Reds at Diamondbacks Series (5/11-5/13)

[Eric_the_Red]

Cincinnati 17-14, .548, tied for 3rd in Central 2.5 GB
Arizona 13-19, .406, tied for 3rd in West 8.5 GB

Probables
Monday
Bronson Arroyo, RHP (4-2, 7.15)
vs
Jon Garland, RHP (3-1, 4.03)

Tuesday
Micah Owings, RHP (2-3, 5.08)
vs
Dan Haren, RHP (3-3, 1.84)

Wednesday
Johnny Cueto, RHP (3-1, 1.59)
vs
Bryan Augenstein, RHP (0-0, -.--) ML debut, up from AA Mobile

No Game Notes available yet.

I'm going to go ahead and predict 2 out of 3 for the Reds. I don't see them beating Haren and I don't see Cueto losing, so tonight's game could decide the series.

[OesterPoster]

The pitching probables for the Padres series seems to favor the Reds too. Friday will probably be Correia, a righty who gives up a ton of hits and walks. Saturday would be Geer, another righty.

Then Peavy on Sunday. On paper, it sure looks like we could pull out a 4-2 road trip...but I'll take 3-3 too.

[Dude Rock]

The whole 'Zona series depends on Arroyo. If he bounces back, then we're in business. Poor Owings has to face Haren unfortunately. Could go 1-2 or 2-1 against them.

[Ghosts of 1990]

How long do we let Arroyo slide? I realize he has 4 wins but save maybe 2 outings, he hasn't pitched well this season. I'd like to see Arroyo out of the rotation and Bailey in there.

[Eric_the_Red]

How long do we let Arroyo slide? I realize he has 4 wins but save maybe 2 outings, he hasn't pitched well this season. I'd like to see Arroyo out of the rotation and Bailey in there.

Until I am confident that Baily could give the team 200+ innings of mid-4 ERA baseball, then I hope the Reds keep Arroyo in there. You ahve to take the bad with the good with Arroyo, and more often than not you can count on him for a quality start.

[PhillipsHead]

Just keep winning series, and well be ok. 2-1 series' produce winning season. Let's keep it goin on the road.

[schmidty622]

How long do we let Arroyo slide? I realize he has 4 wins but save maybe 2 outings, he hasn't pitched well this season. I'd like to see Arroyo out of the rotation and Bailey in there.

HAHAHAHAHAHA... I'm sorry. I just find it really funny how for a few weeks people are clamoring for Owings to get kicked out of the rotation and now because Owings has pitched OK (for a 5th starter) the guns turn to Arroyo.

Bailey got knocked around in his last start by the way. I think 7 Runs in the first two innings with more walks than k's if I remember right.

[schmidty622]

About the games themselves; A 4-2 road trip is about the most I would hope for but I think 3-3 or 2-4 is more likely. These west coast trips are brutal and Haran and Peavy are going to be tough to beat.

[Dude Rock]

How long do we let Arroyo slide? I realize he has 4 wins but save maybe 2 outings, he hasn't pitched well this season. I'd like to see Arroyo out of the rotation and Bailey in there.

You'd like to see Cueto, Harang and Volquez out and Bailey in there. :D ;) :p:

So..........do like Bailey or something?

[WILD THING]

I have a feeling Arroyo is going to put together a solid start tonight. My prediction:
7.1 IP, 7 H, 2 ER, 6 K, 2 BB

[PhillipsHead]

I like your optimism. Well, we are playing a team 6 games under. Wouldn't you think we'd play well against them if we're a serious team?

[WILD THING]

We definitely need to play well if we want to be considered a serious team. We can't lose games we should clearly win if we want to be in contention. Sure taking a the series' against the Cubs and Cardinals are nice, but if we lose to teams like Arizona and Houston when they're struggling, then we have no shot.

[schmidty622]

West Coast Trips always seem to bring out the worst in the Reds. I am very nervous about our chances.

[Ghosts of 1990]

Pitch around Justin Upton this series. He's been red hot (17 game hitting streak, slugging .754 during that time period), other then him, they're limited in what they can do offensively.

[mroby85]

I see us losing 2/3 in this series, and winning 2/3 vs San Diego, which brings them back home still at 3 games over, which i'd be content with.

[ian_madden]

West coast swings historically have been bad. But I think that this new young blood may just sizzle under the hot Arizona sun. Lets keep it hot... red hot.

