8.13.10 BY:MEH LITTLE FISHES
ACTIONS SPEAK LOUDER THAN WORDS
After Brandon Phillips allowed
torments to spew from his mouth aimed at St. Louis players on Monday
that caused a first inning brawl the next day, the Cardinals completed a
three-game sweep of the Reds on Wednesday afternoon. The whiny Cards
hastily bent the Reds over their knee and spanked them as they out-scored
them 21-8 during the series and belted two grand slams. Reds starting
pitching was dull during the series allowing 14 earned runs on 22 hits in
just 14 innings of work. Cardinals' starters, on the other hand, were
brilliant as they hurled 21.1 innings and allowed six runs on nine hits
while striking out eleven Reds. Cincinnati disappointingly overcompensated
as the Cardinals kept their composure and played as they have all season
long. The sweep erased the Reds' two-game lead over the Cards going into the
series and placed them one game behind first in the NL Central.
"We’ve
been a game up, a game down all year,"
Scott Rolen said.
"Would we have liked the outcome to be different? Yeah. They outplayed us in
the series. They threw their three top starters at us. They responded and
pitched well. They swung the bats well. We’ll move on and keep playing."
On Friday, the Reds will attempt redemption as they take on the Florida
Marlins over the weekend for three games. The Cardinals will be hosting the
Chicago Cubs. It's time for the Reds to place the Cardinals behind them (at
least until Sep. 3-5) and remain focused on playing well and winning
series'. Neither was accomplished against the Cardinals. The Reds split a
four-game series with the Marlins earlier this year in Florida (April 12-15)
when
this was going on.
"Man,
I’ll tell you this,"
Brandon Phillips said.
"We lost. It’s just how it is. They did their job, and we didn’t do ours.
That’s basically it. What happened, happened. We look forward to the Florida
Marlins coming in...What’s
in the past is in the past. People want to panic, but we’ve still got a
month-and-a-half to go…We’ve been swept before. We’ve got to bounce back
from what happened, and try to get as many wins as possible."
FRIDAY: Edinson Volquez (2-1, 4.94) vs. Josh Johnson (10-4, 1.97) at
7:10pm
Volquez will be making his sixth start of the 2010 season. In three career
stars against the Marlins, Volquez is 3-0 with a 1.80 ERA. In twenty innings
of work, he has allowed just four runs on 13 hits while striking out 17
Marlins while holding them to a .186 average. Volquez has not faced the
Marlins this season.
Josh Johnson will be making his 100th career start on Friday night.
During his six major league seasons, Johnson is 44-20 with a 3.06 ERA and
581 strikeouts. Against the Reds over his career, Johnson is 2-0 with 16
strikeouts and a 1.65 ERA. During his only start against Cincinnati this
season on April 15, Johnson went six innings allowing just one run on five
hits while striking out ten in the Marlin's 10-2 victory. One of the two
starters for Friday's match up will remain undefeated against their opponent
at night's end. Let's hope it's Edinson.
SATURDAY: Mike Leake (7-4, 3.75) vs. Sean West (0-1, 7.20) at 7:10pm
Mike "Godzilla" Leake may,
or may not, make his first career start against the Marlins on Saturday.
In his four starts since the All-Star break, Leake is 1-3 with a 4.95 ERA.
During his last start against St. Louis on Monday, Leake allowed seven runs
in the fourth inning that led to a 7-3 Reds' loss. Fatigue has been
speculated to be a factor in Leake's recent struggles (129.2 IP) and Homer
Bailey (2-0, 2.37 ERA in Louisville) seems to be ready to return to the
Reds' rotation. Bailey has faced the Marlins twice in his career (0-1,
3.65).
Sean West will be making his second career start against the Reds on
Saturday and just his second start of the 2010 season. In his only career
start against the Reds, West went 4.1 innings and allowed five earned runs
on five hits while receiving the loss.
SUNDAY: Johnny Cueto (11-3, 3.38) vs. Anibal Sanchez (9-7, 3.33) at
1:10pm
Johnny Cueto is questionable for Sunday's game. He was recently
suspended for seven days because of his involvement in the
Reds/Cardinals brawl earlier this week. If he accepts the suspension, he
will not start for the Reds on Sunday. If Cueto appeals the suspension, he
will make his scheduled start. Cueto is 1-0 against the Marlins in two
career starts with a 5.73 ERA. Homer Bailey could be an option for the Reds
if Cueto accepts his punishment. Anibal Sanchez has faced the Reds twice
(1-1, 4.50) during his three seasons as a Florida Marlin.
