Kuzul

No doubt the majority of Pittsburghers have moved on from the Pirates for the year, and many Reds fans are getting psyched for the Bengals on Sunday, but there is very important business to take care of this weekend at Great American Ballpark.

The Reds return home licking their wounds from the horrific 1-6 road trip, one in which they showed a great deal of lethargy and fatigue.

The outfield injuries are starting to catch up, I’m not convinced Brandon Phillips is back to being 100 percent, the starting pitching, outside of Travis Wood, has been a major letdown, and some guys, such as Scott Rolen, are looking very tired.

Additionally, the Reds added fuel to the fire when it comes to how they are perceived.

Myself and others on here have spent time trying to convince others that the Reds are something more than just a team that beats up on the weak, and folds against winning teams, but recent events have strengthened their stance, and left some of us wondering about our own feelings.

Time to move on, though, and it’s time to take care of business against the worst team in Major League Baseball record wise, the Pittsburgh Pirates.

Anything less than taking two out of three from those guys would be major cause for concern, and though we have fared well against that sort of competition all year, I hope our guys aren’t getting tight out there.

Friday’s pitching matchup will put Homer Bailey up against Paul Maholm.  Bailey has put together some of his best performances against Pittsburgh, going 5-0 with a 1.57 ERA in his career, so this may be the team that can help get the inconsistent righty going.

Maholm has fared well against Cincinnati in his career, going 4-1 with a 2.59 ERA, but is having a rough season overall, as he currently sits with a 7-14 record and a 5.43 ERA.

On Saturday, the struggling Aaron Harang (6-7, 5.15 ERA) goes against Charlie Morton, who had had a rough year as well, as he sports a 1-11 record with a 9.66 ERA.

Pittsburgh fans I’ve talked to tell me that Morton has electric stuff, but he has yet to put it all together.

Sunday afternoon in the series finale, the Pirates will send out Brian Burres (3-3, 5.75 ERA) against Johnny Cueto (12-5, 3.45 ERA).

The Pirates have a young nucleus with guys like Pedro Alvarez, Garrett Jones, Andrew McCutchen, Neil Walker, and Jose Tabata leading the charge.

Alvarez is batting .381 in his last six games, and Tabata is batting .343 since the All-Star break.

If Pittsburgh can hang on to all these players, and they continue to grow and develop, perhaps down the road, the city will once again experience some winning baseball.

Hopefully, the Reds don’t get a glimpse of that potential this weekend.  

It’s football season, and the Bearcats, Buckeyes, and Bengals are going, but those things can wait, as September baseball is getting really important around these parts.

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With the season winding down to a merciful end, the Reds are faced with a few hard questions.

The starting pitching has not been getting it done as of late, and that becomes a huge concern. In the three games thus far in the series with the Colorado Rockies, the starters are only giving an average of a little over four innings.  

That is entirely too much burden to place on any bullpen.

The only thing that has rescued them from “sixty-fourea” (a term I coined for anyone resembling the 1964 Phillies) has been the total collapse of the NL Central rival St. Louis Cardinals.

If the Cards had been minding the store, the Reds lead could easily be only three games.

Let us look at some other problems they are currently faced with.

Jay Bruce—what has happened to him? Before his injury, he was the hottest hitter on the squad. Since his unfortunate departure, the team has a record of 3-5.

He had just started killing the ball, as we all knew he could, after nearly a season of disappointment.

With his unavailability, the Reds have been reduced to only three outfielders: Jonny Gomes and rookies Drew Stubbs and Chris Heisey. Who would go in if one of them was ejected from a game or, God forbid, injured?

Would it be Miguel Cairo? He has played the entire infield this year but has played a few games in the outfield during his career.

Cincinnati’s’s active roster is pitcher heavy. They are currently carrying 16 hurlers—that is a bunch of sunflower seeds to be chewed on. Why so many, Dusty?

It looks to me like there are at least four long relievers in Matt Maloney, Sam LeCure, Carlos Fisher, and Logan Ondrusek. I would think they could slide by with no more than two.

They have three catchers and…wait for it….nine infielders. You have to be kidding me. Who needs nine infielders, especially when you only have four outfielders?

