Reds now 5 games ahead of Pirates

[40YrRedsFan]

With our offensive problems, I would have never believed it. Just goes to show what good pitching can do.

[Who Dey Time]

IMO, the complaints about the Reds offense being bad is overblown. They are not perfect by any stretch but a look at some of the numbers paints a more sane picture of what they are. For example, in the NL the Reds are:

8th in runs scored
5th in OPS
5th in SLG
6th in total bases

Nothing spectacular to be sure, but middle of the pack in many important stats. Also, consider that the Reds are virtually even offensively with teams that they could be competing against in the playoffs in WSH and SF and ahead of PIT in most categories. The only two potential barriers either to or in the playoffs that are definitively better offensively than the Reds are STL and ATL and both teams have work to do to even be a threat to Cincinnati.

Add to that the Reds' pitching staff and they sit in a very good position going forward.

[Mutaman]

Except you're ignoring what has been their achilles heel for the last two years, the inability to beat decent right handed pitching. I hope I'm wrong, but I think Walt blew a big opportunity to get us a left handed hitter.

[Trademark]

i hope the pirates keep losing

[Who Dey Time]

Originally Posted by Mutaman

Except you're ignoring what has been their achilles heel for the last two years, the inability to beat decent right handed pitching. I hope I'm wrong, but I think Walt blew a big opportunity to get us a left handed hitter.

Reds against RHP in 2012:

5th in total runs
9th in OPS
6th in SLG
4th in TB

So, while I don't entirely disagree with your stance with respect to a LH bat (although I think it is overstated) the numbers against RHP are right in line with what they have been overall. Not great, however, not terrible either.

[HometownHero]

We play in a hitters park unless we have a bunch of punch and judy hitters like we've had in the past we will be in the upper tier of power numbers by default. Our numbers see a massive dip on the road and that's with Ludwick, Votto and Frazier killing it on the road at over .900 OPS each.

[Mutaman]

Originally Posted by HometownHero

We play in a hitters park unless we have a bunch of punch and judy hitters like we've had in the past we will be in the upper tier of power numbers by default. Our numbers see a massive dip on the road and that's with Ludwick, Votto and Frazier killing it on the road at over .900 OPS each.

Good point. Never forget the little league park they play in. Those games against decent right handers like Burnett, Gallardo, and Fiers were disheartening.

[miamiredskin]

Most of our hitters suck, by any measure.

Bruce makes $60 mil to do what, play one month a year?

Stubbs makes a lot more than a waitress at Waffle Iron, and makes it to first base a lot less often.

Cozart and Mes are rookies, so they get some slack.

Don't even get me started on the bench.

Sure, as long as the starters are great and the relievers are better, we can win. But that doesn't excuse the crap that we have been sending to the plate.

When a pitcher walks the guy in front of you on 4 pitches, take the first pitch. What's so hard about that?

[Brisco]

This is a very sad thread.

I predict that if lightning strikes and we win the series, a poster from a thread like this will not be able to wait even 48 hours before starting a "We will never repeat because we are so bad at (fill in the latest issue that is soooooo obvious to everyone)" quickly followed be the requisite, "they were actually much better than us, we got soooooooo lucky" thread.

[miamiredskin]

Originally Posted by Brisco

This is a very sad thread.

I predict that if lightning strikes and we win the series,

win what series?

[webbbj]

Originally Posted by miamiredskin

win what series?

They play to win the World Series.

[Larkin88]

The offensive problems as they exist for the Reds don't stem from having guys with poor OPSes. It's a condition of most of those OPSes being driven by slugging, with none of them really being driven by OBP.

We have a team with a lot of #5 hitters. Good #5 hitters who can metrically exceed the production of the NL in most cases, but #5 hitters no less. As a team, our on-base percentage is tenth out of sixteen in the NL. Thirteenth out of sixteen against righties.

I'm with you that it's way overstated to call this offense awful or terrible or anything like that. They're middle of the pack. But not without opportunity for improvement more-so than there is in the pitching at this point. So I think that's why people hoped for a move or were disappointed with the additions at the break.

(I was not as I didn't think the improvements were there to be reasonably had at the deadline other than Span, who the Reds apparently did pursue pretty aggressively)

[Larkin88]

Originally Posted by miamiredskin

Most of our hitters suck, by any measure.

Bruce makes $60 mil to do what, play one month a year?

Well your first point is literally not true if you actually pay attention to baseball and the norms in the league... or can read numbers that have been shared in this very thread.

And no, Jay Bruce isn't paid $60 mil to play one month a year. He is paid $51 mil over six years, for an average annual value of about $8.5 M, which makes him one of the most affordable outfielders in the game in respect to the peripherals he puts up. (yes, even if they come in the form of streaks)

Anything else I should know about the Reds from your perspective?