Why do Dunn and Griffey refuse to use the opposite field.

[captainmorgan07]

How many times in their many years in the queen city have we seen dunn and griffey continue to try to pull outside pitches that result in groundouts to second. Most of the time it's a weak ground ball at that. Dunn frequentely refuses to use the left side of the baseball field. Griffey has had his brief moments where he punches the ball the other way. Both need to take those outside pitches to the opposite field and quit pulling the ball. THeir just causing this team more outs.

[NDReds9]

Dunn and Griffey should bunt to 3rd EVERY SINGLE TIME the shift is on. Any bunt in play toward 3rd would be a free hit. They're superstars, though. They need HR's.

[RedsFanWC]

The reds have had different owners, gms, starters, relievers, closers, infielders and catchers. The only constant in the 7 years of losing has been 2 players: Dunn and Griffey.

[Ed Otten]

The reds have had different owners, gms, starters, relievers, closers, infielders and catchers. The only constant in the 7 years of losing has been 2 players: Dunn and Griffey.

The Reds have also played in the same city, with the same colors, with same name, with the same spring training city, same fans, same division, same league, and same president of the United States, just to mention a few things.

These are all ridiculous things to blame seven years of losing on.


So is blaming it on two players.

[Orenda]

The reds have had different owners, gms, starters, relievers, closers, infielders and catchers. The only constant in the 7 years of losing has been 2 players: Dunn and Griffey.

That and bad pitching. Id also like to see them go the other way more often, Dunn especially, tonight would have been a perfect situation trailing by 2 runs they could have used baserunners. For all the talk about Dunn's plate discipline and good eye, he sure seems to have a tough enough time identifying the three defenders on the right side of second base.

[James B.]

I agree with you guys. I fthey would bunt it a couple of times a game, they would break the shift. If not, it would help to get this team going. I bet some of Dunn and Griffey's teamates are wondering the same thing that we are.

[Rounding Third]

I think they should just bunt with the shift on. I can remember 2 times Griffey has done it. Both times he walked to first base. Maybe Dusty just doesn't want them clogging those bases.

[tbball10]

I think they should just bunt with the shift on. I can remember 2 times Griffey has done it. Both times he walked to first base. Maybe Dusty just doesn't want them clogging those bases.

exactly!! if a team is going to give u a base u take it! especially with the way jr. and dunn are hitting. if they could get on somehow, it would give votto and ede (2 hitters hitting well) a chance to actually drive in some runs for this team.
i was at the game tonight, and you could tell by the 5th inning we were not going to score a run, if not earlier... patterson's plus fielding helped us out too, or it may have been a scoreless game, cause the braves couldn't even see volquez!! it was awesome, absolutely none of the braves looked comfortable except maybe chipper (mccann got lucky and guessed changeup).
trade griffey and dunn and bring up bruce,because he needs ab's! this season is going down the drain fast!!

[RedsFanWC]

The Reds have also played in the same city, with the same colors, with same name, with the same spring training city, same fans, same division, same league, and same president of the United States, just to mention a few things.

These are all ridiculous things to blame seven years of losing on.


So is blaming it on two players.

Im sorry but if the two guys werent being paid a combined 21 millions dollars maybe we could have afforded some pitching. (FYI Dunn is making the same as both David Ortiz and Roy Oswalt, who would you rather have?) The fact is neither of these players have shown enough leadership to even be named captain of the team. Earlier this month the reds were struggling and they were both sleeping in their recliners instead of taking extra batting practice before a game. Star players arent just for stats they are supposed to carry their teams to wins. This year who would you rather have: Soriano and Lee, Braun and Fielder, Tejada and Berkman, Glaus and Pujols or Griffey and Dunn. I would take all 4 of those combos over Dunn and Griffey and as long as that is the case the Reds will struggle to compete in the NL Central. Hopefully Votto and Bruce can change that or the Reds can add someone by trade, otherwise the pitching the reds are now starting to develop will be wasted.

[Slyder]

Dunn and Griffey should bunt to 3rd EVERY SINGLE TIME the shift is on. Any bunt in play toward 3rd would be a free hit. They're superstars, though. They need HR's.

I'm going to go on a little bit of a tangent here its late and my mind is multi tasking.

I agree with you to a point. Dunn and Griffey (when theyre going good) can do so much more damage swinging than a bunt.

Like the example Reds need base runners (IE down by 2) I would have no problem with them laying down a bunt to try for a hit. But if its closer youre taking the bat out of arguably the 2 most dangerous hitters in the lineup (when theyre going good).

