7-5 vs Brew Crew -- NEED A WIN!!

[Tony Cloninger]

I hear the fear in your keystrokes.

I think Seattles' bullpens of 1997-99 compare to this one.
Griffey must be loving it....the memories.

All that is missing is Lou blowing a gasket....but even he just gave up and played dead after a while. This team looks dead even when it's winning sometimes.

[kyred14]

I guess there is really nothing Narron or anyone else can do, there isn't anyone remotely realible in the bullpen.

[WVRedsFan]

Narron? C'mon guys--- what can he do? Every pitcher in that pen is garbage-- all he can do is roll the dice with them each night.

Which is the great smokescreen that disguises the inept lineups and the constant catering to veterans who are has-beens.

Overlooked in this game is the putrid offense. An offense that can score 14 and turn around and score 3 or 4. This team has to score 8 or more runs to be safe with our bullpen. When we score 5 or less, we usually lose. Taking a big bat out of the lineup with a one run lead is ludicrous. Playing banjo hitters and over the hill veterans is stupid. And this is just the beginning, folks. While Matt Beslile rots in the pen and Edwin Encarnacion sits in Louisville, we get Juan Castro (to his credit, he did take a chance to get the lead for us briefly) and Q. McC to hit and Yan to pitch.

Sorry, but there's too much blame to not look at Narron, lineup construction (whereby Griffey's only protection is Rich Aurilia), Kearns in the 7 hole and a catching rotation only someone into torture would love. If you know you have to score runs and lots of them, why do you start Castro and Aurilia? Why do you bench Lopez? Why do you meddle with Adam Dunn's plate philosophy?

[realreds1]

I guess there is really nothing Narron or anyone else can do, there isn't anyone remotely realible in the bullpen.

Can Denorfia pitch?

[reds44]

Which is the great smokescreen that disguises the inept lineups and the constant catering to veterans who are has-beens.

Overlooked in this game is the putrid offense. An offense that can score 14 and turn around and score 3 or 4. This team has to score 8 or more runs to be safe with our bullpen. When we score 5 or less, we usually lose. Taking a big bat out of the lineup with a one run lead is ludicrous. Playing banjo hitters and over the hill veterans is stupid. And this is just the beginning, folks. While Matt Beslile rots in the pen and Edwin Encarnacion sits in Louisville, we get Juan Castro (to his credit, he did take a chance to get the lead for us briefly) and Q. McC to hit and Yan to pitch.

Sorry, but there's too much blame to not look at Narron, lineup construction (whereby Griffey's only protection is Rich Aurilia), Kearns in the 7 hole and a catching rotation only someone into torture would love. If you know you have to score runs and lots of them, why do you start Castro and Aurilia? Why do you bench Lopez? Why do you meddle with Adam Dunn's plate philosophy?

This post I will agree with.

[George Foster]

That being said, I would have pitched Standridge in the 13th. I agree with who Narron put out there.

This was a hypothetical. If Narron was saving Belisle...it was the wrong thinking, that's all.

[Chip R]

St. Louis just got Weaver from the Angels.....

I would not be surprised if they turned him around there.

[RedsMan3203]

We have a bulpen?

Hell, I was thinking... Who can pitch the 13th?


Belisle? Belisle?? Belisle??? or Milton.

[traderumor]

Demoralizing, simply demoralizing to scratch out leads and watch your bullpen cough them up in two games. Get swept when the offense provided the means to take 2 of 3. Worse yet, neither time could they even get an out. Inexcusable, and if you're gonna cut Josh Hancock for being too fat, then you gotta cut 2 to 3 more of these clowns for sucking bad.

Coffey nibbled until Jenkins finally lit him up, then he decided to pitch. Standridge had the deer in the headlights look when he had the lead to hold. Two guys not trusting their stuff when the game is on the line.

[SteelSD]

Devestating?

It's hillarious. Blowing not one but two saves in extra frames?

This team is regressing back to the mean, and it's a comedy of errors watching it happen.

Excellent observation, Caveat. I'm not at all surprised by any of it. This team has mounted comeback after comeback this season but simply can't overcome bad pitching. Same as it ever was.

But hey, the guys responsible for said bad pitching have been given extensions so I guess it's all good?

[oregonred]

Hey the pen gave up only 3 ER in 6 innings pitched (never mind the extras that would have scored in the 13th -- but details).

I'm officially declaring this Herculian team effort a "quality finish"

[traderumor]

I would not be surprised if they turned him around there.

Turn him around to what? More like finally get something out of him.

[traderumor]

But hey, the guys responsible for said bad pitching have been given extensions so I guess it's all good?

What?

[reds44]

This was a hypothetical. If Narron was saving Belisle...it was the wrong thinking, that's all.

Yes if saving Belisle for tomorrow was he brought in Standridge, then yes it is the wrong thinking.

However if he thought Standridge was the better option, so did I, so I can't blame him.

[alloverjr]

I think others made a valid point that you've GOT to have Belisle available for Atlanta tomorrow w/ Mays taking the mound... that's reasoning that's at least understandable.

What isn't understandable is that Mays is even ALLOWED to pitch tomorrow, or even on the roster. But I guess that question can be put to about 8 guys who have been called pitchers. The Reds are getting dangerously close to challenging my win total prediction for this year.