Post game discussion of the Milwaukee series

[REDREAD]

I was glad to see Cueto have another good outing.

I was really pleased to see Coffey have a nice outing yesterday. While I'm sad to see Weathers hurt, I did fear that Coffey would be sent down. I really want the Reds to keep him up all year and give him a shot to rebound back.
Keep putting him in low pressure situations and give him a chance to figure things out (Much like they did with Burton last year). This guy clearly has talent and I'd like the Reds to have patience with him this year, particularly with the relative dearth of young relievers in the organization.

It's great to see Votto hitting well, particularly that HR vs the LH reliever today. EdE is starting to improve a little bit to, so perhaps the offense can get back on track.

Bullpen is still very shaky, IMO, but hopefully things settle down. Lincoln looks to be a good find so far. Hopefully he can take over Weathers' role.

Hopefully Harang can break the losing streak tommorrow.

Any other thoughts on the first two games?

[OnBaseMachine]

The offense just can't seem to get it going. That's twice in less than two weeks that Jeff Suppan, who is a very average pitcher, has shut them down. The Reds have scored three runs in 13.2 innings against him this season. Not good. The offense needs help. I'd be getting Jay Bruce up here pronto. Do you realize the Reds have already lost five games this season in which the pitching staff allowed four runs or less in nine innings? With just a little offense in those games then we could be looking at a 12-6 or 11-7 or even 10-8 record. Poor Cueto - they've scored a combined 10 runs in his four starts. He's pitched well enough to be 3-1 as opposed to 1-1. They have especially looked bad in this series hacking at just awful, awful pitches. Last night in the 9th Valentin swung at a 3-2 pitch that bounced in front of the plate that would have loaded the bases. Bako followed him by swinging at a 3-1 pitch shoulder height. And Griffey today, I was baffled by what he did in the 9th inning. He was ahead 3-0 on Mota and swung at a 3-0 pitch in the dirt. I was stunned by that.

On the bright side, Johnny Cueto and Joey Votto have been brilliant. Votto is hitting .500 against lefties. Cueto has a Pedro Martinez-esque 3 BB/29 K ratio in 26.1 innings. Very, very impressive.

[WVRedsFan]

I was glad to see Cueto have another good outing...Any other thoughts on the first two games?

Yes. The hitting. It still is apalling. I haven't given up the thought that maybe we've faced some exceptional pitchers, and tht surely was the case with Sheets on Friday night, but during the 8-game slide, we've faced:

Maholm - who has pitched 10 inings with a 8.10 ERA
Snell - who has an ERA of over 5
Gorzelanny - who has allowed 10 runs in 8 innings against everyone else.
Dempster - having a good year
Zambrano - good pitcher who was on that day
Lilly - took care of him in our only win
Suppan - this guy has pitched 10.1 innings agains the rest of the league
and has allowed 15 hits and 8 runs for a 7.20 ERA and yet he
looked llike Cy Young against us.
Sheets - good pitcher who is having a whale of a season

We should have hit Maholm Snell, Gorzelanny, Lilly, and Suppan. We only hit Lilly.

Cueto pitched well today after a rough couple of innings, but Cordero, though he did the job, looked shaky and Weathers is just so hittable. HE's meant so much to this team the last two years, but he really isn't pitching well (and I hope he's OK).

Lots of problems and no answers yet. Maybe it has to do with Dusty's philosophy of always swinging at the first pitch "if it's a good one." I don't know but to see Dunn, Encarnacion, and others just doing nothing makes me want to pull my hair out.

[marcshoe]

On the bright side, Johnny Cueto and Joey Votto have been brilliant. Votto is hitting .500 against lefties. Cueto has a Pedro Martinez-esque 3 BB/29 K ratio in 26.1 innings. Very, very impressive.

On the radio today, Brantley made up a little for his pre-EE home run comments a week or so ago. When Votto came up against Shouse, he said that some may be asking why the Reds didn't send up a RH bat to pinch hit, and the answer was that Votto didn't hit lefties bad at all. On cue, Votto hit his home run.

It's time to find another home for Hatteberg (trade him to someone who has more use for him; don't expect a return), but the problem with finding a right-handed bat to platoon with Votto at first base is that this isn't the position where the Reds need to switch out. Votto hits LH pitching too well. It would be ideal if they could find a decent-hitting righthanded centerfielder, but I got nothin'.

[WVRedsFan]

It's time to find another home for Hatteberg (trade him to someone who has more use for him; don't expect a return), but the problem with finding a right-handed bat to platoon with Votto at first base is that this isn't the position where the Reds need to switch out. Votto hits LH pitching too well. It would be ideal if they could find a decent-hitting righthanded centerfielder, but I got nothin'.

tixe, I think the problem is that no one wants him or his contract. Sad to say, but the market for 38+ year old first basemen who are slow and can't hit left-handers is pretty non-existant. One of the problems with this team picking up his final year was that it seems he was retained because he is a nice guy and was a good clubhouse guy. No matter, he'll finish out the year with us and then retire.

[OnBaseMachine]

One other thing about the offense - at one point today Jeff Suppan retired five batters in a row on a total of 12 pitches. That is awful and should never happen. Votto led off the inning and swung at the first pitch and smoked it but Fielder leaped and robbed him of a double. I have no problem with a guy like Votto swinging at the first pitch because he's got the power to drive it out of the park. But then Bako followed him with a first pitch flyout. Why Paul? Take a pitch or two in that situation.

[Tony Cloninger]

Team is 2nd in NL in walks.....even if Dunn has 20 of them they still are not being any less patient with Dusty as the manager. They just have everyone slumping at the same time...and a really bad bench.

[WMR]

I continue to absolutely detest Dusty's batting order construction.

[redsrule2500]

Our offense is bad. Not sure what it is because on paper we seem decent.

[guttle11]

If that 10th inning doesn't get this team going...I don't think anything will.

Great effort from Harang. 8IP, 4 H, 8K, 0BB, ND. The guy has the worst luck of any starter in the league, I'd guess. If the pen isn't blowing his leads, the opposing pitcher is locking down the offense.

Big ups to Edwin. Yeah, his defense is bad at times but he never lets it effect him outwardly. He just keeps working and today it paid off greatly.

[Matt700wlw]

It's time for Jay Bruce.

[jesusfan]

okay... 8-11 is a whole lot better than 7-12! We need to start heating up now!

[WMR]

It's time for Jay Bruce.

If that's what it's going to take to get Corey Patterson out of the lead-off spot I'm all for it.

[Razor Shines]

If that's what it's going to take to get Corey Patterson out of the lead-off spot I'm all for it.

What you don't like CP1for23?

[Caveat Emperor]

I continue to absolutely detest Dusty's batting order construction.

Keppinger
Votto
Dunn
Phillips
Griffey
Encarnacion
Bako
Patterson
P

It isn't rocket science, folks.