Anyone got a count of P/PA for Griffey from last year?

Could it be Dunn's getting pitched around because no one above him (sans Kepp) is doing jack and teams are just giving him a free base and moving on with a hot EE and just hoping that EE keeps it in the ballpark. I mean no one from 1-4 is doing much (besides Freel and Kepp) so theres no real pressure put on a pitcher to give Dunn anything to hit.

I still think moving Phillips down and popping in a tape of him hitting line drives to the gaps would do him a world of good.

[Ed Otten]

Im sorry but if the two guys werent being paid a combined 21 millions dollars maybe we could have afforded some pitching. (FYI Dunn is making the same as both David Ortiz and Roy Oswalt, who would you rather have?) The fact is neither of these players have shown enough leadership to even be named captain of the team. Earlier this month the reds were struggling and they were both sleeping in their recliners instead of taking extra batting practice before a game. Star players arent just for stats they are supposed to carry their teams to wins. This year who would you rather have: Soriano and Lee, Braun and Fielder, Tejada and Berkman, Glaus and Pujols or Griffey and Dunn. I would take all 4 of those combos over Dunn and Griffey and as long as that is the case the Reds will struggle to compete in the NL Central. Hopefully Votto and Bruce can change that or the Reds can add someone by trade, otherwise the pitching the reds are now starting to develop will be wasted.

Maybe we could have spent that 21 million dollars (or really, probably some fraction of it, because I don't think we are going to find two outfielders who will play for free) on pitching; I don't see how that would have guaranteed us success. We probably would have been the Houston Astros of a couple years ago who had great pitching but couldn't score any runs. I'm also not arguing that there aren't better combinations of players out there than Griffey and Dunn. But WE don't have those players, and it seems a little naive to think that if we didn't have Dunn and Griffey 7 years ago, we would have automatically had those other great players you talk about, in any combination.

As far as the leadership goes, I would like someone to show me some evidence that taking extra batting practice when a team is struggling is a surefire sign of leadership. A sign of practice, yes, but a sign of leadership?

I don't know anything about the leadership skills of Dunn and Griffey; I'm not in the clubhouse. So I am not willing to pretend to know anything about their leadership skills. We're not dealing with all the evidence here. All we see is that 1) one day they were sleeping in recliners and 2) therefore, they were not taking extra batting practice. And from those two statements we come to the conclusion that they are not good leaders? I fail to see that logic.

And besides, my point was only that to blame the failures of the Reds on two players doesn't make any sense to me. The only way I could see that being a viable conclusion would be if those two players were intentially throwing games, or perhaps they were poisoning the teams gatorade. Hitting homeruns on a regular basis doesn't seem like a good way to make the Reds lose.

[mroby85]

probably because of the massive power numbers they're producing by pulling the ball ;)

[Scott Botkins]

Griffey and Dunn aren't being paid as the highest paid players on the team to bunt. These guys hit 30-40 homers each year and we're only into the first month of the season, there is no quick fix to this team and bunting isn't going to solve anything. They just need to keep playing, it's baseball and slumps happen.

[Kingspoint]

Why do Dunn and Griffey refuse to use the opposite field?

Ego.

At least Baker finally put Dunn and his ego down in the order tonight.

[texasdave]

Griffey and Dunn aren't being paid as the highest paid players on the team to bunt. These guys hit 30-40 homers each year and we're only into the first month of the season, there is no quick fix to this team and bunting isn't going to solve anything. They just need to keep playing, it's baseball and slumps happen.

But Griffey and Dunn are being paid to help this team win games. And there are times when a team simply needs men on base. And if the shift is practically gift-wrapping the opportunity to get men on base, I see no reason why that gift shouldn't be opened.

[James B.]

But Griffey and Dunn are being paid to help this team win games. And there are times when a team simply needs men on base. And if the shift is practically gift-wrapping the opportunity to get men on base, I see no reason why that gift shouldn't be opened.

Exactly! Last night the Reds were down by 2. A homerun is not exactly what they needed. They needed someone to get on base, whether it be a bunt or not.

[Scott Botkins]

But Griffey and Dunn are being paid to help this team win games. And there are times when a team simply needs men on base. And if the shift is practically gift-wrapping the opportunity to get men on base, I see no reason why that gift shouldn't be opened.

I've seen Griffey bunt in the 9th inning many times and a couple this year when we've been down by a run or two. Dunn on the other hand I believe doesn't know how to bunt.