’t come up for him very often.
Child, please.
Have you read what I’ve written? I don’t care if Heisey hits a home run, or whatever. Let me spell it out for you. Chris Heisey has no plate discipline, never has, and never will (with this organization’s approach).
In this brilliant 2011 year you speak of, he had an OBP of .309. There is no way that long term, he’s gong to slug nearly .500 when he’s getting on base at a .309 clip. Chris Heisey is not a good every day player. He’s probably a better choice than Ludwick, but let’s not pretend he’s some kind of good player. The Reds could win with a LF as bad as they have, if others come through.
Where have I overreacted? I am pointing out that the AB he had last time is typical of Chris Heisey’s plate approach.
@eastcoast redsfan: Tom B. was saying that. It looked to me like Heisey swung at more than 4 pitches out of the strike zone – one high fastball after another, and a low pitch. And Stubbs struck out on a pitch that crossed his neck.
@Racine Red: I believe that, that’s what I saw.
@Racine Red: It’s one lousy out.
I dont have the tv on. I was going by MLB Gameday and giving it the benefit of maybe being off some. That’s why I said 4. According to Gameday they were up around his neck.
@CharlotteNCRedsFan: Let me be clear. Heisey has no discipline at the plate. He has walked 5 times this year in 113 plate appearances. That is pitiful.
Of course I’m not saying that because of one AB a guy is good or not, I’m saying that AB is a microcosm of Chris Heisey, and why he’s not a realistic LF option on a team that considers themselves good. He’s a role player, a bench player.
@eastcoast redsfan: He should be released immediately!
@eastcoast redsfan: Right. Gameday isn’t always accurate. I watched the whole, lousy AB.
@CharlotteNCRedsFan: Hah. I’ll leave the rest of the overreacting that goes on here to others. Reds win 6 in a row, they are world series bound. They lose 2 of 3 to Colorado, some think, apparently, it’d be a “disaster”. Man, it does not take much to have people swing from “great team” to “awful team”.
I still see an 85 win team with my eyes.
If you are going to win the division then you have to beat the bad tams. And Colorado is a bad team. Losing to them would be an embarrassment.
That was a nice AB by Ludwick. He is having a decent game.
Who is the clown doing the radio in replace of Brennamen? He is horrible. He said “Helton lines it to center, and the runner on 3rd scores”. I never knew, until about 3 minutes later, that that was a single and not a sac fly.
Then there is Brantley; the pitcher singles to left, and I have no idea if the runner from 2nd scored for about 2 minutes.
Fortunately I have TV now.
TOS. Can’t string 2 hits together.
Red Turds up 3-2 on Phil. looks like a short stay in 1st.
A few years ago, I was sitting in the 500 section in LF with my son. Behind me was another father & son. The game kind of see sawed, and each time the Reds would fall behind, the father behind me would tell his son, “Well, that’s it. The game’s over.” When our catcher, David Ross, hit a walk off HR, I turned to him and said the same thing I’ll say to you, Robert:
It’s never over when there’s less than 27 outs.
Simon says: “Sit down!”
Good eye, Drew Stubbs.
@Robert: You must be joking. So, any series lost to a bad team means no playoffs?
I’m just in a pissy mode. Sorry.
Votto being Votto.
Just got in, What’d I miss?
Oh.
That Joey Votto’s pretty good, though.
Not watching on TV or listening on radio. Just curious, why didn’t Stubbs score from 1st on Votto’s double?
Right fielder got it before it went through to the wall. Votto stretched it.
Another wasted opportunity…
@RC: Thanks!
BP’s front shoulder was headed for 3rd base on that swing.
comedy break?
I sent a friend of mine, Mike the Lurker, (he reads here but doesn’t post) tonight’s scoreboard stumper, which was to name the four players whose last name begins with H to have won a league batting title since 1970…………
Just to see if I was paying attention, he came back with this as his No. 4 guy: Willie Harris
Hahahahaha. That name entered my consciousness when I heard the stumper in the car also.
Pretty neat that the Cardinals game is commercial free tonight. There using the time showing live shots of Troops overseas and letting family members at the game in their own section exchange messages. Very very cool. Dam Dam Dam the Reds needed to make some hay right there. It ain’t over yet, the Reds like to win em late.
trade him already
Alfredo with a good inning there.
Heisey sent a rope to CF, unfortunate that Young was there. Hit it well.
@Racine Red: How would you know what kind of player Chris Heisey can be when he’s never been allowed to walk to the plate without looking over his shoulder? He’s never been an everyday player since he’s been called up. Let me repeat that: HE’S NEVER BEEN AN EVERYDAY PLAYER. We spent half a season watching Johnny Gomes stink it up in LF because he’s popular in the dugout and favorite of Dusty. But Heisey? We string together all his starts, as if they came interrupted, and start laying down definitive statements about what Heisey can or cannot do. Jay Bruce plays every day and can go on epic slumps, but if this kid doesn’t consistently rake in intermittent starts, he’s not a major league player.
Guess what? The kid has raised his average from the dead while not knowing from day to day if he’s going to be in the lineup.
