YEAH!!!

[TheBigLebowski]

That was an awesome win tonight and I am still pumped about it.

Come on...we're 13-20, nowhere near where we expected or hoped to be at this point but, if we can take 2 or 3 from the Cubs here we're only about 3-4 games from being right in the middle of this thing. Cueto looked a lot better tonight. Volquez and Harang have been nails all year. We need to make some moves for sure but damn, let's not give up on this season just yet.

[goreds2]

That was an awesome win tonight and I am still pumped about it.

Come on...we're 13-20, nowhere near where we expected or hoped to be at this point but, if we can take 2 or 3 from the Cubs here we're only about 3-4 games from being right in the middle of this thing. Cueto looked a lot better tonight. Volquez and Harang have been nails all year. We need to make some moves for sure but damn, let's not give up on this season just yet.

Agreed. It would be nice to at least take 2 of 3. From where we are at in the standings, this series is somewhat important.

[757690]

As this game demonstrates, the Cubs really aren't a whole lot better than the Reds, they just have had an easier schedule, and some more timely hitting. Their starting pitching is very thin, and their bullpen just as bad.

It is a long season, with Harang, Cueto and Volquez in the rotation, the Reds could easily be back in the race by the All-Star break, especially if Dunn is getting back on track.

[He got it!]

Nice to see Weathers back to his '07 form. He looked great :thumbup:

[Carin4Narron]

Keep on drinking the kool aid TheBigLebowski. After all kool aid kool aid taste great, kool aid kool aide can't wait!

[DTCromer]

It is a long season, with Harang, Cueto and Volquez in the rotation, the Reds could easily be back in the race by the All-Star break, especially if Dunn is getting back on track.

Marmol is the only pitcher that scares me in that bullpen. He's going to the be their future closer and is already a stud.

[Ghosts of 1990]

If we can steal the next two we're 6 games back... but even more than that I'll have hope that this group is capable of putting a hurting on quality teams. as long as we can stay within 5 games of 1st place before the all-star break you just never know. I think if we can get Homer Bailey up here he will give us a boost and this rotation will catch fire (the young guns plus harang)

[ChatterRed]

I felt like putting on my Kool-Aid suit tonight and busting through the outfield wall!!!! Nice win!!!!

[TheBigLebowski]

Keep on drinking the kool aid TheBigLebowski. After all kool aid kool aid taste great, kool aid kool aide can't wait!

I'm so tired of people using that Kool Aid reference in a sporting context. Come up with something new, will ya?

[Carin4Narron]

I'm so tired of people using that Kool Aid reference in a sporting context. Come up with something new, will ya? Ok, let's say you pick a gal at a bar late at night, you get lucky. But the next morning the gal looks like she was beaten by a ugly stick. The Reds are that gal!

[Newman4]

take 2 or 3 from the Cubs

2 out of 3? Heck, I'm gready...just sweep them. ;)

[fugowitribe]

Harang vs. Zambrano tonight, this is the most exciting game the reds have had since Opening Day. If.....I mean WHEN we win tonight, i hope we go for the throat and get the sweep and start rolling. May has to be the Reds' month.

[TheBigLebowski]

Ok, let's say you pick a gal at a bar late at night, you get lucky. But the next morning the gal looks like she was beaten by a ugly stick. The Reds are that gal!

Better analogy.

Look, I am fully aware that the more likely outcome is that the Cubs will take the remaining two games and that we have another mediocre-to-poor season. I am just not ready to give up on 08 yet. It's too early and I was too excited about it.

[Natty Redlocks]

As this game demonstrates, the Cubs really aren't a whole lot better than the Reds, they just have had an easier schedule, and some more timely hitting. Their starting pitching is very thin, and their bullpen just as bad.

It is a long season, with Harang, Cueto and Volquez in the rotation, the Reds could easily be back in the race by the All-Star break, especially if Dunn is getting back on track.

Did you know that as a team, the Reds are hitting .267 with RISP, and the Cubs are hitting .261 with RISP?

Yet the Cubs have scored 55 more runs than the Reds. This is because the Cubs have had a lot more ABs with RISP, which is because their OBP as a team is significantly higher. Which has nothing at all to do with the Reds having a manager who routinely talks about "baseclogging" and wanting his hitters to be more aggressive. :rolleyes:

[757690]

Did you know that as a team, the Reds are hitting .267 with RISP, and the Cubs are hitting .261 with RISP?

Yet the Cubs have scored 55 more runs than the Reds. This is because the Cubs have had a lot more ABs with RISP, which is because their OBP as a team is significantly higher. Which has nothing at all to do with the Reds having a manager who routinely talks about "baseclogging" and wanting his hitters to be more aggressive. :rolleyes:

You are correct that it is not timely hitting that is helping the Cubs. I was mistaken. However, it has nothing to do with lineups.

First, Lou has been batting Soriano leadoff, and he has a .233 OPB! Even worse than Patterson.
Second, the reason they have more PA with RISP, is that they have a extremely high OBP as a team. Everyone except Soriano is hitting. Their team has a .383 OBP! The Reds as a team have a .319. I think it is safe to assume that that is the reason why the Cubs have more PA with RISP...they have more baserunners, by a lot.

And check out texasdave's research in this post about the Reds hitting approach this year under Dusty compared to last year.

http://www.redszone.com/forums/showthread.php?t=67939

If he is preaching to be more aggressive, no one is listening.

[GoReds33]

The best thing I saw tonight was when Lee got up, and Cordero got ahead of him. He could have went immediatly back to the breaking ball, but he challenged him again. That's the guts I love seeing from a closer. He used his best pitch, and made Lee try and beat him with that. If we could have a team with that mindset, we'd be a great team.

[zakthemack]

Last night was totally awesome, although Cordero had me worried that bad luck was going to storm in and steal a win from us. We may not end up making it to division champ, but just having a competitive game to watch was very nice.