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Reds Tidbits (2006 Season)

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Dispatch

5/5/06

After all the agonizing the Reds did the past two years over whether to trade one of their talented young outfielders to obtain a starting pitcher, the decision seems obvious now that Bronson Arroyo is 5-0 and Cincinnati is in first place.

Reds reliever Kent Mercker likes outfielder Wily Mo Pena, who went to Boston in the trade for Arroyo, but he likes the deal even more.
"Nothing against Wily Mo (Pena), but you make that trade 100 times," Mercker said. "To get a quality starter, No. 1. No knock against (Pena), because he’s not here, but our defense is improved. It gets Kernsie (Austin Kearns) out there every night, and he’s an unbelievable defensive outfielder. As a pitcher, that’s what you want."
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A couple of things....

1. It's kinda sad that the best Reds talk on the web is located in an Ohio State website!

2. Concerning Griffey: It's been discussed on numerous occasions the past week, by Hal McCoy (Dayton Daily News) and Marty Brennemen (700 WLW) that Jr. is ready to come back and has been for almost a week, but doesn't want to mess with team chemistry so he's holding himself out a little longer. To me this does two things. It only solidifies the realization that Jr. is a very qualilty person and player who knows they are going to need him for a playoff run healthy, and two that his leadership on this team while sometimes has been scrutinized, should not even be questioned.
No one can honestly tell themselves that this team, or any team in baseball, isnt better with a healthy Ken Griffey Jr.

3. Rumors have started to heat up again regarding Dontrelle Willis or another starting pitcher in trade. The names that I've heard have been Larue, Kearns, Freel and Edwin Encarnacion. I think at least two of these players would be gone in a trade were it to happen and I myself would welcome it with open arms. This team is a 3rd good starter away from being a legitimate Division winner and playoff team. I don't think losing any two of those players would be that much of a loss if the pitcher in return is quality.

My two cents for the day. Very optimistic about the Redlegs this season!
 
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Bestbuck36 said:
Rumors have started to heat up again regarding Dontrelle Willis or another starting pitcher in trade. The names that I've heard have been Larue, Kearns, Freel and Edwin Encarnacion. I think at least two of these players would be gone in a trade were it to happen and I myself would welcome it with open arms. This team is a 3rd good starter away from being a legitimate Division winner and playoff team. I don't think losing any two of those players would be that much of a loss if the pitcher in return is quality.

My two cents for the day. Very optimistic about the Redlegs this season!
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The Dontrelle ($4.5M) trade serves one purpose, clearing payroll. Because of that, I'm sure the player the Marlins are least interested in is Larue ($3.9M).

Kearns ($1.85M) and Freel ($1.3M) also aren't viable candidates for the Marlins.

I mentioned earlier that Encarnacion's ($335K) bat at the 3B position has HUGE value, and he's still got plenty more upside as he grows and learns the parks, his pitchers & catchers, the hitters' tendencies, and his defense improves.

Unfortunately, if I'm a GM, the player I least want to trade also happens to be Encarnacion. Second on my list is the one player many find expendable: Hatteberg. I have a great, big man-crush for anyone who gets on base like he does, and Hatteberg's plate discipline is rubbing off on others. I love seeing a hitter work a 10-pitch walk. The Reds as a whole walk more, steal more, and strike out less. Plus, as a former catcher, Hatteberg's got incredible hands. He saved Felipe Lopez's ass at least twice last night.

Personally, I'd be begging the Marlins to take Kearns off my hands.

It's a tough call though, because how do you NOT take Dontrelle?
 
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Bestbuck36 said:
A couple of things....

1. It's kinda sad that the best Reds talk on the web is located in an Ohio State website!
Click to expand...

The link to Redszone is well worth it. Greatest baseball board going imo.

2. Concerning Griffey: It's been discussed on numerous occasions the past week, by Hal McCoy (Dayton Daily News) and Marty Brennemen (700 WLW) that Jr. is ready to come back and has been for almost a week, but doesn't want to mess with team chemistry so he's holding himself out a little longer. To me this does two things. It only solidifies the realization that Jr. is a very qualilty person and player who knows they are going to need him for a playoff run healthy, and two that his leadership on this team while sometimes has been scrutinized, should not even be questioned.
No one can honestly tell themselves that this team, or any team in baseball, isnt better with a healthy Ken Griffey Jr.
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This particular team is better without JR if he refuses to play somewhere other than CF. He simply cannot cover much ground anymore and is a huge defensive liability as compared to either Freel or Denofria.

JR in LF, 1B or as an AL DH in return for payflex/pitching and I agree 100%. Great guy, great teammate still a great hitter.

3. Rumors have started to heat up again regarding Dontrelle Willis or another starting pitcher in trade. The names that I've heard have been Larue, Kearns, Freel and Edwin Encarnacion. I think at least two of these players would be gone in a trade were it to happen and I myself would welcome it with open arms. This team is a 3rd good starter away from being a legitimate Division winner and playoff team. I don't think losing any two of those players would be that much of a loss if the pitcher in return is quality.

