Tag Archives: Cincinnati Reds

Pitching priceless when healthy

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The Cincinnati Reds thought they had greatly reduced their risk by picking up Ryan Madson on a short-term deal this offseason and they were right. What they hadn’t, and couldn’t have, done was to eliminate the risk of him getting injured.

Madson has just joined the list of pitchers undergoing Tommy John surgery, ending his season before it had begun.

The Reds will bemoan their bad luck, while reflecting on the wiseness of also acquiring Sean Marshall in a trade with the Cubs. He is likely to take on the closer role in Madson’s absence and should do a fine job, although the Reds will now be looking at their bullpen depth and assessing what other options they have internally to add to their Major League group.

The old baseball adage that good pitching beats good hitting will always be the subject of great debate.

What isn’t a matter of contention is that the saying is of little use when applied to rosters on paper. It doesn’t matter how talented your hitting or pitching staff is if your best players are not fit to play.

That’s where the emphasis on good pitching does matter the most. Pitchers by their nature are a greater injury risk than position players and most teams will have to deal with setbacks to their hurlers over the course of the year.

If you have a strong and healthy pitching staff, the advantage isn’t necessarily so much a direct advantage over the hitters they are facing, but the relative advantage created by your hitters potentially facing the opponent’s weakened staff.

A talented pitching staff is of great benefit to a team’s postseason prospects. A talented pitching staff that can stay healthy is absolutely priceless.

Cuban Céspedes a Cactus League curiosity

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Oakland A'sSaturday will be an exciting day for Oakland A’s fans.

Their team’s new Cuban outfielder Yoenis Céspedes is set to make his Spring Training debut against the Cincinnati Reds at 20.05 GMT, with the game being covered live on MLB.TV.

Céspedes was one of the most intriguing free agents of the recent offseason. He had starred in the Cuban baseball league and for his national team before defecting to the Dominican Republic last year to follow his dream of playing in the Major Leagues.

Cuban players always fascinate in part because of that journey, whether from a symbolic point of view, a literal point of view or both. Orlando Hernández epitomized this better than any other, fleeing his homeland by crossing shark-infested waters on a little boat before signing for the New York Yankees.

When he made his debut on 3 June 1998, we were given the first chance to see whether the tales of El Duque’s excellence back home amounted to myth or reality. There is always an element of discovery when a prospect starts competing at the Major League level, but with Cuban exports this is increased ten-fold. You just don’t know how good they will be or how easily they will be able to adapt to a completely different culture in North America.  Continue reading →

2011 MLB Preview: National League Central

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MlbHlSqFor the first time since they topped the National League Central in 1995, the Cincinnati Reds enter a season looking to defend their division.  And their rivals are determined to make it a difficult year.

2010 Standings (Team, win-loss record)

1. Cincinnati Reds (91-71)
2. St. Louis Cardinals (86-76)
3. Milwaukee Brewers (77-85)
4. Houston Astros (76-86)
5. Chicago Cubs (75-87)
6. Pittsburgh Pirates (57-105)

The 2010/11 Offseason

It has been an interesting offseason in the NL Central.

The reigning champion Reds went down a course of consolidation.  They brought back starter Bronson Arroyo and signed extensions with Joey Votto, Jay Bruce and Johnny Cueto, whilst avoiding the loss of any significant contributors.  All of which means they remain a very solid team, but they haven’t pushed on with the help of acquiring new players and other teams in the division have taken that as a sign to chance their arm. Continue reading →

A busy early January in MLB

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MlbHlSqIt has been a busy start to 2011 as the early days of January have produced a number of notable bits of transaction news in MLB.

Beltre joins the Rangers

The news-making started in Texas, where the Rangers didn’t leave their ‘Cliff Lee’ money in the bank for long.  They used some of the cash that would have gone to the Phillies’ new recruit to sign Adrian Beltre to a 5 year deal worth $80m (just a shade under £200k per week for the duration of the contract), with a $16m option for a sixth year on top. 

