What a joke

[JohnU]

This team is unwatchable.

 

[Nosferatu]

Why? because Bruce misplayed a ball in right? The Reds will be fine.

 

[JohnU]

I think Bruce missing a ball is not really the point.
But if you want to cherry-pick, be my guest.

 

[tlakes20]

They honestly are, still play uninspired baseball like we've seen the last few years. No leader to step up on the team still, until someone gets the balls to do that and fire up this team, they'll continue to be one and done in the playoffs if they even are able to make it there this season.

 

[Redsfan1507]

Need to keep in mind, they might be playing 6 of the first 9 games against the best team in MLB. They're also down a few key players. I must admit I don't have much confidence in the lineup, even healthy...but less in Hoover, Ondrusek, etc. when they walk half they face and give up 325 ft. Flies in between hits. Bruce should have caught the ball, but the runners weren't his.

This was a clearly 2nd or 3rd place team before the DL loaded up. Can't be better than that without them. Guys are showing signs of bat life, just gotta have more ammo.

 

[JohnU]

Bailey gets staked to a 4-run lead and grooves a ball to Molina, the same guy who has been hitting Reds pitching like he owns it for the past 5 years. Do they not ever watch a game film? Molina doesn't do this against all the other teams, does he?

Matt Carpenter is 12-for-20 against Bailey. GEEZUS fucking Crap!

Groove a first-ball fastball to Wong, who hasn't shown he can hit .250 yet.

Phillips drops a routine throw on a DP ball that was poorly bunted.

That's just the most recent game.

Hoover coughs up 4 runs without even recording an out against the Mets.

Phillips pops up the first pitch --TWICE -- with Hamilton on first base. Hamilton has actually REACHED first base 4 times. Hamilton would probably steal 2nd base off and on if Phillips had the gumption to give the guy a chance.

Cozart has done that once, so Hamilton is a success by that measure.

Roger Bernadina turns out to be our most reliable hitter, unless another strikeout by Soto is sensible.

The O.D. baserunning blunders were a clue that this group of players is just a fuckin' joke.

And throughout all this, I have still NOT mentioned the routine fly ball that Bruce dropped. HINT: If you plan to win games, you have to catch the ball when it stays in the park.

Finally, and please ... yes, RBI is an overrated stat, but Votto actually has ONE this year. Of course, nobody from 7-8-9-1-2 is usually on base anyhow.

 

[JohnU]

1507, the only flaw in your logic is that the players the Reds have been missing are not the reasons the team is faltering, unless you figure Chapman would be closing instead of Hoover and Pena would be sitting behind Mesoraco. The fill-in game that Simon pitched was remarkable. The pitching, all in all, hasn't been awful, unless the Bailey starts are included. Ondrusek actually got out of that mess last night -- until the ball was misplayed in right.

 

[redsfan03]

The Reds suck right now. There's really no other way to put it. I expect improvement over the course of the season as guys get healthy (hopefully avoiding further injury) and other guys (hopefully) figure out how to hit. That said, I wouldn't expect this team to finish anywhere higher than 3rd in the NLC.

 

[JohnU]

I'd rather look bad than be right about some of this.

Clearly, if Hamilton can reach first base, this team has a chance to matter.

 

[redlegs@hokies]

Billy had himself a ballgame today.

 

[JohnU]

Cardinals announcers kept going on and on about it and almost had themselves convinced that the Bruce sac fly could have been called an infield fly. Shades of screwing the Braves, I suppose. Their logic was that Wong could have made the catch. The key part of the infield fly rule is "routine" ... either way, it's clear that it takes extraordinary defense to get Hamilton out once the ball is put into play.

 

[Redsfan1507]

Looked like a different team today, led by two little kids that could sneak into a JV game and still be some of the smaller guys.

It doesn't take much to take an extra base or four, with BH speed. He has an unusual elite tool. The Reds have a few guys like that...guys with one unusual elite tool. Chapman throws harder than anyone. Hamilton runs faster than anyone. Votto gets on base better than anyone ( given time). Phillips might play better 2b than anyone....and at least over the last several years, Bruce hits more homers than just about anyone in the NL anyway.

It helps if the unusual tools are used as often as possible...But they don't get on base every at bat, .300 says it's a 70% failure rate. If Bruce makes 3 errors. I expect a couple to give up runs. Simon pitched well in his start. Frazier is hitting .350. Neither will last...like Votto hitting .240 and BH hitting .090.

The Cardinals aren't going to hang themselves over scoring 1 run in 3 games or getting shutout today...or tonorrow...or Craig hitting a fraction of what Votto is hitting. It's a long season that tends to balance to reality over time.

