September Scoreboard Watching

[WVRedsFan]

Um wow. If someone would have told me about this scenerio that the Reds have going right now back before the season started, I would have called them totally crazy. This is fun!

Heather, I think the vast majority of us felt the same way at the beginning of the season. I was just hoping for a winning season as my icon says. Back during the Reds Caravan, when I asked Dusty or actually told him we had to have a winning season, he thrust his fist upward and said we had to do that. I guess I should have paid attention.

It's been a blast after so many years of frustration. Fun, fun, fun,

[traderumor]

White flag flown earlier. We just gotta go 10-6 and the Cards can do whatever they want.

I've been counting down a little bit differently, looking at the minimum we have to win depending on the Cards record. For example, if the Cards go 12-6 the rest of the way, we only need 4 wins, 13-5 we need 5 wins, etc. It really illustrated to me the uphill battle they are fighting. At this stage, they are basically in "need to win" mode and the Reds fall off the cliff, but just can't get it done so far.

[oregonred]

Yep, the math works nicely when the games fall off the schedule. 5 up with 22 left looked a bit scary on Thursday, now 8-up with 16 left a week later is a godsend. The Cardinals had their chance with the Reds 3-7 swoon, but losing multiple consecutive series and having a 2-11 late season stretch against the Brewers/Cubs/Pirates and Nats is almost inexplicable.

Reds go 8-8
Cards go 17-1

1 game playoff...

Nice math

[Playadlc]

The hilarious part about this whole scenario is that Houston will probably end up finishing 2nd.

[Sea Ray]

The way the Cardinals are playing they'll be hard pressed to play better than 8-10 which would mean the Reds don't even have to win any more games.

Carpenter came up lame in the 7th inning tonight. I don't know how serious it is but their rotation may have lost both Carpenter and Garcia this week

[corkedbat]

The way the Cardinals are playing they'll be hard pressed to play better than 8-10 which would mean the Reds don't even have to win any more games.

Carpenter came up lame in the 7th inning tonight. I don't know how serious it is but their rotation may have lost both Carpenter and Garcia this week

Then too, St. Adam proclaimed he would not lose again last week an took the mound yesterday (or was it Monday? (and LOST. Their baseball gods have abandoned them. Then again, despite FCB's protestations to the contrary, I've felt all season long that St. Louis might be... a House of Cards.

[VR]

The Cards stayed in it all year on the backs of Wainwright, Carp, Garcia, Pujols, and Holliday.
It is powerfully obvious that they have all worn down, and there is nothing left to carry them.

[Outshined_One]

Jaime Garcia was just shut down for the season.

Edit: Or maybe not. There's conflicting info on whether he's done for the year or just skipping a start.

[Captain Hook]

I think the Cards are about to shut it down.Albert hasn't played the last two games and Priss is now having some kind of problem(conflicting reports in tonights game thread of what his problem is exactly)and then this report about Garcia.

9-7 the rest of the way for the Reds would mean the Cards would have to go undefeated to catch them and the WC won't be any easier for them.They're toast.

[Ron Madden]

Right now the Cards are taking a standing 8 count, let's go ahead and Knock 'em Out!

[OnBaseMachine]

4-3 homestand against two teams that are a combined 68 games below .500, and two of the wins were in extra innings against the Pirates, and another ended on a game saving catch by Jay Bruce. The Reds offense was shut down by the likes of Paul Maholm, Charlie Morton, Brian Burres, and Rodrigo Lopez, all of which are bad pitchers. Right now, the Reds are backing into the playoffs. I'll definitely take that over not making the playoffs at all but this isn't how I envisioned the Reds ending the season. Hopefully they get hot again soon and carry that into the postseason.

[Homer Bailey]

Ebb and flow of a 162 game season. Nothing to see here.

Reds are banged up. Still at the top or near the top in every offensive category.

No need to for anyone to overreact to a winning homestand.

[pedro]

4-3 homestand against two teams that are a combined 68 games below .500, and two of the wins were in extra innings against the Pirates, and another ended on a game saving catch by Jay Bruce. The Reds offense was shut down by the likes of Paul Maholm, Charlie Morton, Brian Burres, and Rodrigo Lopez, all of which are bad pitchers. Right now, the Reds are backing into the playoffs. I'll definitely take that over not making the playoffs at all but this isn't how I envisioned the Reds ending the season. Hopefully they get hot again soon and carry that into the postseason.

In 1990 they were a .500 team after May. No sense in getting too upset. The season starts anew in the playoffs and they best be ready for that challenge.

[Reds Freak]

4-3 homestand against two teams that are a combined 68 games below .500, and two of the wins were in extra innings against the Pirates, and another ended on a game saving catch by Jay Bruce. The Reds offense was shut down by the likes of Paul Maholm, Charlie Morton, Brian Burres, and Rodrigo Lopez, all of which are bad pitchers. Right now, the Reds are backing into the playoffs. I'll definitely take that over not making the playoffs at all but this isn't how I envisioned the Reds ending the season. Hopefully they get hot again soon and carry that into the postseason.

After a 15-year absence, I didn't think so many on here would be concerned with 'how' this team got into the posteason. A team gets into the postseason by winning its division and it looks like the Reds are going to do that by a comfortable margin. How is that backing in?

OBM, I'm not saying you're not happy with making the playoffs, I know you are. But it's almost getting to the point where these last few weeks are essentially spring training games...

[OnBaseMachine]

After a 15-year absence, I didn't think so many on here would be concerned with 'how' this team got into the posteason. A team gets into the postseason by winning its division and it looks like the Reds are going to do that by a comfortable margin. How is that backing in?

As the season advances on you adjust your goals. Before the season started the goal was for the Reds to have a winning season. After a few months when it became apparent the Reds had a good team, I elevated my goal to the Reds reaching the playoffs. Now that that appears to be a strong possibility, the new goal is for the team to put themselves in the best case scenario to advance in the playoffs. For me, the best case scenario is to gain some homefield advantage in round one and avoid the Phillies. If the Reds continue struggling down the stretch they're going to put themselves in a position where they'll have to travel to Philly to begin the postseason...