Reds Insider: Braves 2, Reds 0

Friday, May 2, 2008

Braves 2, Reds 0

When we got in the clubhouse tonight, Edinson Volquez was studying video of the home he gave up to Brian McCann.

“I wanted to see where it was,” he said. “It was in middle of the plate. That’s what happens when you throw it there in the big leagues.”

It was the first home run Volquez allowed after 32 2/3 innings work. It followed Corey Patterson's drop of flyball from Chipper Jones earlier in the inning.

That was the ballgame.

Volquez looked good -- consistently 94, some 95s, at least one 96. He went six innings, allowing the two runs on four hits. He walked two and struck out nine.

Unfortunately for the Reds, Tim Hudson has looked better. The Reds had three singles and Hudson struck out a season-high 10.

69 Comments:

at 9:24 PM

Icedawg said...

John,
With several of the A ball players being on fire, I wonder when the Reds will promote some of them to Double A or High A. It seems like a waste to have 24 & 25 year olds dominating in A ball.

at 9:27 PM

Matty G said...

That drop (error) by Patterson off Chipper was atrocious. It should only be 1-0 with Volquez giving up the HR to McCann. But, given the way Hudson's pitching, and the Reds are whiffing, 2 runs might as well be 10!

Great stuff from Volquez though! Just wish the bats could back him up with some run support.

at 9:39 PM

pskagg said...

Reds well on the way to their 16th game with three rusn or fewer - not counting the 4-3 win over Milwaukee that went to the 10th 1-1.

at 9:46 PM

Unknown said...

This is starting to break my heart. Really I'm not sure why I'm surprised? It's like this every year. It's hard to watch man, it really is. I want them to win so bad and I'm not sure we are gonna be able to do it. I know it's early but it's not looking good. I'm not gonna act like I know what the answers are, I'll leave that to the guys in the front office and the dugout but something needs to happen. It's the top of the 8th right now and we're not touching Hudson. I'm sick to my stomach, I'll go throw up now. Oh yeah, to all u so called reds fans that come on here and think you could do a better job managing the reds.....stay off the computer. yeah, that means u "another losing season!"

at 9:54 PM

JerBear said...

I think this offensive slump goes back to last year. The Reds offense seemed to only come alive last year when Hopper and Keppinger began to play.

I keep thinking the Reds or the Reds offense can't get any worse, but they do! They are in a serious funk. It's almost to the point where I'm starting to think they actually just stink as an offense and a team. Maybe it's not just a month long slump.

Not only are the big guys struggling, but now Keppinger is down to .293. Without a hot hitting Keppinger then you really have little offensively.

at 9:56 PM

Unknown said...

we just look heartless. we have a great team, we just need a "greg vaughn" type on the team again. someone that hates losing and motivates the bench. talent goes along way, but only half way there...give it time (more) and we'll get there..i truly think it is that simple. not to be a rah, rah, fan..but i watch/follow every night and i am relegated to emotion for lack of wins. stay positive. in jocketty we have no choice but to trust..

at 10:02 PM

Anonymous said...

im in favor for switching our whole lineup with the Louisville Bats lineup, hey they could probably hit better than our stupid lineup right now!!! geez

at 10:10 PM

Unknown said...

This team SUUUUUUUUUUCCCCCCCCKKKKKKSSSSSSS!!!!

at 10:13 PM

firefly118 said...

Great Freakin Job! We can't even turn an awesome pitching preformance into a win.

Great Job playing Patterson at leadoff. Hatteberg really gives us some fire. I wish they would keep Dunn in the 4 or 5 hole. What the heck is going on.....can anyone in management see what we the fans see....or do they even care. 12-18, wow, those AAA guys aren't ready to come up here to the bigs and do that well.

I am ready to here the few good ol' boy posters praise Dusty now, and praise the handling of our young guys, and oh yeah, my favorite, ITS EARLY......give me a break!

at 10:16 PM

Unknown said...

we're doomed if the fans start the "in jocketty we trust" crap... seriously ... didn't work out for lewis... i think we are better off with jocketty, but still think krivs, AKA the AMAZING KRIVSKY got a raw deal.

well... Volquez has now been initiated as a starting reds pitcher. now he fits in with Arroyo, Harang, and now Cueto and now knows what it feels to have absolutely no run support after pitching great outing.

oh well.. it happens, hudson was amazing tonight.

kepp needs a break, the batting is starting to slump, he was taking pitches tonight that he doesn't normally take.

overall good *pitching* game to watch but i have to say it again, while volquez's stuff was great... hudson's stuff was off the charts, did anyone see how much his fastball was moving? wow!

at 10:20 PM

Unknown said...

I'm tired of seeing Reds teams lose games because of not doing "the small things". Not getting bunts down, being unable to advance a runner to third without anybody out, and tonight, allowing a pitcher to dictate the tempo of the game. The Reds hitters were always in the box when Hudson was ready to throw. Step out of the box, call time to talk to the 3rd base coach, fake a bug in the eye! Anything to disrupt the guy's tempo! Wasn't Camp Dusty supposed to fix these things this Spring?

at 10:23 PM

doerr906 said...

