The reds face the angels tonight at 7:10 at Great American Ballpark to begin a 3 game series. I don't have the time for a huge pregame tonight, so I'll try to just get the important stuff in.
Jared Burton was placed on the 15 day DL today, opening up a spot for Todd Coffey. It's good that Coffey is back up, I feel is right now the best right handed reliever no the team besides Weathers. Hopefully he can really help our bullpen and give Narron a good 8th inning option.
Here are the lineups for tonights game:
Reds:
1. Scott Hatteberg 1B
2. Brandon Phillips 2B
3. Ken Griffey Jr. RF
4. Adam Dunn LF
5. Edwin Encarnacion 3B
6. Josh Hamilton CF
7. Alex Gonzalez SS
8. David Ross C
9. Bronson Arroyo P
Don't have the angles lineup yet.
Interesting putting Dunn in cleanup. Hopefully he can produce more runs there than usual. Hattebetg batting leadoff is not good. He is just not a leadoff hitter, and his number show that.
Bronson Arroyo goes against Kelvim Escobar tonight. Escobar is 7-3 with a 2.76 ERA, and Bronson is 2-7 with a 5.01 ERA. Bronson's been struggling a lot lately, let's see if he can pitch a good game and get a win. He still says that he has been having good stuff. He needs to pitch much better for the reds to get back in the race. Don't feel that great about this one or this series for that matter, but we'll see what happens. Go reds.
Tuesday, June 12, 2007
Monday, June 11, 2007
Milton Done, Dunn Rumors Heating Up, And Other News
Eric Milton will have season ending Tommy John surgery on Friday. After this season, his contract with the reds will expire, and will almost certainly not be picked up. Milton has been a huge disappointment ever since the reds signed him in 2004. He was just not a good fit in Great American Ballpark, as he was a fly ball pitcher. I wish Milton the best of luck in his recovery, and hope that he can find another team to pitch for next season.
The Adam Dunn rumors are really starting to heat up.Here is an article on si.com:
http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2007/writers/jon_heyman/06/11/monday.scoop/index.html
The Adam Dunn rumors are really starting to heat up.Here is an article on si.com:
http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2007/writers/jon_heyman/06/11/monday.scoop/index.html
The Reds are ready to take offers on Adam Dunn, whose terrific power should draw decent interest despite the significant flaws in his game.
Lots of big names could be bandied about this trading season -- Jermaine Dye, Mark Buehrle, Carlos Zambrano, Troy Glaus, Scott Rolen, Mark Teixeira and perhaps even Dontrelle Willis and Miguel Cabrera are among the stars who are candidates to be moved -- but Dunn's is one name that's already out there as available, league sources told SI.com.
Dunn is what you might call the leadoff man in what could be a thrilling time for trades.
Power is about the most sought-after skill right now, and Dunn has it an abundance. However, Dunn comes with a couple drawbacks, including the major question of where to play him. He's a poor and indifferent outfielder, and a few teams are now considering whether to try to acquire Dunn as a first baseman, though one scout warned, "He's terrible there. I wouldn't use him at first base."
Added one general manager, "I see him as more of an American League player and a DH."
All three Southern California teams could have interest in Dunn, as could anyone else seeking power. Dunn, who's making $10.5 million this season and has an option for $13 million next year (or a $500,000 buyout), is batting .250 with 15 home runs and 38 RBIs. While his power is elite, Dunn hasn't hit in the clutch. He's batting only .212 with runners in scoring position and .208 with runners on base.
Trading Dunn makes sense for the Reds, especially if they can get solid pitching in return -- they have allowed the most runs in the National League this season. They are one of baseball's most underachieving teams, and a bit of a shakeup could do them good, anyway.
Another link here on foxsports.com:
The Reds are drawing significant trade interest in left fielder Adam Dunn, and if they're going to move the slugger, it would behoove them to do it as quickly as possible.
Dunn's contract stipulates that his $13 million club option for next season would be voided by a trade, making him a free agent at the end of the season. Thus, the sooner the Reds acted, the better the package they would receive.The Dodgers are interested in Dunn, sources say, but seemingly have no place to put him; Dunn is below-average in left field, and neither he nor the Dodgers' current left fielder, Luis Gonzalez, would be adequate in right.
The Padres like Dunn, but have had no recent discussions with the Reds. The Twins are looking for a designated hitter, but Dunn, earning $10.5 million, is beyond their price range. The Angels have shown past interest in Dunn, but manager Mike Scioscia generally prefers more well-rounded players.
Dunn, 27, is an all-or-nothing hitter who has struck out 83 times in 220 at-bats this season, but posted an .869 on-base/slugging percentage, ninth among National League outfielders.
