Reds Insider: It's Belisle

Thursday, August 23, 2007

It's Belisle

The Reds announced Matt Belisle will start Saturday. No work on the corresponding move, which doesn't have to be made until Saturday.

25 Comments:

at 6:26 PM

starbuck said...

That figures.....As I wrote yesterday, it doesn't require alot of talent in order to be a starting pitcher for the Reds. The reason.....the Reds have (2) starters who, for most of the time, will give you a quality outing. The rest of the starters, whether they come from the current Major League or AAA roster, are all grossly inadequate over the long term. In other words, like Forest Gump stated, the Reds pitchers are like a box of chocolates, you never know what you're gonna get.

at 6:47 PM

Anonymous said...

Why is it that, according to Krivsky, the Reds aren't looking to 2008 as they refuse to call up young position players like Votto and Bruce? But clearly they WERE looking to the future when they traded Lohse and left an absolute void in their pitching rotation!!!

Krivsky's got to go. If anyone heard his interview yesterday on local AM radio, you could not disagree....

at 7:33 PM

redbeard said...

John looking forward to next year's rotation it looks like the Reds will go with Harang, Arroyo, and Bailey (I gotta think if he is healthy he'll start the year in the rotation and they need to give him this chance). Beyond that the picture is very murky. The free agent market is horrible beyond Schilling and Livan Hernandez and they aren't anything too special.

Where do you see the Reds going to come up with a 4th and 5th starter? Obviously the internal candidates consist of Belisle, Cueto, Dumatrait, Livingston, Mahoney, and Ramirez. None of these are sure fire locks. If the Reds don't address this situation in the offseason they are not going to improve the team enough to be much different than this year's team or last year's for that matter.

John, look into your crystal ball for us and let the Reds fans know what we can expect.

at 7:57 PM

John Fay said...

I think you're right about the first three. I think Belise, Livngston and Ramirez can do themselves a lot of good by pitching well down the stretch.

But that said, I'll think they bring in a medium-priced starter, via trade or free agency.

at 8:31 PM

Bogey said...

I'm getting a little old so please explain to me on more time how trading Lohse left an absolute void in their pitching rotation.

at 8:45 PM

redbeard said...

John who do you think is the player or players that the Reds would be most likely to part with that would yield them a mid-level starting pitcher?

at 9:11 PM

Anonymous said...

The Reds have almost NO pitching. Getting ONE pitcher isn't going to change the team all that much.

A couple of good bullpen performances vs. the Braves HAS TO BE followed by a month's worth of meltdowns. Again, it's all about RETURNING to a baseline.

5.00+ ERA is the baseline for nearly every single pitcher on the team.

Looks like the real team's pitching just returned tonight. Big lead, blown by the 7th inning.

PATHETIC

at 11:14 PM

Anonymous said...

The Braves couldn't hit Saarloos when he was falling behind almost every hitter...Thanks for the GIFT, Atlanta! Game balls to Junior for holding McCann to a single, and to Dunn, and to the Mr. Ninth Inning.

Maybe in 2008, we have ourselves a closer?

AMAZING! 13 games under. 8.5 back.

What is Ellison doing here? The Cubs pick up guys like Monroe from the Tigers...and the best we can do is Ellison? What the heck? Jay Bruce should have been here WEEKS ago.

8.5 back, there's NO EXCUSE to have guys like Bruce in the minors and minor leaguers like Ellison on the roster.

at 11:36 PM

Mark said...

John,

if it's free agency, who would be in that "medium price" range? Any solid options out there?

at 11:38 PM

Mark said...

john,

are there any solid options in that "medium price" range? what free agent pitchers would be out there that would fit that bill?

at 2:30 AM

Phill said...

Justin, are you insane? What would the Reds do with Craig Monroe?

Ellison in limited playing time was hitting .280 and some change with Seattle. He was brough over as a right handed bat with a bit of speed as well as an outfield defensive replacement with a rocket arm. The only reason the Cubs picked Monroe who, by the way, was hitting .222 this year, is because they want an outfielder with post-season expirience in hopes he can reboost their team and help out against lefty pitchers. I'm glad you don't run the team because you'd probably run it into the ground. Jay Bruce will be up here when two things happen. One there is room enough for him and two when the scouts and managers down there say he is ready enough as a player to be in the big leagues. But hey I'm glad you'd rather have a young guy like Jay Bruce rot on the bench for occasional defensive subbing or pinch hitting instead of playing everyday in the minors. Brilliant idea...

