The season so far

[JohnU]

Proving you aren't a contender in February, it's also hard to beat good pitchers with ordinary hitting. Whoever plans the Reds bunt defenses needs to be fired.

 

[eburg5000]

Lose 8 in a row, win 4 in a row, now lose 4 in a row and counting. this might be the worst hitting team in Reds history.

 

[JohnU]

Lose 8 in a row, win 4 in a row, now lose 4 in a row and counting. this might be the worst hitting team in Reds history.

Gotta wonder, that's for sure. It seems the data collection has done a number on them. LA has good pitchers though.

 

[eburg5000]

Reds win, and Igesias got through a perfect ninth to get the save. I believe that's the best he has pitched so far this year. Still only 5 hits, but you it was a win and you have to take them any way you can.

Best batting avg on the team is 263, And that is Barnhart. I think Casali BA is better but I didn't see it. Igesias was 250, while Votto and Suarez are around 230, The rest of the team is around 200 or under.
Maybe they should try Casali in LF (just kidding I think)

 

[Hit-n-Run]

Heard a guy on local sports talk suggest shaking up the roster by calling up 4A players. Not sure how calling up replacement level talent to replace players performing at replacement level helps.

 

[JohnU]

Heard a guy on local sports talk suggest shaking up the roster by calling up 4A players. Not sure how calling up replacement level talent to replace players performing at replacement level helps.

It's VFW barstool baseball philosophy, suggesting that "they can't do any worse" ... or somebody who should simply be cut off before they finish that sentence.

You don't just 'call up' guys and replace people on the roster who are signed to big-league contracts. I think a whole roster of WAR-0 players win 48 games, if I read my data correctly.

The Reds just need a little luck. The team BaBip is .228, not sustainable in any league.

 

[eburg5000]

Heard a guy on local sports talk suggest shaking up the roster by calling up 4A players. Not sure how calling up replacement level talent to replace players performing at replacement level helps.

1.How do you make room for these replacement players?
2. I think the players union would have something to say about it.

I wonder what the scouting report has on the Reds hitters, Is there a flaw in there approach? or is it just a team slump? It also could be they are just not that good. Certainly the team would adjust if it was there approach. So that has to be one of the other 2.

On the brighter side they have won two in a row, but in those two wins they have a combined total of only 9 hits

 

[Hit-n-Run]

Eventually there will be two call ups. Scooter and Senzel are going to bump someone off this roster. Barring injury I'd say Kyle Farmer is the first to go. The second is debatable.

 

[JohnU]

I don't think we see Scooter until July.
Senzel ... first of June.

 

[JohnU]

Castillo's sample size is getting bigger.

 

[eburg5000]

I was just wondering, how much longer is Alex Wood going to be out? You don't here much about him.

 

[JohnU]

I was just wondering, how much longer is Alex Wood going to be out? You don't here much about him.

At this point, it's not going to matter much other than keeping Duke on the roster. I hear all sorts of things. Not much makes any sense.

 

[Hit-n-Run]

I think Wood was supposed to throw a BP yesterday. Didn't hear how it went. But he's at least 3-4 weeks away from being ready regardless. Bad backs make you day to day even when you're presumed healthy.

Senzel has resumed baseball activities. If he were being viewed as an infielder I think he might get called up in a couple weeks. But as a CF he needs more reps, so June is probably a good call. I'd say Phil Ervin is still ahead of him if they need an OF the next few weeks.

Scooter's injury is the one that has potential to last the longest. All Star break is probably realistic, but a setback and he may as well be out for the season.

Votto out yesterday with back problems. Didn't get a lot of press last season, but he had issues with his back at times. He's entering the Scott Rolen phase of his career. I don't expect him to be an elite hitter moving forward.

 

[Hit-n-Run]

I heard someone say that through the first 21 games this pitching staff has allowed 49 fewer runs than last season.

 

[JohnU]

I heard someone say that through the first 21 games this pitching staff has allowed 49 fewer runs than last season.

11 games in bigger ballparks may account for some of it but this isn't a pushover pitching staff.

 

[eburg5000]

Kemp went on the DL, Ervin up. Ervin probably will provide a little better defense, and he might add some pop on offense although Kemp was starting come around.

 

[JohnU]

OF defense is proving to be quite unpredictable. One wonders: Does bad hitting make for bad fielding by men who were brought up to play baseball professionally?

 

[Hit-n-Run]

You wouldn't make an outfield defense instructional video with this group. Kemp has the best fundamentals, but is a shell from his glory days. Schebler and Puig are both unorthodox, but athletic enough to get by. Winker is slow and steady.

John mentioned Babip awhile back. Just looking at the LHB, the inability to beat the shift is killing this group. Schebler, Winker, and Dietrich have really struggled. It was nice to see Dietrich bunt against the shift. This lineup has to do a better job beating the shifts to be effective.

 

[JohnU]

You wouldn't make an outfield defense instructional video with this group. Kemp has the best fundamentals, but is a shell from his glory days. Schebler and Puig are both unorthodox, but athletic enough to get by. Winker is slow and steady.

John mentioned Babip awhile back. Just looking at the LHB, the inability to beat the shift is killing this group. Schebler, Winker, and Dietrich have really struggled. It was nice to see Dietrich bunt against the shift. This lineup has to do a better job beating the shifts to be effective.

Oddly it is baserunners that beat the shift. Dunno ... I see too many swings at pitches that are out of frustration. Schebler is the worst offender.
But if you get guys on base, defenses tend to make less use of the shift.
Reds are using the shift too and it's working, so nobody has the edge there. Now everyone wants to import the launch angle to beat the shift. Strike out much?
MLB is beside itself because people got too smart for the business. They invented pitching clones and this is the result.

 

[Hit-n-Run]

Baserunners are the key. Tanner Roark is a good example of a guy that allows a lot of baserunners. He's always one gap shot from having a crooked number on the board. To his credit he has wiggled off the hook more times than not. You have to think it's going to catch up with him sooner or later.

Now I don't know which came first..... the chicken or the egg? But all intial baserunners begin as a batter. Around 70% of baserunners come via the batted ball. So until the table setters hit the ball where the fielders ain't, the odds of hitting the three run homer this team seems to be waiting for is unlikely.

Last in batting average and 28th in walks. We can deduce that one is connected to the other.