(09-10-2024, 11:26 PM)cinci4life Wrote: 2 straight shutouts. Who would of thought.

Usually, it’s us getting shut out.

Now what, are we going to look competitive the rest of the season, so we can all look forward to next year. Again

Elly with his 1st career grand slam.

WOW!!! A 9 run 4th inning so far!!!

https://www.msn.com/en-us/sports/mlb/the-2024-cincinnati-reds-are-basically-drew-stubbs/ar-AA1qFoXl?ocid=msedgntp&pc=ASTS&cvid=e84902744c984e9585fcd627655c82b5&ei=14

Pretty much sums it up

Some fine company. pic.twitter.com/3g6s6mAK3p

— Cincinnati Reds (@Reds) September 18, 2024

They have the Braves number thus year.

(09-17-2024, 10:40 PM)Nicomo Cosca Wrote:

Some fine company. pic.twitter.com/3g6s6mAK3p

— Cincinnati Reds (@Reds) September 18, 2024

It's a nice accomplishment for Steer, but I sort of chuckled when I saw the Reds highlighting it when meanwhile the Dodgers a tracking a potential 50-50 player. That's the state of MLB since there isn't parity like in the NFL. The Dodgers can out spend the Reds and the result is they get a 50-50 guy while we get a 20-20 player (I know I'm over simplifying things with this take and I'm reacting emotionally, but the truth is the Reds are irrelevant decade after decade right now and how much they can spend on the entire roster is one contributing factor).

Reds are 9 1/2 out of a wild card with 10 games to go. The end is soon. After seeing what happened to Williamson last night, hopefully the Reds will nix sending Hunter out there.

(09-18-2024, 09:33 AM)TecmoBengals Wrote: It's a nice accomplishment for Steer, but I sort of chuckled when I saw the Reds highlighting it when meanwhile the Dodgers a tracking a potential 50-50 player. That's the state of MLB since there isn't parity like in the NFL. The Dodgers can out spend the Reds and the result is they get a 50-50 guy while we get a 20-20 player (I know I'm over simplifying things with this take and I'm reacting emotionally, but the truth is the Reds are irrelevant decade after decade right now and how much they can spend on the entire roster is one contributing factor).

yup

It's sad but all the Reds and a dozen other small market teams can hope to do is strike minors gold and compete for a couple seasons every decade or so. Then the Yankees, Dodgers, Red Sox, Astros, Angels etc. will swoop in and take all the cream away.

That's why I'm so hoping ownership will spend some $$$ on a couple top shelf pitchers and a top RH bat this offseason. Doesn't hurt to dream, does it?

Williamson has a full tear of the UCL and will have tommy john surgery meaning he will miss all of next year too.

https://www.mlbtraderumors.com/2024/09/brandon-williamson-to-undergo-tommy-john-surgery.html

After the 7-1 loss to the Braves tonight, the Reds are officially out of the post season. Didn't expect it anyway.

(09-18-2024, 07:15 PM)cinci4life Wrote: Williamson has a full tear of the UCL and will have tommy john surgery meaning he will miss all of next year too.

https://www.mlbtraderumors.com/2024/09/brandon-williamson-to-undergo-tommy-john-surgery.html

Running him out there was egregious.  Brantley basically called it out that Williamson was hurt and then it happened.  

How can a broadcaster up in a press box notice that this guy is hurt yet the staff thinks he's fine to have him on the mound.  

This organization has many flaws that are not simply money related.

(09-18-2024, 12:49 PM)bengalfan74 Wrote: yup

It's sad but all the Reds and a dozen other small market teams can hope to do is strike minors gold and compete for a couple seasons every decade or so. Then the Yankees, Dodgers, Red Sox, Astros, Angels etc. will swoop in and take all the cream away.

That's why I'm so hoping ownership will spend some $$$ on a couple top shelf pitchers and a top RH bat this offseason. Doesn't hurt to dream, does it?

Cleveland is the same size city, in the same state as us, and they have been to 3 World Series since we last won a single postseason series. They've been to the postseason 6 of the last 10 years including as division champs 5 times.

We have been to the postseason 1 time in the last 10 years, and that was at 31-29 in the COVID year where the majority of the teams in the league were allowed in. That's not because of economics, that's just an absolute trash tier ownership and FO.

