The Reds successfully finished off a sweep of the Indians with a 12-5 afternoon victory at GABP, and are now back to their season-high mark of 8 games over .500.
- This was only the second time they've swept Cleveland in an interleague series. The first was in May of 2008. Cleveland has swept Cincinnati 3 times, in 1999, 2004 and 2011.
- The Reds' all-time record against Cleveland is now 39-38 in interleague play.
- This was the second-highest single-game run total for the Reds against Cleveland. They won 14-5 on July 8th, 2000 at Cinergy Field.
- This was the highest single-game run total for the Reds in any interleague game since June 22nd, 2007 when they won 16-1 at Seattle.
- This is only the 6th time in 229 interleague games that the Reds have scored 12 or more.
- The Reds scored a total of 24 runs in the three-game series. They've never done that against Cleveland.
- The last time the Reds scored 24 or more in ANY three-game series was August, 2010 at Arizona (26 runs in a sweep).
- The last time the Reds scored 24 or more in a home three-game series was May, 2010 against Houston (27 runs in spite of being on the losing end of a shutout in the finale).
- The last time the Reds scored 24 or more in an interleague three-game series was June, 2005 against Tampa Bay (34 runs in a sweep). They only accomplished it one additional time - 1999 at Kansas City (30 runs in a sweep).
- The Reds' interleague record now stands at 103-126, for a winning percentage of .450 which is still the fourth-worst in MLB. Only the Orioles, Padres and Pirates have been worse.
Mr. Redlegs is watching you. Always.
Thursday, June 14, 2012
Friday, June 1, 2012
Cincinnati Reds: May 2012 Summary
The Reds went 17-11 in May to surge into first place in the NL Central, holding a lead of 1.5 games over the St. Louis Cardinals entering play June 1st.
Cincinnati won 5 series, split 3 and lost 2.
Home: 8-4
Road: 9-7
vs Central: 6-5
vs East: 7-4
vs West: 2-1
vs AL: 2-1
Overall offensive trends: Average stable at an ugly number (.240 April, .242 May). OBP the same story: .306 in both months. The only improvement was in power - slugging rose from .387 to .421, boosting the Reds' OPS+ from 95 to 98. Bottom line: the Reds can win with this offense, but only if the pitching remains other-worldly. They need to get on base more to help win this division.
Overall pitching trends: The starters posted almost identical, solid-but-not-spectacular numbers in May (3.86 ERA) relative to April (3.89). The bullpen went from great to insanely great, lowering its ERA from 2.81 to 2.02 and its WHIP from 1.25 to 1.03. All these numbers are good enough to make the playoffs. Again, the question is offense.
Individual offensive trends:
UP significantly (40 or more OPS+ points): Votto, Heisey, Hanigan
DOWN significantly: Bruce, Cozart, Mesoraco
NOT MUCH CHANGE (GOOD): Phillips
NOT MUCH CHANGE (BAD): Stubbs
Individual pitching trends:
UP significantly: Latos, Bailey, Leake, Simon, LeCure, Marshall
DOWN significantly: Cueto, Arroyo, Ondrusek
NOT MUCH CHANGE (GOOD): Chapman, Arredondo
And finally, my "Randy Awards" for the month of May.
RANDY NEWBIE:
JJ Hoover (0.90 ERA in 10 IP, 10 K) - yes he pitched in April, but May was his first full month with the Reds.
Cincinnati won 5 series, split 3 and lost 2.
Home: 8-4
Road: 9-7
vs Central: 6-5
vs East: 7-4
vs West: 2-1
vs AL: 2-1
Overall offensive trends: Average stable at an ugly number (.240 April, .242 May). OBP the same story: .306 in both months. The only improvement was in power - slugging rose from .387 to .421, boosting the Reds' OPS+ from 95 to 98. Bottom line: the Reds can win with this offense, but only if the pitching remains other-worldly. They need to get on base more to help win this division.
Overall pitching trends: The starters posted almost identical, solid-but-not-spectacular numbers in May (3.86 ERA) relative to April (3.89). The bullpen went from great to insanely great, lowering its ERA from 2.81 to 2.02 and its WHIP from 1.25 to 1.03. All these numbers are good enough to make the playoffs. Again, the question is offense.