12-18.
At this rate, it's a 95 loss season.
Yawn.
Wake me when its either next March or when this team moves toward .500
85 wins needed to be the benchmark.
It is now time to blow the whole thing up.
8 years of losing and counting.
When is it ever going to end?

at 10:40 PM

Jeff said...

I believe it’s become very apparent that Corey Patterson is no help to this team. Ryan Freel has always been a streak hitter and he’s been hitting well of late. If the front office is not ready to bring Jay Bruce up, they need to play Freel in center every day until he cools off. Then (assuming the Bruce move doesn’t happen) when Norris Hopper returns, Patterson needs to be designated for assignment. He is a player with a lot of potential who has never shown he can hit at the major league level. I’d rather pay him $3.5M to either not play or figure out how to be a lead off hitter in AAA than to continue to hurt the Reds by taking up space.

at 10:43 PM

Aaron said...

Jocketty is correct! This team needs an attitude adjustment and different mind set.

It starts with Dusty in my opinion. He needs to get fired up and get tossed out of a game and start making an example out of some players. (WWLD?) What would Lou do?

This team simply can't hit. Hudson is a solid starter, but the Reds made him looks like Bob Gibson. He is not a strikeout pitcher.

I guess we started Hatteberg so teams could actually scout him. He needs to go!

Right now we are living by EE, BP and pray for anything else.

I have just about can't stand to watch any more. Are you serious Patterson dropped that ball?

Please bust this team up and bring up some players who will hustle and care.

at 11:12 PM

redfuture said...

They say its better to be lucky than good and I have to think that must have been the case in Dusty's managerial career. I don't see him "managing" the team and he has a few huge holes in his mindset. Like 'always swing at the first pitch', 'do not clog up the bases with runners', 'a .296 on base percentage means you are a great lead-off hitter', 'put the weight of leadership on guys who are not leaders', 'bat your hot hitters in the 6, 7 & 8 holes', 'keep your gamers on the bench', 'keep your hottest prospects in the minors'. On and on and on it goes!

at 11:19 PM

Unknown said...

SHUT UP!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

at 11:27 PM

robby said...

Better hope someone in this organization is committed to a youth movement. Given the weird timing of the Krivsky firing and the reputation Jockety has for using the minor league talent as trade bait, I fear the team may, after Griffey and Dunn leave, reload with veterans.

The team owner was delusional when he bought the club thinking the team was ready to play with the best. Now despite two years of evidence to the contrary management has done nothing to address the lack of effort; the complacency; the poor fundamental approach to hitting, fielding and base running; and the lack of speed.

One other thing that is abundantly clear. Dusty Baker is not the right guy to manage this team. Great managers and for that matter great leaders are able to bring out the best in their teams. They are able to inspire players to overachieve. That's not Dusty Baker. There is no Barry Bonds on this team.

Same team different year.

at 11:30 PM

The Dunce Cap Marvel said...

I'm ok with running into a really good pitcher on a night when he has great stuff working for him and taking a loss.

But to be held to a 3 hit shutout performance with a career high in Ks!? That's unacceptable. You'd think pride would kick it at least. Your young starter is pitching his brains out and makes one bad mistake and you can't pick him up? That's unacceptable.

Corey Patterson needs to be gone YESTERDAY. He doesn't look like he's interested in even trying at the plate, and now in the field. I don't think Freel is the answer but good gosh at least he has some competitive fire and tries!!! Dusty supposedly "hates" losing. Nothing in his demeanor, actions, or body language suggests to me that he actually feels this way. A shakeup is badly needed.

at 11:31 PM

Cheviot Sports Authority said...

JC himself couldn't win with this bunch of misfits. Thanks Wayne!
St CSA

at 11:34 PM

BATSFAN said...

Dusty Baker terrible manager, simply terrible, when is he going to learn COREY PATTERSON NO BUISNESS LEADING OFF!!!! John, tell Dusty to use my lineup.
1. Freel
2. Keppinger
3. Phillips
4. Encarnacion
5. Griffey Jr.
6. Bako
7. J. Votto
8. Dunn
9. Pitcher spot

at 11:35 PM

Unknown said...

A manager is paid to manage, not "get tossed out of a game." Seeing a manager get ejected as a player only made me shake my head and wonder why I should follow a man with such little discipline (though sometimes it's an unwarranted ejection). The Braves under Bobby "little Earl" Cox didn't win the past two decades by getting "fired up." They won with good, professional pitchers (Maddux, Glavine, Smoltz, Millwood) and hitters (Chipper, David Justice, Terry Pendelton). We're losing cuz Patterson is hitting .200, Griffey .240, Dunn .220, Phillips .260, and nobody is going yard like they can. What we need is either for the big guys to start hitting like big guys, or to insert some small ball guys to get the job done (Freel and Hopper, etc.). We're playing poorly and we're a year away from being a top-flight team anyway. Wait until mid-April, though, when Jr. and Dunn start denting a few fences and Arroyo gets straightened out - we'll be right back around .500 by the end of the month, and all the fair-weather fans will be predicting a Series sweep of the Sox.

at 11:36 PM

Grizzlyfox said...

