Reds Tidbits (2006 Season)

[OSUBasketballJunkie]

Dispatch

5/28/06

Push is on to stop pull-hitting Dunn

Defensive shift dares slugger to hit ’em where they ain’t

Sunday, May 28, 2006

Jim Massie
THE COLUMBUS DISPATCH

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</IMG> </TD></TR><TR><TD class=credit width=200>JERRY S . MENDOZA ASSOCIATED PRESS </TD></TR><TR><TD class=cutline width=200>Reds slugger Adam Dunn is finding frustration when opponents align their players on the right side of the field to curtail his power. </TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE></TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>


CINCINNATI — In the seconds Adam Dunn needed to walk from the on-deck circle to the batter’s box Tuesday night in Great American Ball Park, the Milwaukee Brewers infield already had completed a minimarch of its own.
Brewers shortstop Bill Hall trotted to the right side of the second base bag. Third baseman Corey Koskie moved into the shortstop hole and second baseman Rickie Weeks took a position in short right field about halfway between Hall and first baseman Prince Fielder.
Such is life against the shift, a defensive setup that is part flesh-and-blood picket fence and part dare to left-handed power hitters such as Dunn. In essence, the Brewers were telling the Reds left fielder that they thought he would pull the ball to the right side of the infield. So go ahead and do it, they sneered, and see if someone doesn’t catch it.
The strategy isn’t new. But the frequency of how often Dunn is seeing it is.
"I know last year that clubs did it some," manager Jerry Narron said. "But I don’t think we’ve played anybody here this year that has not done it."
Dunn is keenly aware of when he noticed the change.
"Actually in spring training, the Pirates started to do it and I felt that it was a little weird," he said. "I just guess teams are going to pitch me inside a lot more and that’s where I have a tendency to hit the ball."
It makes perfect sense. Dunn has hit 97 home runs in the past two-plus seasons and is considered a dead pull hitter.
"In the big leagues, there’s a game plan for how to pitch each hitter in the league," Reds hitting coach Chris Chambliss said. "(A shift) is more of an indication of how they’re going to pitch to you. It means they’re either going to throw you a lot of inside stuff or off-speed stuff.
"As a hitter, you don’t really want to change anything you do because it messes with your stroke. Your stroke is whatever it is."
Even so, a mental aspect to hitting exists and a trick defense adds more for Dunn to think about.
"It’s almost like they’re inviting you to bunt," he said. "In certain situations, I’ll lay one down. But I’m not going to change my swing because of how the shift is. That doesn’t really help us. I don’t want to inside-out a pitch that I can hit really good. That kind of defeats the purpose."
Yet it is difficult not to see the wide-open spaces in left field. Ken Griffey Jr. understands. He remembers first facing shifts in his third or fourth season with the Seattle Mariners.
"I had to go through the same thing, the growing pains of understanding the shift," he said. "After a while, you learn if you hit a ball hard enough that they’re not going to catch it."
Ultimately, he ignored the infielders.
"They can’t stop a fly ball," Griffey said. "They can’t stop a line drive. All they’re trying to do is stop ground balls. That’s all a shift is. It’s them trying to turn those hard-hit ground balls into outs."
And at times it works. Dunn has lost base hits this season to middle infielders playing 20 feet from where they normally do.
"That is frustrating when you hit it right where it’s pitched and you don’t get anything," Dunn said. "It’s right at the guy. Now, I’m kind of used to it. I just try to hit the ball over it or through it."
Dunn sees an irony in the situation. Before Cincinnati drafted him in 1998, he hit to all fields. The Reds saw a potential home run machine. Pull the ball, they said, and he changed his swing so that he could.
"When you’re 21 or 22 years old, I guess you don’t really have a lot of choice," Dunn said. "If I was just coming up now, I know what I would do. But growing up and not playing a lot of baseball and getting thrown into the big leagues so early, that’s just the way it was."
Griffey believes Dunn eventually will ignore the shift and simply hit.
"He just hasn’t clicked on hitting the line drives," he said. "You look at his home runs and they’ve been up high. It’s better to have elevated line drives because you get down on the ball and put more backspin on it. That’s what we’re all waiting on. He’ll come around, get hot and carry the team for a while."
[email protected]

 

[OSUBasketballJunkie]