Individual offensive trends:
UP significantly (40 or more OPS+ points): Votto, Heisey, Hanigan
DOWN significantly: Bruce, Cozart, Mesoraco
NOT MUCH CHANGE (GOOD): Phillips
NOT MUCH CHANGE (BAD): Stubbs
Individual pitching trends:
UP significantly: Latos, Bailey, Leake, Simon, LeCure, Marshall
DOWN significantly: Cueto, Arroyo, Ondrusek
NOT MUCH CHANGE (GOOD): Chapman, Arredondo
And finally, my "Randy Awards" for the month of May.
RANDY HITTER:
Joey Votto - .355, 6 HR, 14 RBI, 23 walks
Honorable mention: Ryan Hanigan
RANDY MOST IMPROVED HITTER:
Chris Heisey (raised his OPS+ by 46 points)
RANDY STARTER:
Mat Latos (3-0, 3.26, and a 1.12 WHIP)
Honorable mention: Homer Bailey
RANDY MOST IMPROVED PITCHER:
Mike Leake (his ERA was 2.1 runs lower)
RANDY RELIEVER:
Aroldis Chapman (still sporting a 0.00 ERA, struck out 23 batters in May)
RANDY MOST IMPROVED RELIEVER:
Sean Marshall (his ERA was 2.4 runs lower)
JJ Hoover (0.90 ERA in 10 IP, 10 K) - yes he pitched in April, but May was his first full month with the Reds.
Sunday, May 20, 2012
Oldest MLB franchises, cities and nicknames
For Reds fans, history is rightfully a point of pride. But I do prefer to use facts instead of oft-repeated myths.
Professional baseball did, for all intents and purposes, start in Cincinnati in 1869. However, that franchise is not connected to the current Cincinnati Reds as many fans believe. In fact, it failed to remain financially viable, folded, and half the team became the original Boston Red Stockings who are now the Atlanta Braves. Confused yet? Good. How about a few lists to muddy the waters a bit further?
The earliest MLB franchises still in existence (American Association, National League or American League teams):
1) Atlanta Braves (as the Boston Red Stockings, 1876 National League)
1) Chicago Cubs (as the Chicago White Stockings, 1876 National League)
3) Cincinnati Reds (as the Cincinnati Red Stockings, 1882 American Association)
3) Pittsburgh Pirates (as the Pittsburgh Alleghenys, 1882 American Association)
3) St. Louis Cardinals (as the St. Louis Brown Stockings, 1882 American Association)
6) Philadelphia Phillies (as the Philadelphia Quakers, 1883 National League)
6) San Francisco Giants (as the New York Gothams, 1883 National League)
8) Los Angeles Dodgers (as the Brooklyn Atlantics, 1884 American Association)
All others began in the 20th century.
The earliest MLB franchises (still in existence) to inhabit their current cities
1) Chicago Cubs (as White Stockings in 1876)
2) Cincinnati Reds (as Red Stockings in 1882)
2) Pittsburgh Pirates (as Alleghenys in 1882)
2) St. Louis Cardinals (as Brown Stockings in 1882)
5) Philadelphia Phillies (as Quakers in 1883)
6) Detroit Tigers (1901)
6) Chicago White Sox (1901)
6) Cleveland Indians (as Blues in 1901)
6) Boston Red Sox (as Americans in 1901)
10) New York Yankees (as Highlanders in 1903)
All others moved to, or started in, their current cities in the 1950s or later.
The earliest MLB franchises to adopt their current nicknames (even if later abandoned and re-adopted)
1) San Francisco Giants, 1885 (in New York)
2) Cincinnati Reds, 1890 (switched to Redlegs from 1954-1959, then back to Reds)
2) Philadelphia Phillies, 1890
4) Pittsburgh Pirates, 1891
5) St. Louis Cardinals, 1900
6) Detroit Tigers, 1901
6) Chicago White Sox, 1901
6) Oakland Athletics, 1901 (in Philadelphia)
9) Chicago Cubs, 1903
10) Boston Red Sox, 1908
11) Los Angeles Dodgers, 1911 (in Brooklyn, and switched to Superbas in 1913, Robins in 1914, back to Dodgers in 1932)
12) Atlanta Braves, 1912 (in Boston)
13) New York Yankees, 1913
14) Cleveland Indians, 1915
All others adopted their current names in the 1950s or later.
