Unlucky 13

Lets talk...how we got to extras:

Reds starting pitcher, Raisel Iglesias, only gave up three hits and one walk to the Royals through seven innings last night. Every game I've watched that he's pitched I've been impressed. He's got a streak going of 12 scoreless innings after last night's outing. Of course when we have a great pitching day, we can't score runs. The only offense produced through the ninth inning was a solo shot by Eugenio Suarez in the first. Oddly enough, the pitcher who gave up the Suarez homer was former Red, Edison Volquez. Volquez wasn't the only former Reds pitcher in attendance. Our beloved Johnny Cueto was in the dugout last night too. Unfortunately we will just miss seeing him on the mound. Then again, that may be fortunate for the Reds.

The game was tied after a home run ball given up by closer Aroldis Chapman. Yes, that's not an error on my part. Although Chapman has converted 56 consecutive saves at home, last night he made a mistake. The man is human. You have to reach way back for the last blown save of his at home back on September 7th of 2012. The Royals went on to win the game 3-1 after a single and a throwing error by Ryan Mattheus.

Lets talk highlight reel:

Lets not beat around the bush. I'm not going to act like the Reds are going to make the playoffs this year. Even if they did have a winning the record, the Central is killing it. So when I watch games, I'm mostly thinking about how close football season is, but I also like to see players who still make the extra effort. Billy Hamilton gets an A for effort after that diving catch and stop out at second. Throw Billy throw! He almost made the catch, but luckily stopped the ball from trailing into the outfield and threw out Alcides Escobar at second. Royal's manager, Ned Yost, didn't like the call so he opted for it to be reviewed. After review the call would stand, out at second. Yost, still not happy with the decision, came out to chat with the umpire. He ended up being ejected from the game in the 11th. Personally I think he just wanted an early shower. Unfortunately every great play can come with injury. Hamilton left the game early due to shoulder pain from the dive.

Down to the Wire

Lets talk...the series at Wrigley:

It was a series full of close games. Unfortunately, three of those games did not play out in our favor. Say goodbye to the days of old when we used to beat up on the Cubbies. At a season-high seven games over .500, they are a young team here to play. Meanwhile, Cincinnati sadly sits at six games under. Starlin Castro has become the king of game-winning hits, at least against the Reds that is. In two straight games he has drove in the winning run. Last night particularly stung with Castro striking an RBI single in the bottom of the 11th to seal the deal. After a rough first inning, Anthony DeSclafani pitched a decent game going 6 2/3 innings and allowing only one run. It wasn't enough, we just didn't have the run support in the 2-1 loss.

Lets talk...Billy the kid:

FIVE STOLEN BASES! Billy Hamilton was insane last night with a career-high, and I'll say it again, FIVE STOLEN BASES that tied the Reds' record! Granted, Billy's base stealing didn't help in the run production category, but his ability to run is unmatched by any other player. He now leads the majors in the category with a total of 31.  Hamilton told the press, "I finally got on base to even get a chance to steal a couple of bases. Lately I haven't been getting on base. I haven't been doing my job at the plate," he continued, "If I get on base more, I'll have more opportunities to do this." He's exactly right. After last night's game his average bumped up slightly to .224, but we NEED our lead-off hitter to get on base more often.

Lets talk...Bearcat football commitments:

A great snag, LaSalle's star running back, Jeremy Larkin, commits to being a Cincinnati Bearcat. According to Rivals, Larkin was receiving offers from big name schools including Boston College and Northwestern. He helped the Lancers win the Ohio Division II state championship last year. Unfortunately, LaSalle had to defeat my alma mater, the Harrison Wildcats, on the road to their championship. But that's neither here nor there. In the championship game, Larkin rushed for an impressive 104 yards and two TDs. Needless to say, this hometown boy will be a great asset to the team. He tweeted the news out to the public on Sunday night with the picture below:

JEREMY LARKIN @Deuce__8              

I want to say that I am blessed to have officially committed to play football at the University of Cincinnati

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.