Get to the All-Star Break.........

[hebroncougar]

Ok, the Reds struggled in June at 12-15. There are 13 games sitting between us and the All Star Break. 4 against SF, 3 against Seattle, 3 at Mil, and 3 at Atl. I'll take 7-6, but I'm hoping for 9-4. It looks like they'll miss King Felix against Seattle (Yahoo has his next turn on 7/3). I think the SF series is going to set the tone. I say we kick them while they're down, they are on quite a skid, and their trip here ends a 10 game trip for them. If we can get 3 of 4, then get 2 of 3 from Seattle next weekend. Hopefully we can get 2 of 3 at Mil., that gets us to the 7 wins before even heading into ATL. Now if we can sweep one of the above, and settle for 1 of 3 from ATL, that gets us to 9. Either way, treading water at 7-6 over the next 13 is ok, as long as Pitts or STL doesn't go off before the break. I think the SF series is going to set the whole tone though. We are setting pretty for the playoffs, and need to have 3 solid months of 17-18 win baseball. Let's flush the month of June down the toilet, and forget about it.

[toledodan]

you forget who our manager is? what the bench looks like? what about the hittin coach. i would be happy if they still had the lead for the second wildcard spot.

[hebroncougar]

you forget who our manager is? what the bench looks like? what about the hittin coach. i would be happy if they still had the lead for the second wildcard spot.

A wise old Brooklyn Dodger fan once told me, don't get too high with the highs or low with the lows. It's a new month. Let's hope the Reds of May appear again.

[jhu1321]

Management is not the problem. Getting a clutch hit with RISP every once in a while would change things dramatically.

[toledodan]

A wise old Brooklyn Dodger fan once told me, don't get too high with the highs or low with the lows. It's a new month. Let's hope the Reds of May appear again.

lol. that's the problem. management and fans alike are thinking it's magicaly gonna turn around. as i type we are 5 1/2 games out now. you can't win long term running the likes of robinson, paul, hannahan and others out there. not to mention a manager who thinks it's ok to put bad hitters in front of votto. i wonder why he has so few rbi's.

[BluegrassRedleg]

We are setting pretty for the playoffs...

Jim Mora would like a word with you.

[toledodan]

Management is not the problem. Getting a clutch hit with RISP every once in a while would change things dramatically.

of course management continues to put people in positions to fail. also if the players aren't good enough it really don't matter.

[hebroncougar]

Jim Mora would like a word with you.

By no means did I mean anything is near guaranteed. But it's good to be 4.5 games up for the wild card than down for sure.

[RedEye]

I wonder if this 2013 version of the Reds is just getting their ice-cold streak out of the way now. Last season, they were so hot right after Votto went down that they almost had to come crashing to earth -- and that happened, unfortunately, in the playoffs. I'm hoping this edition will be different that way...

[Kc61]

lol. that's the problem. management and fans alike are thinking it's magicaly gonna turn around. as i type we are 5 1/2 games out now. you can't win long term running the likes of robinson, paul, hannahan and others out there. not to mention a manager who thinks it's ok to put bad hitters in front of votto. i wonder why he has so few rbi's.

I think we should avoid taking the easy way out and blaming bench players. Robinson, Paul and Hannahan have fewer than 350 at bats combined.

We tend here to pick on certain types, bench guys, not beloved Reds prospects, guys from other organizations. But all teams have them, they are replacement level guys, we can't expect too much from them.

Let's focus on the regulars. The Reds currently have one position player hitting above .280 BA. Votto. Have you ever heard of a serious contender with one .280 hitter on the entire team?

Only one other guy, Bruce, above .270. Look at Frazier, Cozart, the catchers, all below .250, some much worse. Phillips and Choo have done some great things, walks, RBIs, but they just don't hit that much. These are the guys who get most of the at bats.

It's systemic, a failure to make contact and use the whole field. And the bullpen gets its share of the blame too, although much of that is injury. And recently it's been ok, but some of the relief numbers are terrible.

I have issues with the manager and the front office too, and the bench, but ultimately it's your main players who have to carry the day. It's their team.