The earliest MLB franchises to exist with their current cities AND nickname (even if later abandoned and re-adopted)
1) Cincinnati Reds, 1890 (switched to Redlegs from 1954-1959, then back to Reds)
1) Philadelphia Phillies, 1890
3) Pittsburgh Pirates, 1891
4) St. Louis Cardinals, 1900
5) Detroit Tigers, 1901
5) Chicago White Sox, 1901
7) Chicago Cubs, 1903
8) Boston Red Sox, 1908
9) New York Yankees, 1913
10) Cleveland Indians, 1915
All others first matched the current configuration in the 1950s or later.
The longest-standing previous forms of current franchises
1) San Francisco Giants - played as the New York Giants for 83 seasons
2) Minnesota Twins - played as the Washington Senators for 60 seasons
3) Oakland Athletics - played as the Philadelphia Athletics for 54 seasons
4) Baltimore Orioles - played as the St. Louis Browns for 52 seasons
5) Atlanta Braves - played as the Boston Braves for 41 seasons
A few oddities:
- The New York Yankees began as the Baltimore Orioles in 1901.
- The Baltimore Orioles began as the Milwaukee Brewers in 1901, then the St. Louis Browns from 1902 through 1953.
- The Dodgers have had a ridiculous number of nicknames: Atlantics, Grays, Bridegrooms, Grooms, back to Bridegrooms, Superbas, Dodgers, back to Superbas, Robins, and finally back to Dodgers. That's ten different incarnations with seven different names.
- Two different current franchises began as two separate forms of the Washington Senators. The 1901 version of the Senators eventually became the Minnesota Twins (in 1961). The 1961 version of the Senators eventually became the Texas Rangers (in 1972).
- Of the 16 current franchises established in 1901 or earlier, only three have kept the exact same nickname throughout history: the Tigers, White Sox, and Athletics.
Baseball-reference.com was my main source for this post. If you find any errors, don't hesitate to point them out.
Professional baseball did, for all intents and purposes, start in Cincinnati in 1869. However, that franchise is not connected to the current Cincinnati Reds as many fans believe. In fact, it failed to remain financially viable, folded, and half the team became the original Boston Red Stockings who are now the Atlanta Braves. Confused yet? Good. How about a few lists to muddy the waters a bit further?
The earliest MLB franchises still in existence (American Association, National League or American League teams):
1) Atlanta Braves (as the Boston Red Stockings, 1876 National League)
1) Chicago Cubs (as the Chicago White Stockings, 1876 National League)
3) Cincinnati Reds (as the Cincinnati Red Stockings, 1882 American Association)
3) Pittsburgh Pirates (as the Pittsburgh Alleghenys, 1882 American Association)
3) St. Louis Cardinals (as the St. Louis Brown Stockings, 1882 American Association)
6) Philadelphia Phillies (as the Philadelphia Quakers, 1883 National League)
6) San Francisco Giants (as the New York Gothams, 1883 National League)
8) Los Angeles Dodgers (as the Brooklyn Atlantics, 1884 American Association)
All others began in the 20th century.
The earliest MLB franchises (still in existence) to inhabit their current cities
1) Chicago Cubs (as White Stockings in 1876)
2) Cincinnati Reds (as Red Stockings in 1882)
2) Pittsburgh Pirates (as Alleghenys in 1882)
2) St. Louis Cardinals (as Brown Stockings in 1882)
5) Philadelphia Phillies (as Quakers in 1883)
6) Detroit Tigers (1901)
6) Chicago White Sox (1901)
6) Cleveland Indians (as Blues in 1901)
6) Boston Red Sox (as Americans in 1901)
10) New York Yankees (as Highlanders in 1903)
All others moved to, or started in, their current cities in the 1950s or later.
