May 22, 2010



Reds Rant- May 22nd

Filed under: Cincinnati Reds — ttc @ 1:44 pm


“Just when you thought it was safe to go back in the water”, the Reds blow two straight (to the Braves) and head to Cleveland with little if any momentum.  After a 10-9 loss on Thursday, in which the bullpen blew a 6 run lead in the 9th, the Redlegs have to take 2 of their next 3 to stop the bleeding.  It’s almost ridiculous to think that a team can give up that many runs in the final inning of a ballgame.  With that being said, all you can do is get back “between the lines” and give 100%.  Tonight was a good start, as they knocked off the reeling Indians 7-4 and improved their record to 24-18. 

 

The Reds last 3 losses have been difficult to take:

 

This past Friday (05-14), in a 5-4 loss to the Cardinals, C Hernandez pinch hit (against a right-handed pitcher) with 1 out and runners on 1st and 2nd, and proceeded to swing at the first pitch and ground into a game ending double play.  Now, I don’t know if Lance Nix was available or not, but there’s no reason for Hernandez to swing at the first pitch.  The runners should have been put in motion to avoid that result.  No matter how you look at it, Baker was wrong.

 

Wednesday (05-19) @ Atlanta, the Reds score 3 in the 8th and 1 in the 9th to tie the score at 4, only to watch Baker pull P Rhodes (left-handed pitcher) for P Masset (right-handed pitcher) in the 9th to face 3 left-handed hitters and 1 right-handed.  Amazingly enough, the Braves banged out 2 hits and won on Hayward’s game winning double.  I’m no rocket scientist, but if you’re the type of manager that plays the percentages, what the heck are you doing throwing a right-hander against 3 left-handed batters?  This proved to be another mistake by Baker.

 

Thursday (05-20) @ Atlanta started off great.  The Reds got out of the gate quickly, scoring 8 runs in the 2nd, and took a 9-3 lead into the bottom of the 9th.  This is where the fun begins.  Baker proceeds to run P Lincoln out there for a 3rd inning, which proved to be costly, as he gave up 4 straight hits and 2 runs before being pulled for P Masset.  This was just the start, as P Masset walks the next batter (C Ross) and then 3B Cairo boots a groundball giving up another run, making the score 9-6.  After apparently seeing enough, Baker brings in P Rhodes to face one batter (which he strikes out, with the bases loaded).  With 2 outs and the bases juiced, Baker brings in P Cordero, who promptly gives up a grand slam, and the ballgame.  Yet another mistake by Baker and no one is saying a word.

 

The common theme here is that Baker does not do well when he has to make decisions on the fly.  All you have to do is follow his managerial career, and you’ll find that he only finds success when he runs the same lineup out each and every night (San Fran and Chicago).  Even if the stars are aligned, he struggles and has limited success.  In 17 years of managing, he has captured 3 division titles and 1 NL Pennant.  Not very impressive with the lineups he had.  I know it’s unfair to hang every loss, or every poor season on Baker, but at some point you have to face the facts, Baker is not a top flight manager.  My solution is, and has been for several years, to bring in Bobby Valentine and let him take us to the next level.  Agree or disagree, the facts are the facts.     

 

Todd P Coleman 05-21-10

April 21, 2010



Reds Rant April 21st Edition

Filed under: Cincinnati Reds — ttc @ 10:55 am

Reds Rant

April 21st 2010

The Reds, as usual, are filled with promise and hope of glory.  The team started out with a spring in their step but quickly fell from the ranks with a putrid offense.  The Reds currently stand at 6-8 after a thrilling victory over the Dodgers at Great American Ball Park.

The Good- Rookie Mike Leake has looked good in both starts.  Although he hasn’t picked up a victory, his ERA is 2.63 over 13 innings.  Joey Votto is starting to pick up the pace.  He is now batting .306 but only has two home runs and six RBI.  He will have to up his power numbers for the Reds to score any runs.

The Bad- In a nutshell, the offense.  Jay Bruce’s situation is becoming even more troubling.  The outfielder is batting .188 with 2 homers and only 5 knocked in.  Cabrera, Stubbs, Phillips and Hernandez continue to struggle.  The pitching staff will likely rebound although they have also struggled.  For the Reds to compete in the Central, the offense will have to catch fire.

The Solution- The Reds must be patient with their young pitching staff and also Drew Stubbs.  A move down in the lineup for Stubbs may be the cure but the super fast outfielder should make a big impact down the road.  The Reds have typically been very slow to bring prospects up but now is the time for the heralded Aroldis Chapman.  The flame throwing lefty could be the jolt the Reds need.  The ultimate solution may be to send Manager Dusty Baker down the dusty trail.  He has yet to discipline his hitters as they are notorious for their free swinging and letting opposing pitchers off the hook.  The 2010 Cincinnati Reds should be playing in the style of Whitey Herzog’s St. Louis Cardinals of the mid 80s.  Given the recent history of the Reds the words, be patient, are hard to adapt to but the organization has a ton of talent, enough to compete for a wild card slot.

