2018 Reds Season Thread

[kevin]

Opening Day after Rain Out yesterday. GO REDS

[jorev5]

I am excited. Interested to see how some of the player perform/improve. Go Reds!

[guyofthetiger]

Looking for a better season. However, the Cubs, Brewers, and Cardinals are going to be tough this year.

[*bengalfan74*]

I think they have the position players/hitting to be pretty competitive. Question is as always do we have the pitching ?

[SunsetBengal]

Well, the bats were silent today, as the Reds got shutout 2-0.

Can't blame that on pitching.

[*michaelsean*]

How many innings til they score? Scooter looked good.

[Goalpost]

Homer looked good. If they are able to turn a double play, and make a make a better throw home on the sac fly, game is scoreless. Kind of plays that don't show up on a stat sheet... we may not be as good defensively this year.

[StoneTheCrow]

They started the season the same way the Bengals did. Goose egg. Soooooo very Cincinnati.

[*michaelsean*]

(03-31-2018, 10:29 AM)StoneTheCrow Wrote: They started the season the same way the Bengals did. Goose egg. Soooooo very Cincinnati.

We need an NBA team to break the streak.

[Yojimbo]

Price continues to prove why he shouldn't be a MLB manager. Naming Reed to the 5th starter spot over Garrett is insane. Garrett was far and away the better pitcher this spring. I'd even have put Garrett ahead of Romano too.

With the signing of Gallardo , though, it might not matter.

[guyofthetiger]

Scherzer was tough and the Reds had a chance to win. Only one game and hope we win the next two to take the series.

[*michaelsean*]

7 runs! Washington scored some too.

[grampahol]

I kind of miss opening day . Once upon a time I used to go to opening day games .
One year my brother and myself had great seats behind 3rd base, but it was cold and in the shade so we hiked out to somewhere in the bleachers in center field in the warm sun to watch the rest of the game.. By then the center field seats were mostly empty and damned if some usher came along to inform us our tickets didn't allow us to sit out in the sun   ..

[samhain]

It's just two games, but I can't decide if this team is just really bad or had really bad luck in facing Scherzer and Strasburg to open the season. At least Homer looked competent on Friday.

[*michaelsean*]

Ok working out the kinks. Nice to start the season facing two of the highest payrolls in baseball.

[*michaelsean*]

Just looking at the payrolls this year, the Reds have to catch lightning in a bottle to win a World Series, and then they are probably done. You have to hand it to cities like St Louis and Boston, that sell out a lot of games without a much bigger population.

[samhain]

(04-01-2018, 08:18 PM)michaelsean Wrote: Just looking at the payrolls this year, the Reds have to catch lightning in a bottle to win a World Series, and then they are probably done. You have to hand it to cities like St Louis and Boston, that sell out a lot of games without a much bigger population.

St Louis gets by because they develop pitching better than almost anyone.  Any fair assessment of the Reds over the last 30 or so years would point to them being awful at developing pitching in-house.  Outside of Cueto, there's really been nothing amazing in the Reds system.  One guy in 3 decades.  That sucks, and that really sucks when you throw in the fact that the Reds can't/won't sign TOR help from outside the organization.  I'm not saying that it's a great idea, but it's not even an option here.  

Boston has a huge payroll regardless of population.  Ownership makes a big difference.  If the owner isn't inclined to pinch pennies, then you can rebuild pretty quick.  

I went into the offseason somewhat hopeful that they'd turn a corner and perhaps get some help in free agency to speed up the rebuild.  They've slashed payroll and tried to accumulate prospects for 5 years now.  It's about time for the pain to become gain.  I just don't see it now.  I think the pitching prospects that they are needing to pan out are mediocre at best.  Outside of Castillo, I'd be surprised if more than two of them even become serviceable 3rd starters.  

I get a bad feeling that this team might actually be capable of getting worse this year.  I hope like hell that I'm wrong, but the pitching is awful and any lineup that terminates with Peraza/pitcher/Hamilton is doomed.  That's a bottom third of the order where any chance of a rally will go do die every time. 

[Goalpost]

Washington is a good team. But playing at home I think we should have put up a better fight. We never led one inning of this series. 0-3 on the road is one thing. 0-3 at home is another. Bad performance. I cant see any fan that went, I didn't, walking away positive what they saw.