The earliest MLB franchises to adopt their current nicknames (even if later abandoned and re-adopted)
1) San Francisco Giants, 1885 (in New York)
2) Cincinnati Reds, 1890 (switched to Redlegs from 1954-1959, then back to Reds)
2) Philadelphia Phillies, 1890
4) Pittsburgh Pirates, 1891
5) St. Louis Cardinals, 1900
6) Detroit Tigers, 1901
6) Chicago White Sox, 1901
6) Oakland Athletics, 1901 (in Philadelphia)
9) Chicago Cubs, 1903
10) Boston Red Sox, 1908
11) Los Angeles Dodgers, 1911 (in Brooklyn, and switched to Superbas in 1913, Robins in 1914, back to Dodgers in 1932)
12) Atlanta Braves, 1912 (in Boston)
13) New York Yankees, 1913
14) Cleveland Indians, 1915
All others adopted their current names in the 1950s or later.
The earliest MLB franchises to exist with their current cities AND nickname (even if later abandoned and re-adopted)
1) Cincinnati Reds, 1890 (switched to Redlegs from 1954-1959, then back to Reds)
1) Philadelphia Phillies, 1890
3) Pittsburgh Pirates, 1891
4) St. Louis Cardinals, 1900
5) Detroit Tigers, 1901
5) Chicago White Sox, 1901
7) Chicago Cubs, 1903
8) Boston Red Sox, 1908
9) New York Yankees, 1913
10) Cleveland Indians, 1915
All others first matched the current configuration in the 1950s or later.
The longest-standing previous forms of current franchises
1) San Francisco Giants - played as the New York Giants for 83 seasons
2) Minnesota Twins - played as the Washington Senators for 60 seasons
3) Oakland Athletics - played as the Philadelphia Athletics for 54 seasons
4) Baltimore Orioles - played as the St. Louis Browns for 52 seasons
5) Atlanta Braves - played as the Boston Braves for 41 seasons
A few oddities:
- The New York Yankees began as the Baltimore Orioles in 1901.
- The Baltimore Orioles began as the Milwaukee Brewers in 1901, then the St. Louis Browns from 1902 through 1953.
- The Dodgers have had a ridiculous number of nicknames: Atlantics, Grays, Bridegrooms, Grooms, back to Bridegrooms, Superbas, Dodgers, back to Superbas, Robins, and finally back to Dodgers. That's ten different incarnations with seven different names.
- Two different current franchises began as two separate forms of the Washington Senators. The 1901 version of the Senators eventually became the Minnesota Twins (in 1961). The 1961 version of the Senators eventually became the Texas Rangers (in 1972).
- Of the 16 current franchises established in 1901 or earlier, only three have kept the exact same nickname throughout history: the Tigers, White Sox, and Athletics.
Baseball-reference.com was my main source for this post. If you find any errors, don't hesitate to point them out.
Saturday, May 19, 2012
No streaking permitted
If you follow the Reds closely, it probably seems like a long time since their last lengthy streak of the winning OR losing variety. That's because they are, in fact, one of the least streaky teams in baseball over the past three seasons.
Only two teams in MLB this year have no streaks of 4+ games: Cincinnati and Oakland
Only three teams in MLB have gone since May 2011 or longer without any streak of 6+ games: Cincinnati, Toronto and the New York Mets.
Only five teams in MLB have gone since August 2010 or longer without any streak of 7+ games: Cincinnati, Toronto, Tampa Bay, and both Los Angeles teams.
Only two teams in MLB this year have no streaks of 4+ games: Cincinnati and Oakland
Only three teams in MLB have gone since May 2011 or longer without any streak of 6+ games: Cincinnati, Toronto and the New York Mets.
Only five teams in MLB have gone since August 2010 or longer without any streak of 7+ games: Cincinnati, Toronto, Tampa Bay, and both Los Angeles teams.
Wednesday, May 16, 2012
First 3 versus Last 3
I'm talking about innings.
The Reds have scored 58 runs in innings 7-8-9, which is tied for best in the NL with Colorado.
