The Reds are 0-0 when I start threads this year.

Willis (0-1, 3.71 ERA) vs Vogelsong (8-1, 2.10 ERA)

The skid ends here!

The Reds have the 10th best record in the National League.

Telling

Again, Dusty has his 2nd and 3rd best hitters hitting 6th and 7th....that's better than 7th and 8th I guess.....but Janish is playing.

Drew Stubbs 8
Fred Lewis 7
Joey Votto 3
Brandon Phillips 4
Jay Bruce 9
Miguel Cairo 5
Ramon Hernandez 2
Paul Janish 6
Dontrelle Willis 1

Order of how much I trust that lineup.....1 being the most trusted:

8
4
1
5
7
2
3
9
6

After that display yesterday, I am really starting to wonder how Dusty still has his job.

Reds are rumored to be going hard after Bourn! I would love it if they could snag him. Could definitely fill the leadoff gap until Hamilton is ready.

TigerNation10;845808 wrote:Drew Stubbs 8
Fred Lewis 7
Joey Votto 3
Brandon Phillips 4
Jay Bruce 9
Miguel Cairo 5
Ramon Hernandez 2
Paul Janish 6
Dontrelle Willis 1

I would seriously switch Willis and Janish.

My grade for each player so far (less experienced Heisey, Chapman etc players get a slight curve up as they may not have such expectations yet)

OF

Jay Bruce B-/C+ He is not showing much of any improvement on offense or defense....too many overall careless moments

Drew Stubbs C- His CF play is average because his arm is solid and he gets them in the gap well....his jump, ability to dive in and wall plays are below average....not improving at all on offense.....a bit ridiculous

Chris Heisey B He would likely grade out with the others but just simply has not had regular play over an extended period of time. He's 94% not an everyday OF....but he's done a pretty good job overall considering.

Fred Lewis B He has done well with the rare at bats....his defense is rough but we know that and he has been solid when called upon to hit.

Yonder Alonso I Incomplete...I don't really blame Dusty or anyone....he deserved to come up but he's not an OF answer.

Catcher

Ramon Hernandez B His defense is not great, but it's not bad.....doesn't frame the ball well or call as good as Hanigan but his offense is very trusting and consistent and I can really appreciate that on this team. His salary is large and he needs to be traded in the next day for his value should be decent and we have a stud ready to come up. I like what Ramon has given the Reds.

Hanigan B He is not as talented offensively as Ramon but he gives excellent defense, he is tough and he gives very professional at bats pretty often. I like his place on this team.

Infield

Votto B+ He has struggled it appears but he finds a way when he's at his worst to get it done more often than most others. He seems a little bipolar but he has been solid on offense and defense. I expected his numbers a little higher but he's been good.

Phillips B He gets a B because he is the best 2nd baseman on defense around...he does things that bother me but he makes the play very often and you don't have to worry like when the ball goes to Janish or Renteria on a routine play. Offensively he still swings for way too many HR way too often. His approach is borderline awful IMO....I believe though he listened to Dusty on this problem....and batting 4th admittedly gets to him. His season numbers will be good....but he should be better all around offensively.

Janish D+ His expectations were not real high but his defense has not been as good as expected and he's been over-matched most often at the plate.

Renteria C- Not huge expectations and he has not adjusted well to being a bench player, spot starter.....his defense has been much better of late and he's provided some clutch hits of....but overall he's worn out twitter fans and he's not produced like he has in the past.....I trust him way more than Janish but if we aren't going to the playoffs and when Cozart gets back.......he plays very little...like I've said since Cozart was called up. Shit, I don't care....let Hamilton come up and struggle, we ain't going anywhere.

Rolen C Offensively, his shoulder combined with his wear and tear or age has really limited him. Defensively his range isn't what it once was....but range at 3B is almost silly.....and Rolen has been as good as anyone. Seriously......how many times have you been worried when he gets the ball in his hands about the throw to 1st......his consistency on defense is off the chart. The Reds players admit that he is definately a leader on how to do things the right way.

Cairo A What more can you want from him? He is there everytime you need him, does well and goes about it in a professional manner. Great idea when he's at the plate more often than not and other than a few plays that Rolen has got us used to that Cairo didn't....he's been perfect for his role and expectations.

Frazier I Too little but he's done OK so far when called upon.

Not enough energy for the pitching detail: Cueto A-/B+, Bailey C+, Arroyo C, Dontrelle B, Leake B, Masset B-/C+, Chapman B, Ondrusek B, Cordero B, Arrendondo B-, LeClure B, Bray B

Dusty D- 10th best record in the NL mixed with solid pitching and a high scoring offense? Too many oopsies from his team and too many ????? about nearly everything he does. His ways are just not supported with facts or stats and his gut moments are often ridiculous. Nice guy, best of luck....but I really wish he'd move on.

Bryan Price B....does a pretty good job it seems

Brook Jacoby D- He's irrelevant, can't get young players out of funks and he and Dusty provide with idiotic plate approaches.

What happened with Willis?

Just heard that Matt Maloney is starting tonight.

vbookie thread up and worth looking at...maybe not worth betting on though

go team! looking forward to a 40 game winning streak tiger.

dave;846053 wrote:go team! looking forward to a 40 game winning streak tiger.

Yay team!

Bruce's perfect throw to 3rd, on a good choice to try by Kepp, took the Giants out of a big inning. And to be perfect, the throw couldn't be perfectly on line or it would have hit the runner. It just barely missed as it was and I think being on that line played a big part in Kepp's decision to try.

The hanging breaking ball that Cairo tatooed, but right at Sandoval, was the difference in the Reds first not being as big as it looked it might be. I'll bet Miguel would trade the 3 run HR yesterday for that ball getting past Sandoval and making it 3-1 and having runners on 2nd and 3rd with one out.

Two bad calls on successive pitches by the umps. Low pitch called strike two to Lewis, then Stubbs called out on the steal!

When Stubbs knocked in the run in the 2nd inning with a routine ground ball to 2nd that they didn't get the DP on, Kelch said on the radio that Stubbs is the #1 difficult player to double up in the NL and then he added "and we all know why". I'm sure he was referring to his speed, but my immediate thought was, he strikes out 35% of the time so that takes away a lot of the DP opportunities right there!

Vogelsong gets a gift strike call on the first pitch to Bruce in the 3rd that was really outside!

Willis should get traded, he would be great for a team like Cleveland, Pitt, etc

Willis nearly lost the pitcher to lead-off the 5th, but came back to get him out. Now he does walk the first batter in the 6th, and that is followed by a hit, so Dontrelle is getting into the soup at a bad time in the 6th with a 2 run lead!

And now he walked the 3rd batter and is up to 97 pitches with the bases loaded and no out.

Two hard hit fly outs, and a grounder to 2B, produce only one run for the Giants, so the Reds and Dontrell take a 3-2 lead to the bottom of the 6th. Last chance for the Reds to add on vs. Vogelsong in the 6th.

Masset gets the first hitter this time, after going 3-1, but after two out, Kepp gets him for an oppo double, and Masset is lifted in favor of Bray to face Beltran.

Beltran hit 0.73 worse against lefties, but has hit 8 HRs vs 7 against righties in about just a 3rd the ABs! But Bray handles him and now the Reds need just 6 outs, but need to add on!

Dusty got greedy and lets Bray face one too many righties, and again a late inning advantage vaporizes into a tie with a team with a really good bullpen!