It looks like they have a dedicated sub for every infield position with Cairo thrown in as a “catch all.”

Why would you bring up so many infielders and be outfield poor? How come Wladimir Balentien hasn’t been on the MLB roster? He is batting .282 with 25 HR and 78 RBI at Louisville.

Now we get to the meat of the discussion, the starting rotation. Who should be the five starters that drive this limo to the big dance?

We all know that the first two are Bronson Arroyo and Johnny Cueto, but what about the rest?

Do we pray for rain, then a tornado, and then a hurricane, or what?

The Reds have some good arms in that 16-man staff. Rookie Travis Wood should be the No. 3 man in the rotation, followed by Homer Bailey. Now it gets rough—I mean real rough.

Aaron Harang? Not after what we have seen lately. I see him as the sixth long man out there chewing cud.

Edinson Volquez? Don’t make me laugh, eh?

I can’t help but remember how he started us out in that series with the Giants. Unbelievably, he was warming up as a reliever in the end of the last game there. That would have been ironic for him to start and end the worst pitching series of the season.

I called for his departure several weeks ago, after two very good starts and two piss-poor outings. I was temporarily proved wrong, and he snapped out of it. Now, here we are with him playing American Legion ball in Dayton. He should be stuck in Louisville for the remainder of the season.

I would like to see Maloney get another crack at the rotation. Before he was sent down to Louisville in June, he was doing quite well. In his last start with the Reds, he went six innings, allowing only four hits and one run. He also walked one and had one strikeout.

One thing is sure: There are only 23 games left, and some crazy stuff could still happen.

It ain’t over until the fat lady sings.

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As the Reds head into the home stretch of the season, they are still a ways away from “officially” clinching anything, but there’s a bit of rumbling as it pertains to the potential postseason rotation.

Bronson Arroyo is clearly the guy you want on the mound in the first game of a series.  No, he’s not Roy Halladay, Ubaldo Jiminez, or Tim Lincecum, but I have strong confidence he would keep us in the game.

A game 2 starter would be Johnny Cueto.  He deserves that honor for his fine work this season, assuming he doesn’t completely blow up in his final five starts (or so) this season.

What about game 3?

Certainly, it’s a nice problem to have, in comparison to past years.  It’s no longer about building some sort of momentum that we hope will carry into the following season.

It’s about the here and now.  It’s about October.

Seeing as how Aaron Harang and Edinson Volquez have played themselves out of the mix, the only likely candidates at this point would be Homer Bailey and Travis Wood.

Everyone who watches the Reds knows about Homer Bailey.  His stuff is electric, no doubt about it.

With him, though, it’s always “yeah, but” or “however….”

We saw it in his last start.  He had a bulldog mentality, with a competitive zeal that is downright nasty, but sometimes, he lets that gets the best of him.

Ryan Hanigan and Ramon Hernandez have been outstanding behind the plate.  Trust the signals they throw down.

The other candidate is Travis Wood.  His last start in St. Louis, one in which he allowed one unearned run in seven innings, puts him in the conversation.

His past few starts prior to that were struggles, and there was talk about him having hit a rookie “wall,” but he put that to bed on Saturday.

What I really like about Wood is his demeanor.  He doesn’t get rattled.

He also owns left handed hitters, who are only batting .111 against him with zero extra base hits.  Something to keep in mind should the Reds happen to face a lefty dominated lineup such as the Phillies.

Right now, I would say Travis Wood leads the race, but there is still a month to decide things.  Each start they make from here on out is not only important for the team, but serves as an audition for them as well.

Who will it be?  Stay tuned.

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In Wednesday’s series finale with the San Francisco Giants, the Reds looked like they were going to beat them as if they stole something.

Joey Votto, Jonny Gomes, and Ryan Hanigan all homered to stake Homer Bailey to a 4-0 lead in the first inning. It looked like payback time for the boys from the Queen City.

Votto hit another homer in the third inning, his 31st of the season, to cap a four-run inning and the Reds were on top 8-1.

Adding one run in the fourth and another in the fifth gave the Reds what looked like a victory, with a 10-1 lead.