Cincy

5/29/06

Valentin's timing perfect

BY KEVIN KELLY | ENQUIRER STAFF WRITER
<!--ARTICLE BODY TEXT-->The postgame visitor stopped at Jerry Narron's office door Sunday.
Upon seeing the Reds manager surrounded by reporters and awash in video camera lights, Reds chief operating officer Bob Castellini's smile broadened as he gave Narron the thumbs-up sign.
Catcher Javier Valentin's pinch-hit, two-run homer in the ninth inning Sunday at Great American Ball Park handed the Reds a 5-4 win against the Diamondbacks before 27,694 that thrilled even the team's highest authority.
"It's the kind of win you like to see because everybody contributed," Narron said.
Narron watched Sunday's comeback on a television inside the dugout tunnel after home plate umpire Larry Vanover ejected him for arguing balls and strikes in the bottom of the seventh inning.
The unraveling of a three-game losing streak, which included a 21- inning scoreless streak and two shutouts, began in the top of the eighth inning and ended with Valentin's first home run of the season.
Valentin turned on a split-fingered fastball from Diamondbacks relief pitcher Jose Valverde. The ball hugged the right-field foul line and ducked into Arizona's bullpen.
"It was close to the foul pole, but I thought it was fair," said Valentin, whose homer followed an infield single by pinch-hitter Austin Kearns. "As soon as I saw the ball headed to the corner I said, 'Hit something fair. I don't care if I hit a homer, but hit something fair.' "
"I don't know (how much it cleared the wall by)," Valentin continued. "I don't care. It was far enough. It was a homer, a winning homer and that's a good feeling for the team."
The Diamondbacks led 4-1 entering the bottom of the eighth inning, and would have led by more had Ryan Freel not thrown a strike from right field to Reds catcher David Ross in the top of the inning.
Arizona right fielder Shawn Green hit a two-out double and tried to score on a single to right field by catcher Johnny Estrada.
"I wasn't looking for the cutoff man," said Freel, whose leadoff home run in the first inning ended Cincinnati's scoreless streak. "I was just looking to throw the guy out.
"Not to take anything away from (Green), but he's not the fastest guy on the block."
Freel's throw got home in time for Ross to tag out Green.
"Huge play in the game," Narron said.
Up to that point the Reds had scored just one run on 16 hits during the series.
With Arizona's third baseman playing back on the infield dirt, Ross bunted in an attempt to jumpstart the offense, the inning and the comeback.
"In a situation like that I want the third baseman to field it, not the pitcher," Ross said. "I just took off running and the first baseman's body language kind of told me about halfway down that I'd be safe."
First baseman Scott Hatteberg followed with a two-run home run to trim Arizona's lead to one run.
"After Hatteberg hit the homer," Valentin said, "we just woke up."
Reds reliever David Weathers, making his first appearance in the series, pitched a scoreless eighth and a perfect ninth.
One of three catchers on the Reds' roster, Valentin has started just two games since May 12.
But one of the reasons the Reds continue to carry three catchers is what Valentin accomplished last season. He set career highs in batting average (.281), home runs (14) and RBI (50) in 76 games.
That he can hit and brings a left-handed bat makes him a viable option in situations like Sunday.
"Javy had a lot of big hits for us last year," Narron said. "... I'm happy for him to come off the bench and get a big hit."
Sunday's win prevented a three-game sweep against Arizona and salvaged a 3-3 homestand for the Reds.
The team left town after the game and today begins a nine-game road trip against National League Central opponents.
"Everybody is all over us, but it's a 3-3 homestand," Weathers said. "I guarantee you there were a lot of times last year that we would've taken a 3-3 homestand.
"I think what it does show is the expectations are a little bit higher after the start we got off to. I think we expect ourselves to do a little bit better. This is a good win."
SCORING, AT LAST
The Reds scored only one run - Ryan Freel's leadoff homer Sunday - in 27 innings before scoring two in each of the final two innings.
STILL WILD
The Reds improved to 28-22, and gained one game on NL Central-leading St. Louis. The second-place Reds trail the Cards by four games.
Last season, the Reds didn't win their 28th game until June 21, the day manager Dave Miley was fired. They were 28-43, in sixth place, 171/2 games out.
EVEN UP
The Reds' victory enabled them to finish their homestand 3-3. They are 11-14 in May after a 17-8 April.
ON THE ROAD
The Reds enter a critical stretch of 16 consecutive games against the NL Central. The nine-game road trip starts in Chicago for three games with the Cubs, then three games in Houston and three in St. Louis.
They come home beginning June 8 with four games against the Cubs and three against the Brewers.

