Later, group

[JohnU]

This board is no longer functional.

 

[Hit-n-Run]

Watching the Reds at times can leave a fan speechless.

A lot of people post to vent....which is OK. The Reds are a exercise in frustrating redundancy at times .... different game each day, but generally the same flaws. Whether it's not hitting with RISP, no lefty in the rotation, or whomever is the under performing whipping boy of the moment........the known flaws leave little that hasn't already been said.

I'm not sure how many people that post here actually watch the team on a daily basis....not much discussion about individual game situations and such. But I enjoy the board nonetheless.

 

[Redsfan1507]

I miss few games, but don't post everyday. Been busy on weekends lately, but try to catch up.

It's tough to stay positive with this team. I like Hamilton, but he's hitting Mendoza, and doesn't look like he's going to do much to change his approach. Lorenzen and Desclafani have promising tools, but they'll struggle to control them for awhile. Mesoraco ran the triple fine, and assume he doesnt shit standing up, so I'm confused about why he can't catch once in a while, or if he can't, why he isn't getting fixed on the DL. Gotta like where Cozart is at, and hope it lasts. Byrd has shown up finally. Chapman is human after all, and unfortunately still not in the rotation.

Can Bruce lose his job ? How long will he have to drive the I-90 before that happens ? At done point, maybe they should ask him to take some extra BP.

 

[Hit-n-Run]

I've been wondering the same thing about Jay Bruce. He's in his 28 year old season.....that's suppose to be his prime. He's always been streaky, but he looks unable to make any adjustments at all. The scouting report isn't changing with the success pitchers are enjoying against him.....and as the numbers show most MLB pitchers can execute it.

The handling of the Mesoraco injury makes the Reds look incompetent...again.

Could have made a lot of money if you'd bet your friends Cozart would be leading the team in BA two weeks into May.

 

[JohnU]

It does no good to complain about the obvious. I watched 2 plays today that were just bad breaks against the Reds and wondered ... yeah, Brandon Belt had 12 hits, Pence hit .800, Crawford drove in at least 8 runs, Aoki gets a bunt in a situation where everyone west of Baghdad knew what he was going to do except Todd Frazier and Tony Cingrani, who coyly walked the leadoff guy again.

So the bad breaks tend to even out when your team is poorly prepared. I see giving up 6 runs in the first 3 innings must be a new trend what is rapidly becoming a rotation that depends on the worst relievers in the league.

 

[JohnU]

It just occurs to me that the upside of having low expectations is that there is almost no chance of being disappointed.

 

[Hit-n-Run]

I've been in that mode all season. I still watch the team on a daily basis and as a fan I hope for sustained success. When the circumstances are right this team will look like they're playing better, but it never last. You can blow up a flat tire, but the air will eventually leak out the holes. Too many holes in the Reds to maintain any level of real success.

 

[Redsfan1507]

Pitching really imploded this weekend. Not surprised at Friday's result- I expect Marquis to get pounded by .500 plus teams, and I expect some inconsistency from Rookies like Desclafani, but a little surprised at Leake Saturday.

I guess the Giants offense is all cured now. I don't think Belt is a great hitter, but I think he demonstrated why a LHSP is important.

I'll be interested in the Mesoraco decision after DH duty for inter league play this week. I expect if he hasn't caught in a month, and swelling is down, it will return after a few games behind the plate. I think he will have no choice but surgery to repair the impingement. Barnhart becomes more important...I like Pena's bat, but he isn't going to throw anyone out. Barnhart needs to hit a little, so we can at least control the running game half the time.

It's going to be a difficult fan season, I think.

 

[JohnU]

Honestly, this is not a good baseball team.
Going around the diamond, Votto seems content now to establish his OBP and at times, remembers he has to swing the bat. Lately, he's been pathetic. His glove is fair to decent, but his range is wobbly.
Phillips will run out of gas and get hurt again.
The book on Cozart is being updated.
Frazier is a home run and a great play at third kinda third baseman. A dozen guys are as good.
The outfield is complete joke, if you subtract the defense. Hamilton's throws lately have been somewhere in the Zip code, at best.
If Cueto gets beat, and he will -- often -- this will be the best 90-loss team since 2007.

 

[redsfan03]

I think Price should move Votto back to the 2-hole. That's where he has had the most success this season. He seems to have fallen back into the walk or whiff rut that he tends to frequent.

This team is bad. It's not a well put together team. Bad lineup, bad rotation, bad bullpen, mediocre coaching, bad front office. That's not a recipe for success. Frazier, Byrd, and Bruce are all variations on the same type of player. This type tops out at a .250 batting average, decent defense, fairly frequent home runs, and a boatload of strikeouts. While I expect Cozart's average to drop, I do think he has made a few changes to become a better hitter. He seems more willing to hit to the opposite field, but he still struggles with breaking stuff (though, to be fair, most hitters do). He's also striking out at a lower clip than last year and walking at a higher rate. Seems like whoever they plug in at catcher has decent success. Phillips is hitting well so far, but he will crash back down to earth eventually.

The management of the pitching to me has been the most mind-boggling aspect of this team. I think it's fairly clear that the Reds are just not a good team. I think they should blow it up and start from scratch.