Give me a break. You’d have run Bruce out of town 2 years ago.
Because he does not walk. That’s why. He didn’t walk in the minors the way I expect a guy who’s going to be a LF should. Unless you think that’s going to change as a major league player, he’s not going to be good. Also, he hit all of 52 home runs in over 2000 at bats in the minors. Then he goes and hits 18 last year in about 300. What happened? Is he much better than he was, or was it a fluke? Probably, a fluke.
Should he play over Gomes, Ludwick, etc? Sure. Can’t be much worse, and will probably be better.
And, it’s a pretty lame comment to say that I’d have run Bruce out of town. How is Jay Bruce similar to Chris Heisey?
This manager doesn’t believe in walking. You hit your way out of slumps according to the manager. Again, why do you think players on the Reds who don’t play everyday lack plate discipline? It’s not encouraged. I don’t think anything in Joey Votto’s minor league numbers suggested he was going to be the player he is either. All I’m saying is give the kid a chance. He hits sporadically playing part-time. My point about Bruce is that if he weren’t playing every day, he could look dreadful. What would Bruce’s role on this team have looked like if he only started 3 games a week? Moreover, Heisey has speed, is a good defender.
You’re overreacting.
Cantstandyeh. What a bench.
Outstanding pick by Cozart!
Wow, Cozart !
Brantley musing about calling up a third catcher, so Meso could be used as a pinch hitter more often.
Phils caught WLBs
And you can now kiss this game and first place goodbye!
Not checking Gonzalez at second has to be somewhat on Hanigan. He could have signaled to Arredondo to do so.
Welsh and Thom clowning on Betancourt’s OCD on the mound.
For a team taught to swing early in the count, Betancourt’s pace must be maddening. Hitting this guy requires some patience.
Jeez, he’s worse than Gomes.
In between pitches, Betancourt acts like he had bugs crawling all over his body.
@Richard Fitch: You’re right about the lack of discipline not being completely his fault. But I’d put it at least as much on the Reds organization as on the manager.
But the bottom line is that they need a left fielder; preferably someone who already has plate discipline and power who Baker and the organization can’t ruin.
Once again, though, I am not overreacting. What would I be overreacting to? I have thought Heisey wasn’t a regular LF for a long time. You may think I’m wrong, fine. Overreacting would be if I thought he was a good player and then based on one AB I thought he stunk. I haven’t ever thought he was a good player.
Can someone tell me where the Reds rank in swinging at pitches out of the strike zone? I’m sure I don’t watch enough teams, but it sure seems like they are at least among the worst.
The Reds are in the bottom third of the league in swinging (O-Swing %) at pitches out of the zone, 29%, but are 28th in baseball at making contact (O-Contact %) on those pitches out of the zone, 62.6% of the time.
http://www.fangraphs.com/leaders.aspx?pos=all&stats=bat&lg=all&qual=0&type=5&season=2012&month=0&season1=2012&ind=0&team=0,ts&rost=0&age=0&players=0&sort=4,d
Click on the headers, of course, to sort each stat.
Here is an explanation of those stats.
http://www.fangraphs.com/library/index.php/offense/plate-discipline/
@Robert: Man, you need a drink. So what if they do fall out of first place? Check the calendar.
I gonna grab a cold one and chill! I’ll see you guys tomorrow.
@Racine Red: Especially with runners in scoring position.
@Robert: Good. Remember in 2010 they weren’t even in first place in mid August.
I guess it had to come to an end sometime.
ultimately the same problem is still there: the offense stinks in part because of so many hacktastic hitters, and there’s not much that can be done during the season about that. the organizational problem of not preaching on-base percentage needs to be fixed first.
@RedLeg75: Thanks. Not quite as bad as I thought (the Rangers swing at more bad balls, for example). But it’s not good either.
I’d be more concerned about the O-Swing, as I suspect that O-Contact doesn’t tell the story that you don’t hit well when you make contact with bad balls.
The Reds being in the bottom third of O-Swing, I meant that they swing at pitches outside of the zone more than only ten teams. Top third would have been better wording, if that makes sense.
I haven’t had anything to drink and I’m willing to say that Willie Harris is a better hitter than Mike Costanzo.
maybe, but at least Costanzo hit a few fly balls to get runners in. In similar situations, Harris was whiffing or hitting nubbers back to the pitcher or maybe, if he muscled up, an infield pop………. Last I heard, he was hitting well in the minors. But Costanzo was too, wasn’t he?
Surely not saying either of them is worth much, though.
You can’t expect the Reds to sweep every series. I look at it like this: The Rookies got the one game they were probably going to win in this series out of the way early. Time to start a new winning streak for the Redlegs. Here We Go Redlegs Here We Go!!! Go ahead and laugh, you know I meant Rockies. I misspelled the word on purpose to see if anyone noticed. Adios Amigos
@Steve Mancuso: Have you taken mind-altering drugs?
Seriously, it is an embarrassment that Costanzo is on the roster. This isn’t the ’62 Mets.
Attendance?
Funny how no one was calling them Hacktastic hitters when they were on that HR binge. Just sayin’