[kevin]

Reds get swept to start the season. The good news is it was by Washington who does not come back to Cincinnati until 2019. There are World Series type teams the Reds have no business iheblurn the same field with as Reds are trying to climb out of last place last few seasons. Dodgers, Nationals and Cubs way ahead of Reds. The games with Indians, the Indians way ahead of Reds. Now St Louis may not be as good as they have been. Pittsburg unloaded good players. Milwaukee nothing special. The Reds could end up in second place in NL Central which is a lot better than last place.

I'm not sure why Price is benching Duvall on Opening Day. My Line-Up would be
Hamilton
Gennett
Votto
Duvall
Scheblur
Suarez
Peraza
Burkhead / Mesoraco
Pitcher

The heck with this new outfielder Price has a man crush on. Also bat pitcher 9th and lead off with your base stealer Hamilton. Table setters are Hamilton, Gennett and Votto. The Power of Line-up is Votto, Duvall, Schebler. You have good D up the middle. This is a Sparky type line-up. I don't know why Price is jacking around with this because ownership has got Price the starting 8. Price should just go with the starting 8 and put all his work into pitching. If the Reds don't improve on pitching, it's last place again. I hate hearing some of these top draft picks back on DL again. Looking like some of them will never be healthy.

Opening Day, some of the names in bullpen not very good. Here again, a lot of injuries all over again, so some real stiffs in there. That big fat guy they brought in 8th inning doesn't look like much. Sure doesn't look like an 8th inning guy on Opening Day. Looks more like batting practice. I would think Peralta set up man and Iglesias closer in a tight game Opening Game.

People on here say no reason for Marvin Lewis but Lewis gets team to play-offs about 50 % of the time. Since Dusty left and Price took over Reds around last 100 % of the time. Maybe no manager could have beat Washington with the Reds this weekend. Still, I look at these line-ups, the pitching moves. I see Prices boy replacing Duvall run into Hamilton on a routine fly ball. That was NOT a good play. Hamiltons good on D, and that new guy needs to get the heck out of the center fielders way on those. Prices new boy crashing into Hamilton on a routine fly, when really Duvall should be playing. I have not seen Price do anything since taking over in 2014. Bailey looking out to outfielders running into each other on a routine fly, that look on Bailey's face not very happy tells it all. Look Hamilton is good on defense, so this running into each other is the new guy, because Hamilton is great on D. Another reason to start Duvall. Duvall was 24th in MLB OF batting numbers last year. Certainly best hitting OF on Reds. Price doesn't have the luxury of benching his best OF for his new boy.

159 games left. No more Washington in Cincy this year. The Cubs next up is bad news, but Reds have to play Cubs a lot. My guess is if you want to see Reds win, go when Reds play Cardinals, Pirates or Brewers and they have a better chance of winning. If Reds are still last behind Pirates and Brewers this year in June, Price needs the early ax pink slip.

[*michaelsean*]

(04-01-2018, 10:34 PM)samhain Wrote: St Louis gets by because they develop pitching better than almost anyone.  Any fair assessment of the Reds over the last 30 or so years would point to them being awful at developing pitching in-house.  Outside of Cueto, there's really been nothing amazing in the Reds system.  One guy in 3 decades.  That sucks, and that really sucks when you throw in the fact that the Reds can't/won't sign TOR help from outside the organization.  I'm not saying that it's a great idea, but it's not even an option here.  

Boston has a huge payroll regardless of population.  Ownership makes a big difference.  If the owner isn't inclined to pinch pennies, then you can rebuild pretty quick.  

I went into the offseason somewhat hopeful that they'd turn a corner and perhaps get some help in free agency to speed up the rebuild.  They've slashed payroll and tried to accumulate prospects for 5 years now.  It's about time for the pain to become gain.  I just don't see it now.  I think the pitching prospects that they are needing to pan out are mediocre at best.  Outside of Castillo, I'd be surprised if more than two of them even become serviceable 3rd starters.  

I get a bad feeling that this team might actually be capable of getting worse this year.  I hope like hell that I'm wrong, but the pitching is awful and any lineup that terminates with Peraza/pitcher/Hamilton is doomed.  That's a bottom third of the order where any chance of a rally will go do die every time. 

St Louis also had almost twice the attendance of the Reds.  3.45 million to 1.8 million.  That's a lot of extra money to retain players and get the help you need.