(04-09-2025, 09:51 AM)bengalfan74 Wrote: We're 3rd in the Majors with a 2.83 team ERA 1st in WHIP .094 - good news

23rd in team batting avg. .210    26th in OPS .608 - bad news

Reds are 2nd in the majors in walks allowed and Opponent Batting Average as well.

Our pitching is certainly our strength this season. I just hope the offense figures it out. We have Hays coming back soon (hopefully) and Stephenson has resumed baseball activities, so maybe that's the shot in the arm the offense needs.

(04-09-2025, 09:51 AM)bengalfan74 Wrote: We're 3rd in the Majors with a 2.83 team ERA 1st in WHIP .094 - good news

23rd in team batting avg. .210    26th in OPS .608 - bad news

A team being that far below .250 still blows my mind.
I know batting average has been declining over the years, but man.
This year, the average BA is .237 so far.
Last year, .243.
It hasn't been in the .26X range since the 2000's.

Are pitchers just getting that good or are hitters focusing too much on the long ball nowadays that it's causing BA to drop?

(04-09-2025, 09:56 AM)CJD Wrote: Reds are 2nd in the majors in walks allowed and Opponent Batting Average as well.

Our pitching is certainly our strength this season. I just hope the offense figures it out. We have Hays coming back soon (hopefully) and Stephenson has resumed baseball activities, so maybe that's the shot in the arm the offense needs.

Yup

I'm also hoping beyond hopes end perhaps, but damn McClain get healthy and stay on the field. We already had our Senzel experience. And also hoping Steer can right the ship and at least become a touch above average again.

But however/whoever does it we've got to get better at the plate.

They are a bunch of .700 OPS types with warning track power. They really need to alter their swings and become line drive types. Use their speed. Hit the ball the other way, etc. There's nothing wrong with that.

(04-09-2025, 10:15 AM)Goalpost Wrote: They are a bunch of .700 OPS types with warning track power.  They really need to alter their swings and become line drive types.  Use their speed.  Hit the ball the other way, etc. There's nothing wrong with that.

I'm all for it, I'd love LOVE it. I'm all for small ball and I believe this team could excel at it, big time.

Nice to have a 5-1 lead right now.

Benson is absolutely still who he was. 0-3, 3K

(04-09-2025, 06:10 PM)TheLeonardLeap Wrote: Nice to have a 5-1 lead right now.

Benson is absolutely still who he was. 0-3, 3K

6-1 now and yes Benson is a lost cause I'm afraid.

(04-09-2025, 06:21 PM)bengalfan74 Wrote: 6-1 now and yes Benson is a lost cause I'm afraid.

And of course now bottom of the 6th and it's just a 1-run game.
Martinez tabbed with another 4 earned runs, not even 6 full innings pitched.

At least this time Reds have gotten their bats going to hopefully pull out a miracle sweep?
Either way, they won the series, which is more than I expected before it started.

(04-09-2025, 06:10 PM)TheLeonardLeap Wrote: Nice to have a 5-1 lead right now.

Benson is absolutely still who he was. 0-3, 3K

Benson may be the most AAAA player I've ever seen.

Man, that $20 million QO for Martinez sure looks like money well spent!

The Reds deserved to lose that.

(04-09-2025, 06:38 PM)ochocincos Wrote: And of course now bottom of the 6th and it's just a 1-run game.
Martinez tabbed with another 4 earned runs, not even 6 full innings pitched.

At least this time Reds have gotten their bats going to hopefully pull out a miracle sweep?
Either way, they won the series, which is more than I expected before it started.

Yep, I was afraid of getting swept so I'm good.

Martinez is not though, come on Abbott.

Reds now head back to Cincy for a series against the Pirates where they can end up 8-8 if they sweep.
They also look like they will just avoid Skenes, who killed them last year.
Reds will have Singer tabbed for first game, and the other two are listed TBD. With Spiers sent back to LOU, I'm assuming we see Abbott and...maybe Greene for Sunday since it would be 6 days since his Monday gem?

Maybe the bats can start waking up, although I think Candelario's may be permanently dead. Dude has an embarrassingly low .371 OPS. Not a typo.

It's something of a dead horse, but it might be helpful to at least kick the tires on JD Martinez. This team has never really done a good job of utilizing the gift of the DH since it was instituted in the NL. Having a literal all-hit-no-field bat actually matters in this era.

My guess is that they are either just too cheap (captain obvious, I know), or they have so many hurt players that that's how they intend to protect them throughout the season.

Cheap IMO applies less here because we're talking about a player that's still unsigned as meaningful games are played.

Either way, I think offensive options outside the current roster need to be explored. The staff looks crazy good. It will be a black mark on the organization if they continue to turn out excellent performances only to fall due to lack of run support. Shutouts are great, but betting on them being regular occurrences is a losing strategy, just like hope.

There's something you don't see everyday...Reds have 5 runs on 1 hit.

(04-11-2025, 08:34 PM)Goalpost Wrote: There's something you don't see everyday...Reds have 5 runs on 1 hit.

This Pirates pitcher has spectacularly awful control. 

100 more Pirates games this season, please.

Diaz close to coming back, but Reds have Pagan, and considering Ashcraft and others.  Terry Francona isn't just handing the Closer role to anybody, someone will have to earn it.  Ashcraft is doing well, so I wondered if a return to starting rotation possible, but Francona and coaches think he is better suited to the bullpen.  They are not ruling Ashcraft out as their Saves guy or at least their Holds guy.  On Holds, he is doing better than many in MLB so far in 2025.

Ashcraft helped nail the door shut tonight with 2 good innings.  Diaz on coming back will not be the Saves or Holds guy right at first, Francona wants to see Diaz earn that pitching in lesser roles. Francona would like too see Diaz pitch well enough to be the Closer, but he has to show Francona more than he did in Spring Training. 

Abbott slated to pitch this evening so hopefully he does well and we can take a step towards moving Martinez or Spiers to bullpen.

Here's a little article on what a good trade, so far, we made with Singer for India.

https://www.msn.com/en-us/music/news/cincinnati-reds-absolutely-winning-brady-singer-trade-early-in-2025-season/ar-AA1CNmcT?ocid=msedgdhp&pc=ASTS&cvid=e1bfd5d17c6547ff886520651c3d8f63&ei=16

(04-12-2025, 02:51 PM)bengalfan74 Wrote: Abbott slated to pitch this evening so hopefully he does well and we can take a step towards moving Martinez or Spiers to bullpen.

Here's a little article on what a good trade, so far, we made with Singer for India.

https://www.msn.com/en-us/music/news/cincinnati-reds-absolutely-winning-brady-singer-trade-early-in-2025-season/ar-AA1CNmcT?ocid=msedgdhp&pc=ASTS&cvid=e1bfd5d17c6547ff886520651c3d8f63&ei=16

Sent Benson back to AAA to make room.