Beltre turned down some multi-year offers twelve months ago and signed a one-year deal with the Boston Red Sox with the aim of having a big year and getting a better deal.  As so often happens with clients of agent Scott Boras, the plan worked out perfectly (well, arguably almost perfectly as the Red Sox’s signing of Adrian Gonzalez took them out of the equation of re-signing the third baseman.  Their involvement in the bidding process may have lead to a guaranteed sixth year).

It’s a nice upgrade for the Rangers as he figures to put up some good offensive numbers in Texas and is far superior with the glove than Michael Young at the hot corner, although quite how much of an upgrade it will be overall depends on what value they get out of Young as a DH/utility infielder. 

This is the third time Young has been moved from a position to accommodate someone else by the Rangers; not the typical way a sports team would treat their captain.  For all of the qualities he does bring to a team, defensive excellence at one position isn’t one of them.  This latest move is a pragmatic decision and Young appears to accept it as such. 

Will the Yankees be quite so pragmatic with Derek Jeter and will their captain be so obliging when the time comes?  I’m not convinced.

Knock-on effect for the Angels

The above move had the added benefit for the Rangers of taking away another target from their division rivals the L.A. Angels (the A’s also put a strong bid in for Beltre, for the second year in a row, but the player’s apparent reluctance to join Oakland made that interest seem almost inconsequential).  First Carl Crawford, then Beltre: this offseason isn’t going the Angels’ way so far.  Continue reading →

2010 Season Review: NL Central Part One

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MlbHlSq2010 proved to be the year that the Cincinnati Reds finally got back to the postseason for the first time since 1995. 

BaseballGB Predictions

Joe Cardinals
Mark Cardinals
Matt Cardinals
Russ Cubs
Steve Brewers

 

Cincinnati Reds (91-71)

The Reds had been a trendy pick to emerge as a playoff contender in 2008 and 2009 due to their crop of young talent arriving in the Majors.  It didn’t quite happen in those years, but the team came of age in 2010 and deservedly took the NL Central crown.

It was the Reds’ misfortune that their first postseason game since 1995 was against Roy Halladay and the Philadelphia Phillies.  It was as if Game One was Cincinnati’s birthday party, long in the planning and eagerly anticipated, to which Halladay turned up and promptly walked off with all the presents. The Phillies’ ace pitched a no-hitter and thoroughly deflated the Reds, leading to a 3-0 sweep and a brutally blunt end to Cincinnati’s season. 

The obvious disappointment will be tempered by the knowledge that the Reds’ 2010 success was built on a mix of youth and experience that should hold them in good stead for the next few years.

Joey Votto stood out in the batting lineup, and in the National League MVP award stakes, but the Reds’ offence was potent because he was far from the only threat.  Scott Rolen, Brandon Phillips, Ramon Hernandez, Jay Bruce and Drew Stubbs all made significant contributions alongside a bit of thump from Jonny Gomes. 

In the pitching department, Bronson Arroyo held everything together in typically understated fashion, while Mike Leake and Travis Wood had impressive rookie seasons and Arthur Rhodes rolled back the years in the bullpen.  And then came Aroldis Chapman.  The Cuban exile jumped up to the Big Leagues down the stretch and caused a sensation with his 105 MPH fastball and filthy slider.

Dusty Baker’s men might have been dismissed quickly from the playoffs in 2010, but there’s a good chance they’ll be back again in 2011 and maybe it will be them getting the brooms out next time.  Continue reading →

Phillies follow the Yankees’ lead

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MlbHlSqI raised the prospect of a Phillies-Yankees World Series repeat in my last post and, rightly or not, anything else would be something of a shock now.

Everything seems to be coming together for the Phillies at just the right time.  Their ‘big three’ is fearsome enough, but adding it to their potent batting lineup makes them tough to beat on any given night.

Cole Hamels completed the sweep over the Reds with a complete game shut-out on Sunday after Roy Halladay had started the series with a no-hitter.  Roy Oswalt wasn’t quite as sharp as his rotation-mates in Game Two, lasting just five innings; however, the bullpen and batting lineup will quite happily pick up the slack if the three-headed-ace monster dominates two games out of three.

