Reds Tidbits (2008 season)

[OSUBasketballJunkie]

Dispatch

Reds notebook
Harang gets first win since June

Saturday, August 23, 2008 3:17 AM



DENVER -- Brandon Phillips homered and Aaron Harang pitched out of a bases-loaded jam to get his first win in more than two months as the Cincinnati Reds routed the Colorado Rockies 8-5 last night.

Jeff Keppinger and Joey Votto each had three hits for the Reds. Phillips had two hits.
Harang (4-13) scattered six hits in six innings to get his first win since beating Boston on June 13. Francisco Cordero pitched the ninth for his 25th save.

Continued......

 

[OSUBasketballJunkie]

Dispatch

Rockies 7Reds 6
Reds bullpen lets down 'Cy'
Award candidate Volquez pitches well, but relievers don't
Sunday, August 24, 2008 3:59 AM
By Hal McCoy


DAYTON DAILY NEWS

David ZalubowskiAssociated Press
The Reds' Joey Votto, right, slides safely into home plate as Rockies catcher Yorvit Torrealba fields the throw in the fourth inning. Votto and Brandon Phillips scored on a single by Jay Bruce.




DENVER -- Dusty Baker calls it "The Cy," and everybody around baseball knows that can only be the Cy Young Award. And the Reds manager entertains long-shot hopes that Edinson Volquez is in the running for the National League Cy Young.
Volquez should have won his 16th game last night in Coors Field, enhancing his credentials, but the bullpen did him wrong in a 7-6 Cincinnati defeat.
He turned a 4-3 lead over to the relievers, but Mike Lincoln (1-4) gave up three straight singles in the seventh and Nick Massek's first pitch was drilled for a three-run double by Matt Holliday.

Continued.......

 

[Jaxbuck]

Another year of Reds baseball when by late August I look at an article like this and see the same old routine performed by names I no longer recognize.

Not that it matters one bit but Nick Massek?

 

[CCI]

I lost all faith & hope in the Reds so I really don't waste my time to read or watch them.

 

[OSUBasketballJunkie]

Dispatch

Rockies 4 Reds 3, 12 innings
Injury piles on bad news after sloppy game

Monday, August 25, 2008 3:09 AM
By Hal McCoy


DAYTON DAILY NEWS

David Zalubowski Associated Press
Reds starter Johnny Cueto was forced to leave the game after three innings because of triceps tendon soreness.




DENVER -- Losing the worst-played major-league baseball game in this millennium was bad enough, but the Cincinnati Reds lost more than that yesterday -- pending a medical work-up today of pitcher Johnny Cueto.
The Reds lost an almost indescribable game to the Colorado Rockies 4-3 in 12 innings, but the real news happened about 3 1/2 hours before Rockies utility infielder Omar Quintanilla hit a walk-off home run off Mike Lincoln (1-5).
That's when Cueto walked into the dugout after the third inning and said his right elbow hurt. He was immediately removed because of soreness in the triceps tendon.

Continued......

 

[Fungo Squiggly]

Another year of Reds baseball when by late August I look at an article like this and see the same old routine performed by names I no longer recognize.

Not that it matters one bit but Nick Massek?

Nick Masset was the reliever that came over from the White Sox for Griffey.

 

[crazybuckfan40]

Here is some good reading...

Simple math: More runners, more runs
Reds by the Numbers

By John Erardi

CHICAGO - Amazing the amount of attention paid to the fact that the Reds were 0-for-15 with runners in scoring position in the recently completed three-game series at Wrigley Field.

Granted, a hit or two more in those situations and the Reds probably would have left town having won two of three, instead of only one.

But the Cubs weren't exactly gangbusters in the three games with runners in scoring position (4-for-27).

The biggest problem with the Reds is not that they went 0-for-15 with runners in scoring position.

The biggest problem with the Reds is that they put only 20 men on base total - for all three games.

