Take Me Out to the Ball Game

Lets talk...my night at GABP:

Last night was my first game down at GABP this season. With that said, I won't be going to my first game next year until at least May because it was FREEZING. The cold front in April did not stop the Reds' offense from being red hot against the Brewers. It's safe to say, Jay Bruce would like to play Milwaukee in every series this year. The Brewers are really the only team he's had any success against thus far, and he got things rolling last night with a two-run homer in the bottom of the second. It was a combined effort from everyone in the batting order helping out to score nine total runs. Jason Marquis pitched a great eight innings. He even helped his own cause when he hit an RBI single. 

It was an exciting, offense infused game to be at, but lets get real... we have to beat more than the Brewers if we expect to see October this season. Another great part about last night's game was Bark in the Park! So many cute pups with their owners trying to keep them steady on a leash AND manage to hold a nine dollar draft at the same time. It's a great promotion. Plus, I got a first look at all of the additions to the ballpark that the organization has made and I'm impressed. It feels like I'm at a totally different venue with all of the bars and new restaurants. I say thumbs up.

Lets talk...bullpen woes:

I left the game in the seventh, lips blue and thinking to myself, "There's no way they'll lose this one, I'm alright with heading home". But of course, the bullpen had to make it interesting. What should have been an easy wrap up, turned into a sticky situation. The pen gave up four runs, including a two-run single in the ninth by Aroldis Chapman. It's great that we were able to get the win, but come on! The offense is not going to put up nine runs every game! The bullpen and Bryan Price have got to find a way to close games.

Lets talk...disabled list:

As soon as I thought we would have our five pitcher rotation set, Homer Bailey has been placed on the 15-day DL. He has a torn ligament in his elbow, the same elbow he had surgery on last year. Hopefully it will only be a 15-day visit and not something more serious. As for starting pitching tonight, Johnny Cueto will go for the Reds and Kyle Lohse for the Brewers. Lets get those wins while we have the Brewers in town! Go Redlegs!

Two Grand Salamis and...Football? Never too Early

Lets talk...grand slams:

The grand slam is not something you see everyday at the ballpark, much less three in one game. It's probably something we won't see again in a long time. Both of the Reds' grand slams came with two outs in the inning, one from Jay Bruce and the other from Todd Frazier. We really need Bruce to come alive at the plate like that more often to round out the offensive production. The Brewers had just called up Elian Herrera early yesterday which I'd say was a good call, seeing as he hit the grand slam for the Brewers in the sixth. Zack Cozart is really having me question all the trash I talked about him last year with the way he's been swinging the bat lately. He hit two homers last night! He already has four for the year which matches his total home runs for all of 2014. All the long balls were a bit of a shock to me because Miller Park is not known for giving up a whole lot of homers.

Lets talk...about that score:

Were they playing baseball or football last night? The final score was 16-10. At least the Reds were on the winning side because Jason Marquis didn't have a stellar game. He gave up nine hits and five runs in just five innings. Despite the numbers, Marquis did get the win. That puts the Reds at an even .500 now at 7-7, winning two straight against the Brew Crew. The Brewers have the worst record in the majors at 2-12, and the Reds have two more games at Milwaukee before they make the trip back home. Cueto's on the mound tonight, so all we need is the offense to keep rolling. I hate to say it, but maybe Bryan Price's profanity-filled rant was just what this team needed. By the way, Price did publicly apologize for his language, but not the message he was trying to convey.

Lets talk...football:

I didn't fall and hit my head, I know that it's still the month of April; however the 2015-2016 Bengals schedule has been announced! Now, this schedule definitely has some beef to it. There are two NFC West teams, the 49ers and the Seahawks this year, the Broncos are back on the docket in December, and FOUR primetime games. I'm not sure if primetime equals good time given our recent bad luck under the big lights. Andy Dalton does anything but thrive in primetime, but a new year brings new expectations. Personally, I can't wait to see how the season unfolds for the Bengals.

Here's a link to the full schedule:
http://www.bengals.com/schedule/season-schedule.html

What the F#@! is Bryan Price Thinking?

Lets talk...about the crazy rant:

Alright, if you haven't heard the five and a half minute rant filled with 77 "F" bombs from the Reds' Bryan Price, then you probably have been living under a rock the past two days. I'll catch you up to speed anyway. Basically, a writer from the Cincinnati Enquirer was doing his job and just so happened to be on the same plane to St. Louis as Reds' catcher Devin Mesoraco and minor league catcher Tucker Barnhart. Being the inquisitive journalist that he is, this writer reported that both would be joining the Reds on their road trip against the Cardinals. Price did not appreciate the fact that the opposing team could easily learn the availability of these players. Plus, the organization had not had time to inform Kyle Skipworth, another catcher on the roster, that he would be sent back down to the minors. Do I understand Price's frustration? Yes. The Reds road trip has been horrendous, but don't take it out on a reporter who is...REPORTING. Price also could have used a more vast vocabulary in his tirade. Do I believe he should be suspended? No. Baseball managers are not placed on a pedestal in which they cannot curse, or throw bases, or scream at umpires. It's not that it's acceptable, but the fans understand the frustration. If anything good can come from this, hopefully it can light a fire under a 6-7 Reds team that started the year 4-0.

