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Thread: .5

  1. #1
    Member VR's Avatar
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    .5

    12 games in....and the rojos are a mere 1/2 game out of 1st. While the offense has yet to get started, we have seen improved pitching and defense overall. It is clearly a different Reds team, and with so many players struggling on offense....they are still off to a very good start.
    Is it too much to say these Reds have a solid chance of contending?
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  3. #2
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    Re: .5

    So far, despite a pedestrian offense and poor D in two games, Cincinnati has managed to win because of good pitching, a very good bullpen, and timely hits. If the Reds continue to do these three things, they could be the feel-good story of the year.

    Wouldn't it be wonderful if Jocketty and Teh Dust knew what they were doing?

    Long live Teh Dust!

  4. #3
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    Re: .5

    It's still extremely early, but they are winning games. The offense will get better, it won't be great but I'm fairly confident Edwin, Hernandez, Bruce and Phillips won't hit below the mendoza line all year. To be 7-5 with the way the Reds have hit, thats something to be encouraged about. The pitching looks good. I think they can contend but they will definately need to start scoring a few more runs. They're a scrappy little team though.

  5. #4
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    Re: .5

    The pitching will have to be beyond great if they intend on staying in the race with the offense as is... Granted they have found a way to get a key hit in big situations, but can that really be counted on to continue? We are going on 4 to 5 baseball months that Brandon Phillips hasn't hit, Jay has yet to figure out how to command the zone and put together quality ABs on a consistent basis, and we have a starting SS that looks like he's missed a year and a half at the plate.

    I just wonder if this can continue against good teams. It's been a great start to the season from a record standpoint, especially on the road... but man, I don't see how we can count on an aging bullpen and a bad offense to help the starters the entire season. Not to mention Dusty's reluctance to demote his "respect" guys in the batting order, i.e. Phillips, even if they are hurting the offense.

  6. #5
    Member WVRedsFan's Avatar
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    Re: .5

    Quote Originally Posted by BearcatShane View Post
    It's still extremely early, but they are winning games. The offense will get better, it won't be great but I'm fairly confident Edwin, Hernandez, Bruce and Phillips won't hit below the mendoza line all year. To be 7-5 with the way the Reds have hit, thats something to be encouraged about. The pitching looks good. I think they can contend but they will definately need to start scoring a few more runs. They're a scrappy little team though.
    Agreement here, but after losing 2 of 3 against the Mets and splitting with Pittsburgh, the Reds have won series with the Brewers and Houston--2 teams floundering at present to the tune of 8-17 so far this season. The test is yet to come in the form of the Chicago Cubs who, like VR says, is only a half game ahead of our Reds. This series will tell us a lot about this team. More offense is neeed to win those games and we shall see what happens.
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  7. #6
    Will post for food BuckeyeRedleg's Avatar
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    Re: .5

    Coolest thread title. Evah.

  8. #7
    Member kaldaniels's Avatar
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    Re: .5

    Quote Originally Posted by WVRedsFan View Post
    Agreement here, but after losing 2 of 3 against the Mets and splitting with Pittsburgh, the Reds have won series with the Brewers and Houston--2 teams floundering at present to the tune of 8-17 so far this season. The test is yet to come in the form of the Chicago Cubs who, like VR says, is only a half game ahead of our Reds. This series will tell us a lot about this team. More offense is neeed to win those games and we shall see what happens.
    Let's be fair though...the Reds are solely responsible for over 25 percent of that abysmal 8-17, so kudos to them. I'm impressed so far.

  9. #8
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    Re: .5

    Quote Originally Posted by Nasty_Boy View Post
    The pitching will have to be beyond great if they intend on staying in the race with the offense as is... Granted they have found a way to get a key hit in big situations, but can that really be counted on to continue? We are going on 4 to 5 baseball months that Brandon Phillips hasn't hit, Jay has yet to figure out how to command the zone and put together quality ABs on a consistent basis, and we have a starting SS that looks like he's missed a year and a half at the plate.