He clearly is better suited for the AL, where he could serve as a designated hitter; one rival executive wonders how a player who was a top high-school quarterback is now a "40" thrower on the scouts' 20 to 80 scale.
The Dodgers, ninth in the NL in runs per game, clearly are frustrated with their offense. Manager Grady Little has dropped center fielder Juan Pierre to eighth in the batting order, and the team promoted first baseman James Loney and outfielder Matt Kemp over the weekend.
Loney will spell Nomar Garciaparra and perhaps Gonzalez, and Kemp figures to be a fill-in for Pierre, who thus far has been a $44 million free-agent bust. One executive, however, says general manager Ned Colletti is itching to "pull a Kenny Williams" and make a pro-active move. His No. 1 choice, Marlins third baseman Miguel Cabrera, is not available.
One possibility would be to include Gonzalez along with young players in a deal for Dunn, but Gonzalez has been one of the Dodgers' hottest hitters of late as well as a strong clubhouse presence. Dunn has played 108 career games at first, but he would be blocked at that position by Garciaparra and Loney.
It looks clear now that the team that look to be showing the most interest in Dunn are the Padres, dodgers, and maybe Angels. The Twins and many other teams will most likely join the race later. I think that Dunn has to, and will be traded before the trade deadline. A would like to get a MLB ready SP or RP back, and an outfielder. a trade with the Dodgers, the team that appears to be showing the most interest in Dunn, may look something like this:
REDS GET: Jonathon Broxton and Matt Kemp
DODGERS GET: Adam Dunn
I would love for this trade to happen, but I don't know if the dodgers are willing to part with Broxton. We'll see how it turns out.
In other news, Bill Bray has been recalled from his rehab assignment because of left shoulder inflammation. This is nothing too serious, but you have to wonder how much longer it is going to take Bill Bray to get back from his injury.
Eddie Guardado pitched tonight for the reds AAA team, the Louisville Bats against the Rochester Red Wings. Eddie pitched a scoreless 8th innings, walking the first batter, but then getting a double play and a strikeout. It would be very nice to get him back to the MLB soon, to take over the closer role so David Weathers can go back to being a very good setup man, which we need. Here is how the bullpen would look if Guardado comes back and becomes the closer:
C: Eddie Guardado
S: David Weathers
S: Mike Stanton
M: Jon Cuonlangus
M: Gary Majewski
M: Jared Burton
L: Victor Santos
This bullpen does not look too bad.
Tomorrow night at 7:10 Eastern the reds face the angels to begin a 3 game series at great American Ballpark. Until then, go reds.
Sunday, June 10, 2007
Cleveland Indians @ Cincinnati Reds 6-10-7 Postgame
Reds won the game this afternoon 1 to 0. Both Aaron Harang and CC Sabathia pitched fantastic games, but in the end, the reds got a run in the 12th inning. The bullpen for the reds pitched very well. Here is the box score:
The reds got the only run of the game in the 12th inning of an RBI single by Alex Gonzalez. The innings started out with an Adam Dunn fly out. Chad Moeller then came in as a pinch-hitter and got a double to left field. After that, Edwin Encarnacion was walked to get to Josh Hamilton. Hamilton got out on a deep line drive to the warning track in right field, which Chad moeller did not tag up on. Later after the game, Moeller said he didn't tag up because he was not sure if the ball would drop. Alex Gonzalez then came to the plate and got a clutch 2 out single right up the middle to win the game 1-0. That is the only offense worth mentioning in the game.
Aaron Harang pitched a gem for the reds today. He stats for the game: 7 IP, 3 hits, o runs, 2 walks, 10 strikeouts. He only pitched 7 innings because he had already thrown 117 pitches. He was not very efficient on the mound today, but other than that he was great. This game brought his ERA down to 3.93. CC Sabathia, however, was better. His stats: 9 IP, 0 runs, 3 hits, 1 walk, 6 strikeouts. The game brought his ERA down to 3.09. The reds could just not hit him all game. He was very dominating in his best performance of the year.
The bullpen for the reds pitched very well today. After Aaron Harang came out, Mike Stanton pitched the entire 8th inning. He gave up 3 hits, including a single by CC Sabathia who was still in the game. With the bases loaded with 2 outs, Jerry Narron decided to leave Stanton in. This was a good move, as Ryan Garko struck out swinging on a 3-2 count. Then in the 9th, David Weathers came in and got a 1-2-3 innings. In the 10th, Gary Majewski came in and gave up an infield single to Josh Barfield. Jon Coutlangus then came in and got the final 3 outs, one on a pickoff. In the 11th and 12th innings, Marcus McBeth came in and pitched both of them scoreless. He did run into trouble in the 12th when there was a runner on 3rd and 1 out. He got Franklin Gutierrez to fly out, and then the runner at home, Jason Michaels, got thrown out at the plate. Betancourt and Mastny got a combined 4 outs for the indians. Then Fultz got the final 2 outs of the 11th inning, but gave up the hit to Moeller and walked EE in the 12th. Miller then came in for his first appearance and gave up the hit to Alex Gonzalez to win the game.