I'm in favor at this point of blowing it up, but I also realize the three albatross contracts(Dunn, Griffey, and Arroyo) are three guys that are not in high demand right now. So my modest proposal--

On the position player side, Freel probly has value at this point. I'd trade him, and try to get the other team to take at least half of his remaining salary. I'd commit to Bruce in CF until you can find a suitor for Griff or until next year when Griff isn't re-upped. I'd have Hopper/Patterson as the 4th/5th OF. Problem with too many lefties, but I think this gets taken care of with a trade of Hatteberg, and an acquisition of a Corner OF/1B RH bat. So Freel and Hatteberg are expendable, and the required return is a OF/1B RH bat. They might not bring that back, so you might have to trade them for low A ball prospects and move one of our AA/AAA pitchers for that RH bat, or call up a RH bat from the farm system. Dunn and Griffey are on the team all year long by default, with the way they're playing chances are the compensatory draft picks(they will both be Type A players, meaning a sandwich pick and a pick between 16th overall and halfway thru the 2nd round, depending on who signs them as FAs) will be better then the return a trade can bring.

As for the pitching staff, call up Bailey, trade/send down to AAA Belisle, and trade Weathers, but in the time being until Weathers can be moved send down Burton or Bray, with the idea that they would be called up once Weathers is gone. Fogg has to stay so that they have 7 viable SP options, in case of injury/ineffectiveness. The best case scenario would be trading Weathers w/o having to call him up to a team willing to take his contract. The pen has proven they are fine w/o him, and it would shed cash off next years payroll.

These moves indicate still trying to play for this year(once again, by default since the 3 big contracts are unmovable at this point), while realizing you can't blow it up cuz nobody wants the pieces you want to get rid of.

at 11:45 PM

Grizzlyfox said...

John---Any word on Gonzo? Looking at baseballreference.coms wins generated by a player's offensive performance, Gonzo's offensive performance as a Red last year and Kepp's offensive performance this year would generate roughly the same amount of wins for the Reds over the course of a season.

Granted, this has a lot to do with Kepp's recent struggles. But what it essentially states is that if Kepp goes on the same kind of hot and cold streaks he went on in April, he's equal in value to the Reds offense as Gonzo is.

That's as far as I'm going with this though, cuz I'm not going to state on here that Gonzo is the better defender. I'll let analysts, scouts, and managers speak for me.

at 11:50 PM

Anonymous said...

Every season for the past 6-7 I have started out watching, being excited for every game, then I go to checking box scores periodically throughout a game, then to checking scores every morning, to finally stopping paying any attention. Usually this is a gradual process that takes me into September, but this team is SO frustrating I'm almost to step three or four already. Life's too short to follow a team this bad. Blow it up and start over.

at 12:20 AM

anthony said...

John,

Thanks for the post-game write-up. Is it just me, or is it revealing that the only guy actively reflecting on how he could improve his performance after an embarrassing game like this one was Voltron? The guy who arguably outplayed all of his teammates (quality start, had one of our three base hits, and made only one "mistake" pitch on a 100-pitch night) -- *he's* the one who needs to look at video?

Don't get me wrong -- I think it's an excellent sign that Edinson wants to improve on a nearly perfect performance. He'll be a great pitcher over the long term if he keeps that up. But *where's* that same spirit of accountability and constructive self-critique among the rest of this team?

at 12:20 AM

NVreds said...

wow, nice catch by hamilton i just watched in the A's game. Went crashing into wall no injury, which is good to see. then he hit a soft grounder to second. 0-4 tonight, thats your josh hamilton update folks. tune in tomorrow for another ...probably.

I tend to search for the positive in things, and I found out that i can thank the reds for steering me towards watching the rest of the league, this will make baseball fun for years longer than this. It's almost laughable how bad this team is, and a lot of blame rests on Bob C. just like the record is the only stat that matters, you can blame a teams bad record only on the owner.

it will be entertaining seeing jocketty work.

at 12:20 AM

krll said...

It is time to blow this thing up. I say do something bold like trade Harang for a kings ransom to start. The reds could get 5 or 6 players for Harang. Trade Griffey, Dunn, Hattenberg, Freel, Arroyo and then try to trade Agon once he comes back and shows he is ok. With what we have in the minors now and what we could get for trading the previously mentioned players we should have a great core of young players and have enough to trade for players to fill in around our current young nucleus. It can't be any worse than what we have. This team can't put together enough run support for Harang so let's use him to fill our needs from a team like the Yankees who should pay dearly and have a loaded farm system. Play the young guys and let Jocketty fill in the gaps with trades and I bet we would be winning sooner rather than later.

at 12:22 AM

krll said...

at 12:25 AM

ST fan said...

Reds haven't been able to hit LHPing? Now they can't hit RHPing either.

at 12:41 AM

EWT said...

