Reds need to win 3/4 at least and they should with their pitching matchups.

Cueto vs. Martin
Leake vs. Atilano
Arroyo vs. Strasburg
Volquez vs. Hernandez

Who all is going to head down Wednesday to watch Strasburg?

Jason Isringhausen is scheduled to throw a bullpen session with the Reds soon

I'll be there Tues and Wed. 5-1 this year when I've been there, so hopefully the trend continues.

This rotation is pretty sick right now, I hope they don't just give Harang a spot.

Situational hitting really needs to improve. So many unproductive outs in the last few weeks. I really hope Walt can grab an outfield bat and move Cabrera down to 7 or 8. I think that's the cheapest and best way to help the lineup. It's just too easy for opposing pitchers when they know they have a good shot to strike out all of the last 4 hitters in the lineup.

I'm going down Thursday afternoon

Todays lineup:

Phillips 4
Cabrera 6
Votto 3
Gomes 7
Bruce 9
Cairo 5
Stubbs 8
Hanigan 2
Cueto 1

I'm about to go drunken mooney (not that there is anything wrong with that....lol) on why Paul Janish never gets to play.

man o man......if Phillips isn't in battle mode and Votto goes for more than 1 first pitch.....this could be a low low pitch count game

Hanigan is about the only player I wouldn't bet on swinging at the 1st pitch 2 or more times (of course mostly on curves they can't touch....which is the main problem)

Ironman92;427281 wrote:I'm about to go drunken mooney (not that there is anything wrong with that....lol) on why Paul Janish never gets to play.

I was looking up stats for a few teams and noticed that he has like 50 ABs in 31 games. While being in the big leagues all season. You usually don't see guys get used that little unless they were a Rule 5 pick that the team is trying to bury on their bench the entire season so they don't have to offer them back to their former team.

Roughly 12 games in a row Phillips has fake bunted on the first pitch of the game and 11 of those (or all but one of however many) have been balls and not strikes......do teams not scout?

Phillips will do it again tonight and should be down 0-1......but I doubt it.....it'll sail up and in like they always do.....kinda amazing

I believe there are 2 reasons Janish rarely plays.

1. Dusty is Dusty
2.......not going there

Shit..Rolen is out with a hamstring issue

Reds have the bases loaded w/ 0 out ..... Lets see how this plays out, sure hasn't been successful much lately

Well a 2 Run double from Stubbs.... 2-0 Bottom 2nd

Hanigan walks.... Cueto 2 run single ... 4-0 Bottom 2nd, Still 1st & 2nd w/ 0 Outs

Be nice to blow this one open here early

Well Phillips pops up & Cabrera hits a bullet that results in a double play to end the inning

Shitty end to the inning, but 4 runs was very awesome

Cueto gives 2 runs right back

Cueto doing his best impression of give it all back in the next inning...

And we're going to a delay...

Poor at bats by the Reds luckily result in 4 runs

the horrible big league pitcher couldn't throw a curve for a strike or anything close.....I knew Stubbs would swing at the 1st pitch...and he did....any team with a clue would not have thrown a fastball and then wiht Cueto up they are playing in....does that ever work? Personally, I would've told Cueto to stand there and act likke he's batting and never swing...worst case scenario...a K....but with the infield in it gets by...then Phillips and Cabrera do their gotta hit immediately thing to end the inning. Guzman was atrocious in the inning and .177 batting Willie Harris doesn't go for that Stubbs hit???

The Nationals...awful. They get Dunn 1-2....give him nothing and he walks to start the inning....3 pitches later the inning is over. Josh Willingham spent less time in the batter's box than Joey Votto at the all-star game.

Has Votto always been almost overly aggressive early in the count? I admit I haven't seen too many Reds games but over the last few at bats of his I've seen (including the ASG), he has been swinging at the first pitch and making a lot of easy outs. I would think someone with his ability would want to work a count into his favor and get a pitch he can do damage with.

What the hell is wrong with Miguel Cairo? I know it's hot and humid but he has been shown wiping off his entire head no less than 6 times....in about 3 minutes of airplay.

karen...he's not been like that all year....but it's plain and simple Dustyball.....only Rolen doesn't abide by it

if they make the playoffs...it'll be ugly with their approaches versus very good pitching

This has been a pretty unsmartly and poorly played game so far tonight. Aside from the first pitch swings(you should get 4 hits for every swing that you take at a first pitch), poor pitch selections, and Cueto's loss of focus after getting the 4-0 lead(walked first batter and went to 3 balls on the 2nd, both of which scored), and poor defensive stragey, there are two plays that were badly played that really helped the Reds.

The hit by Stubbs to right and his mindset to get a double, even though Bruce was holding on 2nd was trying to make a good play to tag and get to 3rd with one out if the catch was made, caused the Reds to have two runners on 2nd when the throw came into the infield. When you are up with the bases loaded and less than two outs, you can't just fly around the bases when you hit the ball! The Reds lucked out when the throw got away and allowed Bruce to score, and Cairo to get to third saving the pain of the baserunning blunder by Stubbs. Then the infield playing in blunder by the Nats combined with Guzman's matador defense on the shot by Cueto got the Reds two runs on a play that should have been a double play.