My two cents for the day. Very optimistic about the Redlegs this season!
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Freel and laRue maybe no way to AK or EE. Alway have to consider age and contract status and Willis is due to get expensive shortly iirc. EE and AK are good, cheap productive talent for a while.

Also, you can't go trading off too much for just 1 legit pitcher and think thats all it will take. A lot of these guys are pitching way over their heads right now. When they regress to the mean and it starts to even back out I don't think Dontrell Willis or any other single pitcher will be enough.

The Reds brass still needs to keep an eye to the future vs win right now because the wheels could very well fall off this season at any time. Its not all smoke and mirrors like in the past but this run of quality starts just cant last.
 
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The Reds starters are right up there in innings averaging 6.14 innings a game.

As for the Dontrelle talk he would be great, but honestly I don't want to give up EE, and if you give up Kearns that means they are depending on Griffey not getting injuried and the likely hood of that is just not good.

If somehow we can manipulate a trade with guys like Larue/Hatteberg/McCracken/Aurillia/Griffey I do it, but right now, I think we have the right pieces on offense and defense for that matter to become a very good team over the next couple of years, so I hope they don't get too caught up in the win now philosophy, b/c maybe by midseason next year or the year after Bailey will be ready and a staff with Bailey, Harang, Arroyo, Clauseen could be very dominant.

If anything for this year, I would love to get some Bullpen help for the guys I menioned above.
 
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Dispatch

5/7/06

DIAMONDBACKS 3 REDS 1

Vargas’ pitching stymies Reds, extends streak

Sunday, May 07, 2006


ASSOCIATED PRESS

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PHOENIX — Claudio Vargas threw six innings for his second straight home victory and the Arizona Diamondbacks beat the Cincinnati Reds 3-1 last night for their seventh straight win.
Johnny Estrada hit three doubles, drove in a run and scored twice for the Diamondbacks, who won for the ninth time in 11 games and remained tied with Colorado for the National League West lead. Craig Counsell was 1 for 3 with a walk and two RBI.
Vargas (4-1) struggled through the first inning, allowing an inside-the-park home run to Felipe Lopez and walking the bases full. But he struck out Brandon Phillips to cap the 42-pitch inning trailing only 1-0.
Beginning with Phillips, Vargas retired 16 of the final 19 batters he faced. He allowed one run on four hits with three walks and six strikeouts.
Jose Valverde, the fourth Arizona pitcher, pitched the ninth for his ninth save in 10 tries.
Bronson Arroyo (5-1) allowed two runs in the second and another in the fourth in his first loss of the season. The Reds retained their half-game lead in the NL Central with Houston’s 5-0 loss at Colorado.
Conor Jackson led off the second with a double to left and scored on Estrada’s first double, a line drive into the right-field corner, to tie the score at 1. Estrada later scored on a twoout RBI single by Craig Counsell for a 2-1 lead.
The Diamondbacks made it 3-1 in the fourth when Estrada doubled, went to third on a single by Orlando Hudson and scored on a Craig Counsell groundout to second.
Arroyo allowed three runs on a career-worst 11 hits with one walk and one strikeout.
Lopez’s home run came when his line drive hit a padded column in left-center field and bounced away from center fielder Jeff DaVanon.
Notable
Estrada became the 10 th Arizona player to hit three doubles in a game and the second this season. Chad Tracy also hit three doubles April 22 at Los Angeles. … Lopez’s inside-thepark home run was the Reds’ first since Ken Griffey Jr.’s gameending homer Aug. 20, 2001, at Cinergy Field off St. Louis’ Alan Benes. It was the third insidethe-park homer in Chase Field’s nine-year history. … DaVanon singled in the first to snap an 0-for-17 skid.Left fielder Adam Dunn is the only Reds position player to start every game at his position. …Left-hander Dave Williams, the Reds’ starter today, is 1-1 with a 3.86 ERA in two starts at Chase Field.
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.02

Hopefully we can just chalk that up to a tough road trip and a good Arizona team. 2-3 roadie isn't horrible and the rest of the NL central got it worse.

Monday off then a nice homestand vs Washington and Philly this week. Hopefully we can take 4 of the 6 or better and move on.

Even after Williams 5IP start today the Reds starters are 4th in the NL in IP only 2 IP off the lead. Very good news for us. MLB average 4.5 ish team ERA is icing on the freakin cake. Amazing how long its taken to just be average and what a difference it makes. Can you imagine if it were really good?

We still lead the NL in runs scored after a week long mini slump. At/near the top of every important offensive category. Ho Hum.

Going foreward I think JR's injury is worse than they are letting on and the 5th starters spot has to be addressed. Milton, Ramirez and Williams do not overwhelm me with optimisim filling out the back end of the starting rotation. Arroyo, Harang and Claussen have gotten us this far but there is just no way they can keep this up.
 
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