Oh yeah, a 500 road trip would be great. I would settle for a 2 and 4 trip, if we play smart, hard baseball and don't beat ourselves. That would still put us over 500 on the year.

[Shawn_RedsFan]

I say 2 of 3 IF we win tonight.

On another note, I would like to see Homer up here also whether it'd be replacing Owings or Arroyo, having a full season in the majors would do wonders for him as a pitcher. Take Cueto for example (don't get me wrong Bailey is not going to come up and have as good of a season Cueto had last year) but the best experience for Bailey would be if he was here in the big leagues.

[bgwilly31]

I agree i see arroyo bounces back.

I see our bats staying hot with this lineup.

I see a sweep and most definitely a winning series.
And i also agree tonights is the deciding factor. We lose tonight and the series win is in big jeapordy with owings up next.

[Shawn_RedsFan]

I agree i see arroyo bounces back.

I see our bats staying hot with this lineup.

I see a sweep and most definitely a winning series.
And i also agree tonights is the deciding factor. We lose tonight and the series win is in big jeapordy with owings up next.

Its not really Owings about being next to pitch, it's who he is up against...:(

[LetsGoReds11]

West coast swings historically have been bad. But I think that this new young blood may just sizzle under the hot Arizona sun. Lets keep it hot... red hot.

Oh yeah, a 500 road trip would be great. I would settle for a 2 and 4 trip, if we play smart, hard baseball and don't beat ourselves. That would still put us over 500 on the year.

How can you settle for a 2-4 road trip against two of the worst teams in the NL.....Were not the Reds of old with losing road records....Were the best team on the road so far this season.....The pitching for the Reds has been great compared to awful pitching in the past years...Arroyo should bounce back against a weak offensive ball club in Arizona tonight.....4-2 road trip and maybe more if some luck falls are way against the two #1's were going to face on this trip.

[bw87a]

How can you settle for a 2-4 road trip against two of the worst teams in the NL.....Were not the Reds of old with losing road records....Were the best team on the road so far this season.....The pitching for the Reds has been great compared to awful pitching in the past years...Arroyo should bounce back against a weak offensive ball club in Arizona tonight.....4-2 road trip and maybe more if some luck falls are way against the two #1's were going to face on this trip.

i agree with you. no way would i settle for 2-4 with our road victories. i can't praise the reds enough on their road strength so far this year. i'd like to see a 5-1 road trip! how awesome.

[PhillipsHead]

1 down, facing haren and peavy are the only games that I think we have a chance to lose on this road trip...

[ian_madden]

How can you settle for a 2-4 road trip against two of the worst teams in the NL.....Were not the Reds of old with losing road records....Were the best team on the road so far this season.....The pitching for the Reds has been great compared to awful pitching in the past years...Arroyo should bounce back against a weak offensive ball club in Arizona tonight.....4-2 road trip and maybe more if some luck falls are way against the two #1's were going to face on this trip.

I'm speaking of regression to the mean. Eventually hot hitters, pitchers, players in general cool off. Now if last night is any sign of things to come, then we have not gotten hot yet. Like we have been saying all year, if this team can learn to hit as a team, clutch hitting, etc. and keep this momentum going then we just might be in for something special.

And besides, I wasn't saying that I would like a 2 and 4 trip, I simply implied that I would not abandon ship like so many reds fans do. I'm here for the long haul. Anything over a 500 road trip I feel is miraculous.:jump:

GO REDS!!!!!!!!!!! :thumbup:

[schmidty622]

1 game down. Owings V. Haren is going to be hard to win. I think we drop this one but Cueto comes back in the next game and pitches well and we take the series.

[NeilHamburger]

The two games that look really tough are:

Peavy vs. Arroyo on Sunday
Haren vs. Owings tonight

Honestly, I just don't see the Reds winning either of those games. Just the way the pitching falls makes it difficult. When your 4 or 5 faces another teams 1 it's tough, and those two are really tough potential Cy Young types. If it had been Cueto or Harang or Volquez I could see the reds winning. But, I think the reds go 3-3 or 4-2 on this trip.

