Some Scheduling Things

[Kc61]

1. Reds have three off days left, all on Thursdays. Cards with two off days, including tomorrow 9/9. Pirates only one off day remaining.

2. Pirates next play Texas in Texas. Facing three tough pitchers, Darvish scheduled for tomorrow. Reds play home with Cubs starting tomorrow, Cards host Milwaukee beginning Tuesday.

3. Cards clearly have the easiest schedule left. Play only two road series. Reds and Bucs play three road series each and play each other home and home. Cards don't play any more playoff teams.

4. However, Cards do play four in Colorado which is ten games over .500 at home. Cards also have a home series against the Nats, a near .500 team.

5. Cubs play all three contenders, including seven with the Pirates. Cubs have traded away many of their veteran players. All three contenders have won most of their Cubs games, but Reds have best record against Cubs so far this season.

[FlightRick]

I noticed all this earlier today, my own self (while trying to make a guess at how many wins it would take to win the division).

FWIW, I'll amplify the observation about the Reds have 3 off days.... two of those off days immediately precede the start of our two series against the Pirates. Combine us being well-rested headed into those games with the Pirates having only 1 off day, and you have to think that's at least a mild benefit to the Reds.

Sadly, the way the Pirates played in St. Louis this weekend means that our bigger concern is making up ground on the Cards, now. Oh well... home field for the play-in game won't suck, I guess.


Rick

[Superdude]

3. Cards clearly have the easiest schedule left. Play only two road series. Reds and Bucs play three road series each and play each other home and home. Cards don't play any more playoff teams.

I wouldn't say clearly. Mariners and Nationals could be a tough stretch for the Cards depending on the pitching matchups. A long as we beat the Pirates, we've got the Cubs, Astros, Brewers, and Harvey-less Mets. Not a lot of roadblocks there.

[BluegrassRedleg]

I think it could help us, but I also find it ridiculous that PIT is playing a series at TEX in September.

[redsfaninbsg]

I wouldn't say clearly. Mariners and Nationals could be a tough stretch for the Cards depending on the pitching matchups. A long as we beat the Pirates, we've got the Cubs, Astros, Brewers, and Harvey-less Mets. Not a lot of roadblocks there.

If the rotation holds the Cards will see Gio, Strasburg, and Zimmerman. That has to help.

[PuffyPig]

5. Cubs play all three contenders, including seven with the Pirates. Cubs have traded away many of their veteran players. All three contenders have won most of their Cubs games, but Reds have best record against Cubs so far this season.

The Cards are only 9-7 vs. the Cubs.

[PuffyPig]

I think it could help us, but I also find it ridiculous that PIT is playing a series at TEX in September.

Due to the uneven number of teams in each league, there is always one AL-NL matchup at all times.

Someone has to play someone.

[Old NDN]

Will the Reds realign their rotation? Obviously, it depends on their results, but they have some off days to make any adjustments. As it stands, the last series with Pittsburgh will feature Arroyo, Cingrani, Leake, followed by Latos and Bailey for the playoffs.

[OesterPoster]

I think it could help us, but I also find it ridiculous that PIT is playing a series at TEX in September.

Yeah, but that's not any more ridiculous than the Reds playing in Houston in September. It just helps (I hope anyway) that Houston stinks and Texas doesn't.

I still think the Cards' rotation could give them major issues down the stretch. It'll be interesting if anyone else gives Wainwright trouble like the Reds have. Westbrook fresh off the DL, how sharp will he be? Lance Lynn has not looked good, and Miller is in uncharted innings pitched territory for him.

[Biff Pocoroba]

Wow....Houston is really bad - even by their recent standards.

They are -202 in run differential. The next closest is Philly at -117. In fact, the second and third worst teams have COMBINED for a -231.

I just hope the Reds are able to mentally keep their collective feet on the gas pedal. This has been an emotion-packed, tense, thrilling seven-game stretch.

[Kc61]

In all sports, last few weeks, you also have to look at how the opponents are playing. Sometimes, as we know, teams trade away good players near the end and basically give up on the season. Other teams, even sometimes weaker teams, continue to play hard and thrive on the spoiler role.

Here are the W-L record over the last thirty games of teams to be playing the Central contenders for the rest of the regular season (excluding the Central contenders themselves).

Rangers 19-11. They play the Bucs.
Nats 19-11. They play the Cards in St. Louis later on.
Brewers 15-15. They play six with Cards, three with Reds.
Rockies are 14-16. Play four with Cards in the High Mile City.
Mariners and Mets are 13-17. Play at Cards and Reds, respectively.
Cubs are 11-19. Play all three, but seven against Pirates.
Astros are 10-20. Play Reds.

And of course there are the three contenders themselves, only games left among them are six Pirates-Reds games. Reds are 19-11, Cards 17-13, Pirates 13-17 over the last thirty games.

[1940757690]

If the rotation holds the Cards will see Gio, Strasburg, and Zimmerman. That has to help.

Splitting hairs but "Zimmerman" is the error-prone third baseman. Zimmermann is the pitcher. Gets mixed up all the time, even in DC. One "n": 3B. Two "n"s: pitcher.

More substantively, yeah, the Nats will likely take at least one from the Cards. They (Nats) have been under deserved and intense fire all year and, now that all is pretty much lost, they're playing a bit better and showing they have a bit of pride to go with all that unrealized potential. Remember also that the Cards ended the Nationals season in the LDS last year in shameful style. So no love lost between the teams.

[cumberlandreds]

Splitting hairs but "Zimmerman" is the error-prone third baseman. Zimmermann is the pitcher. Gets mixed up all the time, even in DC. One "n": 3B. Two "n"s: pitcher.

More substantively, yeah, the Nats will likely take at least one from the Cards. They (Nats) have been under deserved and intense fire all year and, now that all is pretty much lost, they're playing a bit better and showing they have a bit of pride to go with all that unrealized potential. Remember also that the Cards ended the Nationals season in the LDS last year in shameful style. So no love lost between the teams.

I never realized one Zim spelled it with one N and the other two N's. The things you learn on Redszone.

[RedsBaron]

And of course there are the three contenders themselves, only games left among them are six Pirates-Reds games. Reds are 19-11, Cards 17-13, Pirates 13-17 over the last thirty games.

The Pirates are 30-31 since June 30.
I received the 9/9/13 issue of Sports Illustrated, the one with Andrew McCutchen on the cover, in today's mail. The cover said that "a new generation of Pittsburgh fans finally has a September to remember."
Maybe Pirates fans will have a September to remember. It is early in the month. However, thus far in September the Pirates are 2-5 and have been outscored by a margin of 24 runs scored versus 47 runs allowed.

[Kc61]

The Pirates are 30-31 since June 30.
I received the 9/9/13 issue of Sports Illustrated, the one with Andrew McCutchen on the cover, in today's mail. The cover said that "a new generation of Pittsburgh fans finally has a September to remember."
Maybe Pirates fans will have a September to remember. It is early in the month. However, thus far in September the Pirates are 2-5 and have been outscored by a margin of 24 runs scored versus 47 runs allowed.

Yes, but the DBacks and Nats are pretty far back, so even if the Pirates have a bad month, they probably will get into the wild card game.

So I think Bucs fans will be happy about this season in the end and see something to build on.

Still, Reds are in good shape against the Pirates, in terms of recent play and remaining schedule.

Cards will likely be tougher to overtake, but of course you never know.