Bailey to start Sunday

[Reds Fanatic]

Looks like Cueto is not appealing. According to John Fay Bailey has said he is starting on Sunday.

http://cincinnati.com/blogs/reds/2010/08/13/bailey-says-he-is-starting-sunday/

[reds1869]

I hope Bailey can come out firing on all cylinders. This club badly needs him to come up big.

[Caveat Emperor]

They need him on Saturday so that we don't have to watch Leake get lit up again.

[Brutus]

They need him on Saturday so that we don't have to watch Leake get lit up again.

He won't (get lit up again). I am pretty positive about that. Rumors of his demise have been greatly exaggerated.

[The Operator]

This club really is going to run Leake right into the ground, aren't they?

I mean he hasn't even made the decision hard for them to shut him down, yet they continue to trow him out there. Why?

[Reds Fanatic]

This could be Leake's last start for a while by the end of next week there will be plenty of starters. Wood is scheduled to come back the 19th I believe, Cueto will be off suspension the 21st and Bailey is back so they could sit him after this start.

[Brutus]

This club really is going to run Leake right into the ground, aren't they?

I mean he hasn't even made the decision hard for them to shut him down, yet they continue to trow him out there. Why?

He's thrown 130 innings for goodness sakes. Run him into the ground? Hardly.

[Matt700wlw]

This club really is going to run Leake right into the ground, aren't they?

I mean he hasn't even made the decision hard for them to shut him down, yet they continue to trow him out there. Why?

Because Dusty Baker is the shredder of young arms? :D

[nemesis]

He's thrown 130 innings for goodness sakes. Run him into the ground? Hardly.

But it's not just 130 IP. It's the side session, Spring Training, going every 5th day vs a Friday Night starter. He has really really thrown alot more than you'd think this year. He need to be moved into the bullpen to save his arm. Garcia and Latos both could see signifigant DL time next year if their respective clubs don't think about doing the same.

[Brutus]

But it's not just 130 IP. It's the side session, Spring Training, going every 5th day vs a Friday Night starter. He has really really thrown alot more than you'd think this year. He need to be moved into the bullpen to save his arm. Garcia and Latos both could see signifigant DL time next year if their respective clubs don't think about doing the same.

Perhaps it should be reminded that last year, Leake threw 142 innings from Mid-February to Mid-June, and that doesn't count all the scrimmages and training in January and February to prepare for the season.

This 130 innings is not a big deal.

[The Operator]

He's thrown 130 innings for goodness sakes. Run him into the ground? Hardly.

Look at his last 10 starts. He's wearing down. Big time.

[westofyou]

Because Dusty Baker is the shredder of young arms? :D

Is there not a professional pitching coach on the staff?

Do we all really think that Dusty just rolls out of bed with these decisions?

If so quit bogarting that bottle and pass it on.

[Brutus]

Look at his last 10 starts. He's wearing down. Big time.

I've seen the numbers, as I posted here (http://www.redszone.com/forums/showthread.php?t=84592).

I do not believe "fatigue" is the primary reason for his troubles. I think it's secondary to regression and opponents seeing him a second time through.

[edabbs44]

Look at his last 10 starts. He's wearing down. Big time.
Jay Bruce must be eyebrows deep in the soil at this point.

[CTA513]

Jay Bruce must be eyebrows deep in the soil at this point.

Gomes tried to pull him out but slipped and fell in.

[Ghosts of 1990]

I love it. I'll get to see my boy pitch.

They've really jerked him around. Hope he goes out and throws 7 shutout innings.

[westofyou]

I love it. I'll get to see my boy pitch.

They've really jerked him around. Hope he goes out and throws 7 shutout innings.

on a scale of 1-10 he's been "jerked" around at about the -10 rating.

[edabbs44]

I feel like Homer's jerked us around a few times. Here's to a good start this weekend.

[Tony Cloninger]

How have the jerked him around? Did I miss something?

[KronoRed]

Unless they caused him to get hurt I don't see it.

[RedLegSuperStar]

I think the jerking around happened in 2004 when the Reds passed on Jared Weaver and selected Homer Bailey.

[WebScorpion]

I think Homer is beginning to get the hang of rehabbing his shoulder...I'm glad it was only tighness and nothing too serious. I hope he can finish the season strong like he did last year. If Volquez gets his control issues settled by the end of the season and Bailey finishes strong, we may have a pretty solid rotation come playoff time. :thumbup: All we'll need is an offense that isn't afraid of little red birds.

[fearofpopvol1]

Sorry, but Leake pitching 130 innings is nothing to get too riled up about. I don't disagree that they should be cautious, but it's a little early to start talking about that.

What's interesting about Bailey starting is he doesn't have options left, so he can't be sent back down unless he goes on the DL after this. So what the heck happens when Cueto comes back? And the Reds have mentioned Harang is close and they want to get him back. How about Travis Wood? You know the Reds want Chapman in the pend for September.

