Bray with a 1-2-3 inning with two groundouts and a flyout.
Bray with a 1-2-3 inning with two groundouts and a flyout.
This is the 3rd year in row Bailey has started slow. It is like deadarm. I forgot about that before spring training and sometimes you pay in prediction(though I didn't have Bailey making the rotation, but performing better than this). I figure as he gets older and more mature, he will get going faster, but not yet obviously.
We saw the same thing in 2006 and he was very up and down to June when he took off(matter of fact, there is a big thread from the minors forum from the period crying about Bailey in late May).
Similiarly last year he started slow, but never got going(at least to the end of the season) likely/official reason was due to a groin tear.
He may not tear up AAA right away either. K/9 is the key IMO if he will at some point.
Homer Bailey struggles mightily but it's deadarm. Johnny Cueto dominates and it's luck.
Okay.
Just because he's not a successful major league pitcher yet doesn't necessarly mean he's a head case. People like to throw that word around a lot with kids who aren't successful right out the gate. How many 21-22 year old kids are successful big league starters? You could probably name them on the fingers of one hand. He may not be successful for another couple or three years. And he may not be an ace either. His ceiling may be as a #3 starter and if that's the best he's going to be, that's fine because the Reds haven't been able to develop those pitchers much less aces or #2 starters.
I've said before, Cueto and Volquez may be the best things that have happened to Homer. Now they have the expectations on them. They are the big stories and the saviors. There aren't going to be any Homer watches now. Wayne's not going to be asked 100 times a day when Homer's getting called up. Homer can pitch in AAA without all that pressure on him. That's not to say he shouldn't buckle down and do his very best but he can stay within himself.
Code:Cincinnati AB R H RBI BB SO LOB AVG Patterson, CF 3 0 1 1 0 0 0 .438 Hopper, CF 2 1 1 0 0 0 1 .281 Freel, LF 3 0 1 0 0 0 0 .324 Anderson, Drew T., LF 2 0 0 0 0 2 1 .406 Bruce, RF 3 0 0 0 0 2 2 .286 Gil, RF 2 1 1 2 0 1 0 .429 Votto, DH 4 0 0 0 1 0 2 .152 Hatteberg, 1B 3 1 1 0 0 0 0 .355 Rios, 1B 1 0 0 0 0 1 1 .100 Keppinger, SS 3 0 3 1 0 0 0 .361 Rosales, SS 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 .321 Cabrera, 2B 3 0 0 0 0 1 3 .314 Phillips, A, 2B 1 1 1 0 0 0 0 .242 Bako, C 1 1 0 0 1 1 1 .350 Hanigan, C 2 0 0 0 0 0 2 .200 Hairston, 3B 2 1 1 0 0 0 0 .556 a-Green, PH-3B 2 0 1 1 0 0 0 .370 Totals 38 6 11 5 2 8 13 a-Popped out for Hairston in the 7th. BATTING 2B: Hairston (1, Lester), Hatteberg (2, Lester), Hopper (1, Aardsma), Phillips, A (2, Lopez). HR: Gil (2, 7th inning off Aardsma, 1 on, 2 out). TB: Patterson; Hopper 2; Freel; Gil 4; Hatteberg 2; Keppinger 3; Phillips, A 2; Hairston 2; Green. RBI: Patterson (2), Keppinger (2), Gil 2 (5), Green (8). 2-out RBI: Gil 2; Green. Runners left in scoring position, 2 out: Bako; Votto. Team LOB: 7. BASERUNNING SB: Keppinger (1, 2nd base off Lester/Varitek). FIELDING E: Bako (4, throw). Boston AB R H RBI BB SO LOB AVG Lugo, SS 3 1 2 0 0 1 0 .333 1-Lowrie, PR-SS 2 1 0 0 0 1 0 .081 Youkilis, 1B 2 1 1 2 1 0 0 .258 2-Carter, PR-1B 2 1 0 0 0 0 0 .344 Ortiz, DH 3 1 1 0 0 1 3 .308 a-Pinckney, A, PH-DH 2 1 1 1 0 0 0 .500 Ramirez, LF 2 0 0 0 0 1 3 .321 Thurston, LF-2B 3 2 3 1 0 0 0 .400 5-Lara, PR-2B 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 .000 Lowell, 3B 1 0 1 2 0 0 0 .281 3-Ginter, PR-3B 2 1 1 1 0 0 1 .286 6-Suarez, PR-3B 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 .000 Drew, RF 3 0 3 2 0 0 0 .360 4-Engel, PR-CF 2 2 2 2 0 0 0 .750 Varitek, C 3 1 1 3 0 0 3 .304 Kottaras, G, C 2 0 0 0 0 1 2 .357 Pedroia, 2B 3 0 0 0 0 0 0 .161 Nava, LF 2 0 1 1 0 0 1 .500 Moss, CF-RF 3 2 1 1 1 0 1 .294 Pritz, RF 1 0 0 0 0 0 1 .000 Totals 41 16 18 16 2 5 15 a-Homered for Ortiz in the 6th. 1-Ran for Lugo in the 4th. 2-Ran for Youkilis in the 4th. 3-Ran for Lowell in the 4th. 4-Ran for Drew in the 4th. 5-Ran for Thurston in the 8th. 6-Ran for Ginter in the 8th. BATTING 2B: Lugo (1, Bailey), Ortiz (4, Bailey), Youkilis (1, Shearn), Ginter (2, Brower), Engel (1, Brower). 