The Giants put up two in the fifth and chased Bailey in the sixth. He left the game leading 10-3 and handed the keys to Bill Bray with two on and one out. Bray allowed both to score, and suddenly it was a 10-5 game at the end of the sixth.

San Francisco jumped all over Logan Ondrusek in the bottom of the eighth. After he pitched a 1-2-3 seventh inning, he gave up singles to Jose Guillen and Pablo “Kung Fu Panda” Sandoval. Juan Uribe continued his hot hitting against the Reds with a three-run shot to left, making it a 10-8 game with nobody out.

Dusty Baker then made a triple switch. He brought in Arthur Rhodes to replace Ondrusek and brought in Jay Bruce to play right, moving Chris Heisey to left and sending Gomes to the bench.

In a performance that was probably due, Rhodes gave up what looked like the winning run, allowing three runs in one inning of work.

The Reds then scored a run in the top of the ninth to keep the game alive. Nick Masset shut the Giants down in the ninth to force the game into extra innings.

In the top of the 10th the Reds squelched a tremendous opportunity to score a run. With two outs, Scott Rolen doubled high off the left field wall and headed to second base. Cody Ross (why did we ever trade him?) played it off the wall like he worked there all year, and threw a strike to second.

Rolen attempted the worst slide I’ve seen in probably five years, looking like a deer caught in the headlights. He was out by several feet, so kudos to Ross on a beautiful defensive play.

Laynce Nix pinch-hit for Masset in the top of the 11th. He hit a slow roller to second base and pulled up lame after about three steps toward first. Don’t look for him for at least two weeks, as he could barely walk after the re-injury.

My boy (Okay, I have mellowed on him a little) Coco Cordero pitched the last two innings to notch the well-deserved win, since Votto had singled Miguel Cairo in with the game winner in the 12th.

Votto had four hits, Paul Janish had three, and Gomes and Rolen both had two, as the Reds pounded out 16 of them. Sadly, they were out-hit by the Giants 18-16.

In the three-game set, the Giants scored 39 runs and collected 55 hits against the worn-out Reds pitching staff.

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It wasn’t a good day for a few of the better starters in the league.  Let’s take a look at their struggles, plus all the other noteworthy performances from yesterday’s games—

American League—

• Justin Masterson (6.0 IP, 5 ER, 11 H, 1 BB, 5 K)—Cleveland Indians—The numbers this season are awful, and we all know it.  However, he entered the day with a .337 BABIP and 65.6% strand rate.  The control is an issue (4.3 BB/9), but he is generating groundballs at a tremendous rate (62.7%).  Don’t write him off, with that groundball ability.
• Felix Hernandez (8.0 IP, 0 ER, 4 H, 3 BB, 11 K, W)—Seattle Mariners—He got all the offense he needed from Russell Branyan (2-5, 2 HR, 4RBI, 2 R) as he stymied the Yankees for the third time this season (3-0, 0.35 ERA with 31 Ks over 26.0 IP).  Despite winning just nine games thus far, the rest of his numbers are as good as you’d expect (2.51 ERA, 1.13 WHIP, 183 K).  He’s a fantasy ace, though how much better would he be if he was on a better team?
• C.J. Wilson (8.2 IP, 0 ER, 3 H, 1 BB, 12 K, W)—Texas Rangers— Who saw this type of season coming?  He’s now 12-5 with a 3.02 ERA, though it’s hard to imagine him being able to repeat this.  He’s currently sporting a .257 BABIP, so there certainly is a little bit of luck in his performance.  He also entered the day with a 7.0 K/9, having only three starts with more then 6 Ks.  Don’t expect him to become a strikeout machine.  Don’t get me wrong, he has emerged as a solid option in all formats, but there is room for a regression.
• Jon Lester (2.0 IP, 9 ER, 8 H, 3 BB, 1 K)—Boston Red Sox—It was an unbelievably bad performance, but what are you going to do?  He’s an ace, and you have to expect him to bounce back strong.
• Lyle Overbay (4-5, 2 HR, 7 RBI, 3 R)—Toronto Blue Jays—He had just 7 RBI in August prior to this one and has been struggling all year long.  It’s hard to put too much stock into this game, but if you were one of the few who actually had him active, you certainly reaped the rewards.  Don’t go banking on a repeat performance, though.  There isn’t much in his numbers to point to that is overly encouraging.  Overall, his BABIP is .295, his HR/FB is 11.8% and his strikeout rate is 23.4%.  All of those numbers are in the vicinity of his career marks.
• Dan Haren (7.0 IP, 7 ER, 11 H, 1 BB, 3 K)—Arizona Diamondbacks—Since the trade that sent him to LA, Haren has gone 1-4 with a 4.39 ERA and 1.27 WHIP.  His control has actually been superb, walking just five batters in 41.0 innings, and the HR are down from his time in Arizona (five home runs allowed).  Where he has struggled is striking people out (5.9 K/9) and in his luck (.322 BABIP).  Considering he’s posted a K/9 of at least 7.0 every year since 2006, that has to be a slight concern.  He’s not likely to strikeout 8.5/9 innings, like he was in the NL, but he’s better then this.  More strikeouts will certainly help lead to better results.
• Jeremy Hellickson (6.1 IP, 3 ER, 7 H, 1 BB, 7 K)—Tampa Bay Rays—You knew he couldn’t give up just three hits every time out, right?  This wasn’t an awful outing, but clearly it wasn’t quite up to his previous starts.  The question now is, how much longer will he stick in the rotation?  Time will tell, but monitor the news before counting on him.

