Originally Posted by
Guacarock
One correction in my last post: The Reds have a fourth batter faring better against RHP than LHP. But that batter is Janish, and his .544 OPS against RHP is hardly a ringing endorsement of his prowess on offense, even if it is much better than his .405 OPS against LHP.
Otherwise, ponder these splits:
Votto, 1.065 OPS against LHP, .888 OPS against RHP
Bruce, .888 OPS against LHP, .803 OPS against RHP
Hanigan, .968 OPS against LHP, .621 OPS against RHP
Stubbs, .947 OPS against LHP, .684 OPS against RHP
Gomes, 1.143 OPS against LHP, .683 OPS against RHP
Rolen, .762 OPS against LHP, .688 OPS against RHP
Phillips, .790 OPS against LHP, .765 OPS against RHP
Cairo, 1.455 OPS against LHP, .685 OPS against RHP
Renteria, .890 OPS against LHP, .543 OPS against RHP
Two other notes:
1. I grabbed these splits off MLB.com over the weekend so they do not reflect the Reds' at-bats against the Cardinals in this series.
2. I do not believe Votto and Bruce naturally feast on LHP, but they benefit by being surrounded by so many other batters who do, leading to opposition meltdowns. Conversely, you have to wonder if Bruce and Votto's slumps this summer have been aggravated by appearing against RHPs when everyone else in your lineup is carrying an OPS between .543 and .765 against these same pitchers. Now that's a recipe for a sputtering offense.