3B: Engel (1, Burton). HR: Moss (2, 2nd inning off Bailey, 0 on, 1 out), Varitek (3, 4th inning off Shearn, 2 on, 2 out), Pinckney, A (1, 6th inning off Burton, 0 on, 0 out). TB: Lugo 3; Youkilis 2; Ortiz 2; Pinckney, A 4; Thurston 3; Lowell; Ginter 2; Drew 3; Engel 5; Varitek 4; Nava; Moss 4. RBI: Lowell 2 (5), Drew 2 (5), Moss (6), Youkilis 2 (4), Thurston (2), Varitek 3 (7), Pinckney, A (1), Engel 2 (2), Nava (1), Ginter (3). 2-out RBI: Lowell; Drew 2; Thurston; Varitek 3; Nava. Runners left in scoring position, 2 out: Varitek; Pritz. SF: Lowell. Team LOB: 5. Cincinnati IP H R ER BB SO HR ERA Bailey (L, 0-2) 3.1 7 6 6 2 3 1 8.44 Shearn 0.2 4 5 5 0 0 1 11.12 Bray 1.0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0.00 Burton 1.0 4 3 3 0 1 1 9.00 Sauerbeck 1.0 0 0 0 0 1 0 20.25 Brower 1.0 3 2 2 0 0 0 13.50 Boston IP H R ER BB SO HR ERA Lester (W, 1-0) 4.0 4 3 3 1 3 0 6.00 Corey 1.2 3 0 0 0 1 0 1.17 Aardsma 1.0 2 2 2 1 1 1 5.40 Lopez 1.1 2 1 1 0 1 0 2.84 Hansen 1.0 0 0 0 0 2 0 11.12 WP: Lester 2. HBP: Lowell (by Shearn). Ground outs-fly outs: Bailey 2-5, Shearn 2-0, Bray 2-1, Burton 1-1, Sauerbeck 1-1, Brower 1-2, Lester 3-6, Corey 1-3, Aardsma 0-2, Lopez 2-1, Hansen 0-1. Batters faced: Bailey 19, Shearn 7, Bray 3, Burton 7, Sauerbeck 3, Brower 6, Lester 17, Corey 8, Aardsma 6, Lopez 6, Hansen 3. Inherited runners-scored: Shearn 2-2, Aardsma 1-0, Lopez 1-0. Umpires: HP: Chuck Meriwether. 1B: Tim Tschida. 2B: Jeff Kellogg. 3B: Brian O'Nora. Weather: 81 degrees, sunny. Wind: 15 mph, R to L. T: 3:22. Att: 7,762.
“And when finally they sense that some position cannot be sustained, they do not re-examine their ideas. Instead, they simply change the subject.” Jamie Galbraith
Bako sure has had a rough camp for defensively for a "catch & throw" guy
Games are won on run differential -- scoring more than your opponent. Runs are runs, scored or prevented they all count the same. Worry about scoring more and allowing fewer, not which positions contribute to which side of the equation or how "consistent" you are at your current level of performance.
Good points all of them. Each of those can contribute to bringing him forward in the future.
I don't mean a headcase as in trouble maker. I am thinking more along the lines of your last line, Bailey to focus ie "buckle down" and especially "stay within himself". I think the guy might be trying to hard to get and to stay in the majors, over throwing etc.
I didn't think you did. But we fans tend to put that label on someone with talent like his that doesn't succeed right away. "He's got all the talent but he just can't put it together. He's got an attitude; he doesn't try hard enough; he doesn't listen to the coaches; he's on drugs; etc." In some cases, those criticisms may be true. People expected Homer to come up and while not dominate, at least be a solid starter - perhaps a #2 starter just waiting to replace Harang as the ace. He didn't meet those expectations and now we have Volquez and Cueto and all of a sudden Homer's dog meat. It's no disgrace that a 22 year old kid has to repeat AAA. We may find out a month into the season that Volquez and/or Cueto may not be ready for prime time and maybe Homer will have put things together in AAA and be ready for the Show this time.
“And when finally they sense that some position cannot be sustained, they do not re-examine their ideas. Instead, they simply change the subject.” Jamie Galbraith
Bailey has issues. They're mostly just command-related.
The iceberg didn't kill passengers on the Titantic. It was the lack of lifeboats....
Command is the major league pitcher's lifeboat. Homer needs more lifeboats.
Simple really...
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