The defense for the reds was very good today. They did not commit any errors in the entire 12 innings of the game. Josh Hamilton made 2 very good plays. In the 10th innings, he made a fantastic diving catch in CF with 0 outs and a runner on 1st base to rob Travis Hafner. Then in the 12th with Franklin Gutierrez at the plate and Jason Michaels on 3rd, Hamilton threw Michael out at home after catching the fly ball of Gutierrez's bat. He positioned himself perfectly for the play. The indians did not commit any errors either.
I'm sorry that I have not been able to post anything for yesterday's postgame or today's pregame, been really busy again. I have to do a shortened postgame today because I'm busy, but I'll try to be able to do more posts in the following days and weeks. If the brewers lose tonight, the reds will be 8.5 back of them for 1st place in the NL central. If they win, the reds will stay at 9.5 games back.
So to wrap things up, Aaron Harang had a great start today against CC. The bullpen and the defense also did their jobs in a perfect way today. Hopefully this momentum will continue in the Angels series. The reds have a day off tomorrow, but will get back in action on Tuesday against the angels.
The reds played a great series against the indians. They could have won all 3 games, but got unlucky last night. Baseball in Cincinnati has some life to it again, and people are excited. I encourage all Cincinnati Red's fans to go out to Great American Ballpark and cheer on their reds. We're not out of this thing yet.
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Majewski pitched to 1 batter in the 10th. WP: Harang. IBB: Hatteberg (by Mastny), Encarnacion (by Fultz). Pitches-strikes: Sabathia 112-79, Betancourt 12-10, Mastny 9-4, Fultz 14-6, Miller, M 1-1, Harang 116-74, Stanton 24-16, Weathers 10-7, Majewski 7-4, Coutlangus 8-5, McBeth 22-9. Ground outs-fly outs: Sabathia 14-7, Betancourt 0-1, Mastny 1-0, Fultz 1-3, Miller, M 0-0, Harang 6-5, Stanton 1-1, Weathers 1-2, Majewski 0-0, Coutlangus 1-1, McBeth 3-3. Batters faced: Sabathia 30, Betancourt 3, Mastny 3, Fultz 6, Miller, M 1, Harang 25, Stanton 6, Weathers 3, Majewski 1, Coutlangus 2, McBeth 6. Inherited runners-scored: Fultz 2-0, Miller, M 2-1, Coutlangus 1-0. Umpires: HP: Marvin Hudson. 1B: Troy Fullwood. 2B: Jerry Layne. 3B: Bill Miller. Weather: 77 degrees, sunny. Wind: 9 mph, Out to RF. T: 3:28. Att: 30,842. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
The reds got the only run of the game in the 12th inning of an RBI single by Alex Gonzalez. The innings started out with an Adam Dunn fly out. Chad Moeller then came in as a pinch-hitter and got a double to left field. After that, Edwin Encarnacion was walked to get to Josh Hamilton. Hamilton got out on a deep line drive to the warning track in right field, which Chad moeller did not tag up on. Later after the game, Moeller said he didn't tag up because he was not sure if the ball would drop. Alex Gonzalez then came to the plate and got a clutch 2 out single right up the middle to win the game 1-0. That is the only offense worth mentioning in the game.
Aaron Harang pitched a gem for the reds today. He stats for the game: 7 IP, 3 hits, o runs, 2 walks, 10 strikeouts. He only pitched 7 innings because he had already thrown 117 pitches. He was not very efficient on the mound today, but other than that he was great. This game brought his ERA down to 3.93. CC Sabathia, however, was better. His stats: 9 IP, 0 runs, 3 hits, 1 walk, 6 strikeouts. The game brought his ERA down to 3.09. The reds could just not hit him all game. He was very dominating in his best performance of the year.
