Frustrating game to watch...

[mroby85]

i just wanted to say last night was by far the most frustrating game of the season. It was really annoying, because i felt like they were in control the entire game, and all of the sudden the dbacks were on top in the 9th. arroyo pitched excellent again, and once again got no run support because of missed opportunities. they left so many guys on base last night it was ridiculous. hopefully we can take the next two, but you hate to lose when arroyo's on the hill.

[He got it!]

Arroyo has to feel like Roger Clemens from 2 years ago with the kind of run support the Reds are giving him on his starts.

[Kc61]

Reds are going to have periods -- particularly against certain pitchers -- where they don't score very much. Offense of team has been diluted to put emphasis on other areas. Reds really could use another big right hand bat to help against lefties. Reds also don't have a true number 3 hitter, a top-tier hitter who comes through time and again.

I think the Reds will cure these deficiencies over the next couple of years and are on the right track. But expect some games like last night, as frustrating as they are.

[Sea Ray]

Reds are going to have periods -- particularly against certain pitchers -- where they don't score very much. Offense of team has been diluted to put emphasis on other areas. Reds really could use another big right hand bat to help against lefties. Reds also don't have a true number 3 hitter, a top-tier hitter who comes through time and again.

I think the Reds will cure these deficiencies over the next couple of years and are on the right track. But expect some games like last night, as frustrating as they are.


I don't know that we can blame a diluted offense for these low scoring games. It seems to me the only areas where recent change has taken place is:

1B- from Casey to Hatteberg/Conine

C- LaRue to Ross

SS-Lopez to Gonzalez

OF-Kearns to Freel

Where have we experienced a dropoff? 1B is a wash as is C. Freel and Kearns are different kinds of players but this team needs Freel's skills more than Kearns so I think that helps the lineup more than hurts it. Over the course of a season Lopez will likely put up better offensive numbers than Gonzalez but he is hitting .350 so far and you can't gripe about that.

I wish this offense was more potent and intimidating but it actually wasn't that good after May last year.

[bellhead]

The biggest problem last night was the lack of offensive patience at the plate. At one time the starter Davis had just walked Brandon Philips on 4 straight balls. Dunn comes up and the first two pitches were balls. Now with nobody out the pitcher is not throwing strikes and Dunn yanks the first pitch in the strike zone into a double play. It happened all night the hitters were swinging at bad balls putting themselves into a bad position later in the count. Also the ump missed a few calls last night Davis was getting Greg Maddux type calls.

[Degenerate39]

It was a frustrating game to watch but you have to remember this isn't the same team that has played in the past. We don't have as many good bats but we have better fielders. Our pitching has improved overall. We just don't have a surplus of hitters anymore. No more Kearns, Pena, Lopez, Casey, etc. But overall were a better team than what we were.

[Az Red]

Where was the bunt by Haterberg in the 9th? The single by Valentine would have scored Hamilton!!! Tie game!!!

Very frustrating...:bang:

[RedsFanWC]

I think the reds offense is going to depend a lot on EE this year. In the Reds 4 wins he is 6 for 14, in the 3 losses he is 1 for 10.

[Kc61]

I don't know that we can blame a diluted offense for these low scoring games. It seems to me the only areas where recent change has taken place is:

1B- from Casey to Hatteberg/Conine

C- LaRue to Ross

SS-Lopez to Gonzalez

OF-Kearns to Freel

Where have we experienced a dropoff? 1B is a wash as is C. Freel and Kearns are different kinds of players but this team needs Freel's skills more than Kearns so I think that helps the lineup more than hurts it. Over the course of a season Lopez will likely put up better offensive numbers than Gonzalez but he is hitting .350 so far and you can't gripe about that.

I wish this offense was more potent and intimidating but it actually wasn't that good after May last year.


I think with Kearns in the middle of the lineup it gave the Reds a more potent attack. I also think that Lopez at number two, after Freel, gave the Reds a somewhat better table setter situation. So I think the offense is diluted. The offense is also diluted by Griffey's performance. He hasn't been the same hitter for almost two years now.

So I think the Reds are a weaker hitting team. I also think they are a better rounded team and, with a couple of moves, can be very good.

Notice they lost three game this year -- all of which were started by lefties against them. The Reds are not nearly as potent against lefties as they are against righties. The only really good righty hitter they have is EE, who has cooled down since his initial flurry last year.

