The Reds got back above .500 in style with their second walk-off win of the series and a sweep of Washington. Johnny Cueto is still stuck on 9 wins in spite of his 2.05 ERA, but only positive vibes surround this team right now on its current 4-game win streak.
1) Joey Votto. A home run to begin the Reds' scoring in the 1st, and another in the bottom of the 14th. Neither one cleared the wall by much, but they all count the same. Well, a solo shot doesn't count the same as a grand slam, but you get my meaning.
2) Yonder Alonso. The guy never gets to play, but he hits and hits and hits when he does. The pinch-hit tying shot in the bottom of the 9th was ridiculously clutch.
3) Jose Arredondo. Held the Nats scoreless for 3 straight extra innings of relief (11th-13th).
4) Johnny Cueto. Scattered 9 hits over 7 innings and recorded a career-high 11 strikeouts (previously mowed down 10 twice, both times in 2008). Walked only 1, which was a welcome sight after his control problems in Miami, although he also hit two batters, so maybe that's a reach.
Honorable mention: Ryan Hanigan (reached base 5 of 6 times), BP (another multi-hit day in the leadoff spot), Bill Bray (got the win with a scoreless 14th).
Red LOBster: Jay Bruce left a whopping 8 on in one game! We'll forgive him thanks to his homer in the 4th.
Mr. Redlegs is watching you. Always.
Sunday, August 28, 2011
Saturday, August 27, 2011
Reds Sac Up, Beat Nats 6-3: The men behind the win 8/27/11
The story tonight? Sacrifice flies. 3 of them in one game is a welcome sight for Reds fans accustomed to failure in clutch situations this season. This was only the 34th time in Reds history that the team got three SFs in one game.
1) Brandon Phillips. He continues to dominate the leadoff spot, and is now 19 for 43 in his 10 games since re-assuming the position. This is the first 10 game hitting streak for a Red leadoff man since Willy Taveras in 2009, who hit in 14 games in a row (going 24 for 59 overall) from 4/29 to 5/13 and then proceeded to absolutely suck the rest of the season. But back to BP...after tonight's 2 for 4 performance, with 2 more runs scored and another RBI, his average is dangerously close to .300. The only negative: he was charged with his 6th error of the season.
2) Mike Leake. The team leader in wins (11-8 record now) turned in another quality start. The two solo bombs served up to Werth and Ramos in the third were frustrating, but he settled in, battling through a tough 4th and limiting the Nats to 2 runs in 6 innings. There is really no question - he has been the second most reliable starter behind Cueto.
3) Drew Stubbs. Went 3 for 3 and had one of the sacrifice flies, giving the Reds a 4-2 lead in the bottom of the third. It was his eighth game of the season with 3 or more hits.
4) Francisco Cordero. Coming off a shaky performance in the Marlins finale, he buckled down for a 1-2-3 ninth in this one and is now 12 for 12 in save opportunities since the All-Star Break. 29 of 34 for the season.
Having already locked up their third series win in a row (!) and finally battled back to .500 (!) the Reds go for a sweep tomorrow with a pitchers' duel - Jordan Zimmermann and Johnny Cueto take the mound at GABP. This is only the second time all year the Reds have won 3 or more series in a row; they won 5 in a row in May (HOU, @CHC, @HOU, STL, CHC).
1) Brandon Phillips. He continues to dominate the leadoff spot, and is now 19 for 43 in his 10 games since re-assuming the position. This is the first 10 game hitting streak for a Red leadoff man since Willy Taveras in 2009, who hit in 14 games in a row (going 24 for 59 overall) from 4/29 to 5/13 and then proceeded to absolutely suck the rest of the season. But back to BP...after tonight's 2 for 4 performance, with 2 more runs scored and another RBI, his average is dangerously close to .300. The only negative: he was charged with his 6th error of the season.
2) Mike Leake. The team leader in wins (11-8 record now) turned in another quality start. The two solo bombs served up to Werth and Ramos in the third were frustrating, but he settled in, battling through a tough 4th and limiting the Nats to 2 runs in 6 innings. There is really no question - he has been the second most reliable starter behind Cueto.