The bullpen for the reds pitched very well today. After Aaron Harang came out, Mike Stanton pitched the entire 8th inning. He gave up 3 hits, including a single by CC Sabathia who was still in the game. With the bases loaded with 2 outs, Jerry Narron decided to leave Stanton in. This was a good move, as Ryan Garko struck out swinging on a 3-2 count. Then in the 9th, David Weathers came in and got a 1-2-3 innings. In the 10th, Gary Majewski came in and gave up an infield single to Josh Barfield. Jon Coutlangus then came in and got the final 3 outs, one on a pickoff. In the 11th and 12th innings, Marcus McBeth came in and pitched both of them scoreless. He did run into trouble in the 12th when there was a runner on 3rd and 1 out. He got Franklin Gutierrez to fly out, and then the runner at home, Jason Michaels, got thrown out at the plate. Betancourt and Mastny got a combined 4 outs for the indians. Then Fultz got the final 2 outs of the 11th inning, but gave up the hit to Moeller and walked EE in the 12th. Miller then came in for his first appearance and gave up the hit to Alex Gonzalez to win the game.
The defense for the reds was very good today. They did not commit any errors in the entire 12 innings of the game. Josh Hamilton made 2 very good plays. In the 10th innings, he made a fantastic diving catch in CF with 0 outs and a runner on 1st base to rob Travis Hafner. Then in the 12th with Franklin Gutierrez at the plate and Jason Michaels on 3rd, Hamilton threw Michael out at home after catching the fly ball of Gutierrez's bat. He positioned himself perfectly for the play. The indians did not commit any errors either.
I'm sorry that I have not been able to post anything for yesterday's postgame or today's pregame, been really busy again. I have to do a shortened postgame today because I'm busy, but I'll try to be able to do more posts in the following days and weeks. If the brewers lose tonight, the reds will be 8.5 back of them for 1st place in the NL central. If they win, the reds will stay at 9.5 games back.
So to wrap things up, Aaron Harang had a great start today against CC. The bullpen and the defense also did their jobs in a perfect way today. Hopefully this momentum will continue in the Angels series. The reds have a day off tomorrow, but will get back in action on Tuesday against the angels.
The reds played a great series against the indians. They could have won all 3 games, but got unlucky last night. Baseball in Cincinnati has some life to it again, and people are excited. I encourage all Cincinnati Red's fans to go out to Great American Ballpark and cheer on their reds. We're not out of this thing yet.
Saturday, June 9, 2007
Cleveland Indians @ Cincinnati Reds 6-9-07 Pregame
2nd game of a 3 game series played by the indians and reds tonight at 7:10 eastern. Matt Belisle pitches against Jeremy Sowers following the reds 5-4 win over Cleveland last night that showcased Homer Bailey's first MLB game and win. Here are the lineups:
Reds:
1. Norris Hopper LF
2. Brandon Phillips 2B
3. Ken Griffey Jr. RF
4. Jeff Conine 1B
5. Edwin Encarnacion 3B
6. Josh Hamilton CF
7. Alex Gonzalez SS
8. David Ross C
9. Matt Belisle P
Indians:
1. Grady Sizemore CF
2. Casey Blake 3B
3. Travis Hafner 1B
4. Victor Martinez C
5. Trot Nixon RF
6. Johny Peralta SS
7. David Dellucci LF
8. Josh Barfield 2B
9. Jeremy Sowers P
Pretty much the same lineup tonight from Jerry Narron, except Josh Hamilton has taken Adam Dunn's spot in the 6 hole. Adam Dunn gets the game off tonight, so Norris Hopper will take his spot in left field and bat leadoff as he did last night. Almost the same lineup as last night against Homer Bailey for the indians, except Peralta is in at shortstop for Rouse.
Matt Belisle, tonights starter, is 5-4 with a 4.48 ERA this year. Last week, he gave up 5 runs in 61/3 innings against the rockies, getting the no decision. Jeremy Sowers, the starter for the indians, is 1-6 with a 6.63 this year. Because he has pitched so poorly, he is most likely pitching for his spot in the indian's rotation.
Tonights weather at Great American Ballpark is about 80 degrees and sunny with no chance of rain. The wind will be blowing from the NNE at about 9mph, and the sun will be setting at 9:03 PM.
Facing a struggling pitcher like Jeremy Sowers hopefully will get the reds bats going even more than they have been in the previous nights. Hopefully Matt Belisle can pitch a good game. I'd be fine with 7 innings and 3 or 4 runs. I expect to see McBeth tonight, as the bullpen may be a little tired from last night. Jon Counlangus may have to break out of his slump, because he might be the only left-hander available in the pen with Mike Stanton being used for 2 scoreless innings last night.
Here are the NL Central Standings: Wins Losses Percentage Games Back
I think that a realistic goal would be to get into 2nd place by the middle of June. The reds are only 4.5 games out of 2nd place, and 9.5 out of first. This season is not over yet, the reds still have a shot at winning the division.