National League:

• Yovani Gallardo (3.1 IP, 6 ER, 6 H, 5 BB, 1 K)—Milwaukee Brewers—He’s certainly going through a rough stretch, having allowed four earned or more in four of his last five starts.  You have to wonder if there is something going on, but it’s hard to say.  In fact, the struggles go back all the way to mid-June.  In 11 starts, he has six giving up at least 4 ER (and another where he gave up 6 runs in 2.2 innings, but only 1 was earned).  In six starts since the All-Star Break, he’s sporting a 5.81 ERA.  All you can do is stick with him, as he’s proven how good he can be, and hope for him to turn things back around.
• Mike Stanton (0-4)—Florida Marlins—He has struggled since being moved up to the fifth spot in the order.  He’s 1-15 in his last four games and doesn’t have a HR or RBI since August 13.  Overall in the fifth spot he’s hitting .133 with 0 HR and 0 RBI.  Chances are he’s just pressing a bit, so don’t get too worried.  Once he settles in, he should start producing bombs like he was.  Just wait it out.
• Roy Halladay (7.0 IP, 0 ER, 8 H, 3 BB, 5 K, W)—Philadelphia Phillies—The Nationals certainly weren’t silenced, with 10 hits in the game, but they couldn’t break through against Halladay or the Phillies bullpen.  Halladay has now won six straight runs, allowing 1 ER or less in six of them (total is 7 ER over 46 innings).
• Carlos Marmol (1.0 IP, 3 ER, 1 H, 3 BB, 3 K)—Chicago Cubs—Control has always been the biggest concern, and it cost him big time in this one.  He had put together a stretch of 7.2 innings without a walk, but has now walked five in his last 2.2 innings.  He’s got the talent, if he could harness his control.  Overall this season, he’s posted a BB/9 of 6.2.  You have to wonder that if Marmol shows no signs of improving there, will they will continue to stick with him as their closer long-term.
• Derrek Lee (0-4)—Atlanta Braves—He was in the cleanup spot for his Braves debut.  While it wasn’t a good day, it’s only one game.
• Chris Carter (2-4, 1 HR, 2 RBI, 2 R)—New York Mets—Inserted into the cleanup spot, Carter was at the center of a Mets offense that finally produced.  Six Mets had multi-hit games, including Jose Reyes (3-5, 2 R, 1 SB), Angel Pagan (2-5, 1 R) and David Wright (3-5, 2 R, 1 SB).  While Carter will likely be given another day or two in the cleanup spot, he’s not a viable fantasy option.
• Pablo Sandoval (2-5, 1 HR, 1 RBI, 1 R)—San Fransisco Giants—That’s back-to-back games with a HR and three in his last six.  Of course, he’s just 5-23 with tree HR, three RBI and three runs in those six games, so it appears to be a home run or bust.  Still, at least he’s showing something, right?
• Eric Young Jr. (3-5, 1 R)—Colorado Rockies—He appears to have claimed the 2B job, at least for now, and is hitting atop the Rockies order.  In six games since his recall he’s gone 8-25 with three R and three SB.  He’s not known for his average, hitting .250 in the minor leagues this year, though he had hit at least .290 every year prior.  Speed is his game, so if you are in need there, he’s certainly going to have value.  We’ll take a closer look at him early this week.
• Homer Bailey (7.0 IP, 1 ER, 4 H, 2 BB, 6 K, W)—Cincinnati Reds—Has he finally turned the corner?  It seems like we’ve been waiting years for it to happen, but he’s 2-0 while allowing just one ER over 13.0 innings in two starts since returning from the minor leagues.  I wouldn’t declare anything quite yet, but he’s worth keeping a close eye on down the stretch.