    I just wonder if this can continue against good teams. It's been a great start to the season from a record standpoint, especially on the road... but man, I don't see how we can count on an aging bullpen and a bad offense to help the starters the entire season. Not to mention Dusty's reluctance to demote his "respect" guys in the batting order, i.e. Phillips, even if they are hurting the offense.
    I doubt this offense stays lousy all season. Dead last in BA right now and we're just a half game out. Even the horrible 1982 squad batted .251 for the season. It's a long season and it's highly unlikely that all of these guys remain putrid for the entire season.

    It's legitimate to ask how we'll do against a club like the Cubs, but I think we can hold our own. I'm still not convinced this club can contend, but they have even without everything going right thus far. With improvement, this club will make this season very interesting. And improvement is doable, IMO.
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  10. #9
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    Re: .5

    It's fun to see, no doubt about it. Because of the losing culture that seemed to follow the Reds in the recent past, it's hard to watch them blowing leads and coming back or just coming from behind to win and believe it can keep rolling. It would be great for them to change that perception in the next few months though. Lets face it though, they can't keep winning this way but the bats should warm up with the weather. The other pleasant thought is Weathers and Co. haven't been at the top of their game yet, and they should improve as the season rolls along, so there is more potential there. I just can't see Burton continue to struggle, he needs to get the George Grande Swagger back in his game.

    Viva El ROJOS!

  11. #10
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    Re: .5

    Quote Originally Posted by VR View Post
    12 games in....and the rojos are a mere 1/2 game out of 1st. While the offense has yet to get started, we have seen improved pitching and defense overall. It is clearly a different Reds team, and with so many players struggling on offense....they are still off to a very good start.
    Is it too much to say these Reds have a solid chance of contending?
    In a word, yes.

    If the Reds continue to play above Raisor's Pyt, then we're looking at 2006 all over again.

    I honestly think this is the best we'll see out of the Reds pitching, but I expect the pitching to regress while I fully expect the Reds to improve offensively.

  12. #11
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    Re: .5

    I just hope we hang around long enough so that Jocketty can make a deal. His history indicates that he will, whether or not he can in this market is another matter.

    I would like to see Janish and Hanigan play more, every day isn't necessary, but they've proven they're more than able to get the job done. Janish isn't a defensive downgrade from Gonzo and right now he's a better hitter (GASP!) and Hanigan so far has a much better arm than Hernandez, and again, doesn't seem to be a dropoff at the plate.

  13. #12
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    Re: .5

    Quote Originally Posted by Highlifeman21 View Post
    I honestly think this is the best we'll see out of the Reds pitching, but I expect the pitching to regress while I fully expect the Reds to improve offensively.
    The Reds team ERA last year was 4.55, this year is 4.67.

    Most hear think the Reds pitching will be better this year, largely due to best # 5 starter(s).

    I think that 4.67 will like get better, not worse.

  14. #13
    Waitin til next year bucksfan2's Avatar
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    Re: .5

    Pitching and Defense was huge in this game. That catch McDonald made out in RF off the bat of Lee? was a thing of beauty. If he doesn't make that catch it looks like a 2+ run inning but it ended up being a 1 run inning.

    Arroyo looked sharp last night. He had good breaking stuff and was attacking hitters. Rhodes arm may fall off but the Reds have live arms stocked and loaded in AAA right now to fill in if he goes down.

    The offense has been opportunistic this series. Two big hits by Votto and Edwin were the key offensive output for the Reds this game. It truly is amazing what happens when pitching and defense come together.

  15. #14
    Be the ball Roy Tucker's Avatar
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    Re: .5

    Reds are playing pretty decent ball so far. Pitching has been good. Defense seems to cover more ground (but is making errors). Runs will be scarce all year I think.

    Nice to see a good start. The W's seem to be all nailbiters, but a W is a W.

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  16. #15
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    Re: .5

    The Angels won 100 games last year with a pretty uneventful offense.
    “And when finally they sense that some position cannot be sustained, they do not re-examine their ideas. Instead, they simply change the subject.” Jamie Galbraith


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