 

[Redsfan1507]

It's hard to manage a pitching staff comprised of 2 rookies and a washed up guy in the rotation and a bullpen with only 1 pitcher capable of getting 3 outs without giving up at least 1 run. Price didnt sign them, that's Jocketty's job.

That said, the baseball IQ on this team has been bad for a long time, and still is. Fundamentals lacking everywhere, including failure to commit to sound fundamentals to situational calls coaches and managers are responsible for making, and correcting when executed poorly. Doesn't happen.

On another note, the Marlins fired the manager, and the GM will assume both jobs now. It may be because GM/Manager Jennings fired both Ozzie and Redmon with contracts due, and this way he doesn't have to pay 3 guys- 2 not to manage, and a replacement to manage- he can do it on his own. I like the immediate accountability of having the guy responsible for signing the roster, also in charge of using it to the plan in mind at signing them. No guarantee they'll play any better, but no one can claim not being on the same page with manager & GM.

The Reds might not have had different results, but I think some few things would have been different with the Reds, if Jocketty was both GM and manager during Dusty's last few years. We would have seen Chapman in the rotation and Broxton closing, for sure, at least a try...it was always Jocketty's plan, that was never given a single game try under Dusty. How many role players did Jocketty get rid of after Dusty overplayed them at the expense of younger players PT ? It also might be harder to blow off a managers request if he could also DFA the guy refusing to cooperate.

Interesting.

 

[JohnU]

The Reds came out of camp with the same skill-set they had when they went into camp.
They still try to throw runners out at home from 300 feet out. They still get doubled off first base.
Did anybody actually notice HOW Aoki got the bunt down? Aoki was a guy the Reds could have used. He plays ball. Hamilton has had one bunt hit all year. He's faster than greased snot! Can't bunt.
Nobody seems to know how to hit to right field or cover 2nd base or keep a guy from getting a walking lead to steal 3rd. Not sure what the catchers are calling.
Teams that finish 4th play like 4th place teams.
Reds won't fix their problem. Price is the perfect fit for the city and the franchise. Nice conservative guy who every so often goes f-in mad ... then wallows around apologizing for it.

 

[Redsfan1507]

Look at the first place teams.

How many players are on career year pace ? There might be a few. Bryce Harper comes to mind, maybe Adrian Gonzalez ?? I betcha for every one of the frontrunners with a career pace player, they have another impact player off the mark. Kershaw isn't great so far. Wainwright is gone, and I don't think any Cardinal hitter is way above normal. Those teams expected "normal" production from most, not top of the career performance, I think.

The Reds just depended on too many players having near career years- Todd Frazier, Cozart, Mesoraco, Leake, and unfortunately, Hamilton, Bruce, Byrd, Marquis and even ol' Kevin Gregg...in order to truly compete at the top of the division. It's normal to maybe expect career years from a couple 25 year olds, but not 35 year olds. So, lets be honest. I think the Reds hoped Votto and Bailey and Bruce could return to pre-injury form, Cueto and Frazier and Chapman and Leake and Mesoraco and Byrd could repeat, and EVERYONE else could improve on last years stats. Just not that likely, IMO, especially considering the number of rookies and past 35 year olds included in that assessment.

It's too many holes to fill. Bailey and Meso got hurt, like so many others did last year. They traded 2 SP. This roster was limited by the payroll budget, and filled with what was left from Votto, Bruce,Bailey, Phillips, Leake, Mesoraco, Chapman, Frazier, Cozart, and Pena's salary. The 15 leftover spots may be woefully insufficient, but fault has to be placed on those top 10 core players production, and the inability to make up for dissapointment of them, by others. Even if only 2 of those 10 are missing, and 2 of them are underperforming, that 40% core underperformance can't be made up with the replacements on the Reds roster. IMO, they're lucky to be within 2-3 games of .500.

 

[JohnU]

I need to remind everyone that Simon was traded for a shortstop who was supposed to replace Cozart, who evidently used the threat to improve his game.

Now ... the book is being re-written on how to get Cozy out ... so expect a falloff to about .240 over the next 4 months ... unless he really is a better hitter than we think.

Meanwhile, Suarez will be scrambled, shuffled and lost in the woodwork in the minors, as are most Reds prospects ... as we keep signing 35-year-old washed up relief pitchers who don't even make it to Memorial Day.

DeSclafani is writing his ticket back to Lousyville ... not sure what that means but the innings governor on Lorenzen and Iglesias has been turned on ... as if either was going to win a divisional title anyhow.

Chad Wallach, the catcher we got, can't replace Mesoraco because ... well, because ....

 

[Redsfan1507]

The roster is thin enough to insure decisions are reactionary, rather than thoughtfully planned. The 3 rookie pitchers on the roster plus Marquis, were evidently the plan to replace Latos, Simon, Cueto and Leake. I hope they have a plan to replace the fans that leave with them.

Unplanned shit happens, all the time , like injuries and guys that just forget how to put the ball in play. Don't know if it's bad timing or just bad planning, but sure does seem like anyone that signs an extension is almost immediately having surgery or needing it.