For how many years, time and time again, have we heard that pitching and defense win games.

This team will never win if they can't catch the ball, throw the ball, and get shut out.

Such a shame that we have some decent pitching this year, but the potent offense on paper is non-existent.

When will it ever change?

at 12:45 AM

Unknown said...

For those of you scoring at home, Cantu was 1-for-4 tonight while Wonder Boy (Hamilton) was hitless in four at-bats.

at 12:45 AM

mpurdon1 said...

just curious was walt just teasin reds fans when he said he and Rusty i mean dusty had chips on their shoulder..tryin to sound big...but honsetly why couldnt the red dump ole dick pole and hire mario soto as pitching coach? hes done wonders with cueto and volquez seems harang shows no emotion when he pitches gives up home runs and shows no emotion,Arroyo worries more about his garder belt after every pitch, belisle is a joke, fogg is cant pitch at all..Freel aka mark mcgwire should stop tryin to knock the ball out of the park after every pitch use what works for him his speed and take the nuts out of his cheeck looks like a squirle or is it snuff..oh well lets face it the reds are in a heated race fror last place with the pirates go reds!!!

at 12:49 AM

mpurdon1 said...

oh yea replace brooke jacoby as hitting coach he has done nothing for the hitters hes just filling a position like dunn and griffey are just goin thru the moth=ions griffey is medioker at best and dunn takes too many pitches..you can count on 2 strikes on dunn before he gets to the on deck circle and tried to make up for it by swinging at a pitch thats throwed in the press box or dugg out great hitting!!!

at 1:29 AM

Unknown said...

Annoying/stupid comments I've heard from various sources:

1) Jay Bruce needs to stay in the minors in order to learn to do the little things liek how to run the bases and how to take the right angle on a fly ball. YEAH RIGHT! Because he's actually a soccer player from Nigeria and just started playing baseball last year? Maybe soon he'll be able to run the bases (Kepp, Hairston, Patterson) and play defense (Dunn, Patterson) as well as the Reds major league roster? I'm not totally opposed to keeping him down there a little longer, but that is insulting logic to any intelligent person.

2) We need to keep [insert underperforming veteran player here] in the lineup because if he doesn't play every day, then he won't be "showcased" for other teams to see and covet - thusly decreasing his trade value. For the LUV OF GAWD if the Reds are making decisions that way, then they deserve to have an awful record! Please fellow Reds fans and journalists, I implore you. Never utter that logis in speech or print again. Do not give it even an ounce of credibility!

More of my lovely ranting opinions:

1) Regardless of the horrible record, I still appreciate Castellini's efforts to put together a winner - i.e spending the money to get Baker and Cordero, picking up the option on Dunn, signing Hatteburg and even Patterson & Hairston. Maybe these decisions haven't or won't pan out, but at least there is an effort to win. I'm also not sure if canning Krivsky was a good move or not, but I appreciate BC having the attitude that losing is not OK. I do not expect Castellini to be a baseball genius and make all the best decisions. He is NOT the GM. The owner's job is empower the rest of the organization to be successful and hold them accountable when they aren't.

2) The core of this team for the future is it's infield (Encarnacion, Votto, Phillips and Keppinger). This should also be the core of this team RIGHT NOW. I say put those four in the heart of the order and let the outfielders battle it out and EARN starting spots with good play. Here's my proposed daily lineup. It involves only playing one of Griffey/Dunn and filling the other two outfield spots with Hopper, Freel, Patterson & Hairston. Rotate them until someone gets hot, then ride that guy until he cools off and go back to rotation.

1) Hopper/Freel/Hairston
2) Keppinger(SS)
3) Phillips(2B)
4) Votto(1B)
5) Encarnacion(3B)
6) Griffey(RF)/Dunn(LF)
7) Bako/Ross(C)
8) Pitcher
9) Hairston/Patterson/Freel

Other notes:

- Ride Griffey/Dunn when they are hot and let the other guy sit and watch ala the other outfielders.

- USE HOPPER AT LEADOFF!

- NEVER LET PATTERSON LEADOFF! I think he needs to play an inning or two of defense before he swings the bat.

- Hairston, Freel, Hatteburg and Gonzalez (when he returns) are used to spell the core four infielders for days off, etc when needed, but ride the "core four" (even when they slump) and let them hit next to each other! They are the future and the present!

- I do not buy the philosophy of alternating lefties and righties in the batting order at all. I think it is hogwash and has obviously not worked for the Reds. PLease throw it in the trash and never give that a second thought again! Quit managing like Jerry Narron, Dusty! If we wanted him he'd still be here!

at 1:43 AM

Unknown said...

Annoying/stupid comments I've heard from various sources:

1) Jay Bruce needs to stay in the minors in order to learn the little things like how to run the bases and how to take the right angle on a fly ball. YEAH RIGHT! Because he's actually a soccer player from Nigeria and just started playing baseball last year? Maybe soon he'll be able to run the bases (Kepp, Hairston, Patterson) and play defense (Dunn, Patterson) as well as the Reds major league roster? I'm not totally opposed to keeping him down there a little longer, but that is insulting logic to any intelligent person.

