SBNation.com User Blog: AC Slider

Red-io Reporter: Road Woes, Offense Struggling

AC Slider — Thu, 02 May 2013 17:55:44 -0000

Yesterday I joined the folks at 1450 The Sports Buzz to talk about the Reds, continuing our ongoing relationship with the Afternoon Drive crew in Louisville.

You can catch us on 1450 every Wednesday, right around 3:20 PM eastern. Each mod at RR will make an appearance at some point, as we're rotating week-by-week. You can listen online at 1450TheSportsBuzz.com.

The Reds were in the middle of their disappointing loss to the Cardinals as we hit the air. Brandon Phillips had just tied the game with an RBI double and Homer Bailey was pitching quite well. By the time the interview ended, Bailey had given up the lead and the Reds failed to mount a comeback.

Trevor kicked off the segment asking about Bailey's appearance. I did my best to jinx Bad Name for a Pitcher, by praising his performance. Like most fans, Trevor is concerned with the offense. I offered my thoughts on their struggles at the plate, proposing that the Reds hitters show more patience at the plate.

We also discussed the multitude of injuries the Reds are facing, the emergence Tony Cingrani, Donald Lutz, the Mark Teahen signing, the perceived "road woes" for the Reds, and I provide "grades" for several players after one month of baseball.

Give it a listen, please?

I come in at the 13:30 mark:

Link to audio

Gonzalez Passes the One-Hitter to Zimmermann: Nats Smoke the Reds 1-0

AC Slider — Sat, 27 Apr 2013 01:15:39 -0000

The Joe Nuxhall Memorial Honorary Star of the Game

His Corkness. No one ever said Corky Miller could swing the lumber... or run the bases.... but he was great behind the dish tonight. Corky Miller is destine for greatness. Everything about the guy suggests we are watching a 1980s baseball movie. He lacks any real talent yet the 37 year old has been playing professional baseball since Bill Clinton was President. The story ends with Miller being awarded the World Series MVP, after he steals home in the bottom of the 9th in the decisive 7th game of the 2013 World Series. In tonight's game, Miller made several nice plays behind the plate including a pick-off of Bryce Harper and a collision at the plate with Denard Span, in the same inning.

Honorable mention to Bad Name For a Pitcher. On a night where offense was nonexistent, Homer Bailey was fantastic again. Over 7 innings Bailey dominated allowing 1 run with 6 Ks and no walks. Does it feel like Bailey is on the verge of a great season? I think so. Tough luck loser tonight, though.

Key Plays

In the 4th inning, Harper tripled to right field. The Reds brought the infield in and Jayson Werth squeeze a ground ball through for a single to plate the run. The only offense of the game...
The Nationals threatened again in the 6th. Denard Span singled, stole 2nd (on a missed call), and advanced to 3rd on a ground-ball. With one out, it was surprising to see Bailey pitch to Harper. Homer induced a weak ground ball, which he fielded and delivered a perfect throw to the plate. Corky made the tag while absorbing a blow from Span. Old school.

Source: FanGraphs

Other Notes

Before tonight, Choo had reached base in every game he had played in a Reds uniform. That ended tonight.
Elias Sports Bureau - the last time the Reds were held to one hit in consecutive games was in 1900.
Corky Miller walked and Xavier Paul singled. That was the entirety of the Reds offense.

Red Retweeter: #Woo Tang Clan Ain't Nothin' to Fuss with

AC Slider — Thu, 25 Apr 2013 12:51:03 -0000

#JustWooIt

The critics of "the woo" became more vocal this week on twitter. There are legitimate criticisms to be made, no doubt. Is "the woo" obnoxious? Probably. Does it lack organization? Of course. But the people who are wooing at the games are paying customers. They aren't screaming obscenities, or even negativity. They are simply having fun and cheering for the team they've paid to see. There are hundreds of things at the ballpark that I find obnoxious: the guy sitting behind me going on-and-on about how Jay Bruce will "never get it..." - the girl in my row who continues to scream, "marry me Joey Votto..." - the redneck who makes racist comments... The woo is far less obnoxious than any of these people, all of whom I run into nearly every game I go to. But if you are wooing, the Reds' assistant director of media relations feels the need to publicly mock you.

If you can scream in my neighbor's ear at the game, I have the right to make fun of you for doing so.Proceed. GO REDS!
— Jamie Ramsey (@Jamieblog) April 21, 2013

RT @jbyrd04 @jamieblog what is this catching new yell? didnt hear it today.. //Sounds something like "desperate for attention, notice me!!"
— Jamie Ramsey (@Jamieblog) April 21, 2013

Hmmmm... "Desperate for attention, notice me!" That's kind of what I thought when I saw this...

Here ya go @dallaslatos!#SoSexy twitter.com/Jamieblog/stat…
— Jamie Ramsey (@Jamieblog) April 22, 2013

After Jamie's attack on the wooers, some familiar faces started a defense...

Say what you want about the wooers, but they showed up and bought tickets. I'm happy about that.
— Brandon Kraeling (@themusketeer) April 21, 2013

If more people who complained about the "woo" actually went to Reds games, people probably wouldn't hear it.
— Scott Hoberg (@Scoberg) April 20, 2013

#TweetComplainingAboutRedsFansHavingAGoodTimeTweet
— Scott Hoberg (@Scoberg) April 20, 2013

#Dorky4Corky

Baseball season is sweeter when @corky_miller is in a Cincinnati Reds uniform.
— Scott Hoberg (@Scoberg) April 21, 2013

Happy Corkmas, you guys!
— Ram (@UnkRam) April 21, 2013

Corky has 4.009 years of service. He needs 5 years to be fully vested. If ever a player deserved a pension, it's @corky_miller.
— Mr. R (@MisterRedlegs) April 21, 2013

among players that Corky Miller played w/ in minor leagues: Drew Henson, Rose Jr, Jose Rijo, Deion Sanders #Reds
— Lance McAlister (@LanceMcAlister) April 22, 2013

#AlwaysOnBase

Third place is as close to 10th place as he is to first place. twitter.com/jluckhaupt/sta…
— Joel Luckhaupt (@jluckhaupt) April 22, 2013

Shin-Soo Choo won't have a .500 OBP all year, but even if he goes 0 for his next 92, he'll still beat the 2012 #Reds leadoff hitters (.254).
— Joel Luckhaupt (@jluckhaupt) April 22, 2013

Joey Votto (.523) and Shin-Soo Choo (.522) are #1 and #2 in MLB in on base percentage.In related news, Brandon Phillips has 21 RBIs.
— David Cameron (@DCameronFG) April 22, 2013

Few have patience at the plate like Joey Votto. #mlbmemes twitter.com/MLBMeme/status…
— MLB Memes (@MLBMeme) April 21, 2013

Choo's streak is at 19
— ctrent (@ctrent) April 23, 2013

Shin-Soo Choo got plunked again last night and has now been hit by more pitches than every team in baseball: bit.ly/11JAI6S
— Aaron Gleeman (@AaronGleeman) April 23, 2013

Can't believe that in 2013 I'm reading Tom Verducci try to tell people Joey Votto is playing the game of baseball wrong.
— Jonathan Bernhardt (@jonbernhardt) April 24, 2013

Link to Verducci article my last RT was referring to - sportsillustrated.cnn.com/mlb/news/20130…
— Red Retweeter (@RedRetweeter) April 24, 2013

Votto's percentage of swings at strikes when Verducci thought he was awesome: 62%. This year when Votto is lost: 60%.
— Craig Calcaterra (@craigcalcaterra) April 24, 2013

None of which is to say that Verducci doesn't have a point. Maybe some guys need to swing more. But using Votto as an example is clownshoes.
— Craig Calcaterra (@craigcalcaterra) April 24, 2013

Choo singles. On-base streak at 21. #reds @cincienquirer
— John Fay (@johnfayman) April 24, 2013

The Best of the Rest

UPDATE... I forgot this one.

RT @lancemcalister #Reds entered day hitting .200 with 2 outs RISP...21st MLB / Big problem for the team? twitter.com/RedRetweeter/s…
— Red Retweeter (@RedRetweeter) April 24, 2013

Catcher batting 6th?? Shortstop/infield joureyman NOT batting 2nd?? What’s going on, here??! #DustyLineup
— Weathered Fan (@WeatheredFan) April 21, 2013

So the #Reds have already lost a third of the opening day lineup to the DL, and that doesn't count Cozart.Geeze.
— Nate Dunlevy (@NateDunlevy) April 21, 2013

Cardinals are 9-3 when taking a lead into 8th this season; other NL Central teams are a combined 27-2 when taking a lead into the 8th.
— Bernie Miklasz (@miklasz) April 22, 2013

If batting .328 with a .516 slugging percentage and .522 on-base percentage is struggling then i dont know what is good hitting #joeyvotto
— Paul Vincent Xavier (@datpaulieg) April 22, 2013

Once a week? RT @redplacementlvl: Aroldis Chapman still drives his car like he pitches.
— Ram (@UnkRam) April 19, 2013

#FaySnarkAttack RT @johnfayman: RT @jackbobeck How does this team go 1-5 on the road?//Score fewer runs than the opponent in 5 of 6 games.
— Red Retweeter (@RedRetweeter) April 19, 2013

Darwin Barney apparently evolved into a power hitter. #Reds #Cubs
— Brad Cooper (@btcoop71) April 24, 2013

Good Morning America talking about the La Rosa's...promo gives out free pizzas every time Reds strike out 11. Have given away > 100k pizzas.
— Alyson Footer (@alysonfooter) April 24, 2013

Why are Marty & Jeff complaining about AVG w/RISP?#Reds w/bases empty: .251#Reds w/RISP: .285
— Greg Dafler (@gdafler) April 24, 2013

Todd Frazier has a .905 OPS, 6 HR and 18 RBI in 21 games. He's on pace for 44 home runs and 133 RBI.
— Drew Silva (@drewsilv) April 24, 2013

ERA of Reds' starters drops to 2.99. Haven't allowed more than 2 runs in any game since April 14, a span of 10 starts.
— Reds (@Reds) April 24, 2013

Red Retweeter: From Demon Days to Feels Good

AC Slider — Fri, 19 Apr 2013 12:47:03 -0000

On Saturday the Reds were in the process of losing their 4th straight game to division rivals, on their way to being swept by the Pittsburgh Pirates. Today the Reds are riding a 4-game winning streak, after one of the more enjoyable and inspiring games you'll every see. In weeks like this, you see everything that twitter has to offer. Follow @RedRetweeter

#FaySnark

RT @hrhitter33 do you think this is a must win game? //Absolutely. Could be 2 out with 151 to play. Tough to come back from that.
— John Fay (@johnfayman) April 13, 2013

If you follow John Fay on twitter, you are used to seeing these kind of questions. I sometimes wonder if these poeple are just trolls of some sort, or if people are really this crazy, A "must-win" 11 games into the season? Well played Fay.