My prediction for tonight's game is the reds wining 6-3. Matt Belisle will have a solid start, and the reds offense will hit Jeremy Sowers. Hopefully that prediction comes true. Lets get the 3rd win in a row, reds!
Reds:
1. Norris Hopper LF
2. Brandon Phillips 2B
3. Ken Griffey Jr. RF
4. Jeff Conine 1B
5. Edwin Encarnacion 3B
6. Josh Hamilton CF
7. Alex Gonzalez SS
8. David Ross C
9. Matt Belisle P
Indians:
1. Grady Sizemore CF
2. Casey Blake 3B
3. Travis Hafner 1B
4. Victor Martinez C
5. Trot Nixon RF
6. Johny Peralta SS
7. David Dellucci LF
8. Josh Barfield 2B
9. Jeremy Sowers P
Pretty much the same lineup tonight from Jerry Narron, except Josh Hamilton has taken Adam Dunn's spot in the 6 hole. Adam Dunn gets the game off tonight, so Norris Hopper will take his spot in left field and bat leadoff as he did last night. Almost the same lineup as last night against Homer Bailey for the indians, except Peralta is in at shortstop for Rouse.
Matt Belisle, tonights starter, is 5-4 with a 4.48 ERA this year. Last week, he gave up 5 runs in 61/3 innings against the rockies, getting the no decision. Jeremy Sowers, the starter for the indians, is 1-6 with a 6.63 this year. Because he has pitched so poorly, he is most likely pitching for his spot in the indian's rotation.
Tonights weather at Great American Ballpark is about 80 degrees and sunny with no chance of rain. The wind will be blowing from the NNE at about 9mph, and the sun will be setting at 9:03 PM.
Facing a struggling pitcher like Jeremy Sowers hopefully will get the reds bats going even more than they have been in the previous nights. Hopefully Matt Belisle can pitch a good game. I'd be fine with 7 innings and 3 or 4 runs. I expect to see McBeth tonight, as the bullpen may be a little tired from last night. Jon Counlangus may have to break out of his slump, because he might be the only left-hander available in the pen with Mike Stanton being used for 2 scoreless innings last night.
Here are the NL Central Standings: Wins Losses Percentage Games Back
| Milwaukee | 33 | 28 | .541 | - |
| Chi Cubs | 27 | 32 | .458 | 5.0 |
| St. Louis | 26 | 32 | .448 | 5.5 |
| Pittsburgh | 26 | 36 | .419 | 7.5 |
| Houston | 25 | 35 | .417 | 7.5 |
| Cincinnati | 24 | 38 | .387 | 9.5 |
I think that a realistic goal would be to get into 2nd place by the middle of June. The reds are only 4.5 games out of 2nd place, and 9.5 out of first. This season is not over yet, the reds still have a shot at winning the division.
My prediction for tonight's game is the reds wining 6-3. Matt Belisle will have a solid start, and the reds offense will hit Jeremy Sowers. Hopefully that prediction comes true. Lets get the 3rd win in a row, reds!
Reduced Postgame: Indians @ Reds 6-8-07
The reds won versus the indians Friday night 5 to 4. Homer Bailey pitched a pretty good game for his MLB debut, going 5 innings, giving up 5 hits, 4 walks, and 2 earned runs. Bailey pitched 114 pitches in total, 67 of those for strikes. It was a good first outing for Homer, who gave up his 1st run in the 1st inning when Victor Martinez brought Travis Hafner homer with a double. The hit should have been a single with Hafner going to 3rd base, but Dunn didn't get to it quickly and Hopper overthrew his cutoff man. Then, in the 4th,, David Dellucci hit a sac-fly to bring in Victor Martinez. Then in the 5th, Bailey threw a fastball on an 0-2 count to get Dellucci looking with the bases full of indians. That was Homer's night. Mike Stanton then pitched 2 scoreless innings. In the 8th, Jon Counlangus came in and gave up a single. Gary Majewski then came in and got a double play. He then gave up a double of Edwin Encarnacion's glove. David Weathers then came in and struck Johnny Peralta out. David Weathers then gave up a homerun in the 9th to Ryan Garko to make it a 5-4 game, but got the last 3 outs.
The reds got all their runs by homeruns. Brandon Phillips got an opposite field homer in the 1st innings. Then in the 4th innings, Jeff Conine hit a 3 run homer to give the reds a 3-2 lead. Then in the 6th, Ken Griffey Jr. hit a solo linedrive homerun to make it a 5-3 game.
Homer Bailey pitched pretty well for his first start. He did not have much control over his breaking balls, which was expected. His fastball looked very good, as it was his out pitch. He will be learning while he pitches in the majors how to get more control, but he looks like he will have a good career ahead of him. Just don't consider him in the HOF yet, though.