 

[OSUBasketballJunkie]

Dispatch

5/29/06

REDS NOTEBOOK

Narron mulls altering lineup

Monday, May 29, 2006

Jim Massie
THE COLUMBUS DISPATCH

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CINCINNATI – Back-to-back shutout losses to the Arizona Diamondbacks left Reds manager Jerry Narron feeling like he was caught in an episode of the X-Files with agents Scully and Mulder nowhere in sight.
Scoring runs wasn’t a problem Narron thought his team would have this season, but Cincinnati already has been blanked six times. Three of those have occurred in the past seven games.
"There’s no way in the world I would have thought this club would have gotten shut out six times all year," Narron said.
The lack of production had him toying with a potential new lineup before the series finale yesterday with the Diamondbacks. He didn’t pull the trigger on it, but he might in the upcoming trip to Chicago, Houston and St. Louis.
"It might score some runs, but it’s not the prettiest thing in the world," Narron said. "It would be moving Felipe Lopez (from leadoff) down to the fourth or fifth spot, giving him a chance to maybe drive in some runs. And having a couple of our better on-base percentage guys in the one and two spots, which would be (Scott) Hatteberg and (Adam) Dunn."
Hatteberg, who platoons at first base with Rich Aurilia, currently leads the Reds with a .403 on-base percentage. He is regarded as the most patient hitter on the team and would be Narron’s choice to lead off.
"He sees pitches and he gets on base," Narron said.
Hatteberg, who has one stolen base in his career, remembers leading off a few times in his career "but not for an extended period of time."
"Obviously, my wheels aren’t that good," he said. "But there have been stretches where as a team we haven’t gotten on base real well. I’d be a guy that was getting on more often than others. (I’d lead off) just to give other guys RBI opportunities."
Big throw

Ryan Freel has returned to a utility role since center fielder Ken Griffey Jr. came off the disabled list. Freel started for the first time in the homestand in right field yesterday and made his presence felt with a home run in the first inning and a huge throw in the eighth to nail Arizona’s Shawn Green at the plate.
"I’ve been practicing my home run derby (in batting practice)," Freel said. "Hatteberg said it paid off today, so I guess I’m going to stick with that routine."
He took his best shot at Green in the eighth.
"I just tried to run as fast as I could to get there and just came up throwing," he said. "Luckily, I was able to throw it on a line and make a good throw. You don’t have a whole lot of time to think about a play like that. I wasn’t looking for a cutoff man. I was just looking to throw the guy out."
[email protected]

 

[OSUBasketballJunkie]

Cincy

5/31/06

Reds lose 5th in last 6

Claussen, team implode after 61-minute delay

BY JOHN FAY | ENQUIRER STAFF WRITER
<!--ARTICLE BODY TEXT-->CHICAGO - It was another ugly night for the Reds.
A couple of errors.
A so-so start.
Bad relief pitching.
And not nearly enough hitting to make up for it.
It all added up to an 8-3 loss to the Chicago Cubs on a rainy night at Wrigley Field.
"We cannot continue to screw up routine plays," manager Jerry Narron said. "It's embarrassing."
The Reds have lost five of their last six games and are just four games over .500 (28-24).
This was a game that was completely changed by a 61-minute rain delay in the fourth inning.
Reds starter Brandon Claussen was very good before the delay and clueless after it.
"I don't know what it was, man," he said. "I just couldn't throw a strike. "I needed one more out ..."
Claussen allowed three hits and no walks before play was stopped with two outs and a runner on second in the fourth inning.
"He was throwing as well as he's thrown all year," Narron said.
Claussen walked the first two batters he faced after the delay to load the bases.
"He had to throw a strike and Jacque Jones didn't miss," Narron said.
Jones slashed a line drive into the right-field corner for a three-run double.
Henry Blanco got Jones home with a bloop single, and the Reds were down 4-1.
Claussen allowed an unearned run in the fifth.
The Reds scored two runs in the sixth to cut the Cubs' lead to 5-3. But White, whose ERA is 6.75, allowed two runs in the bottom of the sixth to throw cold water on any hope the Reds had.
The Reds have a roster move to make today to make room for Esteban Yan, whom they traded for Tuesday. White, Brian Shackelford (two batters faced, none retired) and Kent Mercker (homer allowed in a third straight appearance) didn't make strong cases to stay.

