Reds VS Cardinals Series Thread

[Kate Upton]

Given the fact that Votto mostly takes bases one at a time these days, why not put him in the 2 hole?

1) Choo

2) Votto

3) Phillips

4) Bruce

Dusty gets his precious lefty split, Phillips may stop swinging for the fences, and you have the 4 best offensive players in the top 4 spots.

 

[JohnU]

Given the nature of it all, here's what is, IMO.

1. Phillips officially has had a real good year.
2. Votto ought to be batting 2nd in the order, given how the lineup is currently structured.
3. Frazier and Cozart are failing because they lack proper instruction. That's where I stay on the matter and I will be only shoved off that dot when I can see evidence I am wrong. The hitting coach is not doing his job. Replacing Brook Jacoby should have occurred two years ago. It didn't. We're stuck with sloppy hitting.
4. As for the L-R-L-R ... it depends on the situation. I don't buy it as a fix or a flaw.
5. Ludwick will probably give good at-bats and he may stabilize the order. He isn't the Man of Steel.

 

[Redsfan1507]

Kate, I've often thought the same thing..except for one of the things you don't like about Votto, that I think IS important in a 3 hitter that no one else on this team (except maybe Choo) does- he walks. For all the RBI Phillips has, he doesn't walk or hit HR much, he is hitting under .270, and hit just hits too many groundballs, and into too many DP's for a guy I want hitting in the 3 or 4 spot. Lots of 4 hitters are successful hitting .260, but they usually hit more HR than BP, but not many people want a guy like that hitting 3rd. It's the focal point of the offense, usually reserved for the most complete hitter on the team, and that's Votto, not BP. I think Votto is going to hit in any lineup spot, and BP can too, just not as effectively as Votto. It's no knock on BP, I just think Votto is a better hitter.

 

[Redsfan1507]

I definately agree the best 4 hitters ought to be hitting on the first 4 lineup spots. It's frighteningly obvious, to everyone but Dusty.

 

[Kate Upton]

Kate, I've often thought the same thing..except for one of the things you don't like about Votto, that I think IS important in a 3 hitter that no one else on this team (except maybe Choo) does- he walks. For all the RBI Phillips has, he doesn't walk or hit HR much, he is hitting under .270, and hit just hits too many groundballs, and into too many DP's for a guy I want hitting in the 3 or 4 spot. Lots of 4 hitters are successful hitting .260, but they usually hit more HR than BP, but not many people want a guy like that hitting 3rd. It's the focal point of the offense, usually reserved for the most complete hitter on the team, and that's Votto, not BP. I think Votto is going to hit in any lineup spot, and BP can too, just not as effectively as Votto. It's no knock on BP, I just think Votto is a better hitter.

Oh there's no doubt that Votto is the better hitter, but given the fact that Dusty MUST split Votto and Bruce for whatever reason he has, I think that would be the optimal lineup at the present time, as opposed to the bottomless black hole we currently have between Choo and Votto.

I think that's why Ludwick's return is big for this lineup, regardless of whether he produces big or not.

His mere presence slots everybody where they should be. 1) Choo 2) Phillips 3) Votto 4) Ludwick 5) Bruce 6) Frazier 7) Mesoraco/Cozart 8) Hanigan/Cozart

You could argue that Bruce should be the 4 hitter and I would agree, but I don't mind Ludwick in that spot either.

 

[Redsfan1507]

We don't know Ludwick won't hit .072.

We have to win today.

The lineup on this team should have been Choo, Phillips, Votto, Bruce for the last 2 months. If nothing else, Dusty is stubborn...If he puts Ludwick in the 4 spot ( I don't know he will given BP's RBI total) when he returns, he'll leave him there come He'll or high water, or .073 BA.

The no L/L lineup thing kills me. The Hall of Fame is full of them, and to take a lineup sucker punch for the first 6 innings if a game so your 2 best power hitters don't have up face a friggin situational lefty reliever in the 7th inning is fucking ignorant. It's idiosyncratic bullshit like that that puts you 7 games back in August instead of 2 games up.

The Reds hit the ball tonight against a Padres team with a 4th starter on a 4th place team, a defense as porous as Marge Schotts vocabulary, and an offense that couldn't score in a whorehouse with a credit card. BP hit a HR that wouldn't have made the warning track in Pittsburgh, and Jay Bruce made a spectacular play on RF that don't make the web gems, because he didn't get an out- he did slide to stop a double off the wall, and threw a laser to 2b to keep Headley at 1b. It was a win, 3 in a row, and I'll take that every time.

 

[JohnU]

Again, it's worth mentioning ... if you don't beat the bad teams, you are one.

 

[WvuDieHard]

I don't buy into the situational LRLRLR batting order because by the time you get to that situation in 7th , 8th inning--you have already lost the fucking game. I believe you put your best hitters up in the lineup for the obvious reason--you want them to get as many AB's in a game as possible. It is just that simple. DustMop tries to outthink himself and routinely ends up looking stupid.

 

[eburg5000]

I don't like it either, but I am pretty sure that Dusty isn't going to change.

 

[Redsfan1507]

A great manager requires several things- a PHD in multiple disciplines, starting with and advanced degree in fundamentals- baseball 101. A mastery of the oppositions strengths and weaknesses, and the roster to exploit that. A psychology degree is handy. Ability to communicate at all levels and in any language is desired, and the ability to fix something before it breaks, or to have a master mechanic on hand that has expertise outside your own core competency is a neat tool. It helps to be convincing...to instill confidence, no matter what the difficulty of the task at hand.

Then, a well timed hunch, or a surprise move is effective. A bold move. A defining moment.

Dusty doesn't have many of those attributes...But, under the roght circumstances, none of that has to matter. A team in the ZONE is a unique and wonderful cure for all other ills...it's contagious, intoxicating. It's the high every illicit drug manufacturer, dealer or user craves. This team had that in late 2010. They had it for a while in 2012. The 1990 team had it for an entire season. It starts with a win, then 2, 3, and at some point, the game slows down. The ball is bigger. You see the stitches. Rotation. It hangs there waiting for you.

and any team with the talent to compete can catch that. Doesn't matter who you're playing, or where you are playing, but it always seems to happen when your playing FOR something, and it ususlly cones after some kind of adversity. The Reds have that opportunity in the next 6 weeks.

 

[BigBlueNation111]

I don't like it either, but I am pretty sure that Dusty isn't going to change.

 

[Ryanballa]

Just 2 game back behind the Cardinals now. We have won 3 in a row, the Cardinals have lost 3 in a row. Since that series the 2 teams have gone 2 different directions, with the Reds getting on a roll, and Cardinals struggling. The samething happen in 2010. The beginning of September these 2 teams meet up again in a 4 game series.