The offense was decent, but I'm a little concerned. The reds need to manufacture runs other than hitting homeruns. When they get in stretches where they do not homeruns, or are in a pitchers park, they struggle, as shown on the west-coast trip.
the bullpen looked very good in the game. Stanton looked like he was back in his form at the beggining of the season. We'll have to see how that lasts. Counlangus continued his struggles by giving up a hit. Majewski pitched well, getting a double play, but then giving up a double. David "Stormy" Weathers then came in and got the final 4 outs, but not before giving up a homerun to Ryan Garko in the 9th. He just loves to make things interesting.
The reds are now 24-38, 9.5 games behind the brewers. Sorry for the short postgame, had no time. I will post a full pregame later of the indians and reds game today later.
The reds got all their runs by homeruns. Brandon Phillips got an opposite field homer in the 1st innings. Then in the 4th innings, Jeff Conine hit a 3 run homer to give the reds a 3-2 lead. Then in the 6th, Ken Griffey Jr. hit a solo linedrive homerun to make it a 5-3 game.
Homer Bailey pitched pretty well for his first start. He did not have much control over his breaking balls, which was expected. His fastball looked very good, as it was his out pitch. He will be learning while he pitches in the majors how to get more control, but he looks like he will have a good career ahead of him. Just don't consider him in the HOF yet, though.
The offense was decent, but I'm a little concerned. The reds need to manufacture runs other than hitting homeruns. When they get in stretches where they do not homeruns, or are in a pitchers park, they struggle, as shown on the west-coast trip.
the bullpen looked very good in the game. Stanton looked like he was back in his form at the beggining of the season. We'll have to see how that lasts. Counlangus continued his struggles by giving up a hit. Majewski pitched well, getting a double play, but then giving up a double. David "Stormy" Weathers then came in and got the final 4 outs, but not before giving up a homerun to Ryan Garko in the 9th. He just loves to make things interesting.
The reds are now 24-38, 9.5 games behind the brewers. Sorry for the short postgame, had no time. I will post a full pregame later of the indians and reds game today later.
Friday, June 8, 2007
Cleveland Indians @ Cincinnati Reds 6-8-07 Pregame
It's Homer Bailey against Cliff Lee tonight starting at 7:10 Eastern at Great American Ballpark. Here are the lineups:
1. Norris Hopper CF
2. Brandon Phillips 2B
3. Ken Griffey Jr. RF
4. Jeff Conine 1B
5. Edwin Encarnacion 3B
6. Adam Dunn LF
7. Alex Gonzalez SS
8. David Ross C
9. Homer Bailey SP
Indians:
1. Grady Sizemore CF
2. Casey Blake 3B
3. Travis Hafner 1B
4. Victor Martinez C
5. Trot Nixon RF
6. David Dellucci LF
7. Josh Barfield 2B
8. Mike Rouse SS
9. Cliff Lee P
Alex Gonzalez will start for the first time since June 3rd against the rockies. He had suffered a hamstring injury. Hopefully his bat in the 7th hole can the help the reds offense against the indians. I really do not think that Jeff Conine should be hitting cleanup in the lineup. He is a pretty good hitter, but he does not have that much power. Instead, I would like to see Adam Dunn or Edwin Encarnacion there. Norris Hopper will get the start in CF instead of Josh Hamilton, who is most likely sitting because of a left hander pitching for the indians. Also, Hopper will provide a much better leadoff hitter than Scott Hatteberg, who has been batting first for the last two days when Hopper has not started.
Very tough lineup for Homer Bailey and the reds to face tonight. They will really have to be on their game in order to get the reds a win tonight against Cleveland.
Here is the weather forecast for tonights game starting at 7:10 Eastern:
It is predicted to be about 82 degrees tonight, but it will feel like 87. The sun will be setting at 9:02 PM, making it light out until then obviously. There is a 40% chance of strong storms at the ballpark. Hopefully that does not come, and we can have an uninterrupted game. The wind will be blowing from the WSW at about 14mph. This means that the wind will be blowing out to left field.