[Reds/Flyers Fan]

They'll pound the hapless Brewers and lowly M's, lose the two series vs. the world champ Giants and division-leading Braves. What has this team done so far that would suggest differently?

[Tony Cloninger]

I think we should avoid taking the easy way out and blaming bench players. Robinson, Paul and Hannahan among them have fewer than 350 at bats combined.

We tend here to pick on certain types, bench guys, not beloved Reds prospects, guys from other organizations. But all teams have them, they are replacement level guys, we can't expect too much from them.

Let's focus on the regulars. The Reds currently have one position player hitting above .280 BA. Votto. Have you ever heard of a serious contender with one .280 hitter on the entire team?

Only one other guy, Bruce, above .270. Look at Frazier, Cozart, the catchers, all below .250, some much worse. Phillips and Choo have done some great things, walks, RBIs, but they just don't hit that much. These are the guys who get most of the at bats.

It's systemic, a failure to make contact and use the whole field. And the bullpen gets its share of the blame too, although much of that is injury. And recently it's been ok, but some of the relief numbers are terrible.

I have issues with the manager and the front office too, and the bench, but ultimately it's your main players who have to carry the day. It's their team.

The 1970's A's during their 1971-76 run were full of them. They leaned on taking walks, Homers and then Stolen Bases.

I just remember them because every time I looked at the Sunday papers... they were almost dead last in BA....and yet Top 3-4 in RS...could not figure that out just yet as to what the reason was. Too young and No Bill James to guide me.

[reds44]

The biggest problem on the team is the right handed hitting sucks.

With that being said, they're fine. If they don't make a move they'll get in (likely as the Wild Card).

There is room for improvement, though.

[Kc61]

The 1970's A's during their 1971-76 run were full of them. They leaned on taking walks, Homers and then Stolen Bases.

I just remember them because every time I looked at the Sunday papers... they were almost dead last in BA....and yet Top 3-4 in RS...could not figure that out just yet as to what the reason was. Too young and No Bill James to guide me.

Good point. Of course, I think the 1972 A's had five starting pitchers with ERAs below 3.00. But guys like Bando, Rudi, Jackson, Campy, they didn't necessarily hit for average every year, true.

I think the Reds will do better when they get home and it will brighten up everyone's spirits including my own, and the team is in decent position for a wild card, but right now it's hard for me to put them in the same hemisphere as those A's teams.

[RedsBrick]

Ok, the Reds struggled in June at 12-15. There are 13 games sitting between us and the All Star Break. 4 against SF, 3 against Seattle, 3 at Mil, and 3 at Atl. I'll take 7-6, but I'm hoping for 9-4. It looks like they'll miss King Felix against Seattle (Yahoo has his next turn on 7/3). I think the SF series is going to set the tone. I say we kick them while they're down, they are on quite a skid, and their trip here ends a 10 game trip for them. If we can get 3 of 4, then get 2 of 3 from Seattle next weekend. Hopefully we can get 2 of 3 at Mil., that gets us to the 7 wins before even heading into ATL. Now if we can sweep one of the above, and settle for 1 of 3 from ATL, that gets us to 9. Either way, treading water at 7-6 over the next 13 is ok, as long as Pitts or STL doesn't go off before the break. I think the SF series is going to set the whole tone though. We are setting pretty for the playoffs, and need to have 3 solid months of 17-18 win baseball. Let's flush the month of June down the toilet, and forget about it.

Good post. We can only hope our worst baseball of the year is in the rearview mirror.

If the Reds hope for 17 - 18 wins a month for the next three, and I certainly hope that's the case, they MUST perform better at the dish, especially while the 'pen is limping along with all the injuries.

Additionally, the bench players are going to have to improve and be more productive. It's that simple. Hannahan and Izturis are truly equal to a pitcher with a bat in his hands....and maybe worse, because at least a pitcher might be expected to give us a sac bunt. I expect nothing with those guys at the plate.

I love Todd Frazier but he's a flip-the-coin hitter. You just never know whether he'll give a good AB or not. He has more awkward swings than any player I've ever seen.

Hey June, don't let the door hit ya....