On deck<TABLE cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=6 width="100%" border=0><TBODY><TR><TD class=storytext bgColor=#eeeeee>TODAY: Reds at Chicago Cubs, 8:05 p.m., Wrigley Field, Game 3 of a three-game series
TV: FSN, WGN
Radio: WLW-AM (700)
Who's on the mound: LH Eric Milton (2-2, 5.52 ERA) vs. RH Carlos Zambrano (3-2, 3.45)
Milton vs. the Cubs: He is 2-1 with a 6.28 ERA. He pitched 6 2/3 innings, allowing three runs (two earned) in an 8-3 win April 13.
Zambrano vs. the Reds: He is 5-4 with a 2.97 ERA. This year, he's 0-1 with 7.59 ERA.
THURSDAY: The Reds are off.
FRIDAY: Reds at Houston Astros, 8:05 p.m., Minute Maid Park, Game 1 of a three-game series
TV: FSN
Radio: WLW-AM (700)
Who's on the mound: RH Aaron Harang (5-4, 3.70) vs. LH Wandy Rodriguez (6-2, 3.95)
</TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>

 

[OSUBasketballJunkie]

Cincy

5/31/06

New acquisition could bolster bullpen
BY JOHN FAY | ENQUIRER STAFF WRITER

<!--ARTICLE BODY TEXT-->CHICAGO - When Reds general manager Wayne Krivsky was asked about the bullpen help in the minors a few weeks ago, he said: "We've got some guys down there. If that doesn't work, we'll go out and get someone."
The Reds got someone Tuesday. The club acquired right-hander Esteban Yan from the Los Angeles Angels for minor-leaguer Kyle Edens.
"(Yan) will be a guy who can get us out of an inning and pitch another," Reds manager Jerry Narron said. "In the past, he's had good velocity. He threw in the mid-90s. I don't know how he's thrown recently. But he gives us a little different look down there."
Yan appeared in 13 games for the Angels this season. He was 0-0 with a 6.85 ERA. He allowed only 19 hits in 221/3 innings. He walked 13 and struck out 16.
Krivsky said Yan was throwing between 90 and 95 mph this year - most often in the 92-93 range.
He had two awful performances in which he gave up 10 earned runs over four innings. His ERA in his other 11 outings was 3.43.
Yan, 30, has spent part or all of the past 11 seasons in the big leagues - pitching for Baltimore, Tampa Bay, Texas, St. Louis, Detroit and the Angels.
He's making $1.25 million this season. The Reds also got undisclosed cash in the deal.
"He's got a lot of experience coming in out of the bullpen," Krivsky said. "I like his arm strength. I like his split-finger. He's got a quality arm. Hopefully, he'll help us."
The Reds don't have to make a roster move until today. They brought right-hander Justin Germano up from Triple-A Louisville earlier Tuesday to take right-hander Matt Belisle's spot on the roster. Belisle went on the disabled list with a sore lower back.
The Reds have candidates to return to Triple-A - Germano, left-hander Brian Shackelford and right-hander Elizardo Ramirez.
Edens, 26, was the Reds' third-round pick in the 2002 draft. This season, he was 2-1 with a 5.46 ERA with Single-A Sarasota.
E-mail [email protected]

 

[OSUBasketballJunkie]