Obviously the story line of tonights game is Homer Bailey's MLB debut. So far in Louisville in AAA this year in ten starts, he is 6-1, has an ERA of 2.31, 58.1 innings pitched, has given up 39 hits, 3 for homeruns, given up 18 runs, 15 of them earned, walked 24 batters and struck out 51, and has a whip of 1.08. Those numbers are obviously very good, but we'll just have to see how they pan out in the majors. The biggest flaw in his game is his command, mainly of his breaking pitches. That is what he and his coaches have been focusing on in his 2+ months so far in AAA. Here is a scouting report on him from the beginning of this year:
http://mvn.com/milb-minordetails/2007/03/09/prospect-spotlight-homer-bailey/
My prediction for tonights game is 9-5 Indians. I think that Homer Bailey will go 41/3 innings, giving up 6 runs. I really hope that I am wrong, but I just believe that his command is not good enough yet to be in the majors. If this does happen where Bailey has a bad or even awful start, fans should not be discouraged or consider Bailey a bust. It is going to take time for Homer to learn how to pitch in the MLB, and he might struggle in his first couple starts. I think that management should keep him up in the MLB even if he does have a bad start, so that he can learn while he is going. Jerry Narron apparently thinks that if Bailey can locate his fastball, he could have success.We'll be seeing enough.
The reds are 23-38, and 10.5 games behind the Brewers for first place in the national league central division. The indians are 36-22, in first place by 2.5 games in the american league central division. It would be a great start to come back for the reds by winning a series against a very good american league team, such as the indians are. So, lets go reds and Homer Bailey, lets get a win against a rival.
1. Norris Hopper CF
2. Brandon Phillips 2B
3. Ken Griffey Jr. RF
4. Jeff Conine 1B
5. Edwin Encarnacion 3B
6. Adam Dunn LF
7. Alex Gonzalez SS
8. David Ross C
9. Homer Bailey SP
Indians:
1. Grady Sizemore CF
2. Casey Blake 3B
3. Travis Hafner 1B
4. Victor Martinez C
5. Trot Nixon RF
6. David Dellucci LF
7. Josh Barfield 2B
8. Mike Rouse SS
9. Cliff Lee P
Alex Gonzalez will start for the first time since June 3rd against the rockies. He had suffered a hamstring injury. Hopefully his bat in the 7th hole can the help the reds offense against the indians. I really do not think that Jeff Conine should be hitting cleanup in the lineup. He is a pretty good hitter, but he does not have that much power. Instead, I would like to see Adam Dunn or Edwin Encarnacion there. Norris Hopper will get the start in CF instead of Josh Hamilton, who is most likely sitting because of a left hander pitching for the indians. Also, Hopper will provide a much better leadoff hitter than Scott Hatteberg, who has been batting first for the last two days when Hopper has not started.
Very tough lineup for Homer Bailey and the reds to face tonight. They will really have to be on their game in order to get the reds a win tonight against Cleveland.
Here is the weather forecast for tonights game starting at 7:10 Eastern:
It is predicted to be about 82 degrees tonight, but it will feel like 87. The sun will be setting at 9:02 PM, making it light out until then obviously. There is a 40% chance of strong storms at the ballpark. Hopefully that does not come, and we can have an uninterrupted game. The wind will be blowing from the WSW at about 14mph. This means that the wind will be blowing out to left field.
Obviously the story line of tonights game is Homer Bailey's MLB debut. So far in Louisville in AAA this year in ten starts, he is 6-1, has an ERA of 2.31, 58.1 innings pitched, has given up 39 hits, 3 for homeruns, given up 18 runs, 15 of them earned, walked 24 batters and struck out 51, and has a whip of 1.08. Those numbers are obviously very good, but we'll just have to see how they pan out in the majors. The biggest flaw in his game is his command, mainly of his breaking pitches. That is what he and his coaches have been focusing on in his 2+ months so far in AAA. Here is a scouting report on him from the beginning of this year:
http://mvn.com/milb-minordetails/2007/03/09/prospect-spotlight-homer-bailey/
Prospect Spotlight: Homer Bailey
minorleaguebaseball.com
Name: Homer Bailey
Organization: Cincinnati Reds
Position: SP
Bats: Right
Throws: Right
Height: 6-4
Weight: 185 lbs
Scouting Report: Before the start of every new season it seems as if everyone rolls out their own “Top Prospects” list. While everyone’s differs in some way, shape, or form, there has been one thing that has been consistent across the boards this season. No matter who it is doing the list, the top two pitching prospects are always some variation of Philip Hughes and Homer Bailey. I personally feel that Bailey is the better pitcher, however Hughes will probably end up seeing more success due to the fact that as long as he’s wearing Yankee pinstripes, he’ll always have a powerful lineup behind him. But one thing is for certain, no matter which one you believe is superior, you can’t argue the abilities of the Cincinnati Reds’ top prospect Homer Bailey.
The tall right hander was chosen with the seventh overall pick straight out of high school in the 2004 draft. He entered the draft with high accolades and many scouts singing his praises as the best high school pitching prospect in the country. In fact, despite Bailey pitching against some of the toughest competition in the country, he still dominated on mound and went on to be named Baseball America’s High School Player of the Year.
