Reds Tidbits (2007 Season)

[crazybuckfan40]

I just wanted to mention that the pitching staff we have is awesome...

I would be all for trying to get rid of Weathers and Cormier, as the younger guys all seem to be able to do a great job...

If we could get rid of Milton and those 2 and have Count, Bray, and Ma Jew that would be one hell of a pitching staff and the only guy that is over the hill would be stanton...And you still have every day eddie coming back and you have Livingston, The Liz, and Bailey down in AAA...

BTW Sarloos has some nasty stuff...

 

[Bestbuck36]

I'm not going to say the staff is awesome just yet but its looking pretty promising. I actually made a post on here regarding ST pitching staff and unbelievably we are very close to where I wished we would get to. The bullpen is putting up Zero after Zero. If we can keep Milty out of there we might just survive this one. Link #132

Things I'm really happy with at the moment though, and yes its still very early but:

AGon- Batting .375 with a couple of RBI's. No errors. He won't keep the average near this high but if he ends up at say, .280, I'm thinking we'll all be pretty happy.

Dunner- Batting .353, 3HR, 6RBI and 2 SB. His K's are down so far which is fantastic. His stroke is noticeably better than the past two years. The stolen bases are a result of being on base behind Freel, lol. Adam Dunn is the only Red to hit safely in all 5 games. Someone send Jacoby an Easter thank you card.

Conine-WTF!!! I've been picking crow feathers out of my teeth the past 3 or 4 days. He's got to come back down to Earth doesn't he? Hey who knows, the Reds have a penchant for comeback players of the year. Maybe this is Conine's last hoorah.

We're winning already and Griff, Phillips, EE and Ross havent even gotten warmed up yet.

Lovin it. Just lovin it.

 

[BUCKYLE]

Could we actually have a Hunt for a RED'S October? :p

Seriously though, this is great so far. Man, I'm fired up for this summer. It needs to get warm so I can open all the doors and windows and grab a box of beer and watch some GOOD baseball.

GO REDS!

 

[Okinawa's#1Buck]

The real bitch of it is going to be when Bray comes back soon. Then what do you do? We don't need 4 lefties in the pen.

Kriv has got to move/DFA Cormier and Milton. They have absolutely zero value so the trade part is next to impossible leaving only the DFA route. Cut your losses and improve the team through addition by subtraction.

I agree with you here. I don't care if Milton no-hits the "Buck-O's" today. There is too much pure talent on the staff and in the pen to continue with guys past their prime just because they are making the bigger bucks.

Cormier should be an obvious cut. His stuff hasn't been effective and he is a reasonably cheap cut at about 2.25 mill.

Narron has said over and over again Milton isn't capable of pitching the 5. He obviously doesn't deserve to be the 3 or 4, so what is the obvious choice?


By the way, the guy who said here's to 2 of 3 from Pitt. He's a jackass. Here's to the series sweep :cheers: !!


As for our previous discussion, sure the Mets could take a hit to Wright or Beltran, or Reyes, that is what an extra hundred million buys you, but their lineup would still have a different look. They could suffer the blow much better than our offense could. But they are predicated on winning with offense, not with pitching and D. And, I did acknowledge "either" not "both" EE and Dunn. We do the best we can with what we got.

For sure there is no other team in the Central who could lose a big bat. The Cards without Pujols? Cubs without Lee? Brewers without Prince? Pirates without Bay?

 

[Bestbuck36]

Astros without Berkman! Oh, I guess we already seen what happens there.:!


Honestly, I'm terribly torn here today. On one hand I NEVER want the Reds to lose so how do I root them on today. Could be something like this:

Milton sucks balls and gives up 4 in the first inning- he gets yanked and immediately sent packing. The bullpen comes in and shuts em down the rest of the day like clockwork.

Our offense gets going in the 3rd with Dunn's 4th homer and Griff's 1st. Game tied there and the floodgates open. Reds win 9-4!

Ok, I guess any scenario that gets Milton axed and the Reds win will suffice.

 

[Dryden]

Wow, a lot of optimism and high hopes for the pitching staff in this thread! You know what should bring that back down to earth?

Milton's last start in a Reds uni in Sept 2006 - 0.1IP, 6H, 6R, 6ER, 2HR

:tongue2:

 

[Jaxbuck]

The part that pisses me off is we can't afford to punt games. Not a single one. We all remember 1999.

BC and WK are exhibiting behavior that simply delays a tough decision. You see it in business all the time. Lets run a couple more studies before we kill the project. Lets run Milton out there a few more times to see if he can all of a sudden do something he hasn't been able to do since about '03.

Grow some balls front office and make a fucking decision. Milton is not one of our 12 best pitchers. Milton has to be paid no matter what, its a sunk cost. You don't get any return or money back by sending him to the mound and hoping for a miracle. All you get are losses.