Continue reading →

Rays rally against the Rangers, Yankees sweep the Twins

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MlbHlSqWe hoped for two comebacks, but had to settle for one.  The Tampa Bay Rays managed to rally against the Texas Rangers to send their ALDS to a Game Four that will be broadcast live on BBC 5 Live Sports Extra from 18.00 this evening.  The Minnesota Twins were swept by the Yankees.

Again.

It’s hard to imagine how demoralising this series defeat will be to the Twins.  In previous years, they have always come into the postseason with an ‘underdog’ tag due to their relatively low payroll.  That wasn’t the case this year.  The finance is there, as shown by the way they were able to tie Joe Mauer to the team for years to come, and the glorious new ballpark is in place.  Many felt it was time to deliver.  Continue reading →

Roy Halladay makes postseason pitching look easy on his debut

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That’s one way to mark your postseason debut. 

Listening to the Reds-Phillies game via the WPHT Phillies radio commentary, I had ‘no-hitter’ on the mind as soon as Jay Bruce grounded out to end the top of the second inning.  ‘Six up, six down’ would normally leave you thinking that the pitcher had got off to a good start.  With someone of Halladay’s calibre on the mound, history was waiting to be written even before he had passed through the whole batting order once.

Halladay’s strong start appeared ominous after watching both David Price and Cliff Lee struggle to find their rhythm early on in the Rays-Rangers game.

Buck Martinez on the TBS coverage was throwing out the old line of teams needing to get to good pitchers early before they settle in.  The Rangers’ batters did that against Price, the Rays’ batters couldn’t quite do it to Lee (despite putting some good swings on the ball) and the Reds’ batters were not given the chance to do it to Halladay.

The Reds held Jimmy Rollins, Chase Utley, Ryan Howard and Jayson Werth hit-less and that may be something they can hold onto to give them confidence heading into Game Two tomorrow.  On the flip side, the Phillies have to feel good about getting a win despite their batting core being held in check.

Swinging on 3-0

The most notable moment in the Rangers-Rays game came in the third inning when Nelson Cruz launched a bomb on a 3-0 pitch from David Price.  It was a textbook case of a pitcher expecting the hitter to be taking all the way and just grooving a fastball down the pipe. 

It’s incredible how often that approach works.  There are valid reasons to be patient on a 3-0 pitch and to see if the pitcher can finally find the strikezone, but whenever you see the offering pass harmlessly over the plate, you get the sense that the hitter has missed out (or was pushed that way by his manager instructing him not to swing). 

The same topic came up on Saturday when the Oakland A’s Jack Cust took a 3-0 pitch from the Mariners’ David Pauley into the seats.  After the game, Cust told the waiting reporters that he wished he was given the green light more often in that situation.  “I wish I could swing every time 3-0. That’s a good count to hit in. I was trying to hit a home run”, said Cust. 

With all due respect, Jack Cust would not normally be held up as an example for all hitters to follow.  However, he’s on to something with his 3-0 approach.  Why give the opposing pitcher a free strike?  If it’s there to be hit, give it a whack.  At the very least it would keep pitchers honest and force them to aim for a corner, increasing the chances that they will deliver ball four.

It will be very interesting to see how the Rays pitching staff responds if Cruz gets into a 3-0 count again during this series.

Quick note: I’ll probably be concentrating on shorter-type posts like this over the next month or so due to other commitments limiting my ability to research and write longer pieces.  I’m sure the postseason will provide me with plenty of great moments to write about.

Saturday’s early MLB games: Phillies-Braves and Padres-Giants lead the way

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The last Saturday of the 2010 MLB regular season brings us seven ‘early’ games starting before midnight UK time.  There are four to choose from at 18.10, then three at 21.10.