Dispatch

6/1/06

REDS 3 CUBS 2

Milton, Griffey drive victory

Thursday, June 01, 2006

Andrew Seligman
ASSOCIATED PRESS

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CHICAGO — From the start, Eric Milton didn’t feel right. He was tired, his velocity wasn’t there.
Still, he took a shutout into the eighth inning and the Cincinnati Reds beat the Chicago Cubs 3-2 last night to avoid a three-game sweep.
Ken Griffey Jr. had two hits, including a home run off Carlos Zambrano (3-3) leading off the sixth, and drove in two runs as the Reds won for the second time in seven games. Ryan Freel had two hits and scored a run for Cincinnati.
Milton (3-2) allowed a single to Juan Pierre leading off the first inning, then retired the next 17 batters before Pierre singled up the middle with two outs in the sixth.
"I would say they were getting themselves out a lot tonight," Milton said.
He had the Cubs swinging early in the count and as a result threw just 92 pitches in 7 2 /3 innings.
He ran into trouble in the eighth when Matt Murton led off with a double to the wall in center field and Jacque Jones then lined a two-run homer to center to help the Cubs close to 3-2. It was Jones’ ninth homer and his second in as many games.
After Ronny Cedeno singled to shortstop, pinch-hitter Freddie Bynum bunted into a forceout. Milton left after allowing a single to shortstop by Neifi Perez that put runners on first and second with two outs. Todd Coffey relieved and struck out Michael Barrett to end the inning. He pitched a perfect ninth for his second save.
In his third start since returning from arthroscopic knee surgery, Milton allowed two runs and six hits, winning for the first time since beating the Cubs on April 13.
"He threw a lot of first pitch strikes," Reds manager Jerry Narron said. "He threw a lot of breaking balls and change-ups for strikes. I thought he did a great job of mixing up his pitches."
Zambrano — 0-1 with a 7.59 ERA in his previous four starts against Cincinnati — left after allowing two runs in the sixth when he appeared to lose his composure. For the Cubs, it was a rough end to a month in which they went 7-22. Their offense sputtered, a problem the Cubs hope they rectified yesterday with the acquisition of Phil Nevin from Texas for Jerry Hairston Jr.

 

[coastalbuck]

Great outing by Milton.

Link


Big series against the Strohs this weekend.

 

[OSUBasketballJunkie]

Cincy

6/1/06

There's no quick fix for Reds

Ignore the hot April, cold May; this is a .500 team, so deal with it

<!--ARTICLE BODY TEXT-->Bob Castellini owns a baseball team, not a bag of tricks. The new Reds chief executive officer is passionate and committed, but he's not a priest. He wasn't in Chicago the last few days to perform an exorcism, just to offer encouragement. Yet speculation ran 100 meters in 10 seconds flat: Bob was gonna kick some aspirations.

C'mon.

It's the 1st of June. What would you like him to do?

In baseball, once you leave March, you are who you are. Between April and October, you might tweak a little, but it's like adjusting the hot water in the shower. Everyone understood the 19-8 start was a mirage; everyone suspects the 9-16 second act has been equally bogus.

The Reds' talents lie somewhere in between. This team wasn't going to win a thing this year, whether it started 19-8, 8-19 or 27-0.

The beauty of baseball is the length of its season. Across 162 games, truth is revealed. Good teams win, bad teams are exposed, everyone else rides the waves. Baseball teams don't streak their way into the playoffs. They might get lucky, but not for six months.

The Reds could play better defense than they're playing now, because much about defense involves brains and desire. They could get back to the patient, confident offense they had in April, not the lunging, overswinging hackers they've been lately. But this team has .500 talent. Same as it did two months ago.

So what's the point in dying day to day, depending on how the middle relievers do? A guy could seriously hurt himself watching Rick White. The Reds will not make a run at St. Louis the day they release Kent Mercker.

What's better: Brian Shackelford against a right-handed hitter? Or acid in your retinas?

Ease up.

Enjoy the process.

What's intriguing about the Reds now is no different than it was a month ago, and it has nothing to do with that fireballing Scandinavian, Yan Esteban. (Oh. It's Esteban Yan? Never mind.) It's seeing how a smart and aggressive owner and his rookie general manager assemble a contender on a budget.

This isn't basketball, where decent teams are one great player from being something big. It's not the NFL, where everybody's wallet is the same size, theoretically. Baseball progress doesn't work on speed-dial. Especially when you play small-money ball.

It's slow enough to observe carefully and with thought. A Brandon Phillips here, a Bronson Arroyo there. A David Ross, catching well enough that Jason LaRue and his big salary are expendable.

The words "patient" and "pro sports" no longer are on speaking terms. But with the Reds, patience is all you've got. Unless you want to ruin your life watching Edwin Encarnacion throw like Nuke LaLoosh. Unlike the previous regime, Castellini, Krivsky, etc., etc. give reason to have faith.

Krivsky met most of the day Wednesday with scouts and cross-checkers, preparing for next Tuesday's draft. Stories about scouts and cross-checkers (who? what?) are as sexy as oatmeal. But in the grand scheme, what they're doing now means more than if Justin Germano should work in relief.

"A huge couple days" Krivsky said. This is the brick-busting grunt work that teams such as the Reds must do well if they are to maintain relevancy.

Smart people matter in organizations where money doesn't dominate. They matter more than the time frame for Homer Bailey's promotion to the National League.

So calm down and watch the new guys work. This isn't the United Nations.