Replace the #WOO with #CHOO

Stubbs has 18 less PAs than Choo. If he got on-base in EACH of those next 18, he’d still only tie Choo for # of times on-base (24). #Reds
— Weathered Fan (@WeatheredFan) April 13, 2013

Good thing we had the guy with the .400+ OBP sac bunt to set this up.
— rpa (@rpa44) April 16, 2013

Not sure I get taking the bat out of Choo's hands for a sac bunt. He's been the #reds most productive hitter so far in '13
— Mark Sheldon (@m_sheldon) April 16, 2013

Choo has quickly become a fan favorite in this Queen City. It's no surprise, the dude has been really great at the plate. People don't like it when Dusty forces him to make an out...

Speaking of bunts, and Dustyball... The Vole offered this up:

Astounding how often the bat is taken out of Joey Votto’s hands. By the opponents and Dusty Baker.
— Christopher (@The_Vole) April 16, 2013

Check out the comments from Joe Maddon on bunting. HIRE THIS MAN! cincinnati.com/blogs/reds/201…
— Richie Rich (@MrRedlegs11) April 15, 2013

#NotPaidToWalk

Votto is currently on pace for 149 hits, 13 hit by pitches and 270 bases on balls this season...Barry Bonds walked 232 times i 2004.
— Ian Catherine (@IanCatherine27) April 15, 2013

While you read this tweet, Joey Votto walked five more times. He has more walks than the entire White Sox team! cbsprt.co/VottoWalks
— CBSSports.com (@CBSSports) April 15, 2013

Barry Bonds & Ted Williams are only players ever to qualify for batting title & walk in more than 25% of PA. Votto at 34% so far.
— Joel Luckhaupt (@jluckhaupt) April 15, 2013

@ctrent if Phillips keeps this garbage up, he will ruin Votto's chances at the MLB walk record.
— David Hicks (@jdavidhicks) April 16, 2013

So Joey Votto isn't "there" yet.His line is .317/.556/.463/1.019 with a 174 OPS+.What's it going to be like when he's right? #Reds
— Chris Calo (@ChrisCalo1) April 16, 2013

Joey Votto leads the MLB with 293 pitches seen. Shin-Soo Choo is 2nd with 278. #Reds
— Nick Kirby (@Nicholaspkirby) April 18, 2013

And the Votto on-base streak is still alive at 15 games! The 5th longest streak to begin the season in #reds history.
— C-ing Red (@c_ing_red) April 18, 2013

Alright... You get the point.

#Here'sToYouMrRobinson

How cool is it that an African-American named Robinson, wearing #42, just scored the go ahead run in his game on Jackie Robinson day?
— Doug Gray (@dougdirt24) April 16, 2013

So When my shoe came off today in the game it felt like I was in the dream that we all have when ur being chased by something but can't run
— Derrick Robinson (@Drob104) April 16, 2013

The guy is a national treasure. MT @cistulli Vin Scully is telling first-hand stories in re Jackie Robinson right now on Dodgers broadcast.
— Chad Dotson (@dotsonc) April 16, 2013

2B @datdudebp goes through his approach during his at-bat in which he broke a 2-2 tie for the @reds: atmlb.com/13aYfnP #MLBTonight
— MLB Network (@MLBNetwork) April 16, 2013

Jackie Robinson day brought us some great stuff. In a fitting tribute to the man that broke the color barrier in baseball, Brandon Phillips provided the game winning RBI with young Derrick Robinson scoring the go ahead run.

#TheCatchOfBenRevere

Ben Revere just made the catch of the year: gif.mocksession.com/2013/04/ben-re… #Phillies #Reds via @ryan_balke
— Adrian Spinelli (@Spinelli37) April 15, 2013

Wow, Revere really got on his horse there. #IllShowMyselfOut
— JCH (@jch24) April 15, 2013

I was watching Bruce and I said to myself, "Great read, Jay." No way did I think Revere was going to catch that. Incredible catch. #Reds
— Joel Luckhaupt (@jluckhaupt) April 15, 2013

When a team is in a losing streak, it amazes me what goes against you. #UnbelievableCatch #Reds
— Todd Stanford (@stanfordtj) April 15, 2013

#FeelsGood

Holy crap Jose Fernandez is a filthy. This guy is going to one of the best pitchers in baseball for a long time if he stays healthy. #Reds
— Brandon (@BSmitty25039) April 18, 2013

Marty just said Joey Votto is struggling, and doesn't get paid to walk. I have to respectfully disagree with the HOFer. #Reds
— Nick Kirby (@Nicholaspkirby) April 18, 2013

The night started with some negativity. Young Jose Fernandez looked spectacular through the first couple of innings, and Marty was echoing the P-Doc garbage...

Then...

Polanco batting cleanup? My word, this Marlins lineup is a joke. #Reds
— Andrew Schmidt (@CatsFanDrew) April 19, 2013

Stop me if you've heard this one before -- Shin-Soo Choo is on base
— ctrent (@ctrent) April 19, 2013

Votto has 24 walks in 16 games. Since 1916, only Mickey Mantle (27, 1962), Max Bishop (25, 1933), & Ted Williams (25, 1947) have more. #Reds
— Joel Luckhaupt (@jluckhaupt) April 19, 2013

Cingrani's MLB stats before tonight: 5 IP, 4 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 9 K, 2 BB, HR. Tonight: 5 IP, 5 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 8 K, 3 BB, HR
— ctrent (@ctrent) April 19, 2013

Too many rubs RT @johnfayman: RT @lyinike @johnfayman @cincienquirer what was Fernandez's line? //4 ip, 6 hits, 5 rubs, 3 walks, 4 Ks.
— Red Retweeter (@RedRetweeter) April 19, 2013

The #Reds have now scored 11 runs in back-to-back games.
— Zach Weber (@ZachMWeber) April 19, 2013

Unreal: Todd Frazier’s home run was a request by Teddy Kremercincinnati.com/blogs/reds/201… via @cincienquirer
— ctrent (@ctrent) April 19, 2013

Thats what life is all about. Enjoy each moment everybody twitter.com/FlavaFraz21/st…
— Todd Frazier (@FlavaFraz21) April 19, 2013

Todd Fraziers interaction with Teddy makes me so happy my eyes get watery. Just absolutely terrific.
— Redplacementlvl (@RedPlacementLvl) April 19, 2013

The Rest of the Week

Learning Spanish with H-Rod

Madre Bella 4 meses sin tu presencia estas en mi Corazon siempre te amo Mama
— Henry Rodríguez (@HenryRod39) April 13, 2013

Picked Reds, Tigers to go to WS RT @bing: Q1:What #MLB teams do you expect the most from this year? #BingIt
— Ken Rosenthal (@Ken_Rosenthal) April 15, 2013

Again let me make it clear... Hoover is available tonight
— Drunk Dusty Baker (@Drunkdustybaker) April 15, 2013

Hehe, Drunk Dusty loves Hoover.

Tom McCarthy (Phillies broadcaster) on Chapman: You're sitting there, mesmerized by the legs & the arm and everything and zip! Right by ya."
— Andrew Roth (@AndrewJohnRoth) April 16, 2013

GIF: Pirates fan with giant glove catches foul ball cbsprt.co/118Bn1n via @cbssports
— Eye on Baseball (@EyeOnBaseball) April 16, 2013

Stop. Homer time.
— Chad Dotson (@dotsonc) April 17, 2013

Elias: #Reds pitchers haven’t issued a BB in 3 straight gms. CIN pitchers hadn’t had a streak that long since 4-gm streak in July 1933.
— Paul Severino (@SeverinoMLB) April 18, 2013

The "Doc" is Guilty of Malpractice

AC Slider — Wed, 17 Apr 2013 14:11:05 -0000

Baseball is a great game for many reasons, including the legitimate debates over baseball's various nuances. Very little about this game is black-and-white. There's almost always some gray area. Almost always some gray area. Some arguments are nothing short of infuriatingly ignorant... Which brings us to the latest Paul Daugherty "The Morning Line" entry. "Doc" is all worked up over this podcast in which Buster Olney and Jayson Stark give glowing praise to the offensive prowess of Joey Votto. As Olney (accurately) points out, "a hitter's goal is to get on base." Presumably still upset that the Reds didn't trade Votto for Joe Blanton, Daugherty take exception with Olney's argument.

Let's address "Doc's" criticism point-by-point.

[Olney and Stark] both decided that it’s terrific for your No. 3 hitter to get on base a lot. It is, but not at the expense of RBI. It’s a good example of baseball experts overthinking a fairly simple issue.

Where to begin... Maybe Daugherty is under-thinking the issue, but that wouldn't be a surprise. Is "Doc" suggesting that it would be bad for a No. 3 hitter to draw a walk in every plate appearance? After all, those walks would surely come "at the expense of RBI."

Here are the #s: In 14 games, Votto has 3 RBI. In 66 plate appearances, he has 1 homer, 1 double and 1 triple. This is roughly 1/12th of the season. A little more, actually. Multiply those numbers by 12... Votto has 12 homers, 36 BI. Oh, yes, he also has 252 walks, as the ESPN guys gleefully pointed out.

Do you really want your best, most important hitter with those numbers at the conclusion of the Big 162?

YES! That would be historically great! Votto's OBP is currently at .530. Since 1900, only three players have posted an OBP greater than .530 over an entire season (while qualifying for the batting title): Babe Ruth, Barry Bonds and Ted Williams - also known as the three greatest hitters in baseball history. As for the 252 walks... 252 walks! Prior to 2001, Babe Ruth held the single-season record with 170 walks in a season. Barry Bonds holds the current record at 232 walks in 2004. Only 5 plays in the history of the game have walked more than 150 times in a season. And while we're using the "on pace" argument... Votto is currently on track for a WAR of 10.8, which would be the 3rd best single-season for a position player since 2000, and one of the top 25 seasons of all time. Votto is on pace to reach base safely well over 400 times this year, which would break (by a wide margin) Ruth's MLB record of 379 times on base in a season.

So... do I "really want" the Reds "most important hitter with those numbers at the conclusion" of the season? Yes Paul, I do.

Metrics make for good conversation, even though I have no idea how anyone can determine Wins Above Replacement. But sometimes, the elementary stats for uneducated fans such as myself are just as telling. No team with title aspirations can have a 3-hole hitter doing what Votto is doing now.

While Doc get's some points for acknowledging his status as an uneducated fan, this quote helps to demonstrate his ignorance. Elementary stats are, by definition, NOT as telling as advanced metrics. The reason advanced metrics exist is because "elementary stats" were not telling the whole story of player production. This would be like saying, "while microscopes are good for conversation, this magnifying glass is just as useful for studying cell biology."

