Over the last half of 2018 and the first half of 2019 I really thought Castillo was gonna be a real #1 at a minimum #2. He fell off a good bit in the back half 0f 2019 but I was hoping it was just being tired and young.

But he's still basically in that same funk. He's lining up more like a #5 every game.

Votto hoses Bauer with shoddy defensive play.

This team has a fatal hitting problem.

That is all.

(09-04-2020, 06:48 PM)bengalfan74 Wrote: Over the last half of 2018 and the first half of 2019 I really thought Castillo was gonna be a real #1 at a minimum #2. He fell off a good bit in the back half 0f 2019 but I was hoping it was just being tired and young.

But he's still basically in that same funk. He's lining up more like a #5 every game.

He actually looked better yesterday than he has all year.  Couple rough patches that he got out of.  I thought yesterday was kind of encouraging for him.

Detroit, Kansas City, and Pittsburg are a combined 43-69 and yet they are 7-7 against the Reds.

(09-02-2020, 09:14 PM)Nicomo Cosca Wrote: Was it even that many? All I remember is 2013.

2010 they made the playoffs. They did it again in 2012 going up 2-0 on the eventual champs only to blow 3 straight. They lost the play in game in 2013. That's the game Dusty started Latos over Cueto... Pretty much been hot garbage since.

7th inning and only pitching changes in the game so far. Having the DH masks one of Bell's weaknesses . . . the double switch. He's never prepared for extra innings because he plays everybody by the 7th or 8th. Going back to pitchers hitting will take him back to square one.

Suarez had no spring training and now has 12 home runs, 2 behind the leaders, as he passes the .200 mark for the first time this season. He'll finish above .250 at his current pace. Nice save if he can pull it off.

Edited . . . he hit number three tonight as I hit submit instead of preview.

Well, like I said, if you're going to pitch Lorenzen, put him in early so the team has time to make up for his screw ups. He got into trouble in the 6th, a hit and two walks, but Garrett got him out of it. Overall, the bullpen was outstanding today. 5 innings, one hit, three walks and zero runs. Archie Bradley gave up a couple of runners due to poor fielding by his defense but he, Garrett and Sims made the Pirates . . . well . . . look like the Pirates. Lots of bad swings caused by those three pitchers. Bell used the bullpen quite well today.

It was nice to see them beat Trevor Williams. He's owned Cincy for some reason and he was a big part in the fights last year so that's another plus.

20 games to go and 14 more are against the NL Central. Big game tomorrow before a day off and then six more on the road for a last shot at the Cubs and the Cardinals.

***** and moan all you want. This team is only a half of a game behind the Giants and one game behind the Rockies and the Brewers for the final wild card spot. Believe.
1 @ Pirates . . . 3-2 record against the Pirates for the season
3 @ Cubs  . . . 3-4
3 @ Cardinals . . . 2-5
4 vs Pirates - double header to start the series
3 vs White Sox
3 @ Brewers . . . 4-3
3 @ Twins

Reds 12-14 in the division this year and have a couple of tough inter-league opponents to finish off the season, 5-7 in inter-league play.

Lorenzen just needs to go.

We'll get em next year

Man, this bullpen sucks...

Well, I will batch & moan because Reds blew another game in the 9th. They split with a not very good Pirates team.

In order for Reds to make play-offs they would have to at least be a .500 ball team, something Reds haven't done in many years and Pirates show Reds aren't doing it this year either.

Jim Day surprisingly said that coming into today, since August 13th, the Reds had the best bullpen ERA in the NL . . . Quite shocking. Not shocking is that before that they were the 2nd worst in the entire league, 29th.

To put it in perspective, I'm also an Angels fan and although they won the game with 3 runs in the 9th last night . . . they also blew their 11th save of the season as a team. That's pathetic in such a short period of time. This bullpen is just OK with occasional fits of brilliance.

Lorenzen being put in late in the game is another mistake by Bell. That forced Iglesias to go more than one inning. He also should have walked the bases loaded to have a force at home. If the bases were loaded and the play still happened where Iglesias got Hayes in the rundown, it woulda/coulda/shoulda been a 1-2-3 double play.

Overall summary . . . if it's not a home run, the Reds don't score and that doesn't work well with an erratic bullpen and an overwhelmed manager.

(09-04-2020, 06:48 PM)bengalfan74 Wrote: But he's still basically in that same funk. He's lining up more like a #5 every game.

This year Castillo hasn't been that Cy Young candidate we all wanted/hoped, but he's still been 24% above average as a pitcher. If you think that's a #5, then you've got some absurdly high expectations.

He's striking out batters at a career high 12.5 K/9 (6th highest among all pitchers with 30+ IP), he's also at a career low 0.8 HR/9 (23rd best out of 93). Part of it is some bad luck. Batters have a .381 BABIP against him this year which is .109 higher than his career average. That .381 is actually THE highest in the league among those 93 pitchers, with the next closest being .013 lower.

All of that points to some bad luck. Even with that bad luck, coming into today of the 93 pitchers who have thrown at least 30 innings, Castillo is still 46th in ERA.

So even bad luck Castillo is still at least a #3.


- - - - - - - - -
(Also low key thing to keep in mind... the Reds are ranked 24th in the league in defense this year. It's not doing any of the pitchers any favors.)

Reds are screwed tonight. Strong wind blowing in, meaning no homers, meaning Reds may very well be shut out, as they are currently making a very mediocre pitcher look like a HOFer.

A team that's not a team. Just a bunch of individuals with no leader. They need a lead off hitter probably more than any team in MLB.

Reds team batting average entering tonight is .211. And....that's without pitchers hitting.

They look like a bunch of minor leaguers that never played together before that were an emergency fill in for a major league game.

Over matched, overwhelmed and star stricken.

(09-08-2020, 10:32 PM)Forever Spinning Vinyl Wrote: A team that's not a team. Just a bunch of individuals with no leader. They need a lead off hitter probably more than any team in MLB.

Right, it's just a bunch of guys going out there playing home run derby. Nothing else matters or they can't do anything else ? They have to hope the opposing pitcher hits somebody so they have a baserunner then hit a dinger. Otherwise they have no prayer. 

(09-08-2020, 11:08 PM)Goalpost Wrote: Reds team batting average entering tonight is .211.  And....that's without pitchers hitting.

It's pathetic ! Hell they'd probably raise the average if the pitchers got to bat.

Reds 6 games underb .500 with only 18 games left.

I have said all along that a team under .500 had a chance of making the playoffs in the NL. A run of 12-6 would get the Reds to .500. Winning 12 of 18 is not a ridiculous number, but the problem is the Reds have done nothing to make ne think they can turn it around. They just look like a bad team.

The starting pitching looked great at the start, but even that has gone dwonhill.

I wassoi impressed with all the moves the team mad ethis offseason, but the guys we paid all that money look like crap.