What are your thoughts from yesterday’s games?

THIS ARTICLE IS ALSO FEATURED ON WWW.ROTOPROFESSOR.COM

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The Cincinnati Reds are in first place and Reds Country is buzzing.  The Atlanta Braves are in town for a three-game series beginning tonight at Great American Ball Park.  The Reds are expecting all three games to sellout.

So, why the big crowds?

The weather forecast looks great for this weekend.  There is nothing better than a beautiful day or night at the ol’ ball orchard.

The Reds also have some popular promotions scheduled for this weekend.  There will be fireworks after tonight’s game.  Tomorrow, fans will receive a Homer Bailey bobblehead.  On Sunday, the first 10,000 kids 14 and under will receive a Brandon Phillips t-shirt.

The biggest and most important reason for the expected capacity crowds is the team itself.  The Reds are an exciting team that is playing winning baseball.

Good weather, bobbleheads, the Reds in first place—what could possibly be better?

Well, LaRosa’s pizza would surely hit the spot, and it will tonight at the Machine Room.

Here are the probable pitchers for the series.

Friday, July 30  7:10 PM
Braves:  Kris Medlen, RHP (6-2, 3.57)
Reds:  Johnny Cueto, RHP (10-2, 3.18)

Saturday, July 31  4:10 PM
Braves:  Jair Jurrjens, RHP (3-3, 4.37)
Reds:  Bronson Arroyo, RHP (10-6, 4.21)

Sunday, August 1  1:10 PM
Braves:  Tommy Hanson, RHP (8-7, 3.99)
Reds:  Edinson Volquez, RHP (1-1, 8.25)

Read more at Reds Country.

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It’s been a wild season of pitching this year in Major League Baseball, with five no hitters and two perfect games so far this year, but yesterday’s events may just be the icing on the cake. Only 24 hours after Matt Garza tossed the first no-no in Tampa Bay Rays history, teen singing sensation Justin Bieber was on hand to throw out the first pitch at the Cincinnati Reds game.

But Bieber’s pitch looked so unhittable, manager Dusty Baker decided to just leave him in there for the rest of the game.

“He had a no-hitter going after that first pitch, you can’t take a pitcher out when he’s got something going like that,” said Baker after the game. “That first pitch was so unlike anything I’ve ever seen before. It couldn’t even reach the plate, it sort of bounced off the ground and then way over the catcher’s head. I knew no one could come close to hitting something so horrible, so I told the kid he was staying in there to finish this thing.”

Pitching in street clothes, Bieber baffled the Milwaukee Brewers for eight dazzling innings, who were likely so confused by the turn of events they couldn’t concentrate on hitting the ball.

“Wow, my daughter isn’t going to believe I was struck out by Justin three times in one game,” said All-Star Prince Fielder. “I couldn’t hit a home run off that kid, despite the fact the couple balls that he managed to get to the plate were right in my zone. My daughter wouldn’t have spoken to me for a year!”

Bieber’s agent was happy with the performance of his client, but furious at Baker’s mismanagement.

“Obviously he should have been pulled after that first pitch,” said the agent, Saul Washington. “Justin is supposed to be on a pitch count! We talked to Dusty beforehand and he said that count would be one, maybe two pitches. This kid has a bright future ahead of symbolic athletic honors before games. I want him to be able to sing a national anthem, toss a coin, or wave a flag at a NASCAR event. Now his whole career could be in jeopardy.”