Seriously, what will the Reds do? They can obviously shut down Leake...but that only solves 1 problem.

[klw]

My concern about Bailey on Sunday is rust. He only threw one inning in relief on Monday instead of a full start.

[fisch11]

My concern about Bailey on Sunday is rust. He only threw one inning in relief on Monday instead of a full start.

That was basically his work day though. You can treat that outing like his bullpen session between starts.

[I(heart)Freel]

Leake as the (hopefully unnecessary) long man in the bullpen come September seems to make the most sense to me.

Limits his innings. Helps the club. And doesnt slap him in the face with a demotion after his efforts to get the Reds into playoff contention.

[mth123]

I think after Leake's start today he should be optioned to AAA. He can get the rest of his IP up to the 175 or so level in AAA against easier competition. It will serve him well as a baseline for being a 200 IP guy in 2011. Stopping the service time will delay free agency for a year and his perfromance since the end of May certainly justifies it.

Here is what I'd do though the West coast trip:

Today - Leake (optioned after)
Sunday - Bailey (activated in Leake's spot)
Monday - Off
Tuesday - Arroyo
Wednesday - Volquez
Thursday - Wood (not sure who goes down)
Friday - Bailey
Saturday - Cueto
Sunday - Arroyo
Monday - Volquez
Tuesday - Wood
Wednesday - Bailey
Thursday - Off

After that I'd re-evaluate how to deal with Harang, but one more time through after coming home and then its September 1 and rosters expand. I'd say wait on Harang until then unless some one gets hurt just needs removed for performance.

[redsfandan]

I think after Leake's start today he should be optioned to AAA. He can get the rest of his IP up to the 175 or so level in AAA against easier competition. It will serve him well as a baseline for being a 200 IP guy in 2011. Stopping the service time will delay free agency for a year and his perfromance since the end of May certainly justifies it.

Here is what I'd do though the West coast trip:

Today - Leake (optioned after)
Sunday - Bailey (activated in Leake's spot)
Monday - Off
Tuesday - Arroyo
Wednesday - Volquez
Thursday - Wood (not sure who goes down)
Friday - Bailey
Saturday - Cueto
Sunday - Arroyo
Monday - Volquez
Tuesday - Wood
Wednesday - Bailey
Thursday - Off

After that I'd re-evaluate how to deal with Harang, but one more time through after coming home and then its September 1 and rosters expand. I'd say wait on Harang until then unless some one gets hurt just needs removed for perfromance.
I was thinking the same thing about sending Leake down to AAA and have him continue to start there. I don't think they need to push him to 175 ip though. 2-3 more starts in AAA then have him help in the Reds pen in Sept.

As far as Harang goes, I'll be looking forward to seeing if the Reds bring him back before Sept 1. If they don't then he's not eligible for the playoffs (unless there's an injury). And if Harang can't show signs that he can really help maybe that's the best way to go.

[mth123]

I was thinking the same thing about sending Leake down to AAA and have him continue to start there. I don't think they need to push him to 175 ip though.

As far as Harang goes, I'll be looking forward to seeing if the Reds bring him back before Sept 1. If they don't then he's not eligible for the playoffs (unless there's an injury). And if Harang can't show signs that he can really help maybe that's the best way to go.

1. Leake went 142 IP in college last year. 175 won't kill him. IMO he's not tired, the league has simply no longer letting him get away with throwing a cookie accross the plate for Strike 1.
2. Harang is on the DL. That kind of has the whole injury thing covered. If activated Sept 1, he's still eligible.

[redsfandan]

1. Leake went 142 IP in college last year. 175 won't kill him. IMO he's not tired, the league has simply no longer letting him get away with throwing a cookie accross the plate for Strike 1.
No, it won't kill him. But why push it if you don't have to. Granted, I think we're only talking about a few innings but a couple more starts in AAA after today plus some bullpen time would get him close anyway. But if he finishes with 160-165 ip that would be fine with me.


2. Harang is on the DL. That kind of has the whole injury thing covered. If activated Sept 1, he's still eligible.
I thought he would have to be on the 25 man by then to be eligible unless someone else gets injured.

[mth123]

No, it won't kill him. But why push it if you don't have to. Granted, I think we're only talking about a few innings but a couple more starts in AAA after today plus some bullpen time would get him close anyway. But if he finishes with 160-165 ip that would be fine with me.

I thought he would have to be on the 25 man by then to be eligible unless someone else gets injured.

165 to 175. Doesn't make much difference. I just don't think he should be shut down now in the 135 to 140 range as some are suggesting.

If I'm wrong, some one can correct me, but IIRC being on the major league DL on Sept 1 carries the same post season eligibility as being on the active roster.