2) We need to keep [insert underperforming veteran player here] in the lineup because if he doesn't play every day, then he won't be "showcased" for other teams to see and covet - thusly decreasing his trade value. For the LUV OF GAWD if the Reds are making decisions that way, then they deserve to have an awful record! Please fellow Reds fans and journalists, I implore you. Never utter that logic in speech or print again. Do not give it even an ounce of credibility! It's stooooopid!

More of my lovely ranting opinions:

1) Regardless of the horrible record, I still appreciate Castellini's efforts to put together a winner - i.e spending the money to get Baker and Cordero, picking up the option on Dunn, signing Hatteburg and even Patterson & Hairston. Maybe these decisions haven't or won't pan out, but at least there is an effort to win. I'm also not sure if canning Krivsky was a good move or not, but I appreciate BC having the attitude that losing is not OK. I remember being subjected to Narron for what seemd like an eternity before they finally made the move to fire him - by then the REds were so far back the entire last third fo the season was a waste. I do not expect Castellini to be a baseball genius and make all the best decisions. He is NOT the GM. The owner's job is to empower the rest of the organization to be successful and hold them accountable when they aren't.

2) The core of this team for the future is it's infield (Encarnacion, Votto, Phillips and Keppinger). This should also be the core of this team RIGHT NOW. I say put those four in the heart of the order and let the outfielders battle it out and EARN starting spots with good play. Here's my proposed daily lineup. It involves playing only one of Griffey/Dunn and filling the other two outfield spots with Hopper, Freel, Patterson & Hairston. Rotate them until someone gets hot, then ride that guy until he cools off and go back to the rotation.

1) Hopper/Freel/Hairston
2) Keppinger(SS)
3) Phillips(2B)
4) Votto(1B)
5) Encarnacion(3B)
6) Griffey(RF)/Dunn(LF)
7) Bako/Ross(C)
8) Pitcher
9) Hairston/Patterson/Freel

Other notes:

- Ride Griffey/Dunn when they are hot and let the other guy sit and watch - ala the other outfielders.

- USE HOPPER AT LEADOFF! Who's mom did this guy insult that he never gets a chance?

- NEVER LET PATTERSON LEADOFF! I think he needs to play an inning or two of defense before he swings the bat. At his best he is a six hole hitter. Which reminds me of another annoying comment fro teh beginning of the year. Chris Welsh kept saying how the "pop" in Patterson's bat brings something to the leadoff spot that you don't usually have. that was some awful apologist garbage if I ever heard it!

- Hairston, Freel, Hatteburg and Gonzalez (when he returns) should be used to spell the core four infielders for days off, etc when needed. Ride the "core four" (even when they slump/screw up) and let them hit next to each other! They are the future and the present!

- I do not buy the philosophy of alternating lefties and righties in the batting order at all. I think it is hogwash and has obviously not worked for the Reds. PLease throw it in the trash and never give that a second thought again! Quit managing like Jerry Narron, Dusty! If we wanted him he'd still be here!

I still believe the Reds can turn it around, but I'm also with the guy who said he's sick of hearing "It's still early." I'm sick of hearing that too.

at 1:58 AM

Mr. Gann said...

Watching this team for the first month it's clear that the younger players have more potential, in all instances, they are playing better.

As for an "attitude adjustment" that won't happen until the following items happen.

1. Griffey and Dunn are moved.

2. Bruce is up playing every day

3. Corey Patterson is benched, released, dissolved from the line up. If you want to blame Dusty for anything, blame him for the leading off the guy with the .297 career OBP.

4. Homer Bailey is in the rotation.

This is a team in transition. Understand that. Better times likely lie ahead, enjoy the rebuilding.

at 2:13 AM

reds fest said...

League Leaders:

RBI
#1 Hamilton 32

STRIKEOUTS
#1 Volquez 42
#2 Harang 41

This team is really horrible. The Reds front office is beyond saving.

at 3:03 AM

Tommy in Tucson said...

Same old same old. Everyone is trying to hit a HR. I wrote it this spring that this team will lose 90 unless they start playing baseball and not HR derby. People write that GABP is built for HRs, sure is working wonders. This team is built on HRs, strikeouts, and poor fielding. Then the manager doesn't have the home run hitting stars bunt, hit and run, or shorten up to hit to right to move the runners over. The pitching staff is not bad, but they never have a lead. Why? Because this team swings for the bleachers and leaves too many runners on base. This team has to get three or more hits in an inning to score one run. The defense is poor. Donkey Kong Jr in left, who knows who behind the plate and EE (error on Edwin) on third. For the few thousand that go to GABP, do something else with your hard earned dollar. Anything else. Show ownership that you won't pay to watch a sub-par home run hitters play. Or pay DKJ 20 mil a year to hit 40 dingers, turn fly ball outs into doubles and run the bases like Stevie Wonder. Show this ownership you want real baseball. Small market my butt, small baseball minds running this train wreck!

at 6:46 AM

TigerJaw said...