Don't just say you want to build a winner Bob, show us you are serious. DFA Milton.

 

[Dryden]

The part that pisses me off is we can't afford to punt games. Not a single one. We all remember 1999.

BC and WK are exhibiting behavior that simply delays a tough decision. You see it in business all the time. Lets run a couple more studies before we kill the project. Lets run Milton out there a few more times to see if he can all of a sudden do something he hasn't been able to do since about '03.

Grow some balls front office and make a fucking decision. Milton is not one of our 12 best pitchers. Milton has to be paid no matter what, its a sunk cost. You don't get any return or money back by sending him to the mound and hoping for a miracle. All you get are losses.

Don't just say you want to build a winner Bob, show us you are serious. DFA Milton.

You could add last year too, when the Cards started giving away games two weeks after the Reds shut down the show.

Agreed. They need to cut their losses, literally and figuratively as far as Milton goes. I'm guessing they give Milton the benefit of the doubt with the elbow, and he gets two starts, possibly three at the most. If he doesn't have two wins by the end of April then he's done, and not the 9-6 wins he normally vulches, either, but a quality start or two.

Call up Livingston or take the kid gloves off Bailey.

The Cards won the World Series last season after winning the Central with 83 Ws. 85 should be enough to win the Central again this year. The Reds can do it if they don't piss away every single #4 and #5 start. They only need 3-5 to go ~.500 (40-45 W spread among 3 different pitchers, or a platoon), and Lohse and Belisle appear to be at least capable of that.

I expect we see Arroyo today. If Milton shows any sign of struggling, Arroyo will be the first up and throwing.

 

[Jaxbuck]

They put Burton on the 15 day DL to make room for Milton.

They are lying but its a smart move.

 

[Dryden]

ESPN's Buster Olney notes that Harang is in good company:

http://insider.espn.go.com/espn/blog/index?entryID=2829869&name=olney_buster

Since the All-Star break in 2005, Aaron Harang is tied for third for most victories, with 25. Johan Santana has 29, Ervin Santana has 26, and Andy Pettitte and Randy Johnson also have 25.

also, Pitchers get no help from Castellini, who says they cannot reconfigure the park:

http://news.enquirer.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070408/COL09/704080378/1071/SPT

Pitchers, not GABP, must prevent homers
John Fay, Reds insider

Shortly after taking control of the Reds, one of the things Bob Castellini talked about was moving back the outfield walls at Great American Ball Park to make it somewhat less of a launching pad.

It hasn't been mentioned much lately, and don't look for it to happen.

There was never a detailed study done of the cost. But it quickly was determined that such a move wasn't feasible.

"The problem is what's underneath," said John Allen, the club's chief operating officer. "Behind the left-field wall, for instance, we have a tunnel, storage and our command center."

...

 

[X Buckeyes07 X]

Going downstairs to watch the game now...join me in praying the game isn't over after Milton's first 2 innings.

 

[Okinawa's#1Buck]

I expect we see Arroyo today. If Milton shows any sign of struggling, Arroyo will be the first up and throwing.

What makes you think Arroyo? I know he likes to throw on short days rest, but wouldn't we be more likely to go with Santos or Sarloos for a 4 inning stint? I know we start a road series out west tomorrow, but our pen hasn't been overly taxed during the first 5 games.

 

[Dryden]

Going downstairs to watch the game now...join me in praying the game isn't over after Milton's first 2 innings.

Looked good the first inning, the defense didn't help at all:

Fly out.
Hit on bloop between Freel and Phillips.
Hit on lazy liner that Dunn misplayed, breaking back on a sinking liner that fell in front of him.
Misplayed DP ball that Phillips threw away, E4. Runner advances.
Ground ball out with runners on the corners.

Milton up three beers, owed one by Dunn, Freel, and Phillips.

It's no wonder Milton looked much better in the Baggy Dome with Gold Glovers (and Christian Guzman) all around him and the AC blowing in towards home plate.

 

[Dryden]

What makes you think Arroyo? I know he likes to throw on short days rest, but wouldn't we be more likely to go with Santos or Sarloos for a 4 inning stint? I know we start a road series out west tomorrow, but our pen hasn't been overly taxed during the first 5 games.

I was thinking more along the lines of if it got ugly quick and the Reds needed 5+ innings. No reason to blow the entire bullpen with three to go in Arizona and no off day.

Another bloop between Freel and Phillips to lead off the second.

Quick trend: Milton's first pitch to each batter is an 86mph tater, middle-in, trying to get up 1-0. That won't work the second time through the order.

 

[Okinawa's#1Buck]

Duke must be pitching his nutsack off. Three hits, no runs through 5. Milton has been ok, but we know we need to score 4 or more on any day he pitches. Time to get the sticks rolling boys! Ross more than anyone needs to pull his head out!