If he were being paid $17 mil to get on base and score runs, fine. He’s not.

Pure gold, Doc. Bravo! Votto's not paid to get on base and score runs? Oh really? I was under the impression that Votto was paid to be a productive player. He's paid a large salary, in hopes that he can continue to be one of baseball's best hitters. That is exactly what he's doing this year, even if he's not doing it exactly how Doc wants him to. Doc acts as if players can only be productive by doing very specific things. If Aroldis Chapman failed to strikeout another hitter this season, but managed to retired hitters more frequently while not allowing runs, would Doc object? ("He's not paid to induce ground-balls!"). If Shin-Soo Choo's OBP were to drop below .300, but he managed to hit 70 HRs this season, would Doc take issue? ("He's not paid to hit home runs!") For Doc, there's only one way to skin a cat. Joey Votto isn't "doing his job," unless he's driving in a lot of runs. And what does Doc suggest Votto do, swing at bad pitches? Obviously, if Votto is drawing walks at an historic rate, most of the pitches he sees are not in the strike zone. Would Doc prefer Votto swing at those pitches and make outs? After all, he's not paid to get on base...

Series Preview: Reds at Pirates

AC Slider — Fri, 12 Apr 2013 17:48:11 -0000

After an off-day yesterday, the Reds begin a 3-game weekend series with the Pittsburgh Pirates tonight. The Reds enter the series with a 5-4 record, tied for first in the division. The Pirates are off to a slow start, with a 3-6 record.

Offense

The Pirates are really struggling at the plate. They currently rank as baseball's worst team in AVG, OBP, and SLG. As a team, they have 2 HRs on the season. The only regular with not-horrendous numbers is Starling Marte, thanks to a ridiculous BABIP. The Reds on the other hand are hitting the ball quite well. Most of the regulars are contributing solid numbers. Heisey, Cozart and Hanigan have struggled to start the season, but everyone else is off to good-to-great start.

The benches for each team have yet to accumulate the number of plate appearances to draw any sort of conclusions. Still, based on the tiny sample size, the Reds yet again seem to have the advantage offensively. Xavier Paul, as we noted this week, is not too shabby.

Probable Starters

While their bats have struggled mightily, the Pirates' pitching has been acceptable. On the young season, the Pirates rank in top 10 among all MLB teams in ERA and WHIP. A.J. Burnett has been a strike-out machine in two appearances, while walking his fair share of batters. The Reds will counter tonight with Mike Leake. While not terrible, Leake got a no decision after giving up 4 runs in 6 IP against the Nationals. After Burnett, the Reds will face Jay Bruce's kryptonite: Wandy Rodriguez. Rodriguez is one of those guys who seems to always pitch well despite mediocre stuff. Cueto will get the start against Rodrguez hoping to continue his strong start to the season. In just 2 games and 13 IP, Cueto has racked up 15 Ks. The series will conclude with Mat Latos facing James McDonald. Like Rodriguez, McDonald has benefited from a ridiculously low opposing BABIP.

Bullpen

Both pens have been solid to this point, with just a couple of poor performances. The loss of Sean Marshall is a costly one. One could make the case that he is the Reds best reliever when healthy. The Pirates have used (abused) righty Jared Hughes as much as the Reds have leaned on J.J. Hoover. LHPs Tony Watson and Justin Wilson figured to see some action this weekend, serving as the "pitch-to-Votto-walk-Phillips-pitch-to-Bruce" late inning lefties.

Overall

The Pirates' lack of offense gives the Reds a clear advantage in this series. Aside from tonight's match-up, the starting pitching favors the Reds as well. Anything short of 2 wins should be a disappointing series for the Reds. If Leake can pitch adequately, the Reds first sweep of the season could result.

Red Retweeter: Introductory Post

AC Slider — Fri, 12 Apr 2013 13:25:12 -0000

Welcome to Red Retweeter, a new weekly feature where we wrap up the week that was in the Reds twitterverse. The internet, and twitter more specifically, can be an ugly place. However, somewhere buried beneath all of the garbage, some terrific insight and great humor can be found. While we will occasionally dive into the mucky-muck, the focus of this feature will be on those with tweets of substance. Those of you on twitter can follow us @RedRetweeter

#FreeMes

Last Friday, the Reds were gearing up for their 4th game of the season. When the lineups were announced, Devin Mesoraco was yet again nowhere to be found.

Devin Mesoraco was recalled 9/2/12. This will be the #Reds 32nd game since then. Mesoraco has 0 starts and 3 at bats.
— Doug Gray (@dougdirt24) April 5, 2013

The #reds handling of Devin Mesoracos career has been really hard to understand so far.
— Redplacementlvl (@RedPlacementLvl) April 5, 2013

#TheManAgain

What's with all these Reds fans calling for Mez to start tonight?Hanigan handles pitchers and will hit better again.Don't have to rotate
— Chad Roberts (@chadroberts18) April 5, 2013

The catching situation has received plenty of press since last week, but it was last Friday when many really started to wonder about the team's handling of Mesoraco. His appearance behind the plate for Bailey's last start helped to alleviate some of the fear that Mes will only get one start a week, but don't expect this controversy to go away anytime soon.

#DustyLineup

Reds are using same lineup for third straight game. In 2012, didn't use the identical lineup in 3 straight games until NLDS Games 1-3.
— Reds (@Reds) April 5, 2013

The reds having Brandon Phillips at clean up instead of Votto or Bruce boggles the mind....
— Chris Cheatham (@ILayLowFoShow) April 5, 2013

The tweet from the Reds is neat! The 2012 Reds didn't use the same lineup 3 games in a row the entire regular season. That seems impossible, but when you consider the Votto injury and the catching situation it makes sense.

#HomerIsTheBestNameForAPitcher

(Just for you KMiB)

Not sure if I can trust a pitcher named Homer to beat the Nationals tonight, but dammit I hope he does. A Reds win would make my night good!
— Matt Louden (@MattLouden) April 5, 2013

Home Bailey last 25 IP (incl NLCS): 1run, 7 H, 32 K, 5 W. #reds #3aces
— Chris Garber (@cgarber8) April 6, 2013

Before the rough outing this Wednesday, Bailey was on quite the roll. His last start notwithstanding, there are still plenty of reasons to be optimistic when it comes to young Bailey.

#Blowout

So it took the Reds seven at-bats to score more on the Nats than the Marlins could in three games.
— Andrew Simon (@HitTheCutoff) April 5, 2013

Votto is so good, even his bad baserunning doesn't result in an out. #Reds
— 34inXXIII (@34inXXIII) April 6, 2013

Bengals 14, Redskins 0. #whoops
— Red Reporter (@redreporter) April 6, 2013

If the score sticks, this will be the #Reds largest shutout victory since they beat the Brewers 17-0 at Cingergy on 8/7/1998.
— Joel Luckhaupt (@jluckhaupt) April 6, 2013

Nights like last Friday, when the Reds dominate, can be a lot of fun on twitter. Even in the middle of a highly entertaining ass-whooping, the folks on twitter don't miss an opportunity to take shots at some in the local media.

Paul Daugherty working on an article about too many home runs as we speak.
— Richie Rich (@MrRedlegs11) April 6, 2013

Cue the guys complaining that the #reds offense is too HR-centric.
— Chris Garber (@cgarber8) April 6, 2013

#ESPNfail

ESPN's cameras should be glued to this #reds vs nationals series, but no.
— Andrew Hessler (@a_hess13) April 5, 2013

So, #Reds go 4-2 (could have been unbeaten fairly easily) against two of the top 10 teams, and they're 4th?! #ESPNMLBPOWER
— Matt Radel (@mattradel) April 8, 2013

#Reds still below the #Nationals after winning 2 of 3, crushing Strasburg, and outscoring them 28-9 in the series is BOGUS! #ESPNMLBPOWER
— Evan Blake (@EBlake6) April 8, 2013

I'm not sure why anyone really cares about power rankings, especially from ESPN. Still, the point is valid. ESPN and the national sports media really don't give the Reds the love they deserve. Jonah Keri at Grantland on the other hand...

Welcome back to The 30, @jonahkeri's weekly ranking of all MLB teams. Cincinnati is the first no. 1 es.pn/YanAez
— Grantland (@Grantland33) April 8, 2013

The Rest

Jay Stubbs off to a great start . 1 for 14 with only 8 K's. Even Zack Janish the week hitting shortstop got a hit. #Reds
— Anthony J. Apro Sr. (@AproSr) April 5, 2013

Jay Bruce is the new whipping boy for disgruntled Reds fans on twitter. Sigh...

Chris Heisey please do me now. #reds

— Taylor Abel (@MissTaylorAbel) April 5, 2013

Only six pro teams have played in the same city continuously since 19th C:Reds, Cubs, Phils, Pirates, Cardinals and Rochester Red Wings.
— Mike Canfield (@BusyGettingRich) April 5, 2013

Billy Hamilton has doubled, stolen third base, and then stole home so far tonight for Louisville. Wow. #Reds
— Brandon (@BSmitty25039) April 5, 2013

FSO seriously has a random Korean person on to talk about Choo? This is really happening?
— JD Arney (@jdarney) April 6, 2013

Seriously, Mr. Pitcher-man? You threw to 1st w/Billy Hamilton on 3rd? What the heck did you think he was gonna do? milb.com/multimedia/vpp…
— Tepid Participation (@TepidP) April 8, 2013

The #Reds have scored 13+ runs twice this year in games. The Pirates have scored 13 runs this season (7 games).
— Chris Calo (@ChrisCalo1) April 9, 2013

Well, that's it for today kids. We hope this edition of Twitter on the Reporter helped to illuminate the nameless faceless saints of this out and open grace.

Game 7: Reds at Cardinals (4:15 PM EDT) Latos vs. Garcia

AC Slider — Mon, 08 Apr 2013 17:31:40 -0000

Next Game

Cincinnati Reds
@ St. Louis Cardinals

Monday, Apr 8, 2013, 4:15 PM EDT
Busch Stadium

Mat Latos vs Jaime Garcia

Cloudy. Winds blowing out to left field at 10-15 m.p.h. Game time temperature around 70.

Complete Coverage >

The Reds head to St. Louis to take on those pesky Cardinals. The Cards come in at 3-3, having won the final two games of the series against the World Champion Giants. Our Redlegs are ballin' however, impressively winning the first two series of the year against the juggernauts of each league. In six games thus far, the Reds have yet to lose a game which was decided in 9 innings.

Jaime Garcia has been quite successful against the Reds throughout his career, posting an 8-2 record with an ERA of 3.33. Garcia's success against the Reds can be attributed to his ability to shut down the "Big Three" of Joey Votto, Brandon Phillips and Jay Bruce. In fact, none of the current Reds players with more than 5 plate appearances against Garcia have managed an OPS over .667.

Mat Latos will take the hill for the Reds. Mat pitched quite well in his first start, striking out 8 over 6.2 IP. The Cardinals, however, are not exactly Latos-intolerant. In 7 games against Latos, the Cardinals have posted an impressive .919 OPS. Latos is 2-4 in those starts, with an ERA of 9.00.

Lineups

REDS	CARDINALS
Shin-Soo Choo CF	Jon Jay CF
Chris Heisey LF	Carlos Beltran RF
Joey Votto 1B	Matt Holliday LF
Brandon Phillips 2B	Allen Craig 1B
Jay Bruce RF	Yadier Molina C
Todd Frazier 3B	David Freese 3B
Zack Cozart SS	Daniel Descalso 2B
Ryan Hanigan C	Pete Kozma SS
Mat Latos P	Jaime Garcia P

Bullpen Log

Reliever	4/3	4/4	4/5	4/6	4/7	5 day totals
Aroldis Chapman	1.0, 15p	1.0, 9p		1.0, 12p	1.0, 17p	4.0 IP, 53 pitches
Sean Marshall					1.0, 14p	1.0 IP, 14 pitches
Jonathan Broxton	1.0, 13p			1.0, 10p	1.0, 10p	3.0 IP, 33 pitches
Sam LeCure		1.0, 14p		1.0, 9p		2.0 IP, 25 pitches
J.J. Hoover	0.1, 13p		1.0, 17p	1.0, 19p		2.1 IP, 49 pitches
Manny Parra			2.0, 27p			2.0 IP, 27 pitches
Alfredo Simon		1.0, 24p		1.0, 10p		2.0 IP, 34 pitches

The bullpen could use a long outing from Latos today. Dusty would likely prefer to avoid using Chapman and Broxton if possible.

Next Game

Cincinnati Reds
@ St. Louis Cardinals

Monday, Apr 8, 2013, 4:15 PM EDT
Busch Stadium

Mat Latos vs Jaime Garcia

Cloudy. Winds blowing out to left field at 10-15 m.p.h. Game time temperature around 70.

Complete Coverage >

Lineups

REDS	CARDINALS
Shin-Soo Choo CF	Jon Jay CF
Chris Heisey LF	Carlos Beltran RF
Joey Votto 1B	Matt Holliday LF
Brandon Phillips 2B	Allen Craig 1B
Jay Bruce RF	Yadier Molina C
Todd Frazier 3B	David Freese 3B
Zack Cozart SS	Daniel Descalso 2B
Ryan Hanigan C	Pete Kozma SS
Mat Latos P	Jaime Garcia P

Bullpen Log

Reliever	4/3	4/4	4/5	4/6	4/7	5 day totals
Aroldis Chapman	1.0, 15p	1.0, 9p		1.0, 12p	1.0, 17p	4.0 IP, 53 pitches
Sean Marshall					1.0, 14p	1.0 IP, 14 pitches
Jonathan Broxton	1.0, 13p			1.0, 10p	1.0, 10p	3.0 IP, 33 pitches
Sam LeCure		1.0, 14p		1.0, 9p		2.0 IP, 25 pitches
J.J. Hoover	0.1, 13p		1.0, 17p	1.0, 19p		2.1 IP, 49 pitches
Manny Parra			2.0, 27p			2.0 IP, 27 pitches
Alfredo Simon		1.0, 24p		1.0, 10p		2.0 IP, 34 pitches

The bullpen could use a long outing from Latos today. Dusty would likely prefer to avoid using Chapman and Broxton if possible.

Red Reposter - Managerial Mysteries

AC Slider — Thu, 04 Apr 2013 12:52:05 -0000

BK did us proud again this year, organizing what turned out to be a great evening. -ManBearPig took home the newly dubbed "Farney Award." Most importantly, the Reds took home the win.

Mike Scioscia on pitching to Votto: "It's pick your poison," - Well, yeah... but Joey Votto happens to be the deadliest poison in the game of baseball. Brandon Phillips is a nice player, and Jay Bruce is no slouch, but we're talking about Joey Votto here. If we're using the "poison" analogy, Votto is like cyanide while Phillips and Bruce are bourbon and gin. Sure, the bourbon can kill you but it's certainly preferable to the instant death that Joey "Cyanide" Votto represents. Proof
Baker attempts to explain bunting with Heisey - Thanks to Scioscia's incredible decision to keep the bat in Votto's hand, Baker didn't have to explain why he tried to take the bat out of Votto's hand for the second consecutive game. Regardless of the result, it's tough to justify Baker's bunting ways.
Redleg Nation - Ludwick's injury may not be a bad thing - As many have pointed out, Ludwick was likely the most replaceable of all the Red's starting players.
Hardball Times has a nice piece on how to evaluate starting pitching - I think the key to using the newer pitching metrics is to understand that they aren't perfect.

With the early afternoon game, we'll keep it short and sweet today. Reds!

UPDATE - Sean Marshall has been "unavailable" to pitch due to shoulder fatigue

Red Reposter - "The Test Begins...NOW"

AC Slider — Thu, 28 Mar 2013 13:03:43 -0000

Spring training is coming to an end this week, as the Reds will take Sunday off to prepare for Opening Day. If you'll be joining us for Game 2, make sure you've got all the details. It's going to be fun, me thinks.

David Laurila at FanGraphs has an awesome interview with Bronson Arroyo - Say what you will about Bronson, the dude knows his craft. He talks about his repertoire and how he really "only" throws four or five pitches. The variations, as he points out, come from changing his arm angle. Really good stuff.
Baker talks about the catching rotation and Votto sliding - It's probably safe to assume that Hanigan will catch Arroyo, Cueto and Latos while Mesoraco will catch Leake and Bailey. A 60/40 split seems logical to me. Don't be surprised if Mesoraco gets hot and earns more playing time, closer to a 50/50 split. Meanwhile, Votto is getting more comfortable with sliding.
Redleg Nation 2013 Preview: Bullpen - The bullpen remains a strength this year, in large part because its best pitcher is returning to the closer role.
FanGraphs Positional Power Rankings Wrap-Up - If you're not familiar, they've been ranking the MLB teams by position over at FanGraphs. Overall, the Reds rank as the 6th best team in baseball according to their system. Areas of strength are obvious... They rank the Reds #1 at first-base, #5 in right-field, and #7 at second-base. They're not as high on the rotation as many of us are, mainly because they believe the aforementioned Bronson Arroyo will regress.
Baseball Prospectus: Top 10 Reds Prospects - 7 of the top 10 are pitchers, which is a good thing, I think.... The list:

CF Billy Hamilton

RHP Robert Stephenson

LHP Tony Cingrani

RHP Daniel Corcino

RHP Nick Travieso

LHP Ismael Guillon

OF Jesse Winker

OF Jonathan Reynoso

RHP Kyle Lotzkar

RHP Dan Langfield

They also list "Top 10 Talents 25 And Under (born 4/1/87 or later)." Just look at this list. Five of these guys are already major contributors at the MLB level, and two more are knocking on the door to the Bigs. The future is very bright in Cincy...

Jay Bruce

Mat Latos

Aroldis Chapman

Devin Mesoraco

Billy Hamilton

Robert Stephenson

Mike Leake

Tony Cingrani

Daniel Corcino

Nick Travieso

Red Reposter - Dusty wants a decision

AC Slider — Thu, 14 Mar 2013 13:18:07 -0000

Dusty would like a decision on Chapman's role soon - After reading Dusty's statements, it's pretty clear that he is still annoyed by this whole situation. It's good to know he's had an open mind regarding Chapman's role!
DatDudeBP talks about DatThingWBC - Apparently Brandon Phillips was a bat-boy for the USA in the 1996 Olympics, which helped to form his love for baseball.
Choo is earning the respect of his new teammates - Shin-Soo Choo explains some of the differences between baseball in Korea and the USA.
Bruce: Leading with actions - Jay Bruce is only 25 years old, as this piece makes very clear.
"Dusty Is Wrong, Chapman Should Start" - You had me at "Dusty Is Wrong." Dave Schoenfield makes the case for Walt Jocketty's decision to make Chapman a starter.
Healthy Votto = Reds Domination - I'll drink to that.
USA vs. Dominican Republic, tonight - If you look at the line-ups for these teams, this is more-or-less an All-Star game.

Red Reporter Interviews Rob Dibble

AC Slider — Thu, 07 Mar 2013 15:02:08 -0000

The nastiest of the "Nasty Boys" Mr. Rob Dibble was kind enough to give us a few minutes of his time. Dibble is making the rounds promoting his new web series on Hulu called "Raising the Bar" (details below). In this interview, Dibble provides his thoughts on the upcoming Reds season, the transition to the rotation for Aroldis Chapman, the World Baseball Classic, and much more. He even goes as far as to predict 18+ wins from Homer Bailey in 2013.

We'd like to thank Rob and his crew for reaching out to us and providing the opportunity to do this interview. Give the interview a listen, and check out "Raising the Bar."

Embedded audio:

Rob Dibble with Red Reporter (link to download)

Rob Dibble serves as the host of George Dickel Tennessee Whisky’s new online video series "Raising the Bar." The series premiered on Hulu Monday, March 4 and features six teams of craftsmen who were tasked with building a bar for scratch in eight hours or less at the 2012 American Royal World Series of BBQ.

Watch "Raising the Bar" on Hulu.

The Red Report: Homer Bailey

AC Slider — Fri, 01 Mar 2013 14:24:20 -0000

Homer Bailey

#34 / Pitcher / Cincinnati Reds

Height: 6-3

Weight: 210

Bats: R

Throws: R

Born: May 03, 1986

Fast Facts:

David Dewitt Bailey Jr. was born May 3rd 1986 in La Grange Texas. The nickname "Homer" (which is a bad name for a pitcher) comes from his great-grandfather.
He attended La Grange High School. During La Grange's 2004 baseball season, Bailey won 15 games and lost none. Additionally, he had a 0.68 earned run average and 201 strikeouts in 92 2/3 innings pitched. That year, USA Today, named Bailey as a member of that year's USA Today All-USA high school baseball team and their High School National Player of the Year. Bailey completed his high school career with 41 wins, 4 losses, a 0.98 ERA, and 536 strikeouts in 298 innings pitched.
The Reds drafted Bailey with the 7th pick in the 2004 draft. Prior to the 2007 season, both Baseball America and Baseball Prospectus named Bailey the top prospect in the Reds' farm system.
He looks like Christian Bale
On September 28, 2012, Bailey pitched the first no-hitter at PNC Park, and the 15th in Reds history, in a 1-0 victory over the Pittsburgh Pirates. It was the first no-hitter by a Reds' pitcher since Tom Browning's perfect game in 1988.
Bailey is an avid hunter and sportsman. In 2008, Homer Bailey released a charity wine called "Homer Bailey's Chardonnay" with 100% of his proceeds supporting Outdoors Without Limits, an organization committed to help reduce the barriers that prevent disabled people from enjoying the great outdoors.

Organizational History:

Drafted/Signed: by the Cincinnati Reds in the 1st round (7th pick) of the 2004 amateur draft. Signed July 22, 2004

Contract Status:

MLB Service Time: 4.017
Current Contract Status: 2nd-Year Arb Eligible, 1 yr/$5.35M (2013)

Career Stats:

Year	Age	Tm	W	L	ERA	G	GS	CG	SHO	IP	HR	BB	SO	ERA+	WHIP	SO/BB
2007	21	CIN	4	2	5.76	9	9	0	0	45.1	3	28	28	81	1.566	1.00
2008	22	CIN	0	6	7.93	8	8	0	0	36.1	8	17	18	56	2.092	1.06
2009	23	CIN	8	5	4.53	20	20	0	0	113.1	12	52	86	93	1.474	1.65
2010	24	CIN	4	3	4.46	19	19	1	1	109.0	11	40	100	91	1.367	2.50
2011	25	CIN	9	7	4.43	22	22	0	0	132.0	18	33	106	89	1.280	3.21
2012	26	CIN	13	10	3.68	33	33	2	1	208.0	26	52	168	115	1.240	3.23
6 Yrs			38	33	4.50	111	111	3	2	644.0	78	222	506	93	1.382	2.28
162 Game Avg.			12	10	4.50	34	34	1	1	197	24	68	155	93	1.382	2.28

Provided by Baseball-Reference.com: View Original Table
Generated 3/1/2013.

Scouting:

Ratings via TheBaseballCube:

Control: 39
K-Rating: 74
Efficiency: 52
vsPower: 50

As you'd expect, it's mostly about missing bats for Bailey. I'm surprised to see such a low score for control, however.

2013 Projections:

PITCHING

	W	L	IP	K/9	BB/9	ERA
Steamer	11	9	170.0	6.85	2.51	4.13
ZiPS	10	8	173.3	7.17	2.34	4.00
Oliver	11	8	177.0	7.27	2.34	3.66
Bill James	12	12	210.0	7.37	2.31	3.86

PITCHf/x Pitcher Profile:

Red Reposter - Chappy Birthday

AC Slider — Thu, 28 Feb 2013 14:05:34 -0000

If you trust the Cubans and their book keeping, Aroldis Chapman turns 25 years old today. It's easy to forget how young some of these guys are. While this team feels like a veteran bunch, the truth is the vast majority of the "core" players are still in their mid-20s.

Risky, but worth it - Speaking of Chapman... Jay Jaffe echoes what many of us have been saying for months: moving Aroldis to the rotation might not work out, but the possible reward is well worth the risk. Jaffe points to the volume of innings a starter provides compared to a reliever.
Cueto wasn't so sharp yesterday - Johnny threw 2 innings and gave up 4 runs (2 earned). On the bright side, "Here Comes" Yorman Rodriguez went 2-for-2 at the plate with 3 RBI and a home run.
Votto faces a tough decision on WBC - Being the thoughtful individual that he is, Joey Votto is taking his time to decide whether or not he'll participate in the World Baseball Classic.
Joey Votto: Face of MLB? - At this moment, Votto leads Matt Kemp (67% to 33%) for the "Face of MLB" promotion. The whole thing is silly really, but it's still pretty cool that Votto is likely to win this thing. Reds fans on twitter helped to vote Votto to victories over Derek Jeter, Joe Mauer, Jose Bautista, and Andrew McCutchen.
Fangraphs brings two worlds together - "The 20-80 Scale, Saber Style." They use Votto as their example of a hitter who would rank as an 80 for wOBA.
Baseball Prospectus doesn't like the signing of Broxton - They rank the Jonathan Broxton signing as one the 12 worst off-season moves in baseball. Here's why:

9. The Reds Give Jonathan Broxton a Three-Year Deal
Three years and $21 million for Jonathan Broxton. I had to shake my head. By this point, the reader will probably be quite familiar with the reason that giving a bunch of money to a "proven closer" is a bad idea. And it is, especially given that Broxton, while he saved 27 games with a 2.48 ERA last year, did so with a high LOB% (79.2 percent) and a low HR/FB ratio (4.9 percent), which masked that his strikeout rate has fallen by 3.5 per nine innings(!!!) in the space of a year. Broxton is due to regress, and even if you buy that his performance over the past year was legitimate, there's nothing in his recent performance that screams "good investment." Actually, I worry about this signing for what will eventually happen in Cincinnati because of it.

Broxton theoretically takes over the closer role from Aroldis Chapman, who will join the Reds' starting rotation. If Broxton falters a couple of times (and even the really good closers do that), there will be calls for Chapman to be reinstated as closer, because blowing a two-run lead in the ninth feels awful. Beware the moment when someone says this: "A decent starter is easier to find than a good closer." It's the sin of false equivalence. In fact, there are more decent starters around than good closers, primarily because there are five starters to a team and only one closer. But even if Chapman turns out to just be a decent starter, he's more valuable in that role than as a good closer. Baseball is a game of attrition, and getting seven pretty good innings is much more valuable than getting one really good frame. Still, the Reds might give into that pressure. If they're going to do that anyway, why pay some guy $7 million to take the fall when they could have gotten someone else to do it for a cool million? —Russell A. Carleton
#JoeyVotto

Spring Training 2013 Game 4: Reds vs. Brewers (Galarraga vs. Thornburg)

AC Slider — Mon, 25 Feb 2013 17:42:26 -0000

Milwaukee Brewers @ Cincinnati Reds

Monday, February 25, 2013

3:05 PM EST
Goodyear Ballpark, Goodyear, AZ

Tyler Thornburg vs. Armando Galarraga

Coverage:
RADIO: 700 WLW; WEB: Gameday Audio, Gameday

More afternoon baseball in Arizona today. The Brewers come to Goodyear with a split squad. Most of the Brewers' regulars won't be facing the Reds today, as they stayed back for their home game against the Padres.

Armando Galarraga will make his opening arguments today in his case to be part of the 2013 Reds roster.

While you're following the game today, take a moment to watch this scouting video of Joey Votto in high school.

EDIT: Jay Bruce has been scratched from the lineup with a sore right heel.

Lineups

CINCINNATI REDS	BREWERS
Shin-Soo Choo CF	Schafer RF
Emmanuel Burriss 2B	Segura SS
Joey Votto 1B	Lucroy C
Chris Heisey LF	Green 3B
~~Jay Bruce~~ Denis Phipps RF	Kh. Davis LF
Jack Hannahan 3B	Halton 1B
Zack Cozart SS	Gennett 2B
Miguel Olivo C	Prince CF
Derrick Robinson DH	De La Rosa DH

The Red Report: Joey Votto

AC Slider — Tue, 19 Feb 2013 15:06:10 -0000

Joey Votto

#19 / First Base / Cincinnati Reds

Height: 6-3

Weight: 220

Bats: L

Throws: R

Born: Sep 10, 1983

Fast Facts:

Joseph Daniel Votto was born on September 10, 1983 in Toronto, Canada. He grew up in the western Etobicoke section of the city. Votto attended high school at Richview Collegiate Institute in Toronto. The school had produced Prime Minister Stephen Harper and hockey star Scott Mellanby.
Votto's adopted mastiff-golden retriever mix is named "Maris," after former baseball player Roger Maris.
His love for baseball can be traced back to the 1993 World Series, when Joe Carter hit the game-winning home-run to bring Toronto its 2nd consecutive World Series title, as Joey describes in the most awkward interview he's ever been part of.
On the day Votto signed with the Reds he purchased a copy of "The Science of Hitting," by Ted Williams.
He made his MLB debut on September 4th 2007, just one week before his 24th birthday.
In 2009, Votto spent nearly a month on the DL due to "stress related issues," caused by the death of his father. Later that year Votto provided the following quote regarding the ordeal: "He was the first one to teach me how to play baseball... I played catch with him on a daily basis when I was real young. He was a big fan, he was just in love with what I did and me. He was a great father to me."
During Votto's MVP season in 2010, he didn't record a single out via an infield pop-up.

Organizational History:

Drafted/Signed: by the Cincinnati Reds in the 2nd round of the 2002 amateur draft.
Player signed June 5th, 2002

Contract Status:

MLB Service Time: 5.027
Current Contract Status: 13 yr/$263M (2011-2023) with a team option for 2024 ($20M, $7M buyout)

Career Stats:

Year	Age	Tm	G	PA	H	2B	HR	RBI	SB	BA	OBP	SLG	OPS	OPS+
2007	23	CIN	24	89	27	7	4	17	1	.321	.360	.548	.907	127
2008	24	CIN	151	589	156	32	24	84	7	.297	.368	.506	.874	125
2009	25	CIN	131	544	151	38	25	84	4	.322	.414	.567	.981	156
2010	26	CIN	150	648	177	36	37	113	16	.324	*.424*	.600	1.024	171
2011	27	CIN	161	719	185	40	29	103	8	.309	.416	.531	.947	155
2012	28	CIN	111	475	126	44	14	56	5	.337	*.474*	.567	1.041	174
6 Yrs			728	3064	822	197	133	457	41	.316	.415	.553	.968	155
162 Game Avg.			162	682	183	44	30	102	9	.316	.415	.553	.968	155

Provided by Baseball-Reference.com: View Original Table
Generated 2/19/2013.

Scouting:

Ratings via TheBaseballCube:

Speed: 43
Contact: 36
Patience: 88
Batting: 79
Power: 83

Votto receives remarkably high scores for patience, batting and power - no surprise there. You may be surprised by the contact score at 36. That's likely because "contact" is a bit misleading. They calculate contact by measuring the player's strikeouts per plate appearance. Votto does strikeout more than most players, so the below average contact score is accurate.

Defense:

Fans Scouting Report ratings (via Fangraphs) (2012 rating/career rating):

Instincts: 71/66
First Step: 59/57
Speed: 50/50
Hands: 74/65
Release: 61/58
Arm Strength: 54/49
Arm Accuracy: 60/55
Overall: 61/57
FSR (Fans Scouting Report runs above average): 4/13

UZR/150 in 2012: 7.5

2013 Projections:

	G	PA	HR	SB	AVG	OBP	SLG
Steamer		646	26	5	.298	.419	.522
ZiPS		579	26	9	.300	.420	.542
Oliver		583	29	7	.307	.417	.557
Bill James	156	676	27	8	.312	.422	.538

PITCHf/x Hitter Profile:

Red Reposter - "Classic" Participation

AC Slider — Thu, 21 Feb 2013 13:27:29 -0000

The Reds won't allow Cueto to play in the World Baseball Classic - Dusty has publicly stated that he'd prefer that Cueto not pitch in the WBC. The Reds are able to prevent Cueto from participating because he finished the season on the DL. Surely Johnny is disappointed, but one would think he understands.
It's still not clear whether or not Votto will suit up for the Canadian squad however - Joey has been added to the roster for the Canadian team, but has yet to commit to playing. Votto certainly enjoyed himself in the last World Baseball Classic, so barring any major developments it seems likely that he will play (perhaps in a limited role).
Slyde was pimping the 2013 Redleg Annual on the radio yesterday - He did a full segment, in studio, with Mo Egger. He talked about fart jokes, blogs, and most importantly... the 2013 Reds. Great radio, give it a listen.
Some folks in Chicago are worked up over some comments by Brandon Phillips - Apparently BP believes he should have won the Gold Glove last year. After finding out Darwin Barney had won the Gold Glove, BP says he thought he "was getting punked when I heard about it."
Which teams "Won the Winter?" - The Wall Street Journal ranks the teams with the best off-seasons, according to projected WAR added. The Reds come in at number 8, with +3.4 WAR, thanks in large part to the Choo trade. The WSJ thinks the Cubs and Pirates got considerably better this off-season, while the Cardinals took a small step back.
Doug Gray provides a list of some position player prospects to watch in spring training - The usual suspects make appearances. Doug notes that none of the players on the list are likely to make the team out of spring training unless injuries arise. Of course, the first time Billy Hamilton does anything of note, or Choo makes a mistake, you know many will be calling for Hamilton.
Pete Rose pleads with Topps to stop rewriting history - Pete deserves much of what has happened to him, but this thing is just ridiculous...

Red Reposter: Spring Training Day Three

AC Slider — Thu, 14 Feb 2013 21:22:21 -0000

There's plenty of news on this day for lovers in Reds' land.

Miguel Cairo will be joining the Reds again this year - Relax. His .492 OPS will not be available to Dusty Baker. Cairo has been hired as a special assistant to the GM. Good guy, good for him.
"Arbitration Showdown: Homer Bailey" - From Baseball Prospectus, so it requires a subscription. They make the arbitration cases FOR and AGAINST Bailey. Pretty great stuff. In the case FOR Bailey, they point out the consistent improvements he's made over the years. 2012 represented the 5th consecutive year in which Bailey improved his ERA, WHIP and BB/9 from the previous season.
#JoeyVotto - the "Face of MLB?" - Major League Baseball is doing a silly promotion to identify the "Face of MLB." You vote through twitter, which means Votto should have a good chance. For some odd reason, Cincinnati is one of the most social-media savvy cities in the county. Anyone remember the #HatsOff contest?
Barry Larkin will represent the US State Department in India - Larkin is helping to promote a program that encourages global participation in sports.
Q&A with Ryan Lamarre - MiLB.com has a nice interview with the Reds prospect. Doug Gray has Lamarre as the Reds 18th best prospect.
Topps Baseball Cards wants to rewrite history - Pete Rose never existed...
Blind Baseball Championship - Great read. Blind people play a version of baseball where the ball and bases have a buzzer as a guide.

{Edit}
FanGraphs had an awesome piece on Votto yesterday - The quote of note: "Since Votto debuted, there have been more than twice as many no-hitters as Joey Votto pop-ups. Since 2009, there have been two (or three) more perfect games than Joey Votto pop-ups." Yeah... Awesome

Chris Carpenter is out for the season

AC Slider — Tue, 05 Feb 2013 23:03:29 -0000

The news broke earlier today that Chris Carpenter will not pitch in 2013 due to shoulder issues. Cardinals GM John Mozeliak added that he doubts Carpenter will pitch for the Cardinals again, hinting at the end of Carpenter's career. The immediate implications are significant. The Cardinals were counting on Carpenter to return to the top of their rotation after missing nearly all of last season with injuries. From a historical perspective, the Cardinals will once again say goodbye to one their all-time best players. Carpenter was the best Cardinals pitcher since Bob Gibson. In the span of 15 months the Cardinals have lost their manager, Albert Pujols and now Carpenter.

If the Reds weren't feeling good about their chances before this news, they definitely should be now. As Bob Nightengale (USA Today) points out:

Yes, the #Reds certainly have become the clear-cut favorite to win the NL Central.
— Bob Nightengale (@BNightengale) February 5, 2013

With Carpenter out, St. Louis will be forced to lean heavily on the arm of young prospect Shelby Miller. The 22 year old pitcher certainly comes with a lot of hype, and deservedly so. It's possible (likely even?) that Miller will be better than Carpenter would've been in 2013. Still, Reds fans know as well as any fans that young pitching prospects rarely produce great results right away. Likewise, how many innings can the Cardinals really expect out of Miller? As Will Carroll points out:

Shelby Miller threw 150 innings last year, his career high. Taking him far past that will be risky for Cards but have to now.
— Will Carroll (@injuryexpert) February 5, 2013

As much as Carpenter deserved the criticism he received here and elsewhere in "Reds country," he also dominated the Reds throughout his career. His 14 wins against Cincinnati is more than his total against any other team. For his career he posted a 2.55 ERA against the Reds. Not exactly Roy Oswalt domination, but still... It's nice to see him go, yeah?

Chances are Carpenter will end up in the dugout as a coach or in the front office in some capacity with the Cardinals. So fret not, you likely haven't seen or heard the end of Chris Carpenter's complaints.

Red Reposter - The Man Again

AC Slider — Thu, 20 Dec 2012 14:45:02 -0000

Fangraphs Q&A with Ryan Hanigan - My man-crush (Han-crush?) for the Reds' catcher continues. Hanigan is insightful and has a wealth of baseball knowledge. Would anyone be surprised to see him as a manager one day? When asked about the ever-popular idea of hitting 2nd in the lineup, Hanigan responds, "There's logic to it."

Baseball Prospectus on Choo, from a Fantasy perspective - As noted, Choo should benefit from the GABP power surge. Likewise, having Joseph Daniel Votto hitting after him should translate into runs scored.

Shin-Soo Choo | Indians to Reds | OF
Choo may see a small drop-off in the speed department in moving from Manny Acta to Dusty Baker, but new Indians skipper Terry Francona’s tendencies are pretty similar to Baker’s, so that seemed inevitable even if he stayed in Cleveland. The biggest impact will come with his power. Choo moves into one of the best parks in baseball for lefty power and should finally find his way back over 20 home runs again, maybe even approaching 25. A .280-20-15 line would have quite a bit of value, especially with Brandon Phillips, Joey Votto, Bruce, and Ludwick to drive him in.

Blog Red Machine is shopping for bargains - They float the idea of pursuing Brandon Webb if he's willing to accept a minor league deal. Walt has been a master of the low-risk/high-reward free agent signings in his time with Cincinnati, and Webb might fit that description...

The St. Louis Post-Dispatch details the "low profile" approach of NL Central teams this off-season - When you look at the make-up of each team, it's hard to imagine any team outside of Cincinnati winning the division.

Red Reposter: From Winter Meetings to Redsfest

AC Slider — Fri, 07 Dec 2012 15:56:24 -0000

Redsfest starts today

This is truly one of the best events this city has to offer. Whether you go with your kids or a couple buddies, there's something for all Reds fans. I won't be able to make it this year, but you should go and share some pics with us.

Cozart and Heisey talk about Redsfest

Over 20,000 fans are expected this weekend at Redsfest.

Fay "On Ludwick's Decision"

More money or stay with the Reds. This is the decision Ryan Ludwick is faced with. Whether he stays in Cincinnati or takes the extra money elsewhere will, in large part, dictate what the Reds do for the rest of the off-season. If Ludwick leaves, the Reds will have one more hole to fill, along with some extra cash to spend. The market seems to be drying up a bit, and a lot of mediocre players are receiving large pay-days. For the sake of simplicity, I sure hope Ludwick chooses to stay.

Drew Stubbs joined Mo Egger this week

I am unapologetic about my support for Drew Stubbs. He's not a leadoff hitter, but his defense and ability on the bases make up for his many offensive flaws. With very few options available at center-field, here's hoping he can have a big rebound year in 2013.

Arroyo doubts Chapman as a starter

Surely there are some questions concerning Aroldis Chapman and his ability to transition to a starting pitcher, but the Reds have to give it a try. Right?

A lot of words about Miguel Cairo and Mark DeRosa

Miggy will be missed in Cincinnati, not necessarily for his ability on the field.

Red Reposter - Cueto was jobbed & what is Chapman's job?

AC Slider — Thu, 08 Nov 2012 22:51:51 -0000

Cueto was jobbed, according to ESPN Sweet Spot - It's easy for us to play this card, especially after Johnny Cueto was snubbed from the NL All-Star team this year. We've had our fair share of Reds players overlooked for major awards, but this might be the most egregious in recent memory. You could make a case that Kershaw should win the Cy Young award this year, but it's impossible to explain why Cueto is not a finalist.
Baseball Prospectus weighs in on the controversy surrounding Chapman's future role - I've been firmly in the "Let him start" camp since the Reds signed Aroldis Chapman. However, the piece at BP points to a few problems that could result from a move to the rotation. For one, Walt Jocketty would be forced to focus his attention (once again) to signing some quality to arms for the back of the bullpen, thus diverting his attention (and resources) away from acquiring a bat for left-field. There's no easy choice here...
Baker & Frazier up for BBWAA's top awards - Todd Frazier is one of three finalists for the NL Rookie of the Year award while Dusty Baker is among the finalists for NL Manager of the Year. In my estimation, neither is likely to win, but it's nice to see some more recognition for our beloved Reds.
Wilson Valdez won an award - Well, not really an "award," but his game-winning squeeze bunt on June 8th was named "Best Sacrifice Without An Error" by Fangraphs.
Yasmani Grandal was suspended for 50 games - That means 2 of the 4 players traded for Mat Latos have, at some point, received 50 game suspensions for using PEDs. If you didn't like the Latos deal before this news, you probably should now...
Silver Slugger awards are being announced right now - Mike Leake???

Red Reposter - Ludwick Looms, Wright-Reds Rumors

AC Slider — Thu, 01 Nov 2012 14:30:13 -0000

Short and sweet today. Hopefully the news picks up as the Reds add the final pieces to the 2013 Championship team in the coming months.

Not surprisingly, Ryan Ludwick has declined his $5 million option with the Reds - Jocketty seems optimistic that Ludwick will still be with the Reds next season. Ludwick is looking for a multi-year deal, and the Reds don't appear willing to offer more than 2 years. There will certainly be some market for the aging left fielder, but Scott Rolen's last 2 seasons should be a lesson to the Reds. The Reds are also interested in bringing Dioner Navarro back. It never hurts to have a serviceable catcher in the fold, but you have to wonder if the Reds are overreacting to a poor (albeit limited) rookie season from Devin Mesoraco.
Over at ESPN New York, they float the idea of the Mets trading David Wright - The Reds are mentioned as a possible suitor. This is nothing more than speculation from the writer. Even so, the idea is interesting. Wright is in the final year of his current deal and is due to make $16 million next season. With the large financial commitments made to Joey Votto and Brandon Phillips last year, the Reds would likely be getting Wright for just one season, should this hypothetical play out. With that in mind, it seems highly unlike that the Reds would pursue such a trade.
Baseball's most selective hitters, according to Fangraphs - The method to determine "selective hitters" seems solid in my estimation. Some may be surprised to see Jay Bruce on the list, ranking as the 10th most selective hitter in MLB last year. Former Reds prospect Yonder Alonso leads the pack.
Reds 2013 Top Prospects (#6-10) by Doug Gray - RedsMinorLeagues.com is in the process of ranking the Reds' prospects heading into 2013. Coming in at #10 is 19 year old, "Here Comes" Yorman Rodriguez. If the youngster can harness all of his ability he could really be special.

NLDS Game 3: Giants @ Reds (5:37 EDT). Vogelsong vs. Bailey

AC Slider — Tue, 09 Oct 2012 01:12:58 -0000

Next Game

San Francisco Giants
@ Cincinnati Reds

Tuesday, Oct 9, 2012, 5:37 PM EDT
Great American Ball Park

Ryan Vogelsong vs. Homer Bailey

Coverage

TV: TBS, RADIO: WLW, KNBR, KTRB; WEB: Postseason.tv, Gameday Audio, Gameday

Weather

Mostly clear. Game time temperature around 60.

This could end up being a very enjoyable evening in Cincinnati. The hometown baseball team will be given the opportunity to complete a 3 game series sweep tonight at Great American Ball Park and advance to the National League Championship Series for the first time since 1995.

The Reds will turn to a hot hand in Homer Bailey. In his final two starts of the regular season, Bailey pitched 13 innings of shutout ball, including a glorious 10 K, no-hit outing in Pittsburgh. Homer finished the regular season with an ERA of 3.68, marking the 4th consecutive year in which Bailey improved his ERA.

Enjoy yourselves tonight.

It's almost here.

WOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!

Homer Bailey		Ryan Vogelsong
26	Age	35
3.68 (115)	ERA (ERA+)	3.37 (103)
1.240	WHIP	1.228
3.23	K/BB	2.55
19.2%	K%	20.1%
6%	BB%	7.9%
1.13	HR/9	0.81
3.97	FIP	3.70
3.84	SIERA	4.01
208	IP	189.2
44.9%	GB%	43.5%
2.90	BABIP	.284

Bullpen

Reliever	2012 IP	ERA+, K/BB
Aroldis Chapman	71.2	282 ERA+, 5.3 K/BB
Jonathan Broxton	58.0	152 ERA+, 2.65 K/BB
Sean Marshall	61	170 ERA+, 4.63 K/BB
Jose Arredondo	62	144 ERA+, 1.82 K/BB
Sam LeCure	57.1	136 ERA+, 2.65 K/BB
Alfredo Simon	61	160 ERA+, 2.36 K/BB
J.J. Hoover	30.2	208 ERA+, 2.38 K/BB
Homer Bailey	208	115 ERA+, 3.23 K/BB

Next Game

San Francisco Giants
@ Cincinnati Reds

Tuesday, Oct 9, 2012, 5:37 PM EDT
Great American Ball Park

Ryan Vogelsong vs. Homer Bailey

Coverage

TV: TBS, RADIO: WLW, KNBR, KTRB; WEB: Postseason.tv, Gameday Audio, Gameday

Weather

Mostly clear. Game time temperature around 60.

Enjoy yourselves tonight.

It's almost here.

WOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!

Homer Bailey		Ryan Vogelsong
26	Age	35
3.68 (115)	ERA (ERA+)	3.37 (103)
1.240	WHIP	1.228
3.23	K/BB	2.55
19.2%	K%	20.1%
6%	BB%	7.9%
1.13	HR/9	0.81
3.97	FIP	3.70
3.84	SIERA	4.01
208	IP	189.2
44.9%	GB%	43.5%
2.90	BABIP	.284

REDS LINEUP

Brandon Phillips (R) 2B
Zack Cozart (R) SS
Joey Votto (L) 1B
Ryan Ludwick (R) LF
Jay Bruce (L) RF
Scott Rolen (R) 3B
Ryan Hanigan (R) C
Drew Stubbs (R) CF
Homer Bailey (R) P

REDS BENCH

Dioner Navarro (S) C
Todd Frazier (R) CI/LF
Miguel Cairo (R) IF
Wilson Valdez (R) SS
Chris Heisey (R) OF
Xavier Paul (L) OF

GIANTS LINEUP

Angel Pagan (S) CF
Marco Scutaro (R) 2B
Pablo Sandoval (S) 3B
Buster Posey (R) C
Hunter Pence (R) RF
Brandon Belt (L) 1B
Gregor Blanco (L) LF
Brandon Crawford (L) SS
Ryan Vogelsong (R) P

Bullpen

Reliever	2012 IP	ERA+, K/BB
Aroldis Chapman	71.2	282 ERA+, 5.3 K/BB
Jonathan Broxton	58.0	152 ERA+, 2.65 K/BB
Sean Marshall	61	170 ERA+, 4.63 K/BB
Jose Arredondo	62	144 ERA+, 1.82 K/BB
Sam LeCure	57.1	136 ERA+, 2.65 K/BB
Alfredo Simon	61	160 ERA+, 2.36 K/BB
J.J. Hoover	30.2	208 ERA+, 2.38 K/BB
Homer Bailey	208	115 ERA+, 3.23 K/BB

Red 'Rithmetic - 2012 by the Numbers

AC Slider — Fri, 05 Oct 2012 13:35:50 -0000

The regular season has concluded as the Reds prepare to face the San Francisco Giants tomorrow night. For a franchise that has been around since Chester Arthur was president, it is tough for individual teams to distinguish themselves. Somehow, the 2012 Reds have done just that.

The Good

7 - The Reds finished the season with 97 wins. Just 7 times in 131 seasons have the Reds finished with more than 97 wins. Three of those Reds teams with over 97 wins won the World Series.

2,347,251 - The Reds are not selling out every game. Cincinnati still ranks in the bottom half of the league in terms of attendance. However, 2012 marked the 10th best attendance total in franchise history. The Reds sold the most tickets they've sold in a season since GABP opened in 2003.

588 - The Reds allowed opponents to score just 588 runs this season, the fewest runs allowed by a Reds team in over a decade. Since 1950, the Reds have allowed fewer than 588 runs in a season just 7 times.

12 - Reds' pitchers tossed 12 shutouts in 2012. The last time a Reds team combined for more than 12 shutouts in a season was 1988 (13).

7.73 - Reds' pitchers combined to average 7.73 strikeouts per 9 innings this year - best in franchise history. It worth noting that strikeouts have been on the rise across baseball in recent years. In fact, only 4 Reds teams have posted a K/9 over 7, and three of those teams have been since 2008.

.985 - The 2012 Reds fielding percentage, tied for 3rd best in franchise history. We all know that fielding percentage is not the best way to evaluate defense. But it does tell you something.

The Not-So-Good

.315 - The 2012 Reds managed to get on base just 31.5% of plate appearances. This represents the worst OBP for a Reds team in over 2 decades. Imagine where this team would rank without the likes of Joey Votto and Ryan Hanigan...

.693 - The Reds offense managed to OPS just .693 this season on the road. This is a bit disconcerting considering they open the playoffs with 2 road games, in the least homer-friendly park in MLB.

.870 > .686 - It's no secret that Joey Votto and Jay Bruce are two of the Reds best hitters. Left-handed hitters have posted an OPS of .870 this year for the Reds while right-handed hitters come in at .686. This stat is a bit unfair because it includes Reds' pitchers, all of whom are right-handed. Still, the Reds' right-handed bats will have to perform at a higher level in the playoffs if the Reds want to score enough runs to win games.

Let the playoffs begin...

Game 161: Reds @ Cardinals (8:15 EDT). Latos vs. Carpenter

AC Slider — Tue, 02 Oct 2012 21:20:09 -0000

Next Game

Cincinnati Reds
@ St. Louis Cardinals

Monday, Oct 2, 2012, 8:15 PM EDT
Busch Stadium

Mat Latos vs. Chris Carpenter

Coverage

TV: FSO-HD, FSMW-HD; RADIO: WLW, KMOX; WEB: MLB.tv, Gameday Audio, Gameday

Weather

Partly cloudy with a 30-percent chance of rain. Winds blowing in from left field at 5-10 m.p.h. Game-time temperature: Around 60.

With Arroyo getting the early shower last night after just 5 innings and 73 pitches, it appears as though Dusty has his eyes directed exactly where they should be - to the playoffs. Undoubtedly, there are still reasons to try to win these final two games. Perhaps most importantly, the Reds would love to prevent the Cardinals from reaching the post season. For that to happen, the Reds will need to win the remaining two games against the Cardinals and the Dodgers must not lose.

The Reds will, for the most part, trot out the "A Team" tonight to face Chris Carpenter. The offense has been missing from the Cincinnati bats for weeks and finding the groove against Chris Carpenter in a meaningful October game would be doubly enjoyable.

The lineups are as follows:

REDS

Brandon Phillips 2B
Zack Cozart SS
Joey Votto 1B
Ryan Ludwick LF
Jay Bruce RF
Scott Rolen 3B
Dioner Navarro C
Drew Stubbs CF
Mat Latos P

CARDINALS

Jon Jay CF
Carlos Beltran RF
Matt Holliday LF
Allen Craig 1B
Yadier Molina C
David Freese 3B
Daniel Descalso 2B
Pete Kozma SS
Chris Carpenter P

Things I'm hoping to see tonight:

Votto goes yard

Stubbs strikes out 3 times, walks twice, steals 3 bases and scores twice

Chris Carpenter asks the ump for an explanation several times

Allen Craig hits into a double-play with Jon Jay on base, serving as punishment for both players having two first names.

Next Game

Cincinnati Reds
@ St. Louis Cardinals

Monday, Oct 2, 2012, 8:15 PM EDT
Busch Stadium

Mat Latos vs. Chris Carpenter

Coverage

TV: FSO-HD, FSMW-HD; RADIO: WLW, KMOX; WEB: MLB.tv, Gameday Audio, Gameday

Weather

Partly cloudy with a 30-percent chance of rain. Winds blowing in from left field at 5-10 m.p.h. Game-time temperature: Around 60.

The lineups are as follows:

REDS

Brandon Phillips 2B
Zack Cozart SS
Joey Votto 1B
Ryan Ludwick LF
Jay Bruce RF
Scott Rolen 3B
Dioner Navarro C
Drew Stubbs CF
Mat Latos P

CARDINALS

Jon Jay CF
Carlos Beltran RF
Matt Holliday LF
Allen Craig 1B
Yadier Molina C
David Freese 3B
Daniel Descalso 2B
Pete Kozma SS
Chris Carpenter P

Things I'm hoping to see tonight:

Votto goes yard
Stubbs strikes out 3 times, walks twice, steals 3 bases and scores twice
Chris Carpenter asks the ump for an explanation several times
Allen Craig hits into a double-play with Jon Jay on base, serving as punishment for both players having two first names.

Red Reposter - Playoffs!

AC Slider — Thu, 27 Sep 2012 13:48:57 -0000

The offense performed poorly last night and the Reds lost - The bullpen got beat around helping the Brewers keep their playoff dreams alive. Latos will pitch today in the Reds final home game of the regular season.
The playoff roster might change, depending on match-ups - Jocketty told reporters that the playoff roster, "could depend on who we play and how guys match up against different teams." I sure hope they don't use tiny sample sizes based on match-ups to fill out the roster with an inferior player.
As it's been for over a month, the NL ROY race is down to 3 candidates - Todd Frazier hasn't done much to help his case of late. Nonetheless, Frazier's slash line is more impressive than Bryce Harper's. Unfortunately, Frazier's numbers don't seem to be enough to overcome the hype surrounding young Harper.
"10 Moves that changed the Reds" - The first one listed: drafting Joey Votto in 2002. Cosign
2012 has been a successful, albeit tough year for Dusty Baker - Baker is expected to make a full recovery from the stroke he suffered on Friday. Get well soon Dusty. One quote from the Reds' manager grabbed my attention: "The doubters, they don't know what I know. They haven't been taught what I've been taught. I don't blow my horn too much because they don't need to know what I know. The opposing manager doesn't need to know what I know. In the end, before it's over with, there's a good chance we're going to beat you."
Brian Sabean called Dusty to check on his health - They had a long conversation, so... yeah.

Red Reposter - Reds Lead is Larkin 1/2

AC Slider — Thu, 13 Sep 2012 14:47:53 -0000

Reds win! The win stretches the Reds lead in the central to 11.5 games. J.J. Hoover recorded his first career MLB save. J Edgar has been tremendous this year, often overshadowed in a Reds' bullpen full of studs. He's struck out 28 hitters in 26 innings pitched while posting an ERA just over 2.
The 2013 MLB schedule was released yesterday. Opening Day has been moved back to a Monday and the Reds will open at home against the Angels. That series will be the first ever inter-league opening series in MLB history.
Fay breaks down the schedule. The "Ohio Cup" rivalry gets a bit of a makeover next year, as the Reds will play just 4 games against the Indians. Other series of interests include 3 games with the Rangers in Texas and 4 games (2 home. 2 away) with Oakland.
C. Trent Rosecrans: "What Makes a Good manager?" Writing a guest piece at Baseball Prospectus, C. Trent explores the various traits of a good manager. The article has quotes from several Reds players/employees. Ryan Hanigan calls Dusty a "chameleon," referring to his ability to relate to all types of people. I think many of us who fancy ourselves as "stat guys," often discount a manager's ability to connect with players on a personal level. While he may have some difficulty filling out a lineup card, Dusty seems to be one of the best in the business when it comes to managing personalities.
Fangraphs takes a stab at the "Chapman fatigue" issue. Their basic conclusion is that there is no need to panic.
Valdez has been in the lineup a lot recently, but Cozart is making progress. The hope is to have him fully healthy by the time the playoffs start. At this point, there's no need to rush it.
The Reds head to Miami to face the Marlins. Arroyo will take the hill in the opener hoping to continue the roll his been on. He has posted 6 consecutive quality starts, reducing his ERA from 4.05 to 3.66 during that span.

The Hardball Times wants to eliminate pitcher "wins." For comparison they look at Johnny Cueto's 17 wins vs. Cliff Lee's 4 wins. As they point out, Lee has been nearly as good as Cueto in every way.

Fangraphs - Has Adam Wainwright hit a wall? I can't say for sure, but the Cardinals are falling fast.

Sports Illustrated looks at the battle for the final wild-card spot.

Game 143: Reds vs. Pirates (7:10 PM EDT) Leake vs. Correia

AC Slider — Tue, 11 Sep 2012 16:52:45 -0000

Next Game

Pittsburgh Pirates
@ Cincinnati Reds

Tuesday, Sep 11, 2012, 7:10 PM EDT
Great American Ball Park

Mike Leake vs. Kevin Correia

Mostly cloudy. Winds blowing in from left field at 10-15 m.p.h. Game-time temperature: Near 85

After using 8 pitchers, 5 pinch hitters and 2 pinch runners in 14 innings last night the Reds look for a less taxing game this evening. Kevin Correia is the mediocre pitcher the Reds will try their luck against this evening. Correia sports bottom of the barrel strikeout numbers. His K/BB (1.67) and K% (10.8%) both rank in the bottom 10 among all MLB pitchers. There's absolutely no reason to believe the Reds won't score some runs tonight.

Mike Leake looks to rebound after getting hit like a baby seal by the Phillies last week. Each start is of major importance for Leake and Homer Bailey the rest of the way. It's likely that only one of them will be part of the post-season roster, and neither has distinguished himself yet.

The "magic number" sits at 12.

Next Game

Pittsburgh Pirates
@ Cincinnati Reds

Tuesday, Sep 11, 2012, 7:10 PM EDT
Great American Ball Park

Mike Leake vs. Kevin Correia

Mostly cloudy. Winds blowing in from left field at 10-15 m.p.h. Game-time temperature: Near 85

The "magic number" sits at 12.

LINEUPS

REDLEGS	PIRATES
PHILLIPS 2B	HOLT 2B
STUBBS CF	PRESSLEY LF
VOTTO 1B	MCCUTCHEN CF
LUDWICK LF	JONES 1B
BRUCE RF	ALVAREZ 3B
ROLEN 3B	TABATA RF
NAVARRO C	MCKENRY C
VALDEZ SS	HARRISON SS
LEAKE P	CORREIA P

Bullpen Log

Reliever	9/6	9/7	9/8	9/9	9/10	5 day totals
Aroldis Chapman	-	1.0, 23p			0.2, 22p	1.2 IP, 45 pitches
Sean Marshall	-	0.2, 8p	1.0, 18p		0.2, 12p	2.1 IP, 38 pitches
Jonathan Broxton	-	0.2, 13p	1.0, 22p		1.1, 18p	3.0 IP, 53 pitches
Jose Arredondo	-			1.0, 17p	1.0, 17p	2.0 IP, 34 pitches
Sam LeCure	-				1.1, 19p	1.1 IP, 19 pitches
J.J. Hoover	-				2.0, 28p	2.0 IP, 28 pitches
Alfredo Simon	-				1.0, 18p	1.0 IP, 18 pitches
Logan Ondrusek	-			1.0, 11p		1.0 IP, 11 pitches
Tony Cingrani	-			3.0, 50p		3.0 IP, 50 pitches
Todd Redmond	-					0 IP, 0 pitches
Pedro Villareal	-					0 IP, 0 pitches

Game 137: Reds vs. Phillies (7:10 PM EDT). Latos vs. Kendrick

AC Slider — Tue, 04 Sep 2012 18:49:22 -0000

Next Game

Philadelphia Phillies
@ Cincinnati Reds

Monday, Sep 3, 2012, 1:10 PM EDT
Great American Ball Park

Mat Latos vs. Kyle Kendrick

Partly cloudy. Winds blowing out to right field at 5-10 m.p.h. Game-time temperature: Near 85.

Joey Votto is back! Well, kind of. The Reds reinstated Votto from the disabled list today but he remains out of the starting lineup. As others have pointed out, it doesn't make much sense to rush him back at this point. The good news is that he's with the club and will be eased back into playing. By the end of the month, Votto should be back to 100% and fully prepared to dominate whoever the Reds face in the playoffs.

The Laotian Prince takes the mound for the Reds tonight. August was good to Mat, as he posted an ERA of 2.61 for the month while opponents posted an OPS of .582.

Kyle Kendrick has been pretty bad this year overall. However, he's pitched well over his last 4 starts, allowing just 4 runs in 29.1 innings pitched. Still, Kendrick is basically "average" in every way.

Lineups & pen log after the jump.

Next Game

Philadelphia Phillies
@ Cincinnati Reds

Monday, Sep 3, 2012, 1:10 PM EDT
Great American Ball Park

Mat Latos vs. Kyle Kendrick

Partly cloudy. Winds blowing out to right field at 5-10 m.p.h. Game-time temperature: Near 85.

The Laotian Prince takes the mound for the Reds tonight. August was good to Mat, as he posted an ERA of 2.61 for the month while opponents posted an OPS of .582.

Lineups & pen log after the jump.

REDS	PHILS
STUBBS CF	ROLLINS SS
VALDEZ SS	FRANDSEN 3B
PHILLIPS 2B	UTLEY 2B
LUDWICK LF	HOWARD 1B
BRUCE RF	MAYBERRY CF
FRAZIER 1B	BROWN LF
ROLEN 3B	SCHIERHOLTZ RF
HANIGAN C	KRATZ C
LATOS P	KENDRICK P

Bullpen Log

Reliever	8/30	8/31	9/1	9/2	9/3	5 day totals
Aroldis Chapman	-			1.0, 16p		1.0 IP, 16 pitches
Sean Marshall	-		0.2, 26p			0.2 IP, 26 pitches
Jonathan Broxton	-			1.0, 18p		1.0 IP, 18 pitches
Jose Arredondo	-			1.0, 21p		1.0 IP, 21 pitches
Sam LeCure	-	1.0, 7p				1.0 IP, 7 pitches
J.J. Hoover	-				1.0, 13p	1.0 IP, 13 pitches
Alfredo Simon	-	2.0, 26p				2.0 IP, 26 pitches
Logan Ondrusek	-				1.0, 11p	1.0 IP, 11 pitches

New additions (Includes minor league games)

Reliever	8/30	8/31	9/1	9/2	9/3	5 day totals
Tony Cingrani			3.2, 73p			3.2 IP, 73 pitches
Todd Redmond				2.0, 52p		2.0 IP, 52 pitches
Pedro Villarreal						0.0 IP, 0 pitches