Ultimately, the Reds will need to add offense. There will be one or two new outfielders and a new first baseman. But Rome wasn't built in a day.

[PuffyPig]

Where was the bunt by Haterberg in the 9th? The single by Valentine would have scored Hamilton!!! Tie game!!!

Very frustrating...:bang:


Bunting for 1 run (when down by one) in the top of the 9th is a losers play.

You won't see many teams do it. And you won't certainly see many winning teams do it.

[flyer85]

i just wanted to say last night was by far the most frustrating game of the season. ... better get used to it. This team lacks offense and to have success is going to have to play a lot of tight games.

[berryluther]

Where was the bunt by Haterberg in the 9th? The single by Valentine would have scored Hamilton!!! Tie game!!!

Very frustrating...:bang:

Actually if you listened to the announcer comments they said you could run all day on the DB's Closer. Why dont you steal 2nd with hamilton. Speed guy on 2nd with no outs they at least tie the game.

[REDblooded]

i just couldn't believe how many times they let Doug Davis off of the hook last night. Outside of Phillips last night, did any other hitter show any level of patience?

[roby]

The saddest thing to me was how good Saarloos looked...his stuff was unreal. then to give up the game winning homerun on what looked like a very good pitch.

[RichRed]

Bunting for 1 run (when down by one) in the top of the 9th is a losers play.

You won't see many teams do it. And you won't certainly see many winning teams do it.

Plus, you can't assume Valentin would've still hit a single with a man on 2nd. In that situation, he probably gets different pitches to hit than with a man on first.

[bucksfan2]

Lopez's offense is being missed. When on base Lopez was a big threat to steal and kept pitchers honest because he was such a good baserunner. He is a better and much more efficient and smarter base runner than freel is. What this lineup is missing is a true #3 hitter. A Larkin in his prime. I think EE and Phillips can develop into that type of hitter but it is not going to happen overnight.

[Reds Freak]

No way you bunt in that situation. Hatteberg up with a guy who couldn't find the strike zone. I really was hoping for a Hatteberg walk, a Freel bunt, and two chances for Phillips and Dunn to drive the runners in.

[flyer85]

The saddest thing to me was how good Saarloos looked...his stuff was unreal. then to give up the game winning homerun on what looked like a very good pitch.it was a changeup that was up in the zone(albeit away). It was anything but a good pitch.

to quote Saarloos


It was a changeup. I didn’t get that late movement. I didn’t get it down enough

[NorrisHopper30]

it was a changeup that was up in the zone(albeit away). It was anything but a good pitch.

to quote Saarloos

You sure it was a changeup? I thought it looked like his fastball that moves left to right.

Didn't look like a homer either, I thought it was a bloop single into left field..

[jimbo]

When on base Lopez was a big threat to steal and kept pitchers honest because he was such a good baserunner. He is a better and much more efficient and smarter base runner than freel is.

I agree taht Freel isn't the smartest baserunner at times, but neither was Lopez. One of the things I remember frustrating me so much about Lopez was his bonehead decision-making on the basepaths........along with a lackadasical approach.

[flyer85]

You sure it was a changeup? came from the horse's ... er, mouth.

[Redmachine2003]

You sure it was a changeup? I thought it looked like his fastball that moves left to right.

Didn't look like a homer either, I thought it was a bloop single into left field.. Maybe they called for a change up but even the announcer said it was a fastball. I thought that ball was going to be just a fly out and BP's ball was going to be out of there in the 9th. Shows what I know.

[Redmachine2003]

ok went back and watched the homer again and it was a change up but his fastball is at 88 and his change up was at 83 with the same movement, he needs to work on his change up.

[Heath]

Frustrating game?

Rats.

Oh well...there's only like 155 other games to play this year......

[RedsFanInMD]

Speaking of Freel, he didn't exactly set the table last night either. Having a lead off hitter with a BA barely above .200 has a way of minimizing run output.

[BRM]

Speaking of Freel, he didn't exactly set the table last night either. Having a lead off hitter with a BA barely above .200 has a way of minimizing run output.

To be fair, his OBP was .385 coming into the game. He had been doing his job fairly well up to that point.

[Ltlabner]

I'm just glad the offense prior to 2007 never struggled against particular pitchers, or had a cold nights leaving a solid start by the pitcher to go by the wayside. They never had 5 run games followed by 1 run games.

[2001MUgrad]

Its still early.

But, they have left a lot of chances out there so far this season.