Reds Show Dusty They aren't an Easy W

Lets talk...losing streak first:

The month of May was rough for the Reds, and Reds' fans. An 11 game losing streak isn't going to bring anyone to the ballpark. It started by getting swept in a four-game series against Cleveland. Ouch. Losing hurts, but losing to Cleveland is just painful. My boyfriend is an Indians fan, and for him to finally be on the winning side...well lets just say I'm not too fond of it. I know they are first in their division right now and seem to have a solid team, but my hatred of all Cleveland sports prevails over any winning record they may have. Clearly I'm strictly talking baseball here because lets be honest, a winning record for the Browns is more laughable than Johnny Manziel's rap sheet. And before anyone tries to take a stand for the Cavs, please stay seated. In the NBA it's all about titles. When the entire Eastern conference is terrible and you make it to the Finals I'll give you your two clap, but that's about it. Because it's going to be the same result as last year. The Cavs will lose to Golden State, except this time there is no whining because Kyrie Irving and Kevin Love are both on the floor with Lebron. At least they were in the first two games with concussion protocol still pending for Love after game two.

Whew! I sure know how to get off topic, and I don't even like the NBA, but any who. 11 freaking games we lost in a row. Usually you have to see an entire west coast road trip for those numbers, but the first seven losses either came in Cleveland or at home. The good news is, they turned things around in Colorado. They took three of four from the Rockies, and the team's offense finally started rolling. It's not hard to do when the ball flies out of Coors Field like it does, but we'll take it!

Lets talk...series with the Nats:

Dusty Baker rolled back into town this weekend with his first place Nationals and I'm glad the Reds welcomed him back with open arms. Dusty was put in a tough position when he was fired, and I'm glad to see him doing as well as he is in D.C. That being said, when he comes back to Great American I want us to win! And win we did, taking two of three from the Nats. Hell, we almost had the sweep. We were up 5-0 yesterday when I decided to take a nap. I woke up and we're down 9-5 #BullpenProbs. They still made it interesting with a heck of an offensive comeback. Bases loaded in the bottom of the ninth, Reds down 10-9...I thought it was going to be a walk-off win, but I'll take two of three any day. Although they have had mostly down days, the Reds can not only compete with division leading teams, but they can beat them. And for a rebuilding year, I call that hope. They've got an off day today, then a three-game series with the Cardinals at home. And if there's any team I hate more than Cleveland, it's St. Louis ;)

The Streak Plus Battle of Ohio

Lets talk...the losing streak:

I do apologize for my absence. It feels like a decade since I last blogged, but it's hard to bring myself to write about such a depressing team. Losers of five straight, this club has a lot to change. This is the longest losing streak thus far this season. Yes, they faced stiff competition during those five games. World Series Champs the San Fransisco Giants, then they took on the WS runner ups, the Kansas City Royals, for two games. BUT COME ON. That was last season's WS match up. I'm talking about winning games that matter NOW. We can't just beat up on the Brewers all season long and think we're a good team. Quality wins matter. I'm starting to question my faith in the front office. It's like they are completely fine with sitting back and doing nothing, all the while the fans are stuck watching the demise of this ball club. I'm fed up.

Lets talk...Cueto's rant:

You know who else is fed up? Johnny Cueto, and he very well should be. He spoke on Wednesday through an interpreter, but the message was crystal clear. He is doing his job, and he's tired of everyone else not doing theirs. Every time this guy goes out he's giving you a chance to win and the Reds just blow it. And I'm not talking just this season. Run support during a Cueto start has always been scarce. He's your ace for god sake, give him something to work with!

Lets talk...Battle of Ohio losing records:

Even though the Cleveland Indians just took three of four from the White Sox, they're still the bottom-dwellers of the AL Central at 17-23. But we can't say much because we're nowhere near the top of the NL Central at 18-22! The good news is, this is a rivalry series and we seem to do well against teams with losing records, who woulda thunk it? It starts with pitching. Mike Leake has got to have a solid outing. He's coming off one of the most embarrassing starts of his career giving up 9 runs and 11 hits, 3 of which were home runs against the Giants last Saturday. We'll see if it's time to swim or if the Reds continue to sink. I live with my boyfriend who is a Cleveland fan. I need them to win this series!!! First pitch goes out at 7:10.