A quality starter that isn't locked up in a contract is rare. In this day and age you have to either have buttloads of cash or you have to get them from your farm system.

at 9:04 AM

Cheviot Sports Authority said...

Likely Wayne Krivsky signees include: Joe Mays, Estaban Yan, Sun Wu Kim, Eric Milton, Chris Hammond, Kent Mercker, John Franco, Joey Hamilton, Jimmy Haynes, Rick White anyone that Minnesota lets go and anyone 40 years old or older or any pitcher who has been let go by 5 or more teams and has a lifetime ERA of 5.50 or more.

at 10:03 AM

Ron said...

John,
What is the word on Matt Maloney? It looks like he pitched another good game in Louisville after a promotion. Is he a legitimate contender for the rotation next year?

at 10:08 AM

Anonymous said...

I think Eric Milton will be available.

at 10:40 AM

John Fay said...

My guess is Maloney gets a look. Could even get a Sept. callup with another good start at Louisville.

at 10:55 AM

Anonymous said...

Well we all know how important pitching is going to be toward the success of this team but has no-one realized that the offense is doing much, much better for us lately. That with the improved bullpen performance is the real reason for the success we are seeing now. Just having some guys who can hit for avg in the lineup like Keppinger and Hopper has really made a difference. Their speed and bunting ability help give the offense a dimension we haven't had in a while. Add that to the power we've had for the last few years and the offense is one of the best out there.

Back to pitching though... I'm like so many of you. Once we get past the top 2 starters who else is there for next year? I don't know. I do believe Bailey will be a solid guy for us. Livingston I believe has shown some promise and I'm anxious to see how he finishes the season. But all in all I don't know who are 4 and 5 guys are and I don't know when Bailey meets his potential. I think Cuento is a real tallent and I've been eagerly watching him for the past 2 years now. I've thought all along that he may one day be our #1 starter but we are likely years away from seeing that happen. So at the very best I don't see our system producing a rotation that will put us at the top of the league until at least 2 seasons. In that time I'm sure we will see Bruce and Votto come up as well. I think that this is the reason we haven't seen them yet. As much as I want to see this team win now I think the ownership and management know that we are realistically 2 years away. That doesn't mean we can't win the lowly Central Div next year with some solid pitching contributions but our best chance will most likely come the following year or two.

As far as offseason acquisitions... I don't see us acquiring anything more than a solid bullpen guy, maybe even the closer we've been missing and then sliding our existing bullpen back a notch making Weathers a setup guy with Bray and Burton. That move alone would have put this team at the top of the division next year. Imagine how differently this season would have been if we had a legitimate closer. I don't see this team spending any money on free agent starters. For one thing the pickings seem slim and are always over priced. Of course we could package some of our younger tallent and trade for an up and coming starter to help but realistically speaking I just don't know how much value we'd get on a starter. A bullpen guy maybe more realistic in a trade scenario also.

If nothing else we took 6 of 7 from the Braves this year and I for one am very happy for that. I see us finishing strong the remainder of the season. We'll all be saying what if a whole lot in the next 30 games. What if we fired Narron sooner. What if Bray hadn't been hurt, what if, what if, what if.....

at 11:03 AM

Cheviot Sports Authority said...

What are the latest lies from the Reds concerning Homer Bailey?

at 11:04 AM

Anonymous said...

Hey Phil, The Reds made places for the likes of Bellhorn and Ellison! You telling me that Monroe isn't better than those two? I KNOW the Reds don't need Monroe, they need to bring up BRUCE (and VOTTO too).

And Fay, I thought personal attacks were banned here? What gives?

The Reds bullpen has had a pretty awesome LAST 3 GAMES.

If the Reds take even ONE GAME from Florida this weekend, I'll be SHOCKED.