Reds' manager Dusty Baker
received a two-game suspension beginning Friday along with Cards'
manager Tony LaRussa. The two managers have a history of altercations and
were
right in the middle of Tuesday's brawl.
8.10.10 BY:MEH LITTLE B%$CHES NL CENTRAL BATTLE
HEATS UP WITH BRAWL
Pronunciation: \fīt\
Function: verb
Inflected Form(s): fought \fot\; fight·ing
Etymology: Middle English, from Old English feohtan; akin to Old High
German fehtan to fight and perhaps to Latinpectere to comb — more at pectinate
Date: before 12th century intransitive verb
1a:to
contend in battle or physical combat;especially:to
strive to overcome a person by blows or weaponsb:to
engage in boxing
2:to
put forth a determined effort
8.9.10 BY:MEH EDMONDS.
FORMER REDS KILLER NOW A
RED The Cincinnati Reds
were
defeated 7-3 by the St. Louis Cardinals on Monday at Great American
Ballpark. Mike Leake made it through just 3.2 innings and allowed seven
earned runs on nine hits. Despite the loss, the Reds remain alone atop the
NL Central by one game. The Reds and Cardinals have alternated first-place
in the NL Central seventeen times this season.
"We have to beat these guys," Brandon Phillips said. "I hate the
Cardinals. All they do is b*tch and moan about everything, all of them,
they’re little b*tches, all of ‘em. I really hate the Cardinals. Compared to
the Cardinals, I love the Chicago Cubs. Let me make this clear – I hate the
Cardinals."
The acquisition of 40 year-old
Jim Patrick Edmonds from the Brewers in exchange for Chris Dickerson was
announced just hours before Monday's first pitch. Edmonds started in
centerfield and batted fifth for the Reds. He went 0-4 during his Cincinnati
debut. Travis Wood was
optioned to Louisville allowing room for Edmonds on the Reds roster.
Wood will make one start in Louisville and will return to the Reds against
the Arizona Diamondbacks on August 19. A coinciding move will be determined
at that time.
"It's been a quick six or seven hours to go from kind of the bottom of
the standings to the top in a hurry," Edmonds said. " And show up
here playing the Cardinals, it's going to be a little nuts. I'm looking
forward to the challenge. The respect I have for the guys on this team after
playing against them for so many years, it seems like a good group of guys
that are very talented. It's nice to be on this side for once."
Jim Edmonds has been known as a "Reds killer" playing for the NL Central
Cardinals, Cubs, and Brewers in the past. In 118 games against Cincinnati
during his career he owns a .274 average and has driven in 85 runs while
belting 32 homers. During his 17 major league seasons, Edmonds has 390
homeruns, 1943 hits, 435 doubles, and is a career .285 hitter. Along with
four All-Star selections Edmonds has won eight Gold Gloves. He has been to
the playoffs seven times and has appeared in two World Series' with the
Cardinals. Edmonds and the Cardinals won the World Series in 2006.
"We thought Edmonds would add a veteran, playoff experienced guy who's
had a pretty good year with Milwaukee," Edmonds said. "He's actually
a guy I thought about signing over the winter and we didn't. I kind of
regretted the fact that we didn't. I think he's going to help us a number of
different ways."
The Reds currently employ five former Redbirds. Miguel Cairo, Russ Springer,
Scott Rolen, Jim Edmonds, and Jason Isringhausen are all currently within
the Reds' organization. On the other hand, the Cardinals employ six former
Reds. Kyle Lohse, Dennys Reyes, Ryan Franklin, Jason LaRue, Felipe Lopez,
and Aaron Miles all reside on St. Louis' 40-man roster.
8.8.10 BY:MEH
"IT'S TIME."
THE CARDINALS ARE COMING
TO TOWN
In case you vacationed under a rock over the weekend, the Cincinnati Reds
swept the Chicago Cubs in three games at Wrigley Field. The Reds outscored
the Cubs 18-7 during their last trip to Chicago this season as they moved to
a pair of games ahead of the Cardinals in the NL Central. The Reds reduced
their "magic number" to fifty with as many games left in the regular season.
Bronson Arroyo
opened the series on the mound for the Reds and Travis Wood
ended it. Both pitched admirably as Edinson Volquez placed a
rugged gem in between. Arroyo struck out seven during seven scoreless
innings of five hit ball on Friday and Travis Wood went 6.1 innings (4H,
3ER, 3K) on Sunday allowing three runs on four hits. Wood' s first five
innings were of no-hit variety until Cubs' catcher Koyie Hill broke it up
with a one-out single in the sixth.
On Saturday, Edinson Volquez struggled with his control (4BB), but allowed
just one run on six hits in 6.2 innings of work. Aside from Francisco
Cordero nearly blowing his seventh save of the season on Saturday, and
notching crumbling numbers during his 1.1 innings of work (2ER, 5BB), the
Reds' bullpen was brilliant against the Cubs. Take Cordero out of the
picture and the bullpen (Ondrusek, Masset, Rhodes, Bray, and Smith) pitched
5.2 no-hit scoreless innings (5K, 2BB).
Scoring eighteen times during the series, the Reds' offense made several
strides. On Saturday, in between off-days, Drew Stubbs went 3-4 with two
runs scored and two RBI and led the Reds to a 4-3 victory. Jay Bruce went
3-4 during Sunday's 11-4 win and drove in two runs. After going 0-4 with
three strikeouts on Friday and sitting on Saturday, Jonny Gomes went 1-1
with four walks and four runs scored on Sunday. All three struggled mightily
during the month of July (Gomes: .240, Bruce: .200, Stubbs: .213) and will
be major factors to the Reds' success during the remainder of the season.
Monday, the Reds will carry their momentum into a
three-game series against the St. Louis Cardinals at Great American
Ballpark. The Reds could set themselves far apart from second place during
St. Louis' last visit to Cincinnati this season. Currently two games up on
the Cards, and a season-high sixteen games above the .500 mark, the next
three days will be epic, indeed.
"It’s time," Dusty Baker said. "People wanted us to focus on it
earlier. We had to focus on the Cubs. It’s hard to sweep them in Chicago.
That was a big sweep for us. Now (the Cardinals) are here and now we deal
with it. It's going to be exciting. It's going to be fun and it's the next
to last series where we know we can take care of our own business."
MONDAY: Mike "Godzilla" Leake (7-3, 3.86) vs. Chris Carpenter (12-3,
2.91) at 7:10pm on ESPN
Mike Leake has faced the Cardinals just once during his 2010 rookie season.
During the MLB Civil Rights Game on May 15, Leake went six innings and
allowed two runs on four hits. Leake received his fourth victory of the
season as the Reds beat Adam Wainwright and the Cardinals 4-3.
During his 13-year major league career, Chris Carpenter has faced the Reds
sixteen times. Carpenter has owned the Reds with a 10-3 record and a 1.69
ERA over his career and is 3-0 with a 1.29 ERA against the Reds this season,
but is recovering from his worst month of the season. In July, Carpenter
went 2-2 in six starts and posted a 3.60 ERA. Joy Votto owns a .400 career
average against Carpenter, Jonny Gomes is 0-7 with five strikeouts, and
Chris Dickerson's .385 career average against Carpenter could easily place
him into a Reds' uniform on Monday night.
TUESDAY: Johnny Cueto (11-2, 3.24) vs. Jaime Garcia (9-5, 2.53) at
7:10pm
Jonny Cueto is 1-0 with a 6.75 ERA in three starts against St. Louis this
season. Over his three-year career, Cueto has faced the Cardinals eight
times and has posted a 6.39 ERA along with a 3-2 record. Cueto has kept
Albert Pujols quiet during his fourteen at-bats against him this season
(.214, 3BB, 2K), but has allowed Matt Holliday (8AB, .375, 4RBI) to succeed.
In his first two career starts against the Reds this season, Jaime Garcia is
undefeated (2-0). During 12.1 Innings pitched, Garcia struck out twelve
while allowing four runs on twelve hits. Jonny Gomes (3-5) and Drew Stubbs
(1-5) have both driven in two runs off Garcia this season.
WEDNESDAY: Bronson Arroyo (12-6, 3.83) vs. Adam Wainwright (16-6,
2.07) at 12:35pm
Overall, Bronson Arroyo is 7-9 with a 4.46 ERA in 23 starts against the
Cardinals during his career. In 2010, Arroyo is 1-1 with a 4.22 ERA against
the Redbirds in three starts. Albert Pujols is hitting just .143 in seven
at-bats off Arroyo this year. In ten at-bats in '10, Matt Holliday has four
hits (1HR, 3RBI) when facing Arroyo.
Adam Wainwright has faced the Reds twice this season (1-1, 4.45). During his
six career starts against Cincinnati, Wainwright is 2-3 with a 4.68 ERA.
During nine starts during the day this season, he is 8-0 with a 1.45 ERA.
Joey Votto and Drew Stubbs are both hitless when facing Wainwright this
season.
"It will be tough," Dusty Baker said. "This is what championship
baseball is all about."
8.6.10 BY:MSR A GREAT
SEASON
Joey Votto and The Cincinnati Reds are off to a great season this year.
Possibly a division title! Though it is a total team effort, it takes a
great season by an individual player to spark such great team
accomplishments. Votto inspired me to look back at other great Reds from
past seasons to put his season of 2010 in perspective. I looked up
individual seasonal stats of Rose, Robinson, Parker, Griffey Junior, and
other great Reds' players. That is when I stumbled across another "You Gotta'
Know This."
Pete Rose is my favorite player of all time, but growing up I wanted to be
just like Eric Keith Davis. A combination of such speed and power in the
field and on the base paths. Davis could hit the ball over the fence as well
as rob an opponent of a home run with his magical Gold Glove skills. Back in
the day, my neighborhood buddies and I made up a game called, "Eric Davis."
We would lob baseballs over a five-foot tall wooden fence and try to rob
home runs just as Eric did many times while patrolling center field at
Riverfront Stadium. His majestic home run to straight away center field in
the first inning during game one of the 1990 World Series solidifies him as
being an all-time great Red. Though the ball landed un-catchable, the only
person capable of catching it had hit it. He was, for a brief time, superman
without a cape. That is how I remember him. So I looked up his stats.
Mr. Davis was drafted in the 8th round of the 1980 MLB draft as a skinny
high school shortstop out of Los Angeles, California by the Cincinnati Reds.
The farm system developed him into a center fielder winning awards at every
level in the minors. He played 57 games in the show during 1984 starting
sparingly in the outfield. He came back in 1985, learning the ropes under
manager Pete Rose, for 86 games showing potential. That potential finally
paid dividends as he became the every day starting center fielder for The
Cincinnati Reds midway through the 1986 season. What a season that was to
become. Perhaps the best season of his extraordinary career.
The most games Eric Davis ever played in a season was the 135 games he
played in 1988. He played with such reckless abandon in the field and on the
base paths that his concern for his own health came in second to the teams'
accomplishments. Crashing into outfield walls and diving into bases was the
way he excelled at the highest level. It cost him hundreds of games over the
course of his courageous 17 year career. It was his style of play. The
season of 1986 was his coming out party. Though he didn't attain a starting
everyday position in the line up until June of 1986, he put together a
season that was one for the ages. His stat line for that first season as a
starter included 27 homers and 80 stolen bases. Davis accomplished this feat
while appearing in only 132 ballgames. He had just 415 at-bats.
There has been only one other player in Major League history to have 25 plus
home runs and 80 plus stolen bases in one season. It took the Hall of Famer,
Rickey Henderson, 153 games and 608 at bats to attain 28 homers and 87
stolen bases in a single season. That season just happened to be 1986 as
well. What a great year for Baseball. Just think what "44 Magnum" could have
done with the 193 more at bats Henderson had during that year of 1986. One
can only imagine. The question of, "What if?" has always followed Mr. Davis
due to injuries.
The very next season, 1987, "Eric The Red" became the 7th player to reach
the 30/30 club with 37 dingers and 50 stolen bases. He came to that plateau
on August 2nd, the earliest any player has ever made that mark. He was on
pace to become the first 40/40 man but he collided with a brick wall at
Wrigley Field in early September and missed 17 games because of his reckless
effort. So who was to become the first 40/40 man....? Do you think he
cheated?
THE REDS ARE OFF
TO WRIGLEY FIELD FOR THE FINAL TIME THIS SEASON
8.5.10 BY:MEH PUT THE "WIN" IN "WINDY CITY"
THE REDS ARE OFF TO
WRIGLEY FIELD FOR THE FINAL TIME THIS SEASON
After defeating the awful Pittsburgh Pirates two out of three games earlier
this week, the Cincinnati Reds reclaimed sole possession of first-place in
the NL Central over the St. Louis Cardinals. The Reds are now 12-7 and have
won ten of twelve series since the All-Star Break. During their three games
in Pittsburgh the Reds scored 19 runs.
On Monday against the Pirates, Travis Wood (2-1, 2.42) received his second
career victory as he pitched seven innings of two-hit scoreless baseball.
Temporarily filling in for Joey Votto, Miguel Cairo drove in two runs during
the Reds'
4-0 victory. Russ Springer made his 2010 debut and pitched one scoreless
inning while allowing one hit. Orlando Cabrera tweaked his left oblique
muscle during the game and was placed on the 15-day disabled list. Juan
Francisco was called up from Louisville to replace Cabrera on the Reds'
roster. In July Francisco hit .320 with 11 homers and 28 RBI.
While facing Paul Maholm on Tuesday after eight days of rest, Mike Leake
struggled with his control. Leake pitched five innings and allowed seven
hits while tying his career high of six earned runs. In the second inning,
Scott Rolen missed an opportunity to end the inning on a ground ball hit to
third.
Rolen admitted he made a mistake, but it was not scored an error as the
Pirates went on to score six runs in the inning. If an error would have been
charged to Rolen, all six runs would have been unearned. The Reds' offense
attempted a comeback scoring twice in the sixth, once in the seventh, and
twice again in the eighth. After Scott Rolen reached base as the tying run
with no outs in the ninth, a Jonny Gomes pop-out and strikeouts from Jay
Bruce and Chris Heisey confirmed a
7-6 Cincinnati loss.
During Johnny Cueto's first two starts this season against the Pirates on
May 11 and May 27 he pitched fifteen scoreless innings and allowed just four
hits while striking out seventeen. Cueto continued his Pirate dominance on
Wednesday afternoon. Pitching six innings and allowing one earned run on
three hits, Cueto (11-2, 3.24) notched his eleventh victory of the season.
Paul Janish went 3-3 with 4 RBI and a homer filling in for Orlando Cabrera
as the Reds
beat the Bucs 9-4. Russ Springer had to leave the game during the
seventh inning as his hip flexor locked up. He will be sent back to
Cincinnati for examination. If Springer goes on the disabled list, it could
be
time for Aroldis Chapman.
The Reds have Thursday off
before facing the Chicago Cubs (47-61) for three day-games over the weekend.
In ten games this season against Chicago the Reds are 7-3. The Cubs are
currently 13.5 games behind the Reds in the NL Central and recently traded
away Ted Lilly and Ryan Theriot to the Dodgers prior to MLB's July 31 trade
deadline. The Cubs tried to trade Derrek Lee to the Angels, but he
blocked the transaction with his no-trade clause.
FRIDAY: Bronson Arroyo (11-6, 4.01) vs. Tom Gorzelanny (6-5, 3.48) @
2:20pm
SATURDAY: Edinson Volquez (2-1, 6.35) vs. Randy Wells (5-9, 4.40) @
1:05pm
SUNDAY: Travis Wood (2-1, 2.42) vs. Thomas Diamond (0-1, 4.50) @
2:20pm
Bronson Arroyo has faced the Cubs just once this season. On July 2 at
Wrigley Field, Arroyo hurled six scoreless innings and allowed just three
hits while receiving the victory during the Reds 12-0 annihilation of the
Cubs. During his career, Arroyo has 18 starts and has posted a 8-6 record
with a 2.91 ERA against Chicago. Arroyo's counter-part on Friday, Tom
Gorzelanny, has faced the Reds once this season and just twice in his
career. He allowed three runs on nine hits against Cincinnati on May 8 of
this year as he received the loss and the Reds crushed the Cubs 14-2 in
Cincinnati.
Saturday's match-up of Randy Wells and Edinson Volquez should be interesting
as both pitchers have dominated their opponent in the past. In two starts
against the Cubs in his career Volquez is 2-0 with a 0.75 ERA. In twelve
innings pitched, Volquez allowed just one run on eight hits while striking
out 17 batters. He has not faced the Cubs this season. Randy Wells has faced
the Reds just once this season on July 3. In 7.2 innings, Wells received the
win as he allowed just one run on five hits while striking out five. Over
Wells' three seasons in Chicago, he has faced the Reds five times. In five
starts, Wells owns a 3-0 record against Cincinnati and a 2.30 ERA.
Two rookies with only eight combined starts between them will face-off on
Sunday afternoon. Thomas Diamond will be making his second career start and
first against the Reds. During Diamond's debut on August 3 while facing the
Brewers, he received the loss as he hurled six innings and allowed three
runs on seven hits. Diamond became only the second player since 1900 to
strike out ten or more batters during his major league debut with the Cubs.
Mark Prior did it in 2002. Travis Wood made his major-league debut against
the Cubs on July 1. Wood pitched seven innings and allowed two runs on two
hits.
The St. Louis Cardinals are also off on Thursday before they begin a
three-game series against the Marlins (53-54) in Florida. Following the
weekend, the Reds and Cardinals will meet up to play three games starting
Monday.
"SOMETIMES THE BEST DEALS ARE THE ONES YOU DON'T MAKE."
8.3.10 BY:MEH A TRADING POST
"SOMETIMES THE BEST DEALS ARE THE ONES YOU DON'T MAKE." -Walt Jocketty
We all know what the
Cincinnati Reds did prior to the 2010 MLB non-waiver trade deadline.
Nothing. Many writers
predicted the stalemate and Reds' GM Walt
Jocketty remained confident in his organization's ability to stay
competitive for the remainder of the season. Jocketty expressed his patience
and willingness to only make a deal if a significant upgrade was available.
The Reds were reluctant to deplete their potent overflow of young pitching
and seemed to be comfortable with their current roster. Offensively, no
candidates stood out to Mr. Jocketty and the Reds' other concern, their
bullpen, has been dominant of late. Also, the additions of Russ Springer and
Jason Isringhausen have eased concerns.
"We
thought we were pretty good leaving Spring Training,"
Dusty Baker said.
"We haven't changed. If anything, the longer you're around, the more
confident you should become."
Although Walt Jocketty is known for
making blockbuster mid-season deals to propel his team into the
postseason, his certainty in the Reds' current roster is flattering. If
Jocketty lacked faith in his current club's ability, his history has shown
that he would have made a move. Jocketty claimed to express interest is some
players, but those players were not dealt.
Many players were.
In order to truly appreciate the lack of movement Walt Jocketty has
participated in so far this season, one must remember the past. From
1992-2003 the Reds' General was James Goodwin Bowden IV. Bowden was
responsible for some of the most devastating and dismantling transactions in
recent Reds' history:
1992-93: Bowden's first transaction as a General Manager was trading
Paul O'Neill to the Yankees for Roberto Kelly. O'Neill spent nine seasons as
a Yankee and hit 185 homeruns, 304 doubles, drove in 858 runs with 1426
hits, and posted a .303 batting average. Kelly played in only 125 games over
the next 2 years for Cincinnati before being traded to Atlanta for Deion
Sanders in 1994. Bowden also shipped "Nasty Boy" Norm Charlton to Seattle
for Kevin Mitchell. Kevin Mitchell was one of the most dangerous players in
the league, but played in only 188 of 276 games for the Reds during 1993-94.
Charlton saved 18 games for the Mariners in 1993 and notched a 2.34 ERA. The
Reds finished in fifth-place (73-89) in 1993.
1995: During the Reds' last playoff season, Bowden traded away
thirteen players during the regular season. Chris Sexton, Tim Belcher, John
Roper, Deion Sanders, and Scott Service were all moved. The Reds received
ten players in return. David Wells (from Baltimore) was the most notable
player acquired. Wells went 6-5 with a 3.59 ERA for the Reds helping them
reach the playoffs, but received the loss (6IP, 8H, 3ER) in the first of
four straight against Atlanta in the NLCS. Wells was traded to the Orioles
for Curtis Goodwin and Trovin Valdez after the season.
1998: In the midst of a 77-85 season, Bowden traded away Dave Burba,
Lenny Harris, Jeff Shaw, and Willie Green. A young Sean Casey was acquired
along with Paul Konerko. Casey would play seven seasons in Cincinnati
(118HR, 604RBI). Konerko played 26 games (3HR, 13RBI) before being traded in
November.
2000: After winning 96 games and finishing second in '99 Bowden
traded Mike Cameron, Brett Tomko, and two others to the Mariners for Ken
Griffey Junior. Despite one of Junior's best seasons as a Red (40HR, 118RBI,
.271AVG), and a second place finish (85-77), Bowden traded away Gabe White,
Denny Neagle, Hal Morris, Manny Aybar, Dante Bichette, Ron Villone, Eddie
Taubensee, Chris Stynes, and Steve Parris in 2000. Players received? Chris
Reitsma, Jim Brower, and Brian Reith top the list.