Bob Castellini won't be banging his shoe on the table. Krivsky will make moves, big (Arroyo) and seemingly small (Ross), and we will watch.

Let's see if Todd Coffey can close games. Let's see if Encarnacion can calm his throws from third base to first. Let's see if this year or next Krivsky can acquire 15 wins and 200 innings in exchange for Adam Dunn's $23.5 million owed in '07 and '08.

Let's see. Smart people are making good decisions. It takes time. Baseball is a slow game. In all ways.

E-mail [email protected]

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[crazybuckfan40]

That was a great article. Really puts things in perspective, and gives a great idea of where this team should be heading.

 

[OSUBasketballJunkie]

That was a great article. Really puts things in perspective, and gives a great idea of where this team should be heading.
<!-- / message -->

I agree, some cincy fans may have started to expect to much from this team due to their fast start but they are on the right track.

 

[OSUBasketballJunkie]

Dispatch

6/2/06

Coffey inserted into role as closer

Friday, June 02, 2006


THE CINCINNATI POST

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Cincinnati Reds manager Jerry Narron didn’t tell Todd Coffey he had spent the last week pining for a save situation so the young righthander could move into the closer’s role.

He still hasn’t told Coffey the job is his, in so many words. But the fact that it was Coffey called upon to preserve Eric Milton’s gem with two on and two out in the eighth inning Wednesday night, and Coffey remaining in the game to pitch a perfect ninth said it all.

Just to be sure, Narron was asked afterward if Coffey would get the ball again next time.

"I believe he will," Narron said.

It was only a matter of time before the late-inning transfer of power took place, something Narron had hinted at since spring training. With two months gone in the season, the job is Coffey’s now.

"If that’s the way they feel, that’s fine by me," Coffey said.

Coffey has been the Reds’ most reliable pitcher, posting a 1.20 ERA in a team-high 25 appearances. He’s walked nine and struck out 25 in 30 innings. He has allowed just one homer and has seemed confident and in control every time he’s pitched.

The 25-year-old’s power game supplants the 36-yearold David Weathers’ pitching savvy at the back end of the Reds’ bullpen, though the veteran will continue to play a key role. Weathers had blown three consecutive save opportunities before bouncing back with two scoreless innings to pick up the victory in an extra-inning win against the Arizona Diamondbacks.

As has been the case all along, Narron had nothing but praise for the work Weathers has done in saving nine games this year.

"I know a lot of people have been wanting Coffey to step in and close from the very beginning," Narron said. "I’ve tried to work him in slowly. Stormy has done a very good job for us."

Coffey never publicly stumped for the job, saying even Wednesday that he would be perfectly content pitching the sixth inning if that’s when he was needed, but he didn’t deny assuming this role was a goal of his.
"That’s something that I’ve always wanted, to come in when the game’s on the line," he said. "You’re not out there pitching against a brick wall saying, ‘I’d like to be in Game 7 with a seven-run lead.’ You want to be in there with the game on the line."

 

[StooGrimson]

There were two good pieces in the Enquirer and DDN today that basically focus on the worst kept secret in the Queen City...the Reds' defense blows.

http://news.enquirer.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060602/SPT04/606020378/1078

Reds' fielding in need of fixing
Team has most unearned runs in NL
BY JOHN FAY | ENQUIRER STAFF WRITER
<!--ARTICLE BODY TEXT-->Edwin Encarnacion snatched up the ball after Freddie Bynum's bunt, whirled and threw a seed to Felipe Lopez to get a forceout of Ronny Cedeno at second base.
Lopez touched the bag and fired the ball to Ryan Freel, who was covering first.
Freel made a nice scoop on the throw.

