4/8/10 vs Cards...hoping to avoid sweep

[vaticanplum]

Time to skin some baby bears now. Oooooh I love this time of year.

[Caveat Emperor]

Just because it can't be repeated enough -- Arroyo's effort today was exactly what the team needed.

I know that there's going to be an inevitable Bronson Meltdown Game™ where he doesn't even make it out of the 2nd inning, but if he can throw more games like this in the first half of the year, it'll go a long way towards keeping the Reds interesting.

[Spring~Fields]

but if he can throw more games like this in the first half of the year, it'll go a long way towards keeping the Reds interesting.

Absolutely it will, and it can become contagious too, acting in a manner of a group or team synergy toward really fun and interesting outcomes throughout the other individual players and team as a whole.

He did a super nice job today. The other's have it within to do it too.

[Sea Ray]

Of course he'll have his meltdown games but you gotta love his going 8 innings on a sore calf and protecting this fragile bullpen in order to give his team a shot at its first win. All in all we know what we'll get out of Bronson year in and year out and I'm now seriously considering that he's not overpaid and that they ought to consider picking up his option for next yr.

[WVRedsFan]

Maybe it was my present mental state (which is not good) or maybe it was just my old age that got to me, but I totally forgot about today's game. Wandered through a tough day at work unaware and headed to the net at about the end of the day to see what time the game started. To my surpise, the Reds won 2-1. Nice. Nicer still was seeing Gomes won the game in a walk off and all was well with the world. Still, there are concerns.

Watching the first two games of the season, it seemed as if it was a lost cause. The OD game where the bullpen and teh lineup just sucked, the second game where after a good start by Cueto, Dusty makes a big mistake by putting an unproven pitcher into the game and the result was disaster, I was in a funk. Sure, we faced their two best pitchers, and I'm still cussing the league for allowing us to have to face these two at the start of the season, but we looked horrid. The shortstop looked slow, the offense seemed anemic (and still does), and the pitching looked overwhelmed.

One swing from Gomes made everything right. It may be fool's gold, however. So far, the shortstop looks old, the right fielder looks overwhelmed, and the other two outfield spots seem undetermined (though I like Stubbs in center and Gomes in right with Dickerson as the fourth outfielder). The starters have combined for 19 innings of 14 hits and only 5 earned runs. A 2.36 ERA. The bullpen has failed so far along with the offense. So far, the team has averaged less than 4 runs. That will be the problem. Too many early swings, even if against three of the league's best.

My high hopes are alive, but what evil force would pit the Reds against the two strongest teams in the division? To start the season? No respect.

[Ron Madden]

I couldn't put into words just how much I'd love to see the Reds sweep the Cubs but I'd settle for two outta three.