After the Reds drafted the Texas born fireballer, Bailey would go on to have a rough first year as a pro. Bailey would end up struggling a bit with his command and was forced by coaches to rely heavily on his changeup (his weakest pitch) in order to help develop it further. Despite his struggles it was still obvious that he had the skills of a superstar in the making. That became very apparent in 2006 when he had a breakout season and named Baseball America’s top prospect in the Florida State League as a member of the Sarasota Reds and in the Southern League as a member of the Chattanooga Lookouts. 2006 was a huge year for Bailey as his performances helped etch his name as one of the top overall prospects in all of baseball.
| YR | LEVEL | W-L | ERA | G | IP | BB | SO | K9 | WHIP |
| 2006 | A+ | 3-5 | 3.31 | 13 | 70.2 | 22 | 79 | 10.06 | 1.00 |
| 2006 | AA | 7-1 | 1.59 | 13 | 68.0 | 28 | 77 | 10.19 | 1.15 |
Bailey has all the pieces to be a number one starter for years to come. He’s tall with a big league frame and superb arm action. He has a 3/4 slot motion that allows him to stay tall along with two plus pitches (fastball at 89-97 mph with good movement and a curveball at 75-80 mph with a dominant 12-to-6 break) which when he has working makes him virtually untouchable. He has been trying to develop his changeup which is currently below average, but the Reds hope he will be able to improve it with another year of seasoning in the minors. The only concern scouts have had with this youngster is his lack of control at times. Most of these worries were put to rest last year as he improved immensely from his rocky 2005 season. Bailey has the makeup of a true work horse and once he is able to improve his changeup, will have quite a strong arsenal of pitches at his disposal.
As I said earlier, I believe Homer Bailey is the top pitching prospect in the game of baseball. He will be a number one starter for years to come and should be able to overcome the hitter’s heaven known as the Great American Ballpark. Despite having an unfortunate first name for a pitcher, Bailey has the build, potential, tools, and confidence to be one of the best pitchers in baseball in the next few years.
____________________________________________________________________
Tonights game will most likely be a sell out, and hopefully Bailey can impress the fans in the stands. Standing in his way is Cliff Lee, who is 2-2 with a 5.86 ERA. He's been hit so far this year, so hopefully we can get some runs for Homer.
My prediction for tonights game is 9-5 Indians. I think that Homer Bailey will go 41/3 innings, giving up 6 runs. I really hope that I am wrong, but I just believe that his command is not good enough yet to be in the majors. If this does happen where Bailey has a bad or even awful start, fans should not be discouraged or consider Bailey a bust. It is going to take time for Homer to learn how to pitch in the MLB, and he might struggle in his first couple starts. I think that management should keep him up in the MLB even if he does have a bad start, so that he can learn while he is going. Jerry Narron apparently thinks that if Bailey can locate his fastball, he could have success.We'll be seeing enough.
The reds are 23-38, and 10.5 games behind the Brewers for first place in the national league central division. The indians are 36-22, in first place by 2.5 games in the american league central division. It would be a great start to come back for the reds by winning a series against a very good american league team, such as the indians are. So, lets go reds and Homer Bailey, lets get a win against a rival.
Roster Move
To make way for Homer Bailey who will be making his first MLb start tonight against the Cleveland Indians, Todd Coffey was optioned back to AAA Louisville. I really have no idea why Coffey was the one to go. He hasn't been pitching badly since he got up from AAA, but now he just has to go back and try to keep improving his pitching. At least it wasn't McBeth who was sent down, because he looked good the other night. Bailey will wear the number 34 in his debut tonight.
The bullpen now looks like:
LR: Victor Santos
MR: Jared Burton
MR: Gary Majewski
MR: Marcus McBeth
S: Jon Coutlangus
S: Mike Stanton
C: David Weathers
It will be interesting to see which right hander Jerry Narron decides to put into the setup role with Coffey demoted. I think that it will be Majewski, even though I kind of want McBeth to get a shot. Only about 4 more hours to Bailey time, a pre game will be coming soon.
The bullpen now looks like:
LR: Victor Santos
MR: Jared Burton
MR: Gary Majewski
MR: Marcus McBeth
S: Jon Coutlangus
S: Mike Stanton
C: David Weathers
It will be interesting to see which right hander Jerry Narron decides to put into the setup role with Coffey demoted. I think that it will be Majewski, even though I kind of want McBeth to get a shot. Only about 4 more hours to Bailey time, a pre game will be coming soon.
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