2001: During the Reds' worst season (66-96) since 1982 (61-101),
Bowden dismantled an already depleted roster. Mark Wohlers, Alex Ochoa,
Michael Tucker, Pokey Reese, Dmitri Young and Dennys Reyes were all traded.
The Reds recieved Todd Walker, Juan Encarnacion, and Gabe White in return.
Encarnacion was traded less than eight months later for Ryan Dempster and
Todd Walker was dumped for two players during December 2002.
2003: Bowden must have sensed his termination following the '03
season as the Reds finished in fifth place (69-93) in the NL Central. From
July 30 to August 31 Bowden traded away Jose Guillen, Scott Williamson, Gabe
White, Aaron Boone, Kent Mercker, Scott Sullivan, and Kelly Stinnett. Since
Bowden's departure the Reds haven't finished better than third in their
division and have yet to have a winning season.
With so much movement over the last sixteen years and just one playoff berth
to show for it, Walt Jocketty's preservation this season becomes
commendable. He strayed from trade rumors involving Bronson Arroyo and
Francisco Cordero last season as he acquired Scott Rolen en route to
building this year's first place organization. Moves can and will be made
through August, but it seems that Jocketty is just fine with the players
that he has. We can only hope that the Reds come through on their half of
the deal. So far, they are 3-0 and have reclaimed sole-possession of
first-place in the NL Central since the non-waiver trade deadline expired.
Go Reds.
PACKED INTO GABP THIS WEEKEND, FANS WITNESS REDS WIN SERIES AGAINST BRAVES
8.2.10 BY:MEH GREAT AMERICAN WEEKEND
PACKED INTO GABP THIS WEEKEND, FANS WITNESS REDS WIN SERIES AGAINST BRAVES
(Photo:
Cincinnati.com)
Over the weekend as the
Reds hosted the Atlanta Braves, 122,855 fans showed up to record the largest
attendance for a three-game series in the history of Great American
Ballpark. Entering Friday's game, the Reds were winless against Atlanta
(0-2) this season.
Johnny Cueto went 5.1 innings for the Reds on Friday and allowed four runs
on ten hits. After Cueto exited the game in the sixth, the Reds remained
down 4-3 until Joey Votto crushed his
27th homerun of the season during the eighth off Jonny Venters to tie
the game at four runs a piece. After the Reds' bullpen (Bray, Ondrusek,
Masset, and Rhodes) did what they have been doing lately for 3.1 innings
(1H, 0ER) after Cueto's departure, closer Francisco Cordero entered the game
with one out in the ninth inning. Troy Glaus grounded out before Brooks
Conrad (hit a walk-off grand slam during the Reds' seventh inning meltdown
on May 5 against Cordero) sent a deep fly ball to right-center field that
defensive substitution Chris "Vicious" Heisey waited for,
and robbed, for the final out. After a quiet bottom of the ninth for the
Reds, Cordero was sent back to the mound in the tenth. After Omar Infante
grounded to Orlando Cabrera for the first out, Cordero walked Malky Cabrera,
struck out Matt Diaz, and walked Martin Prado. Jason Heyward then doubled in
both runners placing the Braves permanently ahead of the Reds
6-4. Cordero received his fourth loss of the season.
Ten minutes prior to the FOX national broadcast of game-two between the Reds
and Braves on Saturday, the 2010 MLB non-waiver trade deadline expired. The
first-place Braves acquired OF Rick Ankiel and RHP Kyle Farnsworth from the
Kansas City Royals while Walt Jocketty's Cincinnati Reds
made no moves toward improvement or dismantlement.
Here's what else went down around the league:
"The
one thing I’ve learned is you have to be patient,”
Jocketty said.
“You have to be disciplined not to make a deal just to make a deal. A lot
times, you make a deal that you regret later. I talked to a lot of guys who
say sometimes the best deals are the ones you don’t make. Obviously, there
were clubs coming at us for our top young talent. We weren’t going to trade
them unless it significantly helped our club. There were certain things that
we were looking at to see if we could improve. I still like our club. I’ve
always liked our club. I think we’ll stay in this until the end. We’ve still
got some things we might do within the system."
Bronson Arroyo pitched seven innings on Saturday and after the Braves scored
two runs in the first inning, settled down to allow just two hits and pitch
scoreless ball for the remainder of his outing. The Reds scored off a
Scott Rolen solo-homerun during the fourth, but trailed the Braves 2-1
until the seventh inning. After a Scott Rolen double and a Jonny Gomes
single, Jay Bruce notched his 41st RBI of the season with a ground ball to
right field. Drew Stubbs then struck out for the second out of the inning.