All times are in BST

18.10. Toronto at Minnesota (Shaun Marcum – Brian Duensing)

The Twins were the first team to clinch a postseason berth, wrapping up the AL Central back on 21 September.  They’ve been able to rest some of their regulars in preparation for a tilt at the World Series; however during that time they’ve also gone on a bad losing sequence, including a 6-3 loss to the Blue Jays last night. 

Clearly the Twins haven’t turned into a lesser team and the ALDS will immediately reignite their competitive spirit, but Ron Gardenhire will surely be hoping that his team can finish the season with two wins to take away the possible distraction of people talking about their poor form heading into the playoffs. 

18.10. Milwaukee at Cincinnati (Chris Capuano – Homer Bailey)

Casey McGehee’s infield single in the eleventh inning sent Milwaukee to a 4-3 victory yesterday and has put Cincinnati on course for an NLDS against either the Philadelphia Phillies or the NL West winner.  The Reds had a 9-1 season record over the Brewers heading into this series, but are now 5-5 over their last ten games.

18.10. Washington at NY Mets (Yunesky Maya – Raul Valdes)

Not a match-up to whet the appetite of non-Nationals or Mets fans, if we’re being honest.  In fact the game may also seem incidental against the backdrop of the continuing rumblings about the futures of the Mets’ General Manager Omar Minaya and Manager Jerry Manuel.

The Mets’ scheduled starter will provide a reminder of one of Minaya’s biggest mistakes. Reliever Raul Valdes is set to make a rare start because their only other option is Oliver Perez, he of the 3 year/$36m panic contract from the 08/09 offseason.  The Nationals will send the Cuban Yunesky Maya out for his fifth Major League start.  He’s 0-3 so far with a 6.43 ERA and he conceded four runs in five innings against the Mets on his debut on 7 September.

18.10. Colorado at St. Louis (Ubaldo Jimenez – Kyle Lohse)

It’s been a disappointing end to the season for these two teams, both of whom hoped to be in the playoff mix and are now playing out the string with nothing but pride and personal achievements on the line.  The main personal achievement in the offing today involves the Rockies’ starter.  Jimenez was landed with a loss against Dodgers last time out, so he’s now trying to get to twenty wins in his final start of what’s been an outstanding season.  

21.10. Philadelphia at Atlanta (Vance Worley – Tommy Hanson)

The Braves still have work to do if they are to send off manager Bobby Cox in style.  The Phillies beat the Braves 11-5 yesterday, ensuring that it will be another nervy day at Turner Field with the team on the verge of clinching the NL Wild Card.  Tommy Hanson is exactly the pitcher they would want on the mound today.  His 10-11 record doesn’t look like much, but every baseball fan knows that win-loss records only give you a very broad idea of how a season has gone.  He is 1-0 over his last four starts, but in the three no-decisions he conceded just three runs in 20.2 innings. 

As for the Phillies, the last piece in their playoff preparation jigsaw was for Jimmy Rollins to return from injury and to start swinging the bat well.  His grand slam yesterday suggests he’s firmly on his way back.  With Ryan Howard and Chase Utley over their mid-season injuries and their triple-headed starting monster of Halladay, Oswalt and Hamels in ominous form, few would be surprised if the Phillies make it all the way back to the World Series for a third straight year.

21.10. San Diego at San Francisco (Tim Stauffer – Barry Zito)

It’s all come down to this final series in the NL West.  The Giants need just one more win to clinch the division, but there’s no such thing as ‘just’ one more win in that situation.  The Padres came out with a do-or-die attitude yesterday and kept their hopes alive with a 6-4 victory, albeit with the Giants rallying from 6-0 down. 

The playoff picture in the National League is a bit complicated (all the permutations are explained on MLB.com here), but for the Padres and Giants today the goal is simple: win the game.  The home fans at AT&T Park will be in full voice, if not perhaps full of confidence with Barry Zito taking the mound.  Indeed the Giants themselves didn’t show great confidence in Zito yesterday as they pushed Matt Cain into Zito’s scheduled starting slot to try and wrap up the division.  Since July 21, Zito has a 5.01 ERA over fourteen appearances (thirteen starts and one extra-inning relief appearance).

