Reds at Pirates 9/23/2011

[mth123]

Gotta have a game Thread.

Philllips 2B
Stubbs CF
Votto 1B
Bruce RF
Frazier 3B
Sappelt LF
Hernandez C
Janish SS
Volquez P

0-0 after 1

[mth123]

Bruce rockets a long foul on a 3-2 count then flies to McCutchen. .

[mth123]

Frazier GO to Cedeno

[mth123]

Sappelt flies to the CF track,

[mth123]

Doumit with an IF hit thanks to the shift.

[mth123]

Why shift for Doumit?

[mth123]

Garret Jones with a Home Run into the river. I like Jones and he would have been a good guy to platoon with Gomes. He plays too big a role in Pitts, but he's a good role player IMO.

458 Feet

[mth123]

2-0 after 2. Nice DP on a bad bunt by the PIT pitcher.

[mth123]

Jocketty talking now. Says he's inspired by Bench and Morgan. Hope he takes them to the winter meetings. He seems to need inspiration.

[mth123]

Jocketty says "we'll probably try to go outside."

[mth123]

Hernandez singles, Janish singles, Voquez FC. 1-out runners on first and second. Phillips up.

[mth123]

Phillips flies to CF. Janish to 3rd.

[mth123]

Stubbs flies out. No runs after a nice start.

[Blitz Dorsey]

BTW, Zach Stewart is getting absolutely rocked tonight. 7 ER, 10 H through 4 IP thus far. White Sox are trailing the Royals 7-0.

[WVRedsFan]

Reds down to their last out - Frazier up with bases loaded and the Pirates leading 3-2.

[WVRedsFan]

After Bruce is walked, Frazier is hit by the pitch and the Reds tie the score at 3-3

[kaldaniels]

Tied up. (HBP)

[WVRedsFan]

Kal:

Apparently we are the only ones still up (at 10:14 PM)

[WVRedsFan]

Sappelt flies out and we go to the bottom of the 9th...

[kaldaniels]

Kal:

Apparently we are the only ones still up (at 10:14 PM)

lol, I just got in and logged on to check the game out and figured I'd help you guys (you) out :beerme:

[oneupper]

If Frazier can't go, who will play third?

[WVRedsFan]

Sometimes I wonder why many consider Chris Heisey a good left fielder. Case in point that double that he didn't get to, overran the ball, and now the Pirates have a threat in the bottom of the ninth. Maybe it would have been a double anyway, but he just doesn't look good out there.

[mth123]

Here comes Masset. Oh well, it was fun while it lasted.

[WVRedsFan]

Amen

[mth123]

No way I go to arb with Masset. Walk-off double for Ludwick on a meatball.

[WVRedsFan]

And Masset blows another with allowing a hit to Ludwig and the Buccos win 4-3.

After great bullpen work from Chapman and LeCure, the duo of Bray and Masset, as has been the rule as of late work a third of an inning and allowing the winning run. But we continue to march them out time and time again. At least this time Bray got tagged with the inherited runner, which usually is the other way around.

I try to deal Massett. ASAP...

[WVRedsFan]

Bray's ERA has balloned from the low 2's to 3.09. Much of that has to do with his situational lefty rolek, but he has been horrible lately. Reds must now win out to have a .500 season--no winning season this year.

[757690]

No way I go to arb with Masset. Walk-off double for Ludwick on a meatball.

Agreed. I'd get rid of the whole bullpen if possible. Bring in as many fresh arms next spring as possible, and have everyone battle it out.

[mth123]

Agreed. I'd get rid of the whole bullpen if possible. Bring in as many fresh arms next spring as possible, and have everyone battle it out.

That's extreme IMO. This pen was toast by the end of June because of the way they we're being used to death early in the season. Add a top starter who can go deep into games, get a bit of a bounce back from Arroyo so he can go back to his inning eating ways, have Cueto all season, and take the gloves off of Leake and this pen will be much improved with the same guys IMO. The only question in my mind would be whether Chapman should stay heading the committee or in the rotation. Bray, Arredondo, Ondrusek, and Lecure all will be OK in 2012 (though I suspect the league will figure Lecure out at some point). I just wouldn't pay Cordero or Masset what they'll likely earn (though I think Masset is a decent bet to bounce back in 2012). Personally, I'd leave Chapman in the pen, keep Bailey to round out the rotation and add Wood to the mix as a sixth starter/long reliever and the team will really only need one reliever to hold the fort until Boxberger may be ready to help out. There will be tons of relievers on the market this year. I let other teams gobble up the high dollar guys and pick up a perfectly decent addition late in the off-season on the cheap.

Save the resources to fix the rotation and it will help the pen. Make sure the position players are set. That means, after the dust settles from whatever moves need to be made to add a starter, that the Reds have only one of Heisey, Sappelt or Stubbs penciled into the line-up and that the middle of the order has three high caliber bats hitting 3, 4, 5. If the team has to deal one of Votto, Bruce or Alonso to get the arm they need, then they'll need an OF bat from the outside. Once the team knows the budget will support all of that, then figure out how much is left to spend on the bullpen.