Stemavo Rheulus, Senior Writer

September 21, 2009



Ohio fans have more Fathead options

Odds are, if you are reading this Ohio sports blog then you’re probably a fan of one or more Ohio sports teams. With Fathead already owned by Cleveland Cavaliers’ owner Dan Gilbert, it appears the company is doing more to cater to Ohio sports fans. The latest additions to the Fathead family include an Ohio Bobcats Fathead, the new Shaq Cavs Fathead, a new Fathead of Joe Thomas of the Browns, and a Jay Bruce Reds Fathead. Nothing shows dedication to your favorite team or players like a Fathead, so be sure to check out the best online selection of fatheads at Sports-Shop.com.

May 22, 2009



Reds take Game 1 of 2009 Ohio Cup

Filed under: Cincinnati Reds, Cleveland Indians, Ohio Baseball — @ 9:53 pm

Each season the Cincinnati Reds and Cleveland Indians face off for 6 games, 3 in Cleveland and 3 in Cincinnati, in what is called the Ohio Cup Series. The Ohio Cup name came from the pre-interleague play days for MLB when the Reds and Indians would face off in Columbus at Cooper Stadium for a preseason exhibition game at the end of Spring Training.

Today’s Ohio Cup is a bit different with the two teams two 3-game series. While Cleveland has historcally dominated Cincinnati winning the annual series in 6 of the first 8 years of play, the Reds won 5 of 6 last season and trail Cleveland 30-27 in the historic regular series season.

The 2009 Ohio Cup Series began on Friday night as interleague play opened across Major League Baseball. The Indians struck first with a solo homer by Grady Sizemore in the 1st, but that lead proved to be short-lived as the Reds got a Brandon Phillips sacrifice fly RBI in the bottom of the 1st to tie the game at 1-1. Neither team would dent the plate again until the bottom of the 8th when the Reds scored two runs and Francisco Cordero closed it out for a Cincinnati Reds 3-1 win.

The series continues on Saturday evening at 7:10 pm and concludes on Sunday. Fans can stoick up on Reds gear and Cleveland Indians hats & apparel online through DFN Sports sites.

April 20, 2009



Ohio Sports Daily: Reds take 3 of 4 @ Houston

It was a slow day for Ohio sports teams as only the Cincinnati Reds were in action on Monday, April 20th. The Reds were looking to take 3 of 4 @ Houston and improve to 7-5 on the season and jumped out to a early 2-0 lead. But Bronson Arroyo was unable to hold the lead as the Astros took a 3-2 lead in the 6th, but a Joey Votto 2-run double put the Reds ahead for good and Francisco Cordero preserved Arroyo’s win with the save. The Reds now head to Chicago to face the Cubs in a 3-game series after winning 5 of 7 on the road trip so far.

Cleveland Cavaliers - The Cavs prepare for Tuesday night’s Game 2 of their First Round series against the #8 Detroit Pistons. Meanwhile, Mike Brown was named the Coach of the Yearin the NBA on Monday.

Columbus Blue Jackets - Columbus looks to get back into their series wit hthe #2 seed Detroit Red Wings as they host the Wings in Game 3 @ Columbus on Tuesday night.

Cleveland Indians - The Indians begin a 9-game homestand on Tuesday as the Kansas City Royals come to town.

Cleveland Browns & Cincinnati Bengals - The Browns & Bengals continue to prepare for Saturday’s 2009 NFL Draft. The 2009 NFL team schedules were released last week.

January 9, 2009



Reds, Indians makes offseason moves

Filed under: Cincinnati Reds, Cleveland Indians, Ohio Baseball — @ 11:23 am

While the Evil Empire of the New York Yankees have been paying to have most of the headlines this offseason, the Yankees are not the only team with changes from their 2008 roster. Both Ohio teams look to improve on disappointing 2008 seasons as they are lead by experienced General Managers. Reds’ GM Walt Jocketty has been busy during the offseason, but does not have a lot of transactions to show for it. The rumored Jermaine Dye trade for Homer Bailey fell through when Cincinnati did not want to take on so much salary (sound familiar?), so the Reds’ most significant move was dealing Ryan Freel toBaltimore for catcher Ramon Hernandez. Cincinnati has also added OF Will Taveras and lefty reliever Arthur Rhodes after signing both free agents to 2-year deals.