 

Walk-Off in the 5-1-3

Lets talk...catchers:

First, happy 513 day! A made-up holiday to celebrate your love for the Queen City. It was nice waking up this morning after an exciting win! Our catchers were huge contributing factors in last night's victory. Backup catcher Brayan Pena had his first three-hit game of the season. He hit a single in the ninth setting up Devin Mesoraco for glory. Michael Lorenzen, a pitcher in the starting lineup was brought in to pinch run for Pena. Before last night, I had no idea that a pitcher could have that kind of speed, but the kid can move. Mesoraco, who has been out of the daily lineup due to injury the past month, was able to step up to the plate last night, literally and figuratively. He hit his first ever game-ending hit, leading the Reds to a 4-3 victory over the Braves. I have criticized using Mesoraco as a pinch hitter instead of letting him heal, but I stand corrected. If we can keep Pena's bat hot, this catching/pinch hitting duo could be a spark in the offense. Pena is hitting .588 in his last five games.

Lets talk...Todd Frazier:

The Todd Father had himself yet another productive evening. He didn't waste any time, hitting a two-run bomb in the first inning to give the good guys a 2-0 lead. That gives him 11 on the year, which is second most in the NL. Todd received quite the honor this week. He will serve as an official 2015 All-Star Game spokesperson. The Reds' third basemen is well-deserving. He was selected for the first time to the National League All-Star team in 2014 and participated in the Home Run Derby. He has created quite the campaign to be voted into the game again this year the way he's swinging the bat. He has made it publicly known that he would be honored to be invited to both, but he really loves the derby. A lot of players won't participate because it messes with their swing, but Todd has no such worries.

Lets talk...bearcat football recruits:

My favorite subject, bearcat football! When there's a need for speed, head south. We've got some kiddos out of Florida that want to play in the new and improved Nippert Stadium. Earlier this week, Jordan Merrell (WR/RB) out of Fort Lauderdale committed to THEE University of Cincinnati. And cornerback Dontye Carriere-Williams out of Miami has committed on the defensive side. It is said that Carriere-Williams had at least 15 offers on the table, but I'm glad to see he made the right choice.

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.

Offense Agrees with Interleague Play

Lets talk...run support:

Finally, we give Cueto some. It didn't hurt that he went nine innings for his longest start of the year. The Reds' offense paid their thanks by putting up double digits against the Chicago White Sox. No Joey Votto last night due to his blow up with an umpire, but luckily the Redlegs had some help from the rest of the lineup. Zack Cozart, back from his wrist injury, got things started by driving in a run. Skip Schumaker got in on the action with an RBI double. AND by God Marlon Byrd did it again! Byrd hit a three-run homer, his fourth in the past five games. Thank the sweet lord baby Jesus he's getting hot in May because he was ice cold in April.

Lets talk...Barry freakin' Larkin:

Finally, the Reds show some respect to a man that gave every year of his career to this organization. They hired him on as a minor league roving infield instructor, which I believe is just his first step in the door. The Reds need a manager that knows the game in and out, like Larkin. Who better to lead this team to victory than a man who has done it before as a player! No, it's not like they will oust Bryan Price next week and usher Barry into the position, but I do believe it's in the future. If not, it definitely should be. 

Lets talk...about the Kevin Gregg petition:

Yes, there is a petition on social media asking people to sign in support of sending Gregg down to AAA. I personally find this to be hilarious. I obviously want Gregg to succeed, he's on my team, but how many chances can we give this guy? He blows the game every. single. time. I'm over it. If I wasn't such a softy, I'd sign the dang thing. Either way Price needs to lay down the law. Either get in there and do your job, or get sent down.

Cinco de Mayo en la Ciudad de Acero

Hablemos...records:

First, can I just take a moment to address my three quarters of spanish I took in college coming in handy on this Cinco de Mayo. Second, and more importantly, the Reds take on the Pirates tonight in the steel city. Both clubs have less than spectacular records of 12-13. If you can take a trip back to the beginning of the season with me, when we were all in higher spirits because of a first series sweep. A sweep in a series against these Pirates no less. All of Cincinnati had us at 162-0. Well now reality has set in and we're one game under .500. 

Lets talk...road trip:

Before the Reds hit the road, they gave us some devastating news about Homer Bailey. Out for the season, and having Tommy John surgery this Friday on his pitching elbow. Lovely. The morale of the club is definitely down, but they did manage to split the series in Atlanta with a stout Braves team. Now they've got a three game series with the Pirates. Starting tonight on the mound for the good guys is right hander Michael Lorenzen, who was called up when the news of Homer came through. His first career start was last week against the Brewers and it wasn't pretty. Lorenzen gave up three solo home runs and eight hits in five innings in the loss. Now that's he's got his feet wet in the majors, hopefully he can give us a good outing tonight. Mix your margaritas early, the first pitch goes out at 6:05!

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!