The Reds have allowed only 29 runs in innings 7-8-9, which is best in all of MLB.
Clearly they dominate the end of games, which has kept us in the race.
The first three innings of the game are an entirely different story.
Cincinnati has only scored 33 total runs in the opening three frames, which is worse than all teams except Oakland (32), Pittsburgh (32) and the Mets (also 33).
For contrast, St. Louis has scored more runs in the third inning alone (35).
If you look at only the 2nd and 3rd innings specifically, the Reds have scored 13 total runs, easily the worst in MLB and a product of the weak bottom of our order.
There have been only two games so far this year where the Reds have scored in two or more of the first three innings - April 28th against Houston and May 6th at Pittsburgh, both victories.
The Reds have scored 58 runs in innings 7-8-9, which is tied for best in the NL with Colorado.
The Reds have allowed only 29 runs in innings 7-8-9, which is best in all of MLB.
Clearly they dominate the end of games, which has kept us in the race.
The first three innings of the game are an entirely different story.
Cincinnati has only scored 33 total runs in the opening three frames, which is worse than all teams except Oakland (32), Pittsburgh (32) and the Mets (also 33).
For contrast, St. Louis has scored more runs in the third inning alone (35).
If you look at only the 2nd and 3rd innings specifically, the Reds have scored 13 total runs, easily the worst in MLB and a product of the weak bottom of our order.
There have been only two games so far this year where the Reds have scored in two or more of the first three innings - April 28th against Houston and May 6th at Pittsburgh, both victories.
Thursday, May 3, 2012
Reds Bullpen on a Tear
FACT #1: Since Sean Marshall's unfortunate blown save against San Francisco on Thursday, April 26th, the Reds' bullpen has thrown 17 straight scoreless innings over the course of 5 games. During that remarkable stretch, they've only allowed 6 hits and struck out 14 while walking only 6.
FACT #2: Aroldis Chapman (13.1 innings), Logan Ondrusek (12) and JJ Hoover (4) are all yet to allow a single run (earned OR unearned) this season. That's a combined 29.1 scoreless innings, with only 11 hits allowed.
In addition, Jose Arredondo has 10.1 scoreless IP since his only outing (in early April) where he allowed any runs.
Wow.
FACT #2: Aroldis Chapman (13.1 innings), Logan Ondrusek (12) and JJ Hoover (4) are all yet to allow a single run (earned OR unearned) this season. That's a combined 29.1 scoreless innings, with only 11 hits allowed.
In addition, Jose Arredondo has 10.1 scoreless IP since his only outing (in early April) where he allowed any runs.
Wow.
Wednesday, May 2, 2012
A Review of the Reds' April Pitching
The Reds have definitely shown some improvement on the mound in 2012. Unfortunately, the loss of Madson has prevented this from being a truly special group of pitchers. With him around, perhaps we'd be enjoying Chapman as a starter - likely in place of Leake, who has performed the worst in the rotation so far.
When compared to the two previous complete seasons of Cincinnati baseball, the Reds' April 2012 numbers stack up best of the group in the following categories:
ERA+ (109)
WHIP (1.29)
HR/9 (0.8)
K/BB (2.39)
BULLPEN
My grades for the relievers in April:
Chapman: A+
Ondrusek: A+
Arredondo: A
Simon: B-
LeCure: C-
Marshall: D
Bray: incomplete (injury, only 2.2 innings pitched)
Hoover: incomplete (only 3 inning pitched)
The relief corps has done very well, only allowing 23% of inherited runners to score, and holding opposing batters to a .210 average. The only problem is that we've had to lean so heavily on the top performers.
Aroldis Chapman and Logan Ondrusek have been absolute maniacs, with a combined 23.1 scoreless innings where they've allowed only 19 total baserunners (knock on wood).
ROTATION
I'd grade our five as follows:
Cueto: A+
Arroyo: A (great bounceback from 2011 so far, and we've needed it with Leake's dropoff)
Bailey: C+
Latos: D
Leake: F
It's reasonable to expect that Cueto and Bailey will finish the season roughly where they are now. Arroyo will probably regress a bit, and hopefully both Latos and Leake (or a replacement for Leake) will improve enough to more than offset that, giving the Reds a very solid rotation. Likely not enough to get the Reds a division title (unless they make a significant hitting acquisition), but very good nonetheless.
