Cinful to return

[JohnU]

Reds are reporting that Cingrani will be ready to pitch Tuesday against the CF's in Wrigley Field.

 

[Redsfan1507]

I'm not expecting miracles, but he's a lefty, and he's not Villarreal.

 

[redsfan03]

Him not being Villarreal is always a plus.

 

[chico ruiz]

for what it's worth, reynolds and galarraga are having good years -thus far- for louisville. but, certainly not the type that cingrani is having.

 

[eburg5000]

I know this has probably already been discussed, but why in the hell was Villareal or what ever his name is brought up in the 1st place? He wasn't good in the minors or spring training. I would rather have seen Simon, or even Parra start that game. Hell anyone other than Villareal. The bullpen was used up anyway so what was the difference, Except not having any chance at all to win. It also in my opinion started us on a 3 games or more slump. We didn't need to go in to this Cardinals series losing 2 out of 3 to the Rockies.

 

[WvuDieHard]

Villareal learned a big lesson: Don't throw inside riding fastballs to good hitters. Cargo and Tuto wore him out.

 

[JohnU]

Reds keep burning up Cingrani's options. I'd rather he stay with the big club and learn to pitch here. He can go into the rotation next year. What else does he get to learn with the Bats?

 

[bengaldoug]

Totally agree. He can solve the Marshall problem once Cueto comes back. And should more problems surface in the rotation it wouldn't take much at all to stretch him back out.

 

[JohnU]

He solves the Parra problem and the Partch problem. He also helps solve the Chapman problem.

 

[Redsfan1507]

IMO, Walt asks Dusty his preference too much, and as such, Cingrani will go back to AAA when Cueto returns. Parra was a bad decision with lower dollar risk based on the assumption Dusty was going to go along with Chapman in the rotation. He was meant to replace part time wild Bill Bray, not Sean Marshall.

I think it's easy to get blinded when you already have your mind made up. Leake HAS pitched well, so it's easy to say that's the right call, until you consider the impact LHP, specifically LHSP makes...NOT really in being "competitive", but in winning it all...you simply have 10% chance without one( over the last 50 years). Dusty knew Chapman was a great closer...so he wasn't going to consider him as a SP.

It's not like they had to trade Chapman, Leake, Cingrani or Broxton. It's not like TRYING the plan A Walt put together this winter could harm anything...a SP can ALWAYS go back to closing, within days, but can't go the other direction as easy. A closer can always immediately be a setup man, and a minor league SP can immediately be brought up to start OR work from the pen. Dusty wouldn't have it. I haven't the faintest clue why, but I do believe his insufficiently unexplained refusal to try a riskless change does limit this teams potential ceiling. I'd rather WIN something in post season BEFORE settling on status- quo. Maybe Dusty didn't want to appear to have been wrong if things went well, or appear to have been wrong (blamed for the change) if it didn't ? Doesn't make sense to me, but a lot about Dusty doesn't make sense to me.

For now, it is what it is. In my heart, I hope it's good enough, but in my more rational mind, I know it could have been better, and I believe MLB at the level I want to see the Reds at, doesnt suffer self imposed limitations, compromise that doesn't improve the balance of the team, and suicide by stupidity.

In many ways like these not easily seen by fans, I think Dusty is a handicap. Walt isn't perfect as a GM, but he has shown he WILL correct his mistakes. Dusty won't risk exposing any more of his by trying to get better. It's a quagmire, so close to the goal. It's like a jockey pulling his horse up in the backstretch while contending for the lead, because he thinks he's got "enough" to win anyway.