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Three chances for the play to go wrong, and it didn't.
"Great play," Reds manager Jerry Narron said.
It was a big part of the Reds thwarting the Chicago Cubs' attempt at an eighth-inning rally in Wednesday night's 3-2 victory.
When you listen to Narron, you get the idea that making plays like that one is a cure for what ails the Reds.
"If we just make the routine plays and not give away outs, we've got a chance to win a lot of ballgames," Narron said for about the 112th time after Wednesday's game.
Eric Milton's pitching (72/3 innings, two runs), Ken Griffey Jr.'s hitting (home run, two RBI) and Todd Coffey's save (four up, four down) were the headline items from that victory.
But the fact that the Reds didn't make an error should be noted. It ended a streak of six games with an error, and - not coincidentally - the Reds were 1-5 in those games.
"We played clean baseball," Narron said. "We didn't make mistakes defensively."
The Reds simply must keep doing that to have a chance on the rest of their road trip. They start a three-game series in Houston tonight, then play three in St. Louis.
Reds general manager Wayne Krivsky has made a plethora of moves to reshape the team's roster lately.
But at some point, it becomes incumbent upon the players to turn it around.
"You can't switch out 25 guys," Krivsky said. "Guys have to step up. That doesn't mean we'll stop trying to make the team better."
"But the vast majority of the production is going to come from the players already here," Krivsky added.
Defense is the thing that is most obviously fixable.
"It doesn't take a genius to see that," Krivsky said. "We've allowed the most unearned runs (in the National League). We've had way too many defensive breakdowns."
Narron is a self-described pitching-and-defense guy. After watching the Reds make two physical errors and one mental one in a 7-3 loss Tuesday, he went off in a very Narron-like way.
"It's embarrassing," he said.
That's about as strong as Narron's remarks get publicly, but he has said such fundamental flaws will be addressed.
And he said he did that after Tuesday's debacle.
"We talked a lot the last couple of days about making the routine plays," he said.
Narron was asked if he addressed defense in a team meeting or individually with players.
"A little bit of both," he said.
For the Reds to recover from their May malaise - they went 12-16 in the month - other things must go right. The pitching has to be as good as it's been so far. And their bats have to come to life as they did in April; the Reds hit .267 in April and .248 in May.
If you believe in statistical trends, the hitting is going to get better over the long haul and pitching is going to drop off some.
But the fielding could go either way.
"I think all of us, as a ballclub, have been disappointed with the way we've played defensively," Narron said. "We really feel like we're a better defensive club than we've shown."
So far, the Reds have been the worst defensive club in baseball, at least statistically. They are last in fielding percentage (.975), tied for the most errors (49) and have allowed the second-most unearned runs (31).
Lopez (11 errors, tied for most among shortstops), Encarnacion (13 errors, most among third basemen) and Adam Dunn (five errors, tied for most among outfielders) have been the Reds' biggest culprits.
"I think sometimes we forget what a young, inexperienced infield we've got," Narron said.
Lopez is 26, second baseman Brandon Phillips is 24 and Encarnacion is 23. (Phillips has only three errors.) None of the three has been a full-time starter for more than a year.
"We expect them all to be Gold Glovers," Narron said. "So far, they haven't been as good as we would have liked."

http://www.daytondailynews.com/sports/content/sports/reds/daily/0602mccoy.html

Hal McCoy: Switching infielders might cut Reds' errors

By Hal McCoy
Staff Writer
HOUSTON | The errors come from the left side of the infield, mostly errant throws, like misdirected hand grenades lobbed blindly from foxholes.
<!-- inset --><!--begintext-->The Cincinnati Reds own a ghastly 49 errors this season, most in the majors. They've given up 33 unearned runs, most in the majors.
Of the 49 errors, nearly half (24) have come from third baseman Edwin Encarnacion (13) and shortstop Felipe Lopez (11), so the left side of the infield isn't a leaky faucet, it's an open tap.
What's a manager to do? How about this? They can move second baseman Brandon Phillips (three errors) to shortstop and switch Lopez to second base.
Lopez has played third base and second base. And Phillips signed with Montreal as a shortstop. Before the Cleveland Indians traded for Phillips, five scouts watched him play in the minors, and their consensus report said: "Could become an All-Star shortstop in the majors. A terrific athlete with above average arm and hands. Excellent range."
So what's holding it up?
"At this level, you don't want to be in the position of developing players, but that's what we're doing," said Reds manager Jerry Narron. "Think about it. All of our infielders are young and inexperienced. This is a very difficult game, and yes, they have to get better."
As for making the switch?
"We're very, very pleased with the way Brandon Phillips is playing second base," said Narron. "Of all of them, he is the one guy who has a chance to win a Gold Glove."
So why not shortstop?
"That's not to say he couldn't do it and be a Gold Glover," Narron added. "Michael Young (Texas) was one of the best defensive second basemen in the game and he moved to shortstop and has done a good job.
"For something like that to happen, you probably have to do it before spring training, not in the middle of the season," he said. "That's not to say we won't do it, but it would be a spring training thing."
Thinking about it, Narron said, "Two years ago (when Barry Larkin still roamed shortstop), Felipe played third base and did real well and played good at second, convincing me he could play anywhere on the infield."
There are days when the left side plays flawlessly and spectacularly, then there are days when they kick the baseball as if it is a soccer ball and throw it as if it is a beanbag. But that's youth. That's inexperience.
"I know how hard (infield instructor) Bucky Dent works with Edwin and Felipe," Narron said. "I'd say with Edwin (23), Felipe (25) and Brandon (24), we average the youngest in baseball at those three positions."
Referring to the errors and the unearned runs, Narron said emphatically, "If we were better defensively, we might be ahead of or at least tied with St. Louis because we lead the world in unearned runs and errors. And what those errors do is make our pitchers throw more pitches, face more hitters."
St. Louis has made only 30 errors and given up 16 unearned runs, and of course, the Cardinals lead the National League in pitching (3.80 ERA), aided greatly by sharp defense.
A Phillips-Lopez switch isn't likely this year, unless the Reds fall way behind in the standings. Remember, Narron had Phillips at shortstop for the Hall of Fame exhibition game that lasted only two innings.