3) Drew Stubbs. Went 3 for 3 and had one of the sacrifice flies, giving the Reds a 4-2 lead in the bottom of the third. It was his eighth game of the season with 3 or more hits.
4) Francisco Cordero. Coming off a shaky performance in the Marlins finale, he buckled down for a 1-2-3 ninth in this one and is now 12 for 12 in save opportunities since the All-Star Break. 29 of 34 for the season.
Having already locked up their third series win in a row (!) and finally battled back to .500 (!) the Reds go for a sweep tomorrow with a pitchers' duel - Jordan Zimmermann and Johnny Cueto take the mound at GABP. This is only the second time all year the Reds have won 3 or more series in a row; they won 5 in a row in May (HOU, @CHC, @HOU, STL, CHC).
Tuesday, August 23, 2011
Reds 8 Marlins 6: The men behind the win 8/23/11
Let's get all the bad news out of the way first:
- Cueto wasn't sharp: he gave up 6 walks for only the third time ever, and as his pitch count mounted he finally melted down in the 5th after some admirable escapes. Still have to love the guy, he's amazing.
- Hernandez and Janish combined for 10 LOB (co-Red LOBsters of the night), 6 of those in one hideous inning (the 6th) where the Reds loaded 'em up with nobody out and didn't score.
- LeCure AND Masset continued their August struggles, getting tagged for 3 more runs in relief.
Gee, with all that it sounds like a loss, but it wasn't. So on to the heroes:
1) None other than Yonder Alonso. He was given a chance to start in his return to Miami, and made the most of it with 3 hits (1B, 2B, HR) and 4 RBI including the 2 that provided the final margin in the Reds' awesome rally in the top of the 9th. For the second straight game, the Reds rallied by making mincemeat of a usually-tough closer (Hanrahan Sunday, Nunez tonight).
2) Another youngster, Dave Sappelt. Unlike Alonso, he had been shaky since his call-up...but tonight was fantastic. 3 hits, including the 2-run double that tied it in the 9th to set the stage for Alonso. If he can give us more nights like this, he'll solidify his spot in the outfield for 2012.
3) Francisco Cordero. He was horrendous in the Milwaukee series right before the break, but consider his stats since then: 14 appearances (15 IP) with only 1 run allowed, and 10 for 10 in save opportunities. Tonight was another shutdown performance to end the slugfest.
4) Jay Bruce. His 2-run blast in the top of the 7th came in an inning that had felt dead (until Sappelt's infield single with 2 outs), and with the Reds' chances for a win fading. That cut the Marlins' lead to 5-4 and the rest is history.
Honorable mention to BP, who continues to rake this month and has his average all the way up to .294. He's been a beast since moving to the leadoff spot.
- Cueto wasn't sharp: he gave up 6 walks for only the third time ever, and as his pitch count mounted he finally melted down in the 5th after some admirable escapes. Still have to love the guy, he's amazing.
- Hernandez and Janish combined for 10 LOB (co-Red LOBsters of the night), 6 of those in one hideous inning (the 6th) where the Reds loaded 'em up with nobody out and didn't score.
- LeCure AND Masset continued their August struggles, getting tagged for 3 more runs in relief.
Gee, with all that it sounds like a loss, but it wasn't. So on to the heroes:
1) None other than Yonder Alonso. He was given a chance to start in his return to Miami, and made the most of it with 3 hits (1B, 2B, HR) and 4 RBI including the 2 that provided the final margin in the Reds' awesome rally in the top of the 9th. For the second straight game, the Reds rallied by making mincemeat of a usually-tough closer (Hanrahan Sunday, Nunez tonight).
2) Another youngster, Dave Sappelt. Unlike Alonso, he had been shaky since his call-up...but tonight was fantastic. 3 hits, including the 2-run double that tied it in the 9th to set the stage for Alonso. If he can give us more nights like this, he'll solidify his spot in the outfield for 2012.
3) Francisco Cordero. He was horrendous in the Milwaukee series right before the break, but consider his stats since then: 14 appearances (15 IP) with only 1 run allowed, and 10 for 10 in save opportunities. Tonight was another shutdown performance to end the slugfest.