Bieber was backed up by some stellar defense behind him to pick up the no hitter, but it really served to highlight that indeed anyone can pitch a perfect game this year.

SportsComedian.com

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Francisco Cordero is tied with Heath Bell for second in the major leagues in saves.

He is 24 for 30 (80%) for the season. His career save percentage is 81.5%. His save percentage with the Reds 85.8%.

Here are some more stats to chew on.

Of the 15 pitchers with 20 or more saves, Cordero is worst in the league in WHIP (1.55), ERA (4.20), and third worst in batting average against (.263).

The Reds pay Cordero a lot of money, so continuing to run him out there for every save will likely be the choice.

Here are five other in-house choices.

Begin Slideshow

The Baseball Jimmy with Caesar Cliffius Eastham and Sir Illya Charleton Harrell

Illya Harrell: Cliff, As Jerry Reed so eloquently sang in Smokey and the Bandit we, “Have a Long Way To Go and a Short Time To Get There.”

Down to brass tacks, who should the Reds attempt to acquire before the Major League trade deadline?

After writing a “Reds Need Lee” piece a couple of weeks ago, I got greedy—like Yankee greedy…and I wish to apologize for that.

After Ryan Rayburn calmed me down and set me straight. I got to thinking about the Reds’ needs.

Besides the huge bat of Gary Mathews Jr. (that’s sarcasm for those Mathews fans out there—all two of you), the Reds needs are about as sexy as your granny’s floppy fun bags. 

With a couple of middle relievers, they’re in the race for the long haul.                    

Cliff Eastham: I liked your piece on Lee and I am all over it.

With Edinson Volquez due back at any time, the Reds rotation could heal itself. He, Johnny Cueto, and Bronson Arroyo form a trio of starters that most teams would love to have.       

There is where the problems begin. Who would you want filling the fourth and fifth holes? Aaron Harang and Mike Leake? Harang is so inconsistent it is beyond scary.

Leake apparently needs to be babied for the remainder of the season, which makes me, an old-schooler, sick to my stomach. He isn’t a flame-thrower, so he should be able to endure a complete season with his 88 mph heater.

How about Homer Bailey? Wonder what kind of shape he is going to be in when he returns?

Could one or more of those guys serve as trade bait for Cliff Lee, a tried and true veteran who doesn’t walk anyone?

Illya Harrell: It’s pretty obvious to me that Bailey suffered what I like to call a “phantom injury.”  If you remember, he complained about hitting the DL.  That could be his attitude or an excuse to get him back to Louisville for “rehab starts.”

Mind you, he was out of options and the Reds would have had to waive him before sending him down.  And there is no way he would have cleared the waiver wire.

I do think Homer will be an above average pitcher.  But not with the Reds.  For some reason he just doesn’t seem to gel with the team or, more likely, Dusty.

There’s been a lot of talk about Lee going to Minnesota.  The Twins farm is stacked with pitchers.  But they are almost all righties. 

What’s your feeling on a Homer- and the lefty Travis Wood-for-Lee deal? 

I’d go Homer and lefty Matt Maloney in a heartbeat.  But I’m more than iffy sending Wood over for a rent boy.  If Lee would guarantee to sign an extension, I’d ship Seattle Homer and Wood with a big smile on my face.

That would open up my master plan, sending Leake to the pen for a good portion of the remaining season.  Leake would return as a starter late in the season. 

Harang is a more than adequate fifth starter until then.  What to do with Harang after that? Who really cares? 

Cliff Eastham: I like the way you think—and everybody thought you were just another pretty face.

I have to agree with you on Bailey; someday he will be very good. A scenery change will probably wake him up.

Maloney has at least had an opportunity to play with the big boys while Wood is still wearing a bib.  I like Maloney a lot, but I think Wood has more potential than Matt.

With that being said, this would be my offer to the Mariners: Bailey and Maloney for Lee. On the face of it, that makes more sense to me than the Rolen for Double EE and all the baby pitchers the Reds had last year.

The Reds have an abundance of talent-laden young arms in Louisville and some here already. Sam LeCure will be a good one, but I digress.

As for the middle relief, Aroldis Chapman will be popping up out of the hole soon, and they just called up Bill Bray.

We probably disagree on this, but I would shop Coco Cordero around and keep using rookie Jordan Smith as much as possible in the meantime. That kid is really impressive.

I honestly can’t see Cincy winning the division with a closer no more reliable than Coco. I fully expect to see him go to the mound with a blind fold and a cigarette to face the music. Ready, aim, fire!

Caesar Cliffius Eastham and Sir Illya Charleton Harrell would like to thank you for enjoying our column!

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Entering the 2010 baseball season, the Cincinnati Reds and their fans had lofty expectation for the starting staff. Bronson Arroyo, Homer Bailey, Johnny Cueto, Aaron Harang, and Mike Leake have gone way above and beyond those expectations since, on April 24, manager Dusty Baker went “Bull Durham” on the entire team.

Yesterday Craig Simpson wrote an article titled, “Dusty Baker Goes Bull Durham, Cincinnati Reds Respond.”  Simpson explained that Baker chastised his team for it’s lackadaisical play.

The old curiosity peaked and an investigation was in order.  

Knowing that the starters were pitching better than they were at the beginning of their dismal excuse for a season, a team of experts was sent to delve deeper.

The findings are mind blowing.

Collectively, over the last 21 games, the starters are 12-3, with an ERA of 3.11, and a 1.11 WHIP.

The “quality start” stat used to be looked at as a joke. In recent years, it has become a pretty decent indicator of a staff’s success, or lack thereof. In their last 21 games Reds’ starters have amassed 15 quality starts. Boys and girls, that’s a 71 percent clip.

From April 25 until yesterday, May 18, their ERA has dropped almost two full points—from 6.49 to a 4.55 spot.

Before the meeting only one starter, Leake, had an ERA under four.

Small sample sizes, yes. Bailey is the only guy with five starts—all others have four. 

However, since the meeting Arroyo’s ERA has dropped 2.65 points, Bailey’s 2.26 points, Cueto is down from 5.33 to 3.67 (a difference of 1.66 points), Harang has seen his dip 2.29 points, and even Leake now sports a 3.09 ERA, 0.83 points better than before. 

WHIPs since Dusty went Durham: Cueto 0.88, Leake 0.92, Arroyo 1.14, Bailey 1.16, with his 1.37 WHIP, Harang is looking like the chump of the bunch. But his ERA during the run is 4.01—very respectable. 

The Reds have played 12 home games and nine away. 

Great American Ball Park is a notorious home run stadium—that’s putting it kindly.

During the three-plus week stretch the staff is letting only 1.03 balls leave the yard per nine innings.

The numbers go on-and-on: a 7.6 K/9 ratio, while allowing only 2.27 batters to reach via walk per nine. 

How are they doing it?

Throw strikes, baby…Throw strikes! Getting ahead in counts while making hitters work down in the count allows the starter to work deeper into the ballgames.

In 19 of the last 21 games, the starting pitcher has thrown at least six full. Just once during the span has a starter been removed before completing five innings, and only once more before the pitching six full.  

So Dusty must be abusing his starters again, right? Nope. Well, maybe.

Twice Baker has allowed a starter to throw more than 120 pitches. Both Bailey and Harang threw 121 in a start.

Cueto has thrown 113 and 118—that may be a bit distressing. He also needed 102 in his complete game, one-hit shutout. 

Rubber-armed Arroyo has pitched 100-plus (never hitting 110) in three of his four starts. 

Rookie sensation, Mike Leake, has been allowed over the 100-mark in just one of his last four starts.

Besides Dusty’s Durham speech, much of the credit must be given to first-year pitching coach, Bryan Price. 

Price has twice been named the Major League’s Pitching Coach of the Year—once with Seattle by USA Today Baseball Weekly, and again in Arizona by Baseball America.

No doubt, it has been a promising three-week run for the Cincy starters. 

One that has The Queen City and it’s surrounding regions all ready buzzing with a long forgotten playoff vibe. 

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