[Eric_the_Red]

The two games that look really tough are:

Peavy vs. Arroyo on Sunday
Haren vs. Owings tonight

Honestly, I just don't see the Reds winning either of those games. Just the way the pitching falls makes it difficult. When your 4 or 5 faces another teams 1 it's tough, and those two are really tough potential Cy Young types. If it had been Cueto or Harang or Volquez I could see the reds winning. But, I think the reds go 3-3 or 4-2 on this trip.


I like the Reds chances against Peavy better than against Haren. I think if the hitters are patient and make Peavy throw a lot of pitches, then there is a chance he comes out early enough to give us a show against the bullpen.

Haren is nails though, one of the top 3 SP in the NL. If the Reds can pull out a win tonight, it just may be a sign of something special this year.

[schmidty622]

Haren's numbers are so good this year. He's only 3-3 but he has a 1.84 ERA and has only walked 9 batters in 49 innings while striking out 51. In only one of his 7 starts has he allowed over 2 runs.

If we win tonight it's going to be because Arizona's offense stunk it up.

[OesterPoster]

Since Peavy is on my fantasy team, I fully expect him to stink on Sunday. :)

I started Kenshin Kawakami for the Braves when the Reds pounded him into oblivion.

I started Kyle Lohse last Saturday when he got torched by the Reds.

Of course, this hasn't worked with Roy Oswalt yet...but at least I'm doing my part to help.

:D

[Ghosts of 1990]

Since Peavy is on my fantasy team, I fully expect him to stink on Sunday. :)

I started Kenshin Kawakami for the Braves when the Reds pounded him into oblivion.

I started Kyle Lohse last Saturday when he got torched by the Reds.

Of course, this hasn't worked with Roy Oswalt yet...but at least I'm doing my part to help.

:D

Haha, keep up the good work. You might be our secret weapon all year.

In all honesty, I'm a little worried about them facing a horse like Haren tonight but at least he's a RHP. I really liked how they hit Josh Johnson head on in Florida when he gave them his best stuff. I think tonight will be a good test once again for our lineup which has been getting it done.

[DaytonFlyer]

One of today's matchups on ESPN's Streak for the Cash is what will there be more of in this game: Reds hits, or Haren K's? I picked Haren K's. :(

[xavr1]

Thats a good pick. Even if the Reds put up a respectable five runs (unlikely against Haren), that still probably wont be enough to top his K count.

[Kingspoint]

More on last night's game:

The REDS go 7-18 w/ RISP after 1-10 the day before against the Cards.


18 opportunities w/ RISP!!! Unbelievable! Zona was 1-5. And, then to come through with 7 hits in those situations. Also, great.


Also, 123 pitches for Arroyo?! Who does Dusty think he has out there? Randy Johnson? Maybe because he's not allowed to play guitar anymore, he can go throw these extra pitches. I'm guessing the guitar is back home in Cincinnati.


Trust the force, Luke.

[Kingspoint]

Thats a good pick. Even if the Reds put up a respectable five runs (unlikely against Haren), that still probably wont be enough to top his K count.

It's time for Owings to take another step forward and keep the D-backs to less runs or at least as few runs as Haren holds the REDS to tonight.

[xavr1]

The D-Backs are as good a team as any to give him a chance for that step forward. They've only scored 125 runs this years, 20 fewer than the Reds. The only NL teams with fewer runs scored are the Giants, Padres, and Astros. Needless to say, their offense aint great. Neutralize Upton and Byrnes and Owings could put together a nice little game.

[Kingspoint]

And, Rosales and the rest of the REDS need to step it up defensively.

[Eric_the_Red]

Haren is nails though, one of the top 3 SP in the NL. If the Reds can pull out a win tonight, it just may be a sign of something special this year.

Let's hope I was right on this. Big, big win for the team. Hopefully the brooms com eout tonight.

[DaytonFlyer]

The D-Backs have looked pretty lost the last couple of nights. With Cueto going tonight, we SHOULD make it 3-for-3.

But then, we've always had the habit of making opponents' unknown pitchers look like Cy Young candidates.

[xavr1]

Man lasts night game was huge. Knocking off their ace with our 5th!! Confidence has to be sky high right now and I would actually be surprised if we dont complete the sweep.

[WildcatFan]

The D-Backs have looked pretty lost the last couple of nights. With Cueto going tonight, we SHOULD make it 3-for-3.

But then, we've always had the habit of making opponents' unknown pitchers look like Cy Young candidates.

