The next 12 games ....

[JohnU]

I give this game 2 more hitters. It's either Rizzo or Soler who ends it.

 

[Hit-n-Run]

Well the Reds have the daily double. They have a1st and 3rd out at third base tonight.

 

[JohnU]

Fucking Manny Parra is even worse than Gregg. I wasted 3 hours for this shit.

 

[JohnU]

The son of a bitch walked 2 guys, threw one in the dirt and grooved another one. DIDN'T GET ONE FUCKING OUT.

 

[Hit-n-Run]

It's going to take more than two batters, Parra is walking everybody.....bases loaded no outs.

 

[JohnU]

I give up.

 

[redsfan03]

Good Christ, our bullpen has somehow managed to be WORSE than last season. When your starter leaves you with a 2-run lead after 7 innings of work, you expect to win. This is going to be a long season.

 

[Hit-n-Run]

You can never score enough to make up for a bad bullpen. Six runs and you should win.

The pitches the bullpen are getting beat on are right down the middle. A 0-2 count and the batter's average drops significantly, but not when the next pitch is right down the middle.

Reds' relievers repeatedly walked the 1st batter they faced tonight. Lack of command is a major issue across the board in this pen.

 

[eburg5000]

If the Reds want to get a win, They're going to have to have Chapman pitch 2 innings, At least we could have won, one of these last to games. Like beating the Cardinals in a series for the 1st time in god knows how long. Two games in a row Jumbo blows a 2 run lead in the 8th. Someone has to pick it up and get some outs.

I don't know, but maybe instead of giving Broxton to the Brewers, for nothing. We should have kept him. He couldn't be any worse than what we have, except what they had to pay him.

 

[JohnU]

I find myself torn between not giving a shit and wondering why I do. I vow each winter that I will break the habit and like a damned junkie, I keep hoping -- like all fans, I reckon -- that these guys will miraculously become the players I wish they were. Two guys thrown out at third base, walking the leadoff guy ... what exactly is ever said in the clubhouse? Dunno, it's hard to throw rocks when you live in a glass house.

 

[tlakes20]

I find myself torn between not giving a shit and wondering why I do. I vow each winter that I will break the habit and like a damned junkie, I keep hoping -- like all fans, I reckon -- that these guys will miraculously become the players I wish they were. Two guys thrown out at third base, walking the leadoff guy ... what exactly is ever said in the clubhouse? Dunno, it's hard to throw rocks when you live in a glass house.

Hope I'm wrong on this, but I don't see this team doing better or much worse than 81-81. The offense has been pretty decent, a healthy Votto makes that offense so much better. The starting pitching minus Cueto, has been just ok, defense phenomenal, and the bullpen has just flat out sucked. You're only as good as your weakest link and right now that weakest link has led the Reds to screwing themselves out of 2 games in a row.

 

[Redsfan1507]

Well, when you walk guys, it's just a matter of time before you miss IN the strikezone. That's what's happening. The guys with good stuff don't have control, and neither do the guys with fastball challenged stuff.

The Reds may or may not have had PED users, but they are adversely effected by them, financially, as are all teams. The PED inflated price of players is now well above $100M/yr. and you can do the math at $100M/yr. payroll budget, how few of those players a team can afford and still turn a profit. MLB minimum is $450k/yr. and the average salary is over $4M.

Castellini was honest in his George Grande interview- he said the Reds were required to try to find lower salary players to fill the roster, around the few highly paid stars they already have. Votto, Bailey, Bruce, Phillips and Cueto are only 20% of the roster, but about 60% of the payroll. Take a look at who's making under $4M a year in MLB, and unless they are a pre-arbitration eligible youngster, they are a retread, or reclaimation project. 24th spot guys having to be 4th and 5th SP, 7th inning relievers, 4th outfielders, etc. on the Reds.

There are few options on the business side of things- losing money for a better team isn't one of them. What business could afford a cost increase of 50% ? That's what keeping Cueto, Leake and Broxton or Latos would have been. If you have to stay at $100M payroll, and pay 5 players $65M, that means you can only pay an average of $2M each for the other 19 players. If you need to increase payroll and can't draw more fans, you have to raise prices substantially (usually lowers attendance). If you can't do that, you have to turn expensive players over for cheaper ones- the farm is best, but no one has a dozen rookies to 3rd year players ready every year.

It is what it is...but reiterates my belief that when you do finally have most of the required stars aligned, a sense of urgency in winning is important. I think this team missed the boat during Dusty's run, and are now treading water. Not saying it's all Dusty's fault, just that he might not have been the fire needed under the asses capable of winning at least a single flipping post season series.

Votto, Bruce and Bailey are where this team have to start the rebuild with, because they are signed for the next several years. They have to live with Phillips decline thru his contract, and still have to contend with Frazier, Chapman, Mesoraco, Hamilton, and hopefully, the next couple of young stars, through increased salaries, or lose them like Cueto and/or Leake at the end of this year. In order to win, they have to get enough young talent before the big contract players are too old. It's a timing nightmare on a budget.

 

[Hit-n-Run]

The Reds' local TV deal expires at the end of 2017, so there doesn't appear to be a influx of revenue coming before then. The next couple years will probably follow the path of 2015 from a payroll scenario. The Reds have 10 players owed a collective $30M in pay raises next year and will most likely cut a equal amount between now and the free agency filing deadline. It sounds like a lot, but Parra and Marshall will account for $10M and Cueto and Leake will make up the difference. The Reds may not publicly say it, but they will probably be in rebuild mode moving forward.

 

[Redsfan1507]

Desclafani has looked impressive so far. A LOT better than Latos has, for sure. Latos elbow may be shot- his velocity is down and his control isn't. Simon hasn't fared well yet either. Too early to tell, but early indications are the Reds didnt do too badly if Desclafani can continue like he has.

Meanwhile, Gregg looks like his best gig might be pitching in the HR derby at the AS game.

 

[JohnU]

I think the rebuilding concept is probably an ongoing story, but there are so many components to it as to render it an academic discussion.

Among them:
Finding MLB-ready guys who want to play in Cincy ... hitters might, pitchers might not. The key phrase here is "ML-ready." We can say that about almost every pitcher on the staff, including Gregg.
Finding players who "fit" the system. My ongoing bitch in 2014 was how "Dusty" would use Billy Hamilton, even though nobody had considered how "somebody else" might use Hamilton. You can NOT build a roster around a manager. You build a roster around the ballpark and find a manager who can make that work.
Finding manager. Price is making mistakes but they are only mistakes when the decisions end up beating the team. The most famous "mistake" in Reds history is letting Billy Bates pinch-hit in the 1990 World Seres.

 

[JohnU]

Do the Reds NOT actually pay attention to scouting reports on Anthony Rizzo?

 

[Hit-n-Run]

Having a scouting report and being able to execute it is a different story.

Are we in the eight inning already?

 

[JohnU]

Travis Wood is lucky to escape the 5th inning against anybody else. It's not like the guy has some kind of mystery pitch.

 

[Hit-n-Run]

They didn't take a very long look at Josh Smith...they've already optioned him back to AAA and called up Pedro Villarreal.

 

[JohnU]

I KNOW, let's walk the leadoff guy!