A few more random notes on the rotation:
OK: The starters' 1st inning ERA is about a run better than last year, but still a run worse than 2010
BAD: The batting average against our starters is the highest of the past three seasons, with only Cueto's lower than league average.
GOOD: The Reds' daytime ERA is only 3.06, meaning both our bats and our arms are best in the sunlight. Just wish we had more day games...
BAD: The starters have only achieved 50% quality starts and are averaging only 6 innings per start, due mostly to high pitch counts.
BAD: All five starters are striking out less than 20% of batters faced, including Latos with the worst rate of his career so far.
INDIVIDUAL STATS:
Best Win Probability Added:
Chapman 1.1
Ondrusek 0.8
Cueto 0.7
Worst WPA:
Marshall, Leake and Latos: -0.7
Best ERA+
Cueto 273 (best of career)
Arredondo 154 (best of career)
Arroyo 141 (best since 2006)
Worst ERA+
Leake 58 (his worst of past three seasons)
Latos 64 (his worst of past three seasons)
LeCure 70 (his worst of past three seasons)
As you can see, these ERA+ numbers are all more severe in both directions than they'll ultimately be for the entirety of 2012...hopefully the positive changes outweigh the negative over the balance of the season.
When compared to the two previous complete seasons of Cincinnati baseball, the Reds' April 2012 numbers stack up best of the group in the following categories:
ERA+ (109)
WHIP (1.29)
HR/9 (0.8)
K/BB (2.39)
BULLPEN
My grades for the relievers in April:
Chapman: A+
Ondrusek: A+
Arredondo: A
Simon: B-
LeCure: C-
Marshall: D
Bray: incomplete (injury, only 2.2 innings pitched)
Hoover: incomplete (only 3 inning pitched)
The relief corps has done very well, only allowing 23% of inherited runners to score, and holding opposing batters to a .210 average. The only problem is that we've had to lean so heavily on the top performers.
Aroldis Chapman and Logan Ondrusek have been absolute maniacs, with a combined 23.1 scoreless innings where they've allowed only 19 total baserunners (knock on wood).
ROTATION
I'd grade our five as follows:
Cueto: A+
Arroyo: A (great bounceback from 2011 so far, and we've needed it with Leake's dropoff)
Bailey: C+
Latos: D
Leake: F
It's reasonable to expect that Cueto and Bailey will finish the season roughly where they are now. Arroyo will probably regress a bit, and hopefully both Latos and Leake (or a replacement for Leake) will improve enough to more than offset that, giving the Reds a very solid rotation. Likely not enough to get the Reds a division title (unless they make a significant hitting acquisition), but very good nonetheless.
A few more random notes on the rotation:
OK: The starters' 1st inning ERA is about a run better than last year, but still a run worse than 2010
BAD: The batting average against our starters is the highest of the past three seasons, with only Cueto's lower than league average.
GOOD: The Reds' daytime ERA is only 3.06, meaning both our bats and our arms are best in the sunlight. Just wish we had more day games...
BAD: The starters have only achieved 50% quality starts and are averaging only 6 innings per start, due mostly to high pitch counts.
BAD: All five starters are striking out less than 20% of batters faced, including Latos with the worst rate of his career so far.
INDIVIDUAL STATS:
Best Win Probability Added:
Chapman 1.1
Ondrusek 0.8
Cueto 0.7
Worst WPA:
Marshall, Leake and Latos: -0.7
Best ERA+
Cueto 273 (best of career)
Arredondo 154 (best of career)
Arroyo 141 (best since 2006)
Worst ERA+
Leake 58 (his worst of past three seasons)
Latos 64 (his worst of past three seasons)
LeCure 70 (his worst of past three seasons)
As you can see, these ERA+ numbers are all more severe in both directions than they'll ultimately be for the entirety of 2012...hopefully the positive changes outweigh the negative over the balance of the season.
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