4) Jay Bruce. His 2-run blast in the top of the 7th came in an inning that had felt dead (until Sappelt's infield single with 2 outs), and with the Reds' chances for a win fading. That cut the Marlins' lead to 5-4 and the rest is history.
Honorable mention to BP, who continues to rake this month and has his average all the way up to .294. He's been a beast since moving to the leadoff spot.
Random MLB Umpire Facts
- There are 17 MLB crews consisting of four umpires each. At any given time, 15 are working and 2 are on vacation.
- In 2000 they consolidated AL and NL umpires. Each crew travels around randomly, with its advance schedule kept (mostly) secret by MLB for various reasons including gambling and personal safety.
- Because each crew works about 140 games, each umpire will be behind home plate about 35 times a season, and therefore see each MLB team an average of 2-3 times. Obviously due to scheduling quirks and other issues, sometimes a team gets a particular home plate umpire zero times, or even seven or eight in a year. It used to be much more common to see one umpire that frequently.
- A few extremely hitter-friendly umpires: Tim Tschida (very few Ks, lots of BBs, and lots of runs), Tim McClelland (most runs per game), Dana DeMuth (highest percentage of OVER on betting lines), Joe West
- A few pitcher-friendly umpires: Lance Barksdale, Vic Carapazza, Gary Darling, CB Bucknor
- If you're a Cincinnati Reds fan, two guys you don't want to see spooning with the catcher are Laz Diaz and Mark Wegner. For no known reason, both guys have it out for the Reds, who are 6-23 all-time with Diaz behind the plate and 5-24 all-time with Wegner. Diaz has already dropped three more Ls on the Reds in 2011, while Wegner (thankfully) has had a limited schedule due to a leg injury in May and hasn't seen the Reds yet. Obviously the players are the biggest deciding factor in any game, but when numbers are as statistically significant as with these two umps, you have to wonder.
Sources for my research: baseball-reference.com, mlb.com, thespread.com
- In 2000 they consolidated AL and NL umpires. Each crew travels around randomly, with its advance schedule kept (mostly) secret by MLB for various reasons including gambling and personal safety.
- Because each crew works about 140 games, each umpire will be behind home plate about 35 times a season, and therefore see each MLB team an average of 2-3 times. Obviously due to scheduling quirks and other issues, sometimes a team gets a particular home plate umpire zero times, or even seven or eight in a year. It used to be much more common to see one umpire that frequently.
- A few extremely hitter-friendly umpires: Tim Tschida (very few Ks, lots of BBs, and lots of runs), Tim McClelland (most runs per game), Dana DeMuth (highest percentage of OVER on betting lines), Joe West
- A few pitcher-friendly umpires: Lance Barksdale, Vic Carapazza, Gary Darling, CB Bucknor
- If you're a Cincinnati Reds fan, two guys you don't want to see spooning with the catcher are Laz Diaz and Mark Wegner. For no known reason, both guys have it out for the Reds, who are 6-23 all-time with Diaz behind the plate and 5-24 all-time with Wegner. Diaz has already dropped three more Ls on the Reds in 2011, while Wegner (thankfully) has had a limited schedule due to a leg injury in May and hasn't seen the Reds yet. Obviously the players are the biggest deciding factor in any game, but when numbers are as statistically significant as with these two umps, you have to wonder.
Sources for my research: baseball-reference.com, mlb.com, thespread.com
Sunday, August 21, 2011
The men behind the win, 8/21/11
That was huge (that's what Dusty said).
The Reds just broke an unfortunate streak of 6 consecutive road series losses (dating back to the 2-1 series victory over Tampa at the end of June). And they did so in stirring comeback fashion, after blowing a lead of their own.
This was the 9th game this month alone where the Reds tied the game and blew the lead the very next half-inning, or took a lead and blew it the very next half-inning. Obviously it didn't look good when Leake coughed up the 2-run shot to Garrett Jones, creating a 4-3 deficit in the bottom of the 6th before a brief rain delay.
Thankfully, the Reds' offense was actually up to this challenge against solid closer Joel Hanrahan, starting with a single by Frazier. Here are the players of the game:
1) Ramon Hernandez. After a Stubbs flyout and Hanigan walk to move Frazier to second, Ramon (pinch-hitting for light-hitting Paul Janish) struck the first blow of the 9th with a single to tie it at 4. Then in the bottom half, he came up just as clutch, gunning down Josh Harrison at second base for the first out. By the way: Clint Hurdle didn't like the call. That loomed even larger when Neil Walker followed with a double.