Granted, the Cubs put only nine more men on base.

Those nine additional base runners in a three-game series might not seem like a lot.

But they are.

Three extra runners per game is exactly the margin of difference between the Cubs and the Reds this year.

Going into Friday's games, the Cubs had 2,432 plate appearances in 127 games with runners on base - an average of about 19 per game. The Reds had 2,081 plate appearances with runners on base in 128 games, or about 16 per game.

Those three extra runners per game add up over the course of the season.

Men on base
The Cubs lead the league easily in runs scored (681); they average 5.4 runs per game with a league-leading on-base average of .358.

The Reds rank 13th in runs per game with 4.2, with a miserable .318 on-base average. They rank fourth in the league in home runs with 148, just ahead of the Cubs' 146.

The biggest culprit in the Reds averaging 1.2 fewer runs per game than the Cubs is that the Reds are 40 points behind the Cubs in getting men on base. 6

Before I left Chicago on Friday, I read with interest the interview that baseball writer Hal McCoy did with Reds pitcher Bronson Arroyo. Arroyo said the Reds need to grow their lineup so that it more closely resembles the Cubs, who have a 7-hole batter (Mark DeRosa) hitting .280.

Arroyo is right. And his point holds up throughout the Cubs' batting order when one compares it with the Reds.

DeRosa vs. Phillips
DeRosa's .280 batting average is the basis of his .376 on-base percentage. His slugging average is .458. In sabermetric terms, this is expressed as .280/.376/.458.

Compare that with the numbers of Reds middle-of-the-order hitter Brandon Phillips (.267/.315/460).

Sure, Phillips has five more home runs (in 85 more at-bats), but DeRosa has 27 more walks (in fewer plate appearances), making him more valuable as a hitter.

Why? Because DeRosa is getting on base more than Phillips. For a team to score a lot of runs, it has to get a lot of men on base.

The Cubs lead the league with a .280 batting average; the Reds are at .245, 15th in the 16-team league, ahead of the Nationals.

(Which begs the question: If your team is hitting only .245 overall, why would you expect them to suddenly hit better with runners in scoring position? It doesn't work that way. For example, the Cubs' team batting average with runners in scoring position is only one point higher than their batting average overall. And consider: The Cubs are hitting only .213 with runners in scoring position when there are two outs. Yet, they still lead the league in runs.)

Focus on Fukudome
The Cubs' worst regular in terms of on-base average plus slugging average is Kosuke Fukudome (.748). But even with a relatively low batting average (.265) and little power (.385 slugging average), he is still getting on base (.363) at an above-average rate and helping to sustain a top-to-bottom offense. Fukudome has scored 69 runs, the same as Phillips.

Leadoff hitter Alfonso Soriano has the Cubs' worst on-base average (.340), but it would rank third-best among Reds who have significant playing time. (Jerry Hairston and Joey Votto are the top two for on-base average.)

The point: Do not get all caught up with what the Reds are hitting with runners in scoring position; beware those who do.

Pay more attention to how many runners the Reds are getting on base.

Improving that number is the only way the Reds have a chance to win next year.

http://news.cincinnati.com/apps/pbcs...V3eYWVqxUfA%3D

 

[Jaxbuck]

Here is some good reading...

Wait a minute. Someone is saying that not making outs(getting on base) is a good thing? That OBP might be a key ingrediant in run production?

Wow. Thats pretty cutting edge stuff. Wonder what Dusty thinks? Oh thats right, walks are bad. They just clog the bases. This franchise is fucking hopless.

 

[jlb1705]

I'll give him credit for writing this kind of stuff when he does it in March and April when people are still paying some attention to the Reds, rather than in August, right after a fire sale.

 

[Jaxbuck]

I'll give him credit for writing this kind of stuff when he does it in March and April when people are still paying some attention to the Reds, rather than in August, right after a fire sale.