With two out and two on, Ryan Hanigan doubled to center fielder Melky
Cabrera. Both runners easily scored and as Melky Cabrera clumsily
lunged the ball into the middle of the outfield, Hanigan rounded the
bases and also scored on the throwing error. On 700WLW, the Cowboy exclaimed
"I've never seen anything like that before." Shaky Reds' closer Francisco
Cordero allowed two hits in the ninth, but struck out Jason Heyward looking
to end the game as he received his 28th save of the season and the Reds
defeated the Braves 5-2.
Edinson Volquez faced Tommy Hanson for Sunday afternoon's rubber match.
Volquez struggled with his consistency for the third straight start (5BB),
but held the Braves to just one run (Alex Gonzalez solo-shot to lead off the
second inning) over five innings, as he allowed just three hits and struck
out six. Hanson held the Reds scoreless through four innings, but allowed a
one-out single to Ramon Hernandez followed by a
Brandon Phillips RBI triple with one out in the fifth. Orlando Cabrera
then grounded to Atlanta shortstop Alex Gonzalez. Failing to secure the
ball, Gonzalez committed his 13th error of the season allowing Cabrera to
reach base and Phillips to score. The Reds' bullpen (Smith, Bray, Masset)
threw three scoreless innings of no-hit ball leading up to Francisco
Cordero's third appearance against the Braves in as many days. Cordero
retired Matt Diaz and Brooks Conrad before allowing a Jason Heyward double.
Omar Infante then grounded a 95mph fastball back to Cordero that ended the
inning. As the Braves left a whopping 21 men on base, Cordero received his
29th save of the season and the Reds
beat the Braves 2-1.
The Reds' two wins against the Braves over the weekend marked their third
straight series win. Over their last eleven series the Reds have won nine,
lost one, split one with the Washington Nationals, and compiled a 22-15
record. Despite the absence of Scott Rolen for nine days, Jay Bruce and Drew
Stubbs struggling mightily through July, and their closer living on the
edge; the resilient Redlegs have managed to stay competitive.
Following Sunday's game, 41 year-old Russ Springer (6.1IP, 2H, 1BB, 0ER, 5K
during seven appearances in Louisville) was promoted to the Reds. Carlos
Fisher will return to the Bats to make room for Springer on the Reds'
roster.
The Reds are currently a 1/2 game behind the first-place St. Louis Cardinals
in the NL Central. They will begin a three-game series in Pittsburg on
Monday. The Pirates were outscored 21-2 while being swept by the Cards
during three games over the weekend.
MONDAY: Travis Wood (1-1, 2.87) vs. Ross Ohlendorf (1-8, 4.35) at
7:05pm
TUESDAY: Mike "Godzilla" Leake (7-2, 3.57) vs. Paul Maholm (6-9,
4.52) at 7:05pm
WEDNESDAY: Johnny "Rotten" Cueto (10-2, 3.32) vs. Jeff Karstens (2-6,
4.42) at 12:35pm
Career vs. Reds:
Ross Ohlendorf: 1-2, 3.97ERA in 5 starts (22.2IP, 12BB, 12K)
Paul Maholm: 5-4, 3.69ERA in 17 starts (107.1 IP, 44ER, 14HR, 36BB, 76K)
Jeff Karstens: 0-3, 6.45ERA in 3 starts (22.1IP, 16ER, 5HR, 8BB, 10K)
In Cueto's first start against the Pirates this season on May 11, he hurled
his
finest game of the season (9IP, 0ER, 1H, 8K) during the 9-0 Reds
victory. On May 27, Cueto faced the Bucs again and pitched six innings of
scoreless ball allowing just three hits and striking out nine. He received
the victory in both starts. In 11 career starts against the Pirates, Cueto
is 8-2 with a 3.00 earned run average (66IP, 22ER, 7HR, 20BB, 69K).
Mike Leake has faced Pittsburgh just once in his career. On May 25, Leake
went 7.1 innings against the Pirates and allowed one earned run on ten hits
while receiving a no-decision. Travis Wood will be making his sixth career
start on Monday. He has yet to face the NL's worst (36-68) Pittsburgh
Pirates who are currently 24 games back in the NL Central.