Lets talk...last night's game:

Another one in the "W" column, thank god! The Brewers are projected to be basement dwellers of the Central Division, but we'll take a win anyway we can right now. DeSclafani pitched another gem, holding onto a shutout through the eighth inning. He could be solidifying himself as a future ace, but I don't want to jinx the kid. The offense was working more last night than it has been this whole road trip. Zack Cozart hit a three-run bomb, yes I did say Zack Cozart. Joey Votto continues to smash the ball, hitting a two-run homer that gave the Reds a 6-0 lead. The bullpen did give up a solo home run to Ryan Braun in the ninth inning as he was sweating out what's left of the steroids. Oops, did I say that? All in all, a good win for the good guys. 

The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly

Lets talk...the good:

Devin Mesoraco will be making the trip to St. Louis after missing the Chicago series with a left hip injury. Another catcher is also coming to St. Louie. Standout Triple-A stud, Tucker Barnhart, hitched a ride but was not told if he is officially called up or not; we shall see.

Cueto will be on the mound! Although he is currently sitting at 0-1, both of Cueto's outings thus far this year have been above average.  We're going to need another strong showing from him if we want to start this series off on the right foot. If we can have Cueto pitch through seven solid innings, AND have some run support, the bullpen will hopefully come to play tonight.

The Reds' offense is the shining light in this young season. Joey Votto finally looks like he's back to performing at MVP level. "The Todd Father" has been swinging the bat exceptionally well, and even Zack Cozart, who I admit is usually frustrating to watch at the plate, is hitting .389 in the last five games. He's 6 for 14 with a double and a triple against Cardinals' pitcher Michael Wacha, who just so happens to be on the mound tonight.

Lets talk...the bad:

After Wednesday's 5-0 loss to the Chicago Cubs, the Reds are looking to avoid their fifth loss in six games. I know it's still early, but how early was it when everyone was hooting and hollering about sweeping the Pirates in the first series? You can't win a pennant in April, but you sure can lose it.

Kevin Gregg. The name is now synonymous in my head with the word bad. Giving up two, two-run home runs in his appearances, I'm hoping we don't see him AT ALL this series. Sorry Kevin.

Lets talk...the ugly:

It's no secret that the Reds have had their struggles against the Cardinals in the past. It's even more well known that they can't get it done in Busch Stadium, "where they've dropped eight straight series and 20 of the last 22," (espn.go.com). The last time the Reds have won a series in St. Louis, it was in September of 2011, OUCH! Lets hope that stat changes this weekend. First pitch goes out at 8:15 tonight. GO REDLEGS!

Goodbye Latos, Hello DeSclafani

Lets talk...DeSclafani:

Like me, I'm sure many of you were unfamiliar with the name Anthony DeSclafani before he killed it on the mound last night. The Reds acquired DeSclafani from the Miami Marlins in a trade for starter Mat Latos. The twenty-four-year-old righty from New Jersey had his stuff working against the Cubs. Sure, it's his first start, but have you seen what Latos has done thus far this young season? It hasn't been pretty. Not to mention him dogging our whole team publicly. I say good riddance to Latos and his poor attitude, (and ERA), especially if DeSclafani can continue to give the Reds solid outings. I remember watching and thinking, "Man, this kid has thrown 44 pitches and he's through the fourth already". I put a lot of emphasis on pitch count, especially with these young kids who are out there trying to give you seven or eight good innings each night, and throwing hard in the mid 90s.

Lets talk...bullpen:

Kevin Gregg replaced DeSclafani in the eighth and gave the same kind of performance we saw from him the last time he came in for relief. Another two-run home-run to cut the Reds' lead to one. So far, I'm not overly impressed with anyone in our bullpen except for Aroldis Chapman. The Cuban Missile Crisis did give up a lead-off single and a walk, but managed to get his third save of the year! Reds won 3-2, ending a three game losing streak.

Lets talk...Brandon Phillips:

Moving up in the batting order, Brandon's bat has been connecting more in this series with the Cubs. Of course when his offense starts heating up, the injury cloud looms. Phillips' was running to third as the Cubs' defender crashed into him. Brandon left in the fifth inning after he started feeling light headed. He has passed the concussion test though, so hopefully he'll be back in the line-up today.

Check out the highlights, courtesy of espn.go.com:

http://espn.go.com/video/clip?id=12692844

Reds Suffer First Loss of the Season

Lets talk...offense:

Well, there wasn't much. Todd Frazier's solo shot to left field came in the bottom of the first, (on his bobblehead day), and that was all the excitement fans got from the Reds' bats. The Reds left five runners stranded in scoring position, twice we had a man on third! The top of the order has had the hot streak. As for hitters four through eight, they are hitting .200 or less (espn.go.com). I can't wrap my head around Phillips hitting so low in the batting order. We need dat dude's bat!

Lets talk...pitching:

Johnny Cueto took the mound again today after a spectacular opening day performance. Another tough one to stomach for our ace. Other than a home run by Matt Adams in the fourth, Cueto did not give up an earned run in seven innings pitched. His record is now 0-1 on the season.

Lets talk...what's next:

The great weather we had today brought a sell-out crowd to Great American Ballpark. With sun and warm temperatures in the forecast for Sunday, it should be another big attendance day. Raisel Iglesias is the probable starter for tomorrow's match-up. He'll go up against Carlos Martinez, who will take the mound for St. Louis. We've got a chance to win two and take the series against the Cardinals tomorrow, and we all know that doesn't happen often! A win will put the Reds at 5-2, and sustain their spot atop the Central Division. 

Here's a link to deals for Sunday games that may come in handy for you:

http://cincinnati.reds.mlb.com/cin/ticketing/family_fun.jsp