I can imagine what the indianzone.com people are saying about being unable to get to Arroyo and his 6.56 ERA coming in to the game.
The game WAS boring, but we'll take the W and I am very happy to see Gomes on the roster with lefties starting the next two games for Cleveland (Huff and Lee).
"A person is smart. People are dumb, panicky, dangerous animals and you know it."
http://dalmady.blogspot.com
Sometimes I think people just wait for a bad performance so they can pounce on it. I'm pleased with the win. I'm pleased with the pitching performances. I'm pleased with the defense. Did they struggle last night at the plate? Yep. But they HAVEN'T over the long haul as some here want to focus on. One night of poor plate discipline does not equal what we'll do over the long haul.
Seeing as how offense seems to be the focus of all the worry. Let's look at it. OBP, the favorite stat here on RZ. As a team, we're sitting at .330. Our competition....
Milwaukee at .349 (arguably the best offensive team in the central)
Houston at .332
Us at .330
Cards at .330
Cubs at .329
Bucs at .327
I don't see a problem there. OPS (the second favorite stat here)
Brewers at .778
Cards at .750
Astros at .740
Us at .737
Cubs at .733
Pirates at .720
Again, I don't see a problem.
Team strike outs versus walks?
Brewers 332 vs 184
Pirates 290 vs 131
Cubs 289 vs 148
Us 269 bs 140
Astros 239 vs 129
Cards 236 vs 137
Again, middle of the pack. Not an over abundance of K's and we're still drawing our fair share of free passes.
If our offense stays in the middle of the pack in the central, we'll be in this thing right up to the final day. So if you want to look at the big picture, then look at the performance in a bigger frame than last night. We'll be fine.
But, throughout your time on this board, I rarely, if ever, recall you seeing a problem. Everything is always 'hunky dory' yet the Reds haven't had a winning season since 2000.Originally Posted by _Sir_Charles_
This team has holes in it's lineup. It's hitters are impatient. It has a couple of legitimate HR hitters, one of which is laid low right now with a supposed 'ear infection' and they are playing a SS that hasn't played in a year and has both lost range and the ability to hit the ball (despite last night's success).
The Reds have a guy in CF that is, in reality, not all that good a CFer and a guy in RF that needs to get back to being patient at the plate. LF, right now, is a rotation of journeymen and hopeing to ride the hot hand. Of course, that's impeaded by a manager that is a 'player's manager' and doesn't want to 'dis' veterans that ain't getting it done.
The pitching has been solid, both in the starting rotation and the bullpen. Now they're running into some downtime and it needs to be seen if the minor league replacements and step up and perform. (famous shrug)
"Reality; what a concept" (author unknown).
Rem
No, Sir Charles has it pretty much right: if the pitching doesn't start to tank (which, let's face it, should be just about the only thing a sane Reds' fan should really worry about now or ever), this offense should be sufficient.
“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
...to win half their games.
Which is fine. It's an improvement. To play baseball in October, they'll need to upgrade the offense and pitching in that order.
No, both you and sir Charles have it wrong.
Sufficient? Sufficient for what? Farmers' Night at the ball park and the cow milking contest?
FCB, you are possibly the least optomistic poster on this board (and often right in that approach) but saying that this offense is 'sufficient' is like a rookie getting picked off of first base because the pitcher faked a throw to third and then caught him at first with his jock tangled around his ankles. The rookie's lead was 'sufficient' but he didn't understand the overall picture.
Rem
Differing opinions, rem. Why make fun of those that think perhaps the offense might be sufficient? What purpose does that serve, aside from making people angry enough to oppose everything you might say?
Yea. Couldn't be that I was actually at the game last night and wanted to comment on it.
I did.
And the performance I saw does not translate to winning baseball over the long haul. You can't expect your pitching staff to pitch that well each and every time. You can't count on your defense to save your butt every game. Those bloop hits don't always fall in.
Do I hope they do? Of course. Contrary to the opinion of some, we all want the Reds to play in the WS (and win it). But counting on hope, wing and a prayer doesn't usually translate to long-term success.
Firstly, let me say that my post wasn't directed at anybody in particular...just a general observation of the vibe this forum gets sometimes. It's most prevalent in game threads though.
No, I've seen problems. Lots of them. I loathe seeing Phillips hitting cleanup. I loathed seeing Patterson/McDonald for longer than a week. I loathed seeing us resigning Lincoln & Weathers when we had as good in the minors for cheap. I loathe our baserunning as a team when we should be TONS better. I loathe seeing us keep sending players out on the field when it's obvious they're a detriment to the club (Gonzo for example).