Don't forget that was the old reds. The old reds would go out west and get hammered, the old reds couldn't beat Roy Oswalt, the old reds didn't have a top 5 rotation. I know we're still skeptical because that's how we've been groomed the last 10 years, but let's remember we're cheering for a different team now. We should be confident going into this game that Cueto will make quick work of this rookie, whoever he is, and the sweep will be on.

Go Reds.

[WILD THING]

I agree. This team is definitely different from anything we've seen in recent history. I just hope Joey is ok and everything that happened last night was related to the flu that he already had and nothing else.

[Ghosts of 1990]

I think that we can get greedy for a sweep tonight. Our best pitcher IMO against a guy making his MLB debut. And he's a righty.

[OesterPoster]

Here's a small blurb about the rookie we're seeing for the D-Backs tonight:

by SnakebitForever on May 13, 2009 4:27 AM EDT Comment 2 comments

Okay, so we are re-building from within. Well having watched Augenstein make 9 starts last year for Visalia allow me to give you the skinny on him.

Despite his height he is still compact in his motion. He is slow to the plate but he has a great sinker (when he stays on top of it). He is a typical ground ball pitcher and doesn't strike out many batters. It does seem that this year he has learned to throw his sinker as his out pitch when he is ahead in the count.

To his credit he won 2008 FutureBacks Pitcher of the Year honors by leading the organization with a 2.75 ERA.

As long as Augenstein stays within himself tonight he should be successful as long as we give him RUN SUPPORT.

[schmidty622]

Here's a small blurb about the rookie we're seeing for the D-Backs tonight:

by SnakebitForever on May 13, 2009 4:27 AM EDT Comment 2 comments

Okay, so we are re-building from within. Well having watched Augenstein make 9 starts last year for Visalia allow me to give you the skinny on him.

Despite his height he is still compact in his motion. He is slow to the plate but he has a great sinker (when he stays on top of it). He is a typical ground ball pitcher and doesn't strike out many batters. It does seem that this year he has learned to throw his sinker as his out pitch when he is ahead in the count.

To his credit he won 2008 FutureBacks Pitcher of the Year honors by leading the organization with a 2.75 ERA.

As long as Augenstein stays within himself tonight he should be successful as long as we give him RUN SUPPORT.

There's the problem for the DBacks though. They are going against a very tough pitcher and have one of the worst offensive teams in the game right now.

If the Reds are worth their salt they will win tonight.

[Ghosts of 1990]

I like watching Justin Upton play. Wish he was in our lineup.

[texasdave]

As long as Augenstein stays within himself tonight he should be successful as long as we give him RUN SUPPORT.

So all a team has to do to be successful is to have their pitches stay within themselves (i.e. pitch well) and then give them some RUN SUPPORT? This guy might be on to something. Stay tuned.

[DaytonFlyer]

I don't know, Harang still seems to win somehow.

[bigredmechanism]

So all a team has to do to be successful is to have their pitches stay within themselves (i.e. pitch well) and then give them some RUN SUPPORT? This guy might be on to something. Stay tuned.

Breaking News: Baseball teams often win if their pitchers throw well and a lot of runs are scored. Film at 11.

Reminds me of some of those "keys to the game" you see in football.

(Ex: Hold Tomlinson to less than 50 yds rushing and play tough pass D... Duh!)

[Dude Rock]

D-backs pitcher tonight:

Bryan Augenstein (double A):
5-0
0.78 e.r.a.
34 IP
17 hits allowed
3 ER (no HR's allowed)
6 Walks, 31 K's, 0.66 WHIP
22 years old

[NeilHamburger]

Still, this guy has thrown 34 innings above High A ball. 34!

Reds should be able to get something done.

[bgwilly31]

Does anybody think we even have a chance of losing tonight.

Aside from catastrophic failure.

This is the first time in my reds fandome history that i just think we should blow this game out and complete the sweep.

[Dude Rock]

Does anybody think we even have a chance of losing tonight.

Aside from catastrophic failure.

This is the first time in my reds fandome history that i just think we should blow this game out and complete the sweep.

I hope so, but I hope they take alot of pitches. This guy appears to have done very well in the minors so far. Even if it is only double A, and e.r.a. under 1.00 is nothing to sneer at in 6 starts. The dude should be nervous and hopefully we get to him early and knock him out of the game.