21.10. NY Yankees at Boston (Andy Pettitte – Tim Wakefield)

The rain was the winner yesterday at Fenway Park, setting up a double-header today.  Currently the plan is for Andy Pettitte to start the opener and Yankee fans will be watching intently as the team admitted a couple of days ago that Pettitte had pitched through a back problem last time out. 

All the above games can be followed via various resources on MLB.com (Gameday, At Bat with Gameday Audio and MLB.tv).  A complete schedule of MLB games can be found on MLB.com

Saturday’s early MLB games: Rangers try to clinch, other playoff contenders in action as well

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There’s barely more than one week left of the 2010 MLB regular season, hard as it is to believe.  So, best enjoy the wide selection of live games while we can.

There are six MLB games starting before midnight UK time today.

All times are in BST.

18.05. St. Louis at Chicago Cubs (Chris Carpenter – Casey Coleman)

The Cincinnati Reds’ magic number in the NL Central is down to 3, meaning that even if the Cardinals win all of their remaining games, the Reds need only to win 3 of theirs to take the division.  In other words, St. Louis are an extreme long-shot to return to the postseason.  Still, victories over the Cubs are always enjoyed by Cardinals fans regardless of the standings.  Adam Wainwright got his 20th win of the season yesterday and St. Louis will go for their third win in a row with their ace on the mound today.

18.05. Atlanta at Washington (Derek Lowe – Yunesky Maya)

It’s all going horribly wrong for Bobby Cox’s Braves.  Their 8-3 loss to the Nationals last night made it 4 defeats in a row, leaves them 7 games behind the red-hot Phillies in the NL East (that ship has sailed) and half a game back in the Wild Card race.  They need to snap that losing streak today and start clocking up some victories fast, otherwise it’s going to be a very disappointing end to Bobby Cox’s managerial career.

18.07. Baltimore at Toronto (Jeremy Guthrie – Ricky Romero)

These are two teams playing out the string, but there are still plenty of reasons to take an interest in the game.  Not least of which is to follow the latest instalment in Jose Bautista’s incredible 2010 season.  He went deep twice yesterday (as did several other players) to take his Major League-leading home run total to 52.

21.05. Texas at Oakland (Derek Holland – Gio Gonzalez)

The A’s headed into this four-game series against the Rangers needing a sweep to give them a chance of making a very late run for the AL West title.  They won the opener on Thursday thanks to another excellent outing by Dallas Braden, but the Rangers responded last night with a 10-3 victory.  That means Texas can clinch the division, and their first playoff berth since 1999, with a victory today.

21.10. Boston at NY Yankees (Jon Lester – Ivan Nova)

Last night couldn’t have been much fun for Yankee fans.  It’s not often a team hits six home runs and loses, but that’s the trick New York managed to pull off against their bitter rivals.  Of more concern to the Bronx faithful would have been the way in which Andy Pettitte pitched.  The Yanks could just about put up with a loss to Boston owing to their different positions in the standings, but they were pinning their hopes on Pettitte providing a steadying influence in their postseason rotation.  Another poor performance next time out and they will be much less confident of retaining their World Series title.  Jon Lester has won his last five starts, while youngster Ivan Nova has been let down by one bad inning in each of his last four starts.

21.10. Cincinnati at San Diego (Travis Wood – Jon Garland)

This NL West/Wild Card race is going down to the wire: never-jangling for fans of the teams involved, exciting for the rest of us.  The Padres are fighting for everything and that showed last night as deadline pick-up Miguel Tejada came through yet again with a two-run single in the seventh inning that would prove to be the game-winner in a 4-3 victory.  Meanwhile there’s a sense that the Reds have slightly taken the foot off the accelerator with the NL Central all but sealed.  If true, San Diego will be looking to take full advantage today.

All the above games can be followed via various resources on MLB.com (Gameday, At Bat with Gameday Audio and MLB.tv).  A complete schedule of MLB games can be found on MLB.com