2) Jose Arredondo. 2 scoreless innings - a welcome oasis in an August desert of bullpen failures. In August he has now pitched 9.2 innings, given up only 2 runs and recorded 12 strikeouts.
3) Joey Votto. He provided the only offense prior to the 9th with a 3-run homer to right-center in the top of the 6th.
4) This one is tough, because all three of these guys had their ups and downs today, so they'll have to split the honor. Cordero got the save, BUT he almost blew it with the tying run reaching third. Phillips got the game-winning RBI, BUT it was on a fielder's choice AND he left 5 on base. Leake kept the Reds close, BUT it wasn't a quality start.
The Reds are back to 3 under .500 (62-65), 4.5 back of the Cardinals who are the only realistic target for passing this season. Now comes a day off and a trip to Miami for 3 games.
The Reds just broke an unfortunate streak of 6 consecutive road series losses (dating back to the 2-1 series victory over Tampa at the end of June). And they did so in stirring comeback fashion, after blowing a lead of their own.
This was the 9th game this month alone where the Reds tied the game and blew the lead the very next half-inning, or took a lead and blew it the very next half-inning. Obviously it didn't look good when Leake coughed up the 2-run shot to Garrett Jones, creating a 4-3 deficit in the bottom of the 6th before a brief rain delay.
Thankfully, the Reds' offense was actually up to this challenge against solid closer Joel Hanrahan, starting with a single by Frazier. Here are the players of the game:
1) Ramon Hernandez. After a Stubbs flyout and Hanigan walk to move Frazier to second, Ramon (pinch-hitting for light-hitting Paul Janish) struck the first blow of the 9th with a single to tie it at 4. Then in the bottom half, he came up just as clutch, gunning down Josh Harrison at second base for the first out. By the way: Clint Hurdle didn't like the call. That loomed even larger when Neil Walker followed with a double.
2) Jose Arredondo. 2 scoreless innings - a welcome oasis in an August desert of bullpen failures. In August he has now pitched 9.2 innings, given up only 2 runs and recorded 12 strikeouts.
3) Joey Votto. He provided the only offense prior to the 9th with a 3-run homer to right-center in the top of the 6th.
4) This one is tough, because all three of these guys had their ups and downs today, so they'll have to split the honor. Cordero got the save, BUT he almost blew it with the tying run reaching third. Phillips got the game-winning RBI, BUT it was on a fielder's choice AND he left 5 on base. Leake kept the Reds close, BUT it wasn't a quality start.
The Reds are back to 3 under .500 (62-65), 4.5 back of the Cardinals who are the only realistic target for passing this season. Now comes a day off and a trip to Miami for 3 games.
Saturday, August 20, 2011
Bad offense, meet bad bullpen
If you watched today's game on FOX, you heard Mitch Williams blaming the Reds' woes on pitching, because that's the "intelligent" thing for an analyst to say. As I've bemoaned on this blog the past couple months, the offense has been the real problem, and it's been that way the entire season. Eliminating wins where both the offense and pitching/defense were good, and losses where both phases were bad, you get:
March/April:
3 "hitting wins" and 6 "hitting losses" Score: -3
3 "pitching wins" and 3 "pitching losses" Score: 0
May: Hitting -2, Pitching 0
June: Hitting -7, Pitching +3
July: Hitting -4, Pitching +1
August so far: Hitting -2, Pitching +2
Unfortunately, this month we've had a new problem arise: the bullpen. It performed admirably through July, and still has an ERA half a run lower than last season, but has completely fallen off the table in August with an ERA near 6.
Ondrusek, Bray, LeCure and Masset have all had an atrocious August, and even Chapman imploded in today's game. Only the much-maligned Francisco Cordero has been consistent, and Arredondo has done okay as well.
Want something positive? Although it's not, and shouldn't be, his natural spot in the order, BP has been ridiculous in his 3 games back in the leadoff spot. 9 for 13 and a walk, 1 home run and 4 RBI.
Dontrelle Willis, meanwhile, has thrown 6 quality starts among his 8 total this season, and is still winless. See what I mean about offense?
March/April:
3 "hitting wins" and 6 "hitting losses" Score: -3
3 "pitching wins" and 3 "pitching losses" Score: 0
May: Hitting -2, Pitching 0
June: Hitting -7, Pitching +3
July: Hitting -4, Pitching +1
August so far: Hitting -2, Pitching +2
Unfortunately, this month we've had a new problem arise: the bullpen. It performed admirably through July, and still has an ERA half a run lower than last season, but has completely fallen off the table in August with an ERA near 6.
Ondrusek, Bray, LeCure and Masset have all had an atrocious August, and even Chapman imploded in today's game. Only the much-maligned Francisco Cordero has been consistent, and Arredondo has done okay as well.
Want something positive? Although it's not, and shouldn't be, his natural spot in the order, BP has been ridiculous in his 3 games back in the leadoff spot. 9 for 13 and a walk, 1 home run and 4 RBI.
Dontrelle Willis, meanwhile, has thrown 6 quality starts among his 8 total this season, and is still winless. See what I mean about offense?
The men behind the win 8/19/11
Reds 11, Pirates 8.
This one was not pretty, but it had a few worthy heroes.
1) Ryan Hanigan. Continued his hot streak with the bat...now 8 for his last 12 with 8 RBI. Hit a solo shot to give the Reds a 3-2 lead, then tacked on insurance runs with a 2-run single in the top of the 9th that provided the final score. Also tagged two guys out at home in crucial situations, and helped Bailey work out of a couple tough jams.
2) Drew Stubbs. What? Yes he only went 1 for 5 at the plate, left a team-leading 5 on base, struck out twice and grounded into a double play. BUT he had a huge catch to end the 4th, preserving a 2-2 tie, and then topped that by initiating a double play to end the 8th, keeping the 8-8 tie intact.
3) Brandon Phillips. He might not be the prototypical lead-off guy, especially with no base-stealing ability (where did that go?) but he sure has done his job in the first two games back in that spot (first time in 2011). 6 for 9 with 5 RBI and a walk in the 2 games. A 3-run bomb in the 5th that sure seemed like the nail in the coffin at that juncture.
4) Francisco Cordero. Eight different pitchers took the mound for the Reds, and only two kept a clean slate (both in terms of runs charged and inherited runners scored). One was Chapman, who only had to work 1/3 of an inning. The other was Cordero, who ended the Pirates' streak of scoring in 5 straight innings by retiring Brandon Wood (previously 2 for 3 with 3 RBI), Ronny Cedeno (previously 2 for 4) and Xavier Paul (previously 1 for 1).
This one was not pretty, but it had a few worthy heroes.
1) Ryan Hanigan. Continued his hot streak with the bat...now 8 for his last 12 with 8 RBI. Hit a solo shot to give the Reds a 3-2 lead, then tacked on insurance runs with a 2-run single in the top of the 9th that provided the final score. Also tagged two guys out at home in crucial situations, and helped Bailey work out of a couple tough jams.
2) Drew Stubbs. What? Yes he only went 1 for 5 at the plate, left a team-leading 5 on base, struck out twice and grounded into a double play. BUT he had a huge catch to end the 4th, preserving a 2-2 tie, and then topped that by initiating a double play to end the 8th, keeping the 8-8 tie intact.
3) Brandon Phillips. He might not be the prototypical lead-off guy, especially with no base-stealing ability (where did that go?) but he sure has done his job in the first two games back in that spot (first time in 2011). 6 for 9 with 5 RBI and a walk in the 2 games. A 3-run bomb in the 5th that sure seemed like the nail in the coffin at that juncture.
4) Francisco Cordero. Eight different pitchers took the mound for the Reds, and only two kept a clean slate (both in terms of runs charged and inherited runners scored). One was Chapman, who only had to work 1/3 of an inning. The other was Cordero, who ended the Pirates' streak of scoring in 5 straight innings by retiring Brandon Wood (previously 2 for 3 with 3 RBI), Ronny Cedeno (previously 2 for 4) and Xavier Paul (previously 1 for 1).
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