Cleveland, on the other hand, has made a bigger splash this offseason as GM Mark Shapiro continues to work his magic. The acquisition of IF Mark DeRosa could be huge as he comes off a career-best 2008 with the Cubs, but the additions of SP Carl Pavano and closer Kerry Wood add depth and experience to the team. Franklin Gutierrez is gone after being dealt in a 3-team, 12-player deal.

For more 2009 MLB offseason trades, signings & transactions, look to our friends over at MLB Center where they are keeping up to date on every MLB team.

August 11, 2008



Reds trade slugger Dunn to Arizona for prospects

Filed under: Cincinnati Reds, Ohio Baseball — @ 2:22 pm

The Cincinnati Reds implosion continues as the National League’s home run leader, Adam Dunn, joins Ken Griffey, Jr. on the former Reds list. Dunn was traded today to the Arizona Diamondbacks for minor league pitcher Dallas Buck. Buck, a near 1st round selection in 2006, is currently in Single A as he’s coming back from Tommy John surgery. It is reported that the other two prospects from Arizona will both be players to be named later.

> Follow Dunn’s Diamondbacks in their playoff run with Arizona Diamondbacks hats & apparel.

July 26, 2008



Reds begin critical stretch with series win

Filed under: Cincinnati Reds, Ohio Baseball — @ 5:30 pm

On a recent Cincinnati.com blog post I read that the writer felt that the Reds’ current 22-game stretch was critical to the team making a move in 2008. Immediately, I had to chuckle. The Reds have been mediocre yet again in 2008 giving few Cincinnati fans reason to hope. But upon further research I found that the Reds certainly do have an opportunity to become relevant in the NL Central. Ater winning 2 of 3 over the Padres this past week, the Reds have 16 of their next 19 against sub-.500 teams. Meanwhile, the Cubs and Cardinals continue to tread water in the NL Central as the Brewers seem very beatable when newly-acquired CC Sabathia is NOT on the mound.

So by starting with 2 wins in 3 games the Reds began the 22-game stretch on a high not, but I think a minimum of 15 wins is a must to give anyone real hope this season.

July 7, 2008



Sizemore, Lee & Volquez named All-Stars

Filed under: Cincinnati Reds, Cleveland Indians, Ohio Baseball — @ 3:15 pm

Ohio’s two MLB teams received word on Sunday that they will be sending a combined 3 players to the 2008 All-Star game to be held at Yankee Stadium later this month. Cleveland Indians’ CF Grady Sizemore and starter Cliff Lee will represent the Tribe on the AL All-Star team while the Cincinnati Reds’ lone NL All-Star will be starting pitcher Edinson Volquez. Reds’ RF Ken Griffey, Jr. came in 4th in NL All-Star balloting for outfielders after leading Milwaukee’s Ryan Braun throughout all of the voting updates, but the excitement around Brewers’ baseball in Milwaukee appears to have given Braun the boost he needed to make the NL All-Star team as a starter. As a result, Griffey will not be headed to New York, and neither will Reds’ star second baseman Brandon Phillips.

For Sizemore, this will be his 3rd All-Star game as he is the lone player from either league with 20+ homeruns and 20+ stolen bases in MLB currently. After a nightmare season a year ago, Lee has been fantastic for the Indians in 2008 going 11-2 on the season with a 2.43 ERA, 1.04 WHIP and a 5:1 strikout to walk ratio.

> Ohio baseball fans can find Cincinnati Reds hats & merchandise and Cleveland Indians apparel online through DFN Sports and partner sites 24 hours a day!

June 27, 2008



Sabathia dominates Reds in Ohio Cup battle

Filed under: Cincinnati Reds, Cleveland Indians, Ohio Baseball — @ 10:34 pm

After a shocking 3-game series sweep in Round #1 of the 2008 Ohio Cup series between the Reds and Indians, the Tribe decided all they needed was a little home cookin’. C.C. Sabathia was dominant in throwing 8 shutout innings as he struck out 11 and allowed just 4 hits to pick up his 6th win of the season. With the win, the Ohio Cup series for 2008 is now 3-1 in Cincinnati’s favor, but Cleveland holds the edge in series history at 30-25.

Saturday’s game will feature two pitchers with contrasting styles as veteran Paul Byrd will face rookie Johnny Cueto. Meanwhile, the Indans should have a huge advantage as Aaron Laffey faces Cincinnati’s worst started, Bronson Arroyo. Arroyo comes off a start where he became the first pitcher since 1900 to all 10 runs and 11 hits in just 1 inning pitched.

Fans can find a great selection of Cleveland Indians apparel as well as Cincinnati Reds jerseys & hats online through DFN Sports sites.

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