Did that Really Just Chapman?

Lets talk...the Phillies' series:

As I'm watching the game last night, I turned the television off in the bottom of the eighth. Mike Leake was pitching a gem, the Reds had a 2-0 lead and frankly, I was dead tired. I thought I'd wake up in the morning and catch some SportsCenter highlights of the Reds getting the win, but of course I should know not to assume anything with this club. For the second night in a row they lose on a walk-off hit. Same score too! After the sweep of the Nationals this past weekend, fans were wondering if it was just a fluke, myself included. They've got one more shot against the Phils to prove that this is not the start of another abysmal losing streak.

Lets talk...pitching:

Mike Leake! Welcome back sir. With his previous three starts leaving all of us grimacing, he was the shining light of last night's game.  His stuff was working, there was movement on the ball and he took a no-hitter into the seventh. Leake gave up to singles in the ninth, but walked away confident with a 4-0 lead under his belt. Aroldis Chapman came in to close out the game, and he did everything but; giving up a three-run shot to Maikel Franco. Chapman has always been more reliable than not, but correct me if I'm wrong. Yes, the man can throw insanely hard, but when a pitcher throws that hard, they throw mostly fast balls. It's better odds for hitters because like Franco said, "I know he throws hard and wasn't going to throw many breaking balls, so I waited for one pitch". One fastball right down the pipe is all you need because that thing's coming in so fast if you get even a little bit of the bat on it, it's going to fly.

On the other side, Phillies' pitcher Cole Hamels pitched a decent game, only allowing two runs on six hits. He struck out eight in seven innings. Hamels was not awarded the win, but still remains a flawless 10-0 against our Redlegs.

Lets talk...what's next:

They wrap up a three-game series with the Phillies tonight. Anthony DeSclafani is on the mound for the good guys, with a familiar face on the opposing mound. Aaron Harang gets the start for the Phillies. Yes, he's still hanging around the majors, and not doing too shabby. Not a stellar record at 4-5, but a decent ERA, 2.02. The Harangutang was a heck of a guy and gave eight great seasons to the Reds' organization, but we need a win tonight so I'm kind of hoping he bombs! No hard feelings Aaron. First pitch goes out at 7:05PM, go Reds!

Bullpen Woes Continue

Lets talk...yesterday's game:

The Reds faced the White Sox yesterday with a chance to take two games out of the series and the opportunity to have a winning road trip. Instead the bullpen blew another one at the hands of Aroldis Chapman no less. He gave up three singles in the ninth, the third of which brought in the game winning run. Chapman usually isn't the one we need to worry about when there's a call to the bullpen. That was his first earned run of the season in 12 2/3 innings. Reds fall to the Sox, 4-3.

Lets talk...perspective:

The Reds went 5-5, splitting this past road trip. They were .500 which isn't great, but also not terrible, exactly how I would describe this ball club thus far. They look great in some games, and horrendous in others. When the offense is clicking, the pitching flounders. Or, when we get a good start, there's zero run support. It's definitely frustrating to say the least. You know what else is frustrating? Billy Hamilton! He's slumping and in the worst way. Our leadoff hitter was 7 for 40 on the 10-game road trip and 0-5 at the plate yesterday, accruing three strikeouts. Oh hey, you know what else is frustrating? Injuries! First it was Homer Bailey, and now Devin Mesoraco doesn't seem to be making any strides towards being back in the everyday lineup. Yes, he pinch hit yesterday but news flash...we don't play in the American League. We have no use for a designated hitter. What it all really comes down to is we are a mediocre team with a mediocre record. The Cardinals are miles ahead of every other team in the division at 22-9. If we have any hopes of catching up, we need a miracle in the bullpen, Billy Hamilton to get back on track, and find a way to beat the Cards every chance we get.

Lets talk...free agents:

Switching gears to football. A questionable decision in my opinion, the Bengals signed former Ohio State star quarterback Terrelle Pryor yesterday. It may be my hatred for the Buckeyes, or just logic but I don't agree with this move. Pryor has bounced around a couple different teams in his NFL career including Oakland, Seattle, and most recently the Kansas City Chiefs. There's a reason he hasn't found a home yet people. There are only a handful of running quarterbacks that succeed in the pros. Not everyone can be a Russell Wilson. Pryor, like the last few QBs from OSU, likes to be mobile. While that's exciting and flashy in college, you have defensive players that are a lot stronger and way faster than those you faced in the Big Ten. Look at the great quarterbacks in the league; Peyton Manning, Tom Brady, Ben Roethlisberger. They didn't achieve greatness by running all over the field. They are POCKET PASSERS, as most of the greats were. Sure you have your exceptions, i.e. Russell Wilson, Cam Newton, Michael Vick. But in the past decade, rushing QBs have been flops in the pros, and I'm including Pryor in that category. The Bengals also made some other free agent moves signing three more undrafted free agents.