Scoreboard Watching 2013 (Part 2)

[Mutaman]

Frustrating. I've given up on winning the division now.

I haven't but I'm getting there. The Cards are opening the door and can be caught. The pirates are the pirates. But something is really missing with this Red leg team. This was a pretty bad week end.

And unlike a lot of folks here, the notion of settling for backing in to a one game wild card game and hoping we get hot, doesn't thrill me.

[Mutaman]

I don't see the problem with how they're playing.

They scored one run in 3 games in a big series before big crowds when they had the chance to make a statement and get back in the race. And they looked tired and lethargic doing it.

Call me crazy, but I have a problem with that.

[Tom Servo]

They scored one run in 3 games

Ahem, they scored two runs.

before big crowds

Objection: Irrelevant.

had the chance to make a statement

Objection: Wins are wins, "statement wins" are a media thing.

[Big Klu]

I disagree with those who say that the Reds played poorly this weekend. Those were four well-played games by both clubs in which the pitching dominated the hitting, and the host Dodgers happened to take three of four from the visiting Reds.

The game has changed from what we became accustomed to seeing in the late 90's and early to mid 00's (and away from the only style our younger fans have ever seen). Pitching now has the upper hand, and this weekend reminded me of the classic matchups between the Red and Blue that we used to see back in the 60's, 70's, 80's, and early 90's when the Reds and Dodgers were rivals in the NL West (and even before that when there were no divisions).

[toledodan]

i don't think they played bad overall against the dodgers, they flat out didn't hit. that's been an ongoing problem this year against the better teams we have faced.

[NebraskaRed]

[QUOTE=Big Klu;2923036]I disagree with those who say that the Reds played poorly this weekend. Those were four well-played games by both clubs in which the pitching dominated the hitting, and the host Dodgers happened to take three of four from the visiting Reds.QUOTE]

Agree 100%. The week was literally a wash that showed the strengths of the team (the amazing pitching, the occasional offense) as well as the weaknesses (the inconsistent offense).

Reds go 3-1 in SF and don't gain any ground in the standings? That's bad.

Reds go 1-3 in LA and don't lose any ground in the standings? That's good.

[Brutus]

Ahem, they scored two runs.


Objection: Irrelevant.


Objection: Wins are wins, "statement wins" are a media thing.

I like the defense attorney schtick. That makes this board more fun.

[Mutaman]

Ahem, they scored two runs.


Objection: Irrelevant.


Objection: Wins are wins, "statement wins" are a media thing.

Not irrelevant and not a media thing. If it was, half the posts here wouldn't be consistently complaining that this team can't beat a good team on the big stage. Moreover,
this failure has to be plauging the players as well. A decent performance against the Dodgers would have gone a long way toward correcting what seems to be a big psychological problem, as evidenced by this group's two post season efforts. Simply can't agree that "wins are wins".

[reds44]

So the Reds cared more about beating the Dodgers than they did the team they blew a 2-0 lead to in the playoffs last year and thus beat the Giants 3 of 4 and lost to the Dodgers 3 of 4?

Yeah.....I doubt it.

[Mutaman]

So the Reds cared more about beating the Dodgers than they did the team they blew a 2-0 lead to in the playoffs last year and thus beat the Giants 3 of 4 and lost to the Dodgers 3 of 4?

Yeah.....I doubt it.

Dude, the Giants are 12 games under .500. It looks like they've given up. Its always nice to beat anybody on the road, but winning 3 of 4 from the Giants would not have been nearly as psychologically significant as winning 2 of 4 from a red hot Dodger team with Kershaw and Greinke pitching two of the games. To the players or the fans.

[reds44]

Dude, I know the Giants are bad. I really doubt the Reds players make a big deal out of playing the Dodgers in July. Or the Giants. Or the Mets. Or the Braves. Or the Pirates. That's my point.

If you think a team who has won the division twice in three years has some phobia of good teams, you're wrong.

[Mutaman]

Dude, I know the Giants are bad. I really doubt the Reds players make a big deal out of playing the Dodgers in July. Or the Giants. Or the Mets. Or the Braves. Or the Pirates. That's my point.

If you think a team who has won the division twice in three years has some phobia of good teams, you're wrong.

I think I could find plenty of quotes from Baker and the players that certain series are more significant and more important than others. I see it and hear it all the time when teams come into NY to play the Yankees. I think playing in front of a sold out crowd in LaLa land with that media against that team is a very big deal to the Reds players. A disappointing effort.

[Tom Servo]

The thing about 'big series' is that they are only 'big' if you win them. If you lose them, it was just another series. So you don't really 'lose' big series.

[Falls City Beer]

As the importance of each run becomes amplified in this post-roid/post-pitching -scarcity brave new world, doesn't that then sort of necessitate hitters who are extremely sound at getting the bunt down, executing the hit and run, knowing exactly how to run the bases? If so, the Reds (and some others) are in pretty big trouble. As strange as it sounds, I think lack of team speed has hurt the Reds more than they'd care to admit. This is a very slow team, full of atrocious base runners.

[NebraskaRed]

The thing about 'big series' is that they are only 'big' if you win them. If you lose them, it was just another series. So you don't really 'lose' big series.

Until the playoffs.