(09-19-2024, 07:25 PM)TheLeonardLeap Wrote: Cleveland is the same size city, in the same state as us, and they have been to 3 World Series since we last won a single postseason series. They've been to the postseason 6 of the last 10 years including as division champs 5 times.

We have been to the postseason 1 time in the last 10 years, and that was at 31-29 in the COVID year where the majority of the teams in the league were allowed in. That's not because of economics, that's just an absolute trash tier ownership and FO.

CLE has good development system and/or eye for talent.
A high majority of their strong players are home-grown.
Ramirez, Gimenez, the Naylors, Rocchio, Brennan, Fry.
Josh Naylor and Gimenez only spent 1-2 MLB seasons with their former team before coming over to CLE as year early-20's guys. They've been with CLE the last 4-5 years and coming into their own now.

And their FA signings are usually pretty good budget ones.
Look at Ben Lively for example.
Last year with CIN: 4-7 record with a 5.38 ERA. Absolute trash.
This year with CLE: 12-9 record with a 3.87 ERA.
His contract with CLE? Only $750k.

We thought the Reds were developing a slew of young talent in McLain, EDLC, Steer, Stephenson, CES, Friedl, Fraley, Greene, Lodolo, Abbott.
Other than Greene, EDLC, and Abbott, the other guys really had a down year or hurt all year.
There was a known gamble that all these guys were gonna take the next step and only a few did.

(09-19-2024, 07:25 PM)TheLeonardLeap Wrote: Cleveland is the same size city, in the same state as us, and they have been to 3 World Series since we last won a single postseason series. They've been to the postseason 6 of the last 10 years including as division champs 5 times.

We have been to the postseason 1 time in the last 10 years, and that was at 31-29 in the COVID year where the majority of the teams in the league were allowed in. That's not because of economics, that's just an absolute trash tier ownership and FO.

I agree.  

I think that your point has been exposed more than ever in the last 3 years.  

The giant payroll dump before the rebuild was an embarrassment.  They unloaded 2 legit stud arms and in all honesty don't have a great deal to show for them.  Can you imagine these young pitchers getting worked into a rotation with Gray and Castillo holding down the top of the rotation?  

The average MLB payroll is almost twice what the Reds have on the books going into 2025.  It's 130-140 mil.  The Reds are paying out around 75.  I mean, can we at least get it to 110 or 120?  We're not asking for Yankees-Mets type spending.  Just average.  This is allegedly the opening of a window.  The young talent is mostly with the MLB club.  The skeleton is sound.  Time to add the rest in FA.

What really kills me is that modern free agency isn't exactly about 12 year Votto-ish deals.  Guys that could help us take 3-4 year deals all the time, hoping to cash in again later.  The pay flex is embarrassingly good and the commitment would be relatively short.  

Outside of pay, you just saw some galactically dumb shit out there this year.  Reckless base running, dumb defense, stupid lineups, on and on.  I firmly believe that the staff exacerbated both Ashcraft and Williamson's injuries.  They had known issues before the plug was pulled on either.  Don't understand how a pro sports organization operates like that.  

Minus some serious work in FA and a new manager, I'm  not mega-confident about this group of youngsters seeing success in Cincinnati.  The staff has huge potential, but they haven't done a lot to prove that any of them can endure the rigors of a full MLB season.

Stephenson is 3-3 and a triple short of a cycle. Should get a couple shots at it.

So the Reds are 75-80 with 7 games to go. So they have to go undefeated to finish above .500

Who woulda thunk it?

(09-21-2024, 12:00 PM)bengalfan74 Wrote: So the Reds are 75-80 with 7 games to go. So they have to go undefeated to finish above .500

Who woulda thunk it?

They've been hanging around that 5 below .500 area most of the season so normally it wouldn't be that surprising but considering we haven't seen the entire starting rotation for over a month does make it surprising.

(09-21-2024, 12:00 PM)bengalfan74 Wrote: So the Reds are 75-80 with 7 games to go. So they have to go undefeated to finish above .500

Who woulda thunk it?

That they'll finish below .500? Most of us. 

(09-22-2024, 10:36 AM)TecmoBengals Wrote: That they'll finish below .500? Most of us. 

As I've said several times, don't get me wrong, I had no illusions we were a WS champion kinda team. But I really thought we would be in the mix.

And pretty much we've sucked all season besides a couple little runs here and there. I really thought we wouldn't stink on offense as bad as we have.

I dunno? I still believe we have a base to build on. But is ownership going to go out and complete the puzzle?