Dunn and Griffey need to be traded. Bring up Bruce and not starting hot Freel is a joke! This team is going nowhere but staying in the cellar and probably losing close to 90 games again.

at 7:42 AM

JackBlueAsh said...

we don't have a great team..Enough time has been given. If you are just getting to the point that you "think they stink"..where have you been the last seven years?

yeah Dusty Baker getting thrown out of a game will solve this teams problems

at 9:07 AM

Unknown said...

Hey John, could you tell Baker that Patterson is 7 for his last 36 and his OBP is only .268? I'm sure he doesn't know this because Patterson hasn't been striking out a lot.

at 9:07 AM

pootyhead said...

Sadly I realize today that only two teams have worse records than the Reds.

at 9:34 AM

bill said...

Many of the posters here seem to live in the world of fantasy baseball. You can't just go out and get the perfect players to create a world champion. Trades are hard, and the right players are few and far between.

To a large extent, you have to work with the guys you have. It is clear that the current lineup is going nowhere offensively. A couple of weeks ago, Brantley commented about hot hitting players, "you play them until they get cold." The opposite is also true -- you bench the cold guys and work them back into the lineup around the hot hitters as they cool off.

The other strategy, which the Reds seem to be pursuing, is that you play the guys who "should" be hitting until they get hot. That can be, and appears to be right now, a recipe for disaster.

I don't know if Dunn should be traded, but he should certainly be on the bench. I don't know if Patterson should be traded, but he certainly shouldn't be playing every day. Don't worry about bringing Bruce up. Play Freel and Hopper everyday for a while and see what happens. It certainly can't be any worse than what we see now.

I think we should be thrilled at what has happened to Reds pitching. These guys, especially Volquez and Cordero, are as tough as they come. My biggest fear is that without run support, the morale of Harang and Arroyo, as well as Volquez, will begin to erode.

Baseball is a game of small things done well over long periods of time. It is very hard to put all the pieces into place and make everything come out right. This lineup needs changed. In the not so distant future, players may need to be moved. But right now, the Reds need hitters in the lineup. Playing Freel and Hopper everyday cannot be any worse than what we are seeing from Dunn and Patterson.

at 9:35 AM

reddrox78 said...

Count me among the many who are fed up with how Dusty is managing this team. I thought it was a fair gamble to sign Hairston and Patterson in spring training - even though it had to of sent a bad sign to Bruce. But, not for the price it took to get Patterson. $3.25M is for established players - not someone looking to latch onto a team that late in the process. And, all he's done is prove WHY he was available, and that every promise he's made to "play to his strengths" are just empty words. The dude can't change his game. He thinks he's a power hitter, and has a natural upper-cut to his swing. That's never going to allow him to consistently put the ball in play, and use his speed to get on base.
Freel needs to be ridden while he's hot - which he is right now. He's proven that over a multi-year period. Patterson NEVER HAS - EVER! Dusty has SEEN THAT IN PERSON. So, what is it you're not getting about that fact, Baker?
Jocketty needs to make the decision for Dusty, eat that BS salary Krivs gave Patterson, and just DFA him. Then, play Freel and Hopper until they both cool off for an extended period (and if they DON'T - GREAT!) - then bring up Bruce to start his 15 year run for the Reds.

at 10:05 AM

droslovinia said...

I'm with Jeff!

But seriously, with Freel batting close to .500 on the trip, how do you sit him out for ANY starter, much less one that his replacement has only batted .200 against in his life?

I've seen wat too many plays where Patterson merely jogs after the ball once it's past him, or does a "Charlie Brown" on a pop fly. It's even more ironic when the tv people are talking about "patience" as the key to beating Hudson, only to see Patterson coming out of his shoes to seemingly swing at every pitch he's thrown.

A hot 2 weeks of spring training on Patterson's part should not trump what Freel and Hopper have done for this team, and if you do the math, Freel actually makes more than Patterson this year, so why is he sitting? Patterson might be a valuable addition off the bench, if he can learn to swing a bat, rather than flail with it, but he clearly is not playing well enough to be a starter in Chattanooga at this point.

While I'm ranting, bat Dunn second. he's not going to drive in any runs anyway, and at least his walks will mean something in that spot. And given what little pitchers have to worry about after he's up, why wouldn't Keppinger's BA drop?

at 10:07 AM

Unknown said...

John-

Will you write this lineup on a piece of paper and slip it to Dusty please?

CF - Freel/Hairston
SS - Keppinger
1B - Votto
3B - Encarnacion
RF - Griffey
LF - Dunn
2B - Phillips
C - Bako

at 10:39 AM

ga red said...

Been a lifelong fan(went to Crosley with my dad in 62). Just a few comments. I don't get Dusty's love affair with Patterson. Considering in camp people thought our outfield was a strength, I think Dunn,Patterson and Griffey may be the worst starting outfield in the Nat League. I really like Hatty but it's obvious he can't play off the bench. I say it's time to move the outfield and Hatty and let the kids play along with Hopper, Freel and Hairston. PS I loved Hamilton but the trade was definitely a great move.

at 11:14 AM

Phill said...