But overall, yes...I'm upbeat and try to be positive. Apparently that annoys some people here. Tough, I ain't changing just to suit others. (again, not directed at you specifically...I've gotten a nice rash of pretty rude PM's lately). The Reds haven't had a winning season since 2000...true. But that's the past. It's got NOTHING to do with THIS seasons' club. It's going in the right direction IMO. If you disagree...fine. Agree to disagree then.
There are VERY few teams that don't have holes in thier lineup. But remember that OUR lineup is missing (or has been missing) two of it's most important cogs in Votto and Edwin. Those 2 bats make a lot of difference IMO. In regards to Gonzo...I agree with you about his bat, but his range has looked remarkably good to me. His defense has been one of the most pleasant surprises of the season thus far IMO.This team has holes in it's lineup. It's hitters are impatient. It has a couple of legitimate HR hitters, one of which is laid low right now with a supposed 'ear infection' and they are playing a SS that hasn't played in a year and has both lost range and the ability to hit the ball (despite last night's success).
What do you mean by "supposed" ear infection?
Only a "couple" of legit HR hitters? Who would those be? I see Votto, Bruce, Phillips, Edwin, Ramon and several others who are more than capable of getting their fair share of jacks.
As for the impatient part....I somewhat agree. But we've got young hitters. When they slump...they'll press. When they press, they get overly anxious and impatient. It's not something I don't expect from young players. But overall, we've seen good long strings of improved patience from our hitters too. Don't ignore the positive just to focus on the negative. Taveras has been much more patient as a hitter this year. Votto is quite patient. Phillips has shown nice stretches. Ramirez has been solid all year. Several of the others...it comes and goes as their slumps come and go. But overall, as a team, we're middle of the pack in terms of patience at the plate and drawing walks. But I'd LOVE to see some improvement, no doubting that.
You're obviously not a fan of Taveras. Fine. But how about you ignore what you don't like about him or what you've seen in his past. How about THIS season? I don't see a whole lot to complain about. He just came off a 0 for 17 streak after the 'zona series. Prior to that series his avg hit a season high of .322. After the slump it had fallen to .283. People are saying that he's "come back to earth" lately. I'm not seeing it. This month he's hit .294 prior to tonight. He's drawn 13 walks thus far (something well ahead of what everyone expected). His defense has been flat out solid (despite playing way too shallow for my tastes and his questionable routes). But THIS season, he's been fine.The Reds have a guy in CF that is, in reality, not all that good a CFer and a guy in RF that needs to get back to being patient at the plate. LF, right now, is a rotation of journeymen and hopeing to ride the hot hand. Of course, that's impeaded by a manager that is a 'player's manager' and doesn't want to 'dis' veterans that ain't getting it done.
Bruce...yeah, he's been hot/cold to extremes. Everybody knew about his tendancy to strikeout from the minors. It's something he needs to work on, but I don't think anybody dislikes his potential for the future. He's young...give him time.
Left field...I don't know what to tell you. I was hoping Dickerson would take the reins and run with it. Hasn't happened. Everybody's been begging for Gomes...well, he's here. We'll see what happens. For me, as long as I see solid defense out there and get SOME production at the plate...I can live with it for now. If we're in the hunt late in the season, I think it'll get addressed. If not, we'll see what the kids can do in the minors or address it in the offseason.
The part about Dusty not wanting to "dis" his veterans who aren't cutting it...I ain't buying that. The ONLY guy I see getting playing time who's a vet and isn't getting it done is Gonzo. Other than that, I see a club full of young guys. And since day one, they've said that defense is a huge priority for them...while I think Janish is a fine defender, Gonzo's no slack out there either. But if he doesn't find his stick...and find it SOON...we've GOT to try another option there. Be it JHJ or Janish.
Again, I agree. But the main thing that was discussed was the supposedly "horrible" offense. Does anybody here think the Cubs offense is "horrible"? Well, if your main number that you look at is runs scored to determine the "suckyness" of an offense...well, we're right with the Cubs. And that's without Votto/Edwin. At this point in the season, to be middle of the pack in offense, that's a GOOD sign (at least to me). A team that's going for "small ball" is NOT going to score a ton of runs. It'll win close games and hold down the oppositions' scoring. Thus far, that's what we've done from what I can see.The pitching has been solid, both in the starting rotation and the bullpen. Now they're running into some downtime and it needs to be seen if the minor league replacements and step up and perform. (famous shrug)
"Reality; what a concept" (author unknown).
Rem
Sorry for the long post, but I've kinda gotten pounced on this past week and I needed to vent a bit. :O)
Last edited by _Sir_Charles_; 05-23-2009 at 11:39 PM.
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