 

[coastalbuck]

Great effort last night in rout of the Astro's. Plenty of support for Harang.

Link

 

[OSUBasketballJunkie]

Dispatch

6/3/06

REDS 14 ASTROS 3

Cincinnati jumps on Houston early

Reds score 9 in first three innings of win

Saturday, June 03, 2006

Chris Duncan
ASSOCIATED PRESS

<!--PHOTOS--><TABLE class=phototableright align=right border=0><!-- begin large ad code --><TBODY><TR><TD><TABLE align=center><TBODY><TR><TD align=middle>

</IMG> </TD></TR><TR><TD class=credit width=200>DAVE EINSEL ASSOCIATED PRESS </TD></TR><TR><TD class=cutline width=200>Reds third baseman Edwin Encarnacion, sliding by Astros second baseman Craig Biggio for a leadoff double in the fifth inning, and Austin Kearns each had four RBI in Cincinnati’s victory. </TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE></TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>


HOUSTON — The Cincinnati Reds came to Houston having scored only nine runs in their previous three games, losing two. They scored that many runs in three innings against the Astros last night on their way to a lopsided victory.
Edwin Encarnacion and Austin Kearns each had four RBI as the Reds pounced on Astros starter Wandy Rodriguez and rolled to a 14-3 win.
"Our pitchers have been consistent all year, but our hitting hasn’t been," Kearns said. "It was definitely nice to get a little cushion."
Brandon Phillips homered and Ken Griffey Jr. had two hits and scored two runs as the Reds beat the Astros in Houston for just the third time in the last 17 meetings.
Lance Berkman and Preston Wilson homered for the Astros, who have lost eight of their last 10 and two straight since Roger Clemens rejoined them on Wednesday.
"These kind of games, you just kind of chalk ’em up to an anomaly," said Berkman, who has 15 homers this season. "There’s really nothing you can do, you get down that big that early, it’s tough to come back."
Clemens, the seven-time Cy Young Award winner, is working out with the Astros’ Class A affiliate in Lexington, Ky., but dozens of fans in Houston wore Clemens jerseys, wishing he already was here.
Once the game started, they missed him even more.
The first seven Reds reached base against Rodriguez (6-3), who was yanked by manager Phil Garner after just 1 1 /3 innings.
The Reds realized quickly that Rodriguez, who started the season 4-0, wasn’t throwing his best.
"We were just trying to play ball and look for something to hit," Phillips said. "He was just leaving it out over the plate. He’s still a good pitcher."
The Astros trailed 7-0 when the left-handed Rodriguez gave way to right-hander Chris Sampson, who was called up from triple-A Round Rock earlier in the day.
Sampson gave up a sacrifice fly to Encarnacion in the second and a homer to Phillips to open the third.
Sampson, 7-1 with a 2.64 ERA in 10 starts in the minors this season, pitched 5 1-3 innings in his major-league debut. He got a standing ovation when he left in the seventh.
"It was indescribable," Sampson said. "It happened so fast, I really didn’t have time to think."
Reds starter Aaron Harang (6-4) came in with an National League-best 1.23 ERA on the road. He allowed two runs and five hits with five strikeouts in six innings, beating Houston for the second time this year. The Reds had been shut out in his previous two starts, but this time they gave him all the runs he needed.

 

[coastalbuck]

Great game by Arroyo! Only down 3 now and going for the sweep today.!!!

Link