I'm pretty sure that angry managers don't make a ballteam better. There's only a few maybe what? 3 teams with hot head managers. Only 2 made the post season and neither past the first round. Yelling doesn't fix everything.

I've tried to defend Patterson a good deal. At this point when you drop a ball like that and the ONLY reason you're being played over our two other guys who are both hitting well because of your superior defense and you make a bonehead move like that, time to sit on the bench.

Tim Hudson had everything working last night. Dude was just electric and flat out nasty.

I'm hoping today to see Freel in center and Hairston at short. Keppinger has been god awful as of late for whatever reason. Give him a breather.

at 12:10 PM

Steven Ross said...

Surprisingly, this has been mentioned:

Freel/Hariston/Patterson
Keppinger
Votto
EE
Bako/Ross
Griffey
Phillips
Pitcher
Dunn

Couple of reasons: Dunn either walks or K's so it's a push. Freel to follow. Griffey and Phillips aren't hitting so move them down. Can't hurt. Make Griffey and Dunn mad! Might wake 'um up.

at 12:14 PM

Unknown said...

great team, i think i started that one, should have said great talent..that includes the players festering in the minors. someone hit it right on by saying we are trying to make leaders out of people not meant to lead. in the absence of a chew nails manager (ala Pinella) we are stuck with a players best friend (Baker)..btw was jocketty on board when he was hired? ..on leaders, Griffey, well he made that clear day 1, that ain't him..that is why they call him the "kid"..can't blame him, Dunn/Hatteberg, kinda tough to lead when this is constant talk about being moved..who does that leave us with..potential leaders in the likes of BP. so, jocketty, make some trades, bring up those that are ready and get us a vet (1) with some club house presence and most importantly cattle prod's the rest of the team to be better...rah..rah!

at 1:18 PM

LongTimeRedsFan said...

I was glad to hear that WK admits it was him that recommended Dusty's hiring.....meaning that hopefully Walt will be as fed up with him as we are very soon.

at 1:26 PM

Anonymous said...

"Surprisingly, this has been mentioned:

Freel/Hariston/Patterson
Keppinger
Votto
EE
Bako/Ross
Griffey
Phillips
Pitcher
Dunn"

Yes, it IS surprising, because it is ridiculous. You don't put a high OBP batter 9th in the order, whether he strikes out a bunch or not. You want him coming to the plate as many times as possible, because a higher OBP indicates a lower rate of making outs.

at 1:36 PM

Anonymous said...

Dunn, despite his slow start this year, has created 6.19 runs per 27 outs. The Reds have averaged 4.13 runs per game (this number includes the runs Dunn has created). Taking him off the team, or batting him 9th, is not going to fix this team's offense.

at 1:44 PM

Cheviot Sports Authority said...

Why do some insist of submitting their line-ups here daily? It really doesn't make much difference with this bunch of misfits what order they strike out in.

Contrary to what a lot of you believe, there is very little help on the immediate horizon. We have one outfielder who should be here getting his feet wet. We need three! We have NO catchers! We have a manager signed for $3.5 mil for 3 years who is too damn stubborn to admit that he made a huge mistake with Patterson.

Changes need to start being made right now, just to generate some interest if for no other reason. This is the most boring team that I have ever watched.
St CSA

at 1:52 PM

Red Faced said...

How in the world a pitcher goes into a game with a 1.32 ERA and ends up lowering it during the course of the game and still loses is beyond me.

For 3 years now I've watched this team consistently give the opposing pitcher a career game in strikeouts. SAD.

How much lower does Patterson's BA have to plummit before he gets either removed from the leadoff or sat on the bench altogether? Message to Dusty: PATTERSON IS AWFUL!!!!!!

I purchased a 20 pack this year and I've clearly wasted my money. It's May and this team is successfully making me look forward to football already. Thank goodness I'm not a Bengals fan. Sorry for those of you who are.

at 1:56 PM

Rob said...

this place is in turmoil. Did anyone honestly expect this team to contend this year? They are a few years away. They have to wait for the youngsters in the minors to ferment. As for this year, just watch em on TV and mute it, turn on Marty. If they get shelled, go out and do some house work. Your wife will appreciate it greatly!

at 2:01 PM

24/7 said...

ebb and flow. first half hot teams turn into cold teams in the 2nd half (mets) and vice versa (our own pitiful 2007 reds). if THAT team could play great ball for 2 solid months, this team could get VERY hot. my thing with this 12-18 squad is that at this point, it's two guys. if griff and dunn hit, the reds are .500 before you know it. we seen the cards and the cubs. they each have a power bat that can't be pitched to right now, and a guy they can shuffle around him that is hitting as well.

lee-ramirez
pujols-ankiel

still wouldn't mind seeing homer soon. and what else does thompson have to prove in 2A? bruce isn't ready, so that's good they aren't rushing it. patterson ought to be ashamed of himself, and he should be more than glad it wasn't a home game. that was pathetic.

phillips seems to be as good as his support, not because he isn't a true hitter, but because he tries too hard when both the big guys aren't doing anything. when one is hitting, he usually hits.

i don't know who the reds would ask for and conceivably get in a trade for dunn or griff. texeira and a close to ready pitching prospect? oakland is a fit for dunn, but i don't trust beane, and jocketty can't either the way he got played. seattle exhausted their farm for a 170 inning jerk and their lineup doesn't breathe power, so who do the reds get?

at 2:12 PM

don s said...