[redsfandan]

165 to 175. Doesn't make much difference. I just don't think he should be shut down now in the 135 to 140 range as some are suggesting.
Well, I'm sure some on here would disagree about whether it makes a difference. I'd just like to play it safe with a young pitcher that we'll be counting on for the next few years. I do agree about not shutting him down just yet though.

[mth123]

Well, I'm sure some on here would disagree about whether it makes a difference. I'd just like to play it safe with a young pitcher that we'll be counting on for the next few years. I do agree about not shutting him down just yet though.

I'm all for playing it safe. 165 would be just fine, but too little (like say 140) leaves him in the same predicament in 2011.

[redsfandan]

I'm all for playing it safe. 165 would be just fine, but too little (like say 140) leaves him in the same predicament in 2011.
I agree. I don't think we need to get him to 200 ip right away. Just have to keep him on the path.

[_Sir_Charles_]

Let's hope Homer steps back in where he left off at the end of the Rally Onion game (as it should ALWAYS be referred to).

[VR]

Cueto's suspension could be a blessing in disguise for couple reasons.

1. Payflex! The Reds don't have to pay Cueto during his suspension, meaning they have money freed up to throw the team a pizza party, or sign Corky Miller for 2011.

2. This forces their hand to do something w/ Homer. If he comes up and twirls a gem (actually not if, when), it's going to force the Reds hand a bit to do something different w/ Leake. If Homer was to bomb...cue Aaron Harang.

[klw]

That was basically his work day though. You can treat that outing like his bullpen session between starts.

No he was originally supposed to start that night but was scratched in favor of the pen. His last start was August 5. He only has one inning in that time, on the 10th. Tomorrow is the 15th ( I think). That is quite a bit of rest.

[flyer85]

where is that wood fella? He was rather stout.

[OnBaseMachine]

Just got back from Cincy. I attended all three games against the Marlins and had an absolute blast. I always have fun when I'm at the ballpark but this trip was even more exciting because of the Reds success this season. There is nothing like watching a Reds game from the Moon Deck in right field. We sat out there for the firts two games of the series and then sat in left field today.

Homer Bailey was flat out impressive today. He had great fastball command also dropped in a few quality breaking balls. His velocity seemed to constantly be in the 93-95 area. He allowed the back-to-back two out singles in the first inning inning and then dominated the rest of the day. If Bailey can pitch as well in the final 1 1/2 months of this season as he did last season then the Reds playoff chances increase by quite a bit. It's day like today that remind me of why I still like Bailey so much. As Sir Charles pointed out in another thread, his last three major league starts have been very impressive: 9 IP, 0 R at Pirates, 7 IP, 2 R vs Brewers, and 6 IP, 0 R vs the Marlins. That doesn't include the start where he was injured.

Sweeping the Marlins is impressive, IMO. The Marlins have a +8 run differential despite playing in a tough division. They have some impressive young players - Hanley Ramirez, obviously. Mike Stanton looks like a budding superstar. Logan Morrison is impressive as well. I don't remember seeing him chase a pitch out of the strikezone all weekend long. They're not a bad team at all. To sweep them with Josh Johnson and Anibal Sanchez on the mound is pretty darn impressive if you ask me. What a great bounce back weekend from the Reds.

Edit - Forgot to add how impressed I was with Janish's defense this weekend. He made a couple of nice plays on balls that I thought were hits off the bat. He's got a cannon for an arm.

[OnBaseMachine]

Speaking of today's game, anyone have an idea why Votto was ejected? I didn't see him do anything to get thrown out of the game. It looked like the umpire had an incredibly short fuse.

[MWM]

Homer looked really good today. His fastball was sharp and he had command of it and threw it a lot. He didn't have to throw a lot of off-speed stuff. He pitched smart and confident today. Hopefully it will continue.

[Scrap Irony]

The umpire claimed (according to a fan close to the action who could hear the conversation on the field) Votto said "F*^ you" twice.

Votto claimed he said, "Don't F*&$ me" and "You're f*&^ing me with that call."

Short fuse is generous. I think that call will probably result of a reprimand of some kind, as the ump obviously went a little nuts and Votto was nowhere near showing anyone up.

[VR]

Votto was nowhere near showing anyone up


That may be accurate. But once again, he went way overboard in his reaction....this time on a potential strike.

It's a repution you don't want, Joey has to get that under control.

[OnBaseMachine]

Dan Uggla on Bailey:


"Everyone knows Homer has ace potential stuff," Marlins second baseman Dan Uggla said.

http://cincinnati.reds.mlb.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20100815&content_id=13490534&vkey=recap&fext=.jsp&c_id=cin

[sabometrics]

If only less opposing players praised his stuff maybe that would motivate him even more. Personally I think Albert was going for a bit of reverse psychology when he paid Homer a complement. ;)