I'd like to be able to see all the heads that explode when the average Marty acolyte reads this kind of thing(assuming they can read).

 

[OSUBasketballJunkie]

DDN

Reds still can't solve Oswalt, lose 4-1 to Astros


By Hal McCoy
Staff Writer

Wednesday, August 27, 2008


HOUSTON ? The Houston Astros missed out on a fail-free promotion Wednesday, Aug. 27, in Minute Maid Park: "Guaranteed Win Night."
If the Astros didn't win, every fan in attendance would be awarded a free ticket to a future game.
They could have offered a free new car to everybody and felt smug about it. With Roy Oswalt on the mound, those sly Astros marketing folks should know they had a sure thing.
Oswalt was 21-1 for his career against the Cincinnati Reds when Wednesday began and now is 22-1 after another Oswalt Spectacular ? one run and five hits over seven innings in a 4-1 victory.

Continued.......

 

[OSUBasketballJunkie]

DDN

Astros 3, reds 2
Reds, Harang fail to get away with a win

Wigginton hits two of Houston's three solo home runs; Cincinnati starter has given up 29 longballs this season.


By Hal McCoy
Staff Writer

Friday, August 29, 2008


HOUSTON ? The reasons the Cincinnati Reds are so far out in left field they are not visible to the naked eye would fill a thick ledger.
Reds manager Dusty Baker came up with Reason No. 325, one most baseball fans never have considered.
"If you win most of your getaway-day games, you'll be in the hunt," he said. And he said it before the Reds dropped their third straight getaway-day game on this three-city trip 3-2 to the Houston Astros on Thursday, Aug. 28.

Continued......

 

[OSUBasketballJunkie]

DDN

REDS 11, Giants 7
Dickerson delivers another big game for Reds

Rookie outfielder knocked in four runs and wound up just a triple short of hitting for the cycle.


By Doug Harris
Staff Writer

Saturday, August 30, 2008

CINCINNATI ? Rookie Chris Dickerson was wiping shaving cream out of his eyes, nose, ears and hair while sitting at his locker in the Reds' clubhouse, and Bronson Arroyo, who pulled off the perfectly executed sneak attack, was enjoying a good laugh somewhere.
"Bronson Arroyo does that whenever someone has a great game," Dickerson said after the shaving cream dousing. "It's the Great Game Trophy."

Continued.......

 

[OSUBasketballJunkie]

Dispatch

Reds 7 Giants 6
Eighth-inning run lifts Reds

Sunday, August 31, 2008 3:37 AM



Associated Press

CINCINNATI -- Corey Patterson tripled in the go-ahead run off left-hander Jack Taschner in the eighth inning and the Cincinnati Reds beat the San Francisco Giants 7-6 last night after blowing a three-run lead.
Tyler Walker got the first out of the eighth before Giants manager Bruce Bochy brought in Taschner (3-2) to face Jay Bruce and Patterson, both left-handed batters. Bruce grounded a single into center field and Patterson hit the next pitch down the first-base line into the corner, where it rattled around long enough for Bruce to give Cincinnati a 7-6 lead.

Continued...........

 

[OSUBasketballJunkie]

DDN

Arroyo finds stride on mound and bases


By Hal McCoy
Staff Writer

Sunday, August 31, 2008


CINCINNATI ? In these Dog Days of August, with the Cincinnati Reds playing for nothing more than to stay out of last place in the National League Central, nobody can say Bronson Arroyo should pick up his pay check with a mask and a 9-millimeter Glock.
Add to it the fact that Arroyo despises day games and what he did Sunday afternoon was eye-popping during a 9-3 Cincinnati Reds victory over the San Francisco Giants to complete a three-game sweep.
What he did on the mound is what he is paid to do ? seven innings, two runs, 10 hits, no walks and five strikeouts. That led to his ninth win in his last 12 starts (13-10 overall) since he gave up 11 runs in one inning in Toronto on June 24.

Continued.......