Actually, the Reds havent dissaponited me so far...not that I like their play...Anyone that looked at the opening day roster of the Reds and expected them to be firing on all cylinders out of the gate needs to share their meds with the rest of us. I'll be thrilled if the Reds are close to .500 in April.

IMO, The Reds margin for error to make the playoffs depends on everyone that played well last year to repeat, and several that didnt to be not just better, but A LOT better- Cueto, Ludwick in particular, but Frazier, Cozart and Mesoraco probably have to hit above .250, no small increase...and the most ridiculous is a skinny rookie with half a AAA season has to steal enough bases to make up for the losing the 2nd highest OBP hitter in the league.

Simon isn't going to have a Latos year, like the amazing Cingrani didnt have a Cueto year last season...and Cingrani will have a tough time having an Arroyo year, although he's a lefty...a requirement to win the big one. No one is going to have a Chapman year, but Chapman.

This is a team with a lot to prove, and they aren't going to prove it at 75% talent strength. The best they can do is hang on until they can run a few 6-4, 7-3, 8-2 ten game stretches.

 

[JohnU]

One wonders, watching today, if Hamilton finally proved to the team that his special talent is indeed a game-changer. Yeah, nobody is really fooled by it but it is nice to actually see it in action. Molina just standing there, watching the kid steal second base, that had to set somebody's toes afire in the Cincy dugout.

I reserve judgment on Leake. We have seen plenty of pitchers throw 4-hitters at our Reds to realize that anybody can be "on" that day. Leake will be OK, though.

My earlier rant on this board isn't being recanted. The first week of the season was flat-out sloppy baseball. Those 3-6 starts will be costly down the stretch for a team like the Reds.

Two points: Cozart needs to figure it out. He isn't the backup shortstop on this team.
Homer Bailey needs to get past the spring training rust pretty soon. Once more around the rotation and he's had 3 starts.

I also think Price is playing some smoke and mirrors with Latos, which worries me a little.

 

[WvuDieHard]

Well, 9 games in and this is exactly what I expected--a 3-6 start out of the gate. Injuries were my reasoning but what I have seen early on here is more concerning than injuries. There is no leader or fire in this group. I would expect a playoff team to start showing grit and get contributions from people you wouldn't expect. I guess we have to some degree with BH, Meso, Simon, and Parra but the guys who are supposed to produce aren't getting it done. Little early to reserve judgment but another 3-6 stretch will dig such a hole that we will be hard pressed to recover. This division is stronger with the resurgence of the Brewers so you can't afford to lose 6 out of 9 two weeks in a row. BP, Votto, Bruce, and Dudwick need to carry the load and show some fire and leadership as they are not rookies anymore and need to start acting like it on the field and in the clubhouse.

 

[JohnU]

I think my problem initially in even posting this thread was that I had been a lot more optimistic going in than was probably sensible. Still, excepting for Mesoraco, I don't think the injuries are what was wrong with the team. Even then, Pena did adequate work behind the plate. What bothers me is that the Reds seem to cave like a house of cards against St. Louis. There aren't better lineups in the NL than the Cardinals have, but it's not the Big Red Machine.

I just don't understand how they let Molina beat them over and over again. I don't suggest plunking him, but he doesn't hit .598 against the league either. Somebody gets him out.

Matt Carpenter has quietly established himself as one of the best hitters in baseball. Admit to it, work on getting him to hit it somewhere where he has to earn a hit ... and stop fiddling around.

Can't go 2-4 against teams in your own division.

Just ... can't.

 

[TKOSpikes]

Phillips pops up the first pitch --TWICE -- with Hamilton on first base. Hamilton has actually REACHED first base 4 times. Hamilton would probably steal 2nd base off and on if Phillips had the gumption to give the guy a chance.

I really don't understand why Votto isn't batting second. Phillips can handle the 3-hole (maybe Frazier onhis hot streaks).

 

[JohnU]

Of course, naturally, Hamilton has to reach first base before any of this applies.
His career suggests there is about a 31 percent chance of that. But Hamilton managed to turn still another BP popup into a productive out by taking third easily.

 

[Redsfan1507]

Well, the team has had a problem getting them on before, aldo getting them over, and getting ghrm in...Hamilton at least adds a new prospect for getting them ( or at least one) over, that didnt exist before.

 

[redsfan03]

Golden sombrero for Ludwick. On a positive note, Votto had his first dinger. It really looks like Billy could be the key to this offense. It's incredible how much of a difference he makes when he gets on base. As many people have pointed out, only problem is getting to first...

 

[JohnU]

FOUR FUCKING HITS.