Now it's official. Cory Patterson can't catch either. We already knew he couldn't hit or run bases. I was kind of happy when Dusty was hired but if he's got so much pride that he can't admit he was wrong to bring Patterson in, I'm for a new manager. How many mistakes and downright bad play can we put up with. We are deep in quality outfielders so what's the problem.
Go Reds (without Patterson)

at 2:34 PM

Anonymous said...

I dug into the numbers a bit hoping our Big Three hitters were notorious slow starters whose bats would come around in May. Only Griffey has a higher avg. in May than April from 2005-2007.

Dunn April- .272 May- .222
BP April- .296 May- .288
Griff April- .250 May- .284

Looks like our new 5,6, and 7 hitters..

Motion to ban hypothetical lineups along with the Hamilton/Cantu rants..

at 2:50 PM

JackBlueAsh said...

I have to agree..why do people submit different lineups on this blog everyday?

I also don't see the help on the immediate horizon

For those of you that bashed Hamilton.. I hear nothing about having the expense of Soto flying in to personally coach Cueto and Volquez

"ebb and flow".. too funny wonder what team you have been watching the past eight years..the only thing I see is losing

Hamilton batting aroud .325 and Cantu near .290...Ill take that in a heartbeat

at 2:51 PM

Jeff said...

There's nothing wrong with posting lineups. This is the type of the baseball discussion that should take place on a blog such as this.

As far as catching, I was not in favor of bringing in Bako. That said, because of him, catching has been one of the bright spots for the Reds. Given his track record, he won’t likely keep it up. But to this point, catching has been among the least of Reds’ worries.

The middle of the lineup is the problem. They need to start hitting soon or they should be pushed south in favor of Votto and EE. To this point, Griffey, Phillips and Dunn have not produced a great deal of runs. A kick in the butt like this will likely not go over well, but if the shake up causes more production, the move would be worth it.

at 3:02 PM

JackBlueAsh said...

Keppinger makes fewer errors than Gonzo..that speaks volumes for me

at 3:08 PM

JackBlueAsh said...

people have complained that discussion of Hamilton and /or Cantu has become stale

converesely..posting potentially problem solving lineups that no one in the Reds organization cares about and begging Dusty and or Bob Castellini to read and approve said lineups..is foolish..ridiculous and redundant

suggesting that Dunn and Griffey will get hot and resolve our issues is also stale and redundant

the entire lineup is the problem..no team chemistry..poor management

at 3:35 PM

Anonymous said...

John-

Needs aside (God knows we have alot of em) who would you rank in the top 5 among our minor league prospects as most likely to be called up the soonest?

For once I'm more excited for young hitting than young pitching..

at 3:36 PM

Jeff said...

Line-ups are fine. What is completely useless is continued discussions of players who are no longer Reds. Hamilton and Cantu are gone (they also have lower batting averages than what was reported). What they are doing right now has no impact on the Reds. If both Volquez and Hamilton continue on their current trajectories, this is a great trade for the Reds.

at 4:11 PM

Jeff said...

Chemistry and management is not the problem. Hitting, or lack there of, is the problem. If they start to hit consistenetly, the wins will come. Hopefully, that happens before it's too late.

at 4:56 PM

Another losing season said...

.....stay off the computer. yeah, that means u "another losing season!"

Guess these posts are okay as long as I'm the target and no one else. Why am I not surprised?

Sorry Ryan. I don't mean to upset you so. But take solace in the fact that I don't think for a second I could do a better job managing this club. I'm pretty sure even Earl Weaver would not make a difference.

at 5:53 PM

JackBlueAsh said...

"Chemistry and management is not the problem. Hitting, or lack there of, is the problem. If they start to hit consistenetly, the wins will come. Hopefully, that happens before it's too late."

show me in the last seven plus years where the wins have come . we have had 7 plus losing seasons..wake up

lets bring Jerry Narron back to manage since management was never an issue..how bout Miley
JBA

at 5:57 PM

JackBlueAsh said...

OAKLAND -- Rangers outfielder Josh Hamilton has been named the American League Player of the Month for April, presented by Sharp.

Acquired from the Reds in the offseason, Hamilton batted .330 with six home runs and a Major League-high 32 RBIs. He also had 10 doubles, walked 11 times, had a .379 on-base percentage, scored 16 runs and finished the month with a .591 slugging percentage.

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Braves 2, Reds 0

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