It's still the same old bunch of guys that got us into last place, except Bray, Burton, Guardado have apparently "turned big corners."

I highly doubt Mastinki and Stanton are going to get many Marlins out this weekend! Saarloos was falling behind 3-0 and the Braves just caught "cold" late yesterday or they would have split the series...

This is the same mediocre bunch of pitchers that, if we keep, will lead us to last place again next year.

Mac does get credit for FINALLY sticking with the SAME lineup and for giving each reliever a defined role. I hope he proves me wrong and finishes over .500.

If the Reds SWEEP Florida, then I'm a believer (although it remains to be seen whether our awful starting pitching keeps our bats anywhere close to the Marlins).

Series Prediction:
Friday: FLORIDA 6 REDS 3
Saturday: FLORIDA 11 Reds 7
Sunday: FLORIDA 9 Reds 6

at 11:30 AM

John Fay said...

Bailey pitches tonight for the Sarasota.

at 12:25 PM

Phill said...

Justin, maybe you just aren't understanding... Why do you want young rookie players to sit on the bench which is exactly what Ellison is here for, when they can be playing full time in the minors? That does them absolutely no good.

Also Ellison was DFA'd and we picked him up and Monroe was traded for. Ellison is a low risk move to increase the bench's potential.

at 12:36 PM

Anonymous said...

Has everyone seen Major League II (I know it's not nearly as good as the first one)?

Why do I ask? Because a lot of fans here, *cough* Justin Fernandez *cough* have a lot in common with Johnny...always complaining...always negative...

at 1:25 PM

Anonymous said...

Ellison stinks. He doesn't do a thing for our bench or our potential.
Bringing Bruce up wouldn't hurt him and would likely help the Reds big-time. Now that the Reds have passed Houston in the standings, it's time to take aim at the Cardinals, 5.5 games ahead. We don't need any Ellisons...we do, however need a BRUCE or two. We're in a PENNANT RACE! (do you know how hard it was to write that without laughing?)

You made a good point but you didn't have to be rude.

Why can't you just express your opinion without name calling?

Monroe might have been worth trading for. Remember what he did in last year's WORLD SERIES? And if you didn't notice, Hamilton hurt himself breaking out of the batter's box...IF Dunn or Griffey or Hamilton get injured, Monroe would have been a BRILLIANT pick up for insurance.

Ellison was a ridiculous move by a GM who makes 5 bad moves for every 1 good move made.

at 1:37 PM

Anonymous said...

Justin: I, for one, applaud you for caring so much about the Reds. I've been a Reds fan for 50 years, a coach, and professional pitcher, and I sincerely agree with a lot you say. But.. you can't impede a young player's progress by letting him sit instead of playing regularly. that is unless your business is being an agent! Big league pitching is a commodity that's not readily available... it had to be developed with time and exposure. The time in the minors give that exposure.

at 2:16 PM

Anonymous said...

If Krifsky was thinking outside the box like, dare I say, the Pirates, how nice would of Matt Morris looked in this lineup next year?

at 3:44 PM

Anonymous said...

RD, I agree with you, a little, but let's face it, BRUCE is already THERE in every way, just like KEPPINGER was ready for the big leagues. I'm sick of this team's roster being mismanaged. The Reds need a better option of the bench than Ellison--for a stick. Everyone saw that in last night's extra-inning game. With the way our bullpen blows leads, there could easily be another 2 or 3 extra-inning contests in the next 10 games, so the Reds need someone who can HIT. Ellison CANNOT HIT. It's ABSURD that he's in the Major Leagues, especially when half of the batters in Louisville could make better contact in the big leagues, than Ellison, if you BLINDFOLDED THEM!

The Reds have this ridiculous chance to win the division--however infinitesimal it is...so when exactly do they GET SERIOUS and bring up their BEST MINOR LEAGUE PROSPECT?

Detroit brought up Maybin, and he homered off Clemens. Saltalamacchia is doing well for a kid...other teams bring up young players ALL THE TIME. Why can't the Reds stop playing Silly Putty with their roster? Bellhorn and Ellion were utter wastes of time and money.

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Thursday, August 23, 2007

It's Belisle

25 Comments: