Regular Season

[JohnU]

I wonder if Lamb has ever seen a video on how to bunt. Or give a shit about it.

 

[Hit-n-Run]

I only watched the first inning. When I quit watching Lamb had already thrown 28 pitches. I was surprised when I checked the box score and he went 7 innings and only threw 64 pitches the rest of the way.

That's the Reds pitching in a nutshell. Most of the guys we're seeing are capable of settling in and pitching well, but which ones can do it on a consistent basis is yet to be determined.

With the number of arms in the mix you'd think the 3-5 rotations slots should eventually be above league average when compared to most other teams 3-5 guys. Stephenson, Reed, Garrett, Mella, and Davis may ultimately knock all the current guys out of the rotation.

I keep hearing everyone say the guys that fall out of the rotation will bolster the bullpen. That may be true for a few, but not every starting pitcher is effective in the relief role and vice versa. Whether it's due to breaking routine, training, mental, or just physically inherent to the individual..... most pitchers are better at one or the other. I'd compare it to a sprinter and marathoner. The fastest guy running 100 meters isn't the same guy that is the fastest running 26 miles.

 

[JohnU]

I would agree that Lamb would be a lousy relief pitcher.
Straily could make the leap.
Finnegan was supposed to be a reliever in KC, though I think he has upside when he gets smarter.
Simon would be DFA, most likely.

I still assert that bullpens are built from inside the system. That is how they mature. The Reds are just auditioning a dozen guys who all have found good ways to screw up a chance of a lifetime.

The only relievers on this staff I'd keep are Ohlendorf and Cingrani.

That other long list of prospects means almost nothing until they actually do some pitching.

 

[Hit-n-Run]

Prospects or rejects..... add another 5+ plus years to the process if they're the latter.

 

[Hit-n-Run]

Finnegan has grown some this season. He's improved his changeup and the potential is there.

It'll be interesting to see how Straily holds up. At this point he has as good a chance of sticking in the rotation plan as most of the other candidates.

Cingrani has improved his breaking ball some, but it needs to be better and so does his command. But we can say that about the entire bullpen.

Cingrani , Adleman, and Lorenzen look like candidates for the pen. Ohlendorf will be 34 and a free agent by season's end, so I'm not sure he'll be back. Blake Wood is under team control and other than walking too many like the rest of the bullpen, he hasn't pitched that poorly overall. I think Wood is the only reliever that has a ERA under 4.00 that has pitched more than a handful of innings. Cotham pitched well early, but wasn't pitching effectively leading up to being placed on the DL. Could be the injury played a role in that.

Overall, there's plenty of live arms. The walks and home runs have been off the charts. If a guy can't find the plate consistently, there's no way he's going to have strike zone command.

 

[Redsfan1507]

It's pretty clear the current Reds MLB pitching staff choices, are the same as they are in MLB Scouting Bureau camps:

There, it's only 1 criteria- a 90 plus mph fastball. Doesn't matter if they can hit the backstop, and they don't want to see the curve or slider. Just throw the cheese please. That thought process is logical- because you can't teach 95, but you can teach a breaking ball and develop secondary pitches in a 3-5 year minor league stint.....

The Reds problem is, once Jethro and his 94 mph reckless fastball are signed by the Reds, they don't "develop" shit. It took Homer Bailey 4 MLB seasons to stop posing after the pitch and get in a defensive position, to throw something other than a fastball in a 3-1 count, and he STILL hasn't learned to hold ANY runner on.

It took Cingrani 3 fucking seasons to "develop" THAT curveball ? and because he doesn't have a changeup, he has to throw it into the righty wheelhouse, ala Sean Marshall...and he did all that "development" at the MLB level...and he was projected as a STARTING pitcher throughout the minors??...and they thought Aroldis Chapman didn't have enough secondary pitches to start ?

Those who evaluate Reds pitching, and those responsible for developing them, must be blind, incompetent or both.

Iglesias can pitch. Not 180 innings, but can be a .500 ptcher on most teams until he can digest more than rice and beans and get to 200 innings, one day. Finnegan is a 4 or 5 starter on a .500 team, and a long reliever / spot starter on a championship caliber team. It does help as a SP he can swing a bat. Bailey would clearly be the Reds #1SP if healthy and pitching at career norms, but where would he be on a superior record team, like the Cubs (#3 at best) ? Now, ask that same question about Desclafani. Dan Straily has been given up on by the A's, among others, and I don't know many/any they gave away that became stars later. It's clearly because of control- now, if he's suddenly figured it out, cool...but I'm a believer in trending toward the norm after x number of MLB games. That's a pretty sad rotation, and three of those are on the DL. So, I don't need to mention Lamb, Moscot, Larry, Curly and Moe as "fill-ins" or even "bullpen candidates", do I ?

There isn't a single reliever on this team that could hold more than a 12th or 13th spot on a division contending team. Not one. Actually, maybe there is ONLY one that qualifies THAT high. IMO, no one can or should block a Reed or Stephenson or any other AAA pitcher with 2-1/2 pitches they can toss a strike more than 50% of the time.. on this staff.

 

[eburg5000]

The only reason I can see the Reds not bringing up Stephenson or Reed, Is to save money they don't want to start there MLB timeclock. I guess they are figuring on having more money in 6 or 7 years than they will in 5. Hell I don't know.
On the positive side, The Reds just won 4 out of 5 games on the road. 43 more wins and they don't lose 100

 

[JohnU]

The conversation about Stephenson is somewhat legitimate. Another couple of months honing his command will be useful. Frankly, I think leaving Reed in the minors is just archaic stubbornness, but who knows? Either way, he isn't the team's life preserver. (See photo at left).

 

[JohnU]

I am quite convinced that we are living a lie at the moment.
But Adam Duvall reaffirms my faith in the guy's ability.

 

[eburg5000]

That was one trade that actually helped this team. even if he never plays another game. He has already done way more, than I thought possible.

 

[Hit-n-Run]

Since breaking the 11 game losing streak the Reds are 5-2. The offense has been on a good roll the past week averaging nearly 7+ runs per game. The pitching has been better the last 3 games, but even if you take away the 17 run game in Colorado the staff is still allowing nearly 5 runs per game. So unless we think the Reds have become a juggernaut offense it's nothing more than a nice stretch of offense.

I'm going to enjoy it for what it is. Beats the shit out of a 11 game losing streak.

 

[Hit-n-Run]

Suarez has gotten hot again. I've noticed he's shortened the leg kick. He's shorter and quicker to the ball. Nice adjustment and a big improvement in performance.

 

[Hit-n-Run]

Up today..... Stephen Strasburg. Having a great season at 9-0 and a tidy 2.69 ERA.

Sounds daunting, but the Reds have actually hit well against him in the past. The Reds have the highest team BA and OBP allowed by Strasburg.

Hopefully the weather clears up and the Reds continue on their nice offensive roll.

 

[JohnU]

I paid some attention to Suarez when he was slumping, and he was turning his head away from the plate, leaning. Lately, he's kept his head in. Hell, even I could see what he was doing wrong, so props to the coaching for that fix. I guess he is like the majority of hitters who slump.

I don't do much with numbers in Denver other than take the norm and multiply by .35. If you beat the Rocks on the road, it's because you squared up the pitch. Otherwise, you look like a fool.

So far all I can say about the Nationals is that Danny Espinosa should be severely fined for being that slow in the batter's box. I thought guys were supposed to leave a foot in the box. Guess not.

The Nats might win the NL-E on pitching alone, which is curious because that's the Mets strength.

 

[Hit-n-Run]

The Nats aren't a good hitting club, but the Mets are woeful offensively.

I'd agree on Suarez. Big leg kick... big swing. He was obviously over swinging which leads to everything flying open.

A few long balls and guys get one dimensional trying to hit one every time. Leads to bad habits and subsequently a slump. Is it really a slump or a breakdown in solid fundamental hitting? That's where the hitting coach is supposed to come into play. I'd say Don Long has done a descent overall job in that regard.

 

[Hit-n-Run]

45 minutes until game time and the grounds crew is breaking out the tarp. Ugh!

 

[JohnU]

Well, for what it's worth, the team seems to have something of a clue now.

 

[Hit-n-Run]

The Reds broke out the tarp three times and hammered three HR's accounting for all six runs. Long day at the ballpark..... always better if they win.

Four in a row.... seemed impossible a week ago.

Straily never seems in total command of the game, but keeps the team in the game. A few great defensive plays and the Nats running into outs surely helps the cause.

 

[eburg5000]

Running into outs, looks where have I seen that before.
The Reds have been doing that for years now. I'm not going to blame Dusty, but I noticed it about the time he arrived here.
I guess if you make it, It's being aggressive on the base paths, if you don't make it, it looks like you ran yourself out of an inning.
As far as Dusty goes, its good to see him, and I hope he wins it all this year.

 

[Hit-n-Run]

Iglesias is tagged to go to the bullpen along with Lorenzen. Not surprising given his durability issues, but you also have to wonder how often he can pitch in relief. It's not like getting up and down multiple times a week and back to back days is easy on the shoulder/ elbow.