OK so I know we don’t have sole possession of first place in the NL Central, but even being in a three way tie for first is something I never thought was going to happen. Not even two weeks ago!

Since the last time I posted alot of stuff has went down. Is that Rosales guy fun to watch or what?? Of course, I don’t think he’ll continue with his .295 average the rest of the year but, at least he would be a good guy off the bench. 15.6 seconds around the bases for a home run.. HAHA! I sure hope, if he continues hitting the way he has, that he stays the starting 3b…I’ve never been a big EE fan.

Besides Rosales, I can’t pick out one particular player that has improved because EVERYONE has! It seems like everyone has started hitting better, which is always fun to watch!

BP has as many RBI as Votto- 26

Willy T is hitting .322

Ramon Hernandez is hititng .279

Votto is hitting .374- highest BA in the NL!

Hanigan is hitting .310

Look at our starting pitching- We could have four 15 game winners! Cueto 1.93 ERA

Even with all the good… there is still going to be somebody that is bad. Take in part, Mike Lincoln. God, I hate him. 13.1 IP 19 Hits and a 9.35 ERA… JESUS thats awful!

PLEASE, OH PLEASE Walt bring up Pedro Viola to replace him. We could add another lefty to the pen and look at his AAA stats… WOW. 14.2 IP 6 hits and a 0.61 ERA. Bring up Pedro!

I apoligize for not posting in awhile, however, I hope people check back more often because I will be posting more frequently.

I posted awhile back talking about how much I loved the Reds 5′6 relief pitcher Danny Herrera. Is this guy fun to watch or what?! I mean I wouldn’t care if the guy was 5′6, 6′0 or 6′8 the dude can pitch. Watching a screwball pitcher is something not every fan gets to see so Reds fans… you are lucky. He doesn’t do anything fancy or throw 98 MPH fastballs but he does do one thing…. gets outs.

I remember reading an article not too long ago which talked about Josh Hamilton. The article was based around how Josh is a type of player that people stop whatever they are doing to watch… kind of like a Barry Bonds or Albert Pujols. Well, the entire time i was reading this article, I thought to myself who my “stop-to-watch” player is. It didn’t take me long to think who it was.. it is Danny Herrera. Laugh all you want but Reds fans that watch games regularly can back me up that Herrera is fun to watch. It’s been noted that he can throw 12 different pitches, with his fastball topping out at 81 MPH.

People forget that Danny Herrera was the “throw in” player in the Josh Hamilton trade. Sure Edinson is struggling right now and I’d love to have Josh Hamilton bat in this lineup but I want people to not forget about Herrera. He has posted a 2.35 ERA w/ 6 SO in 7.2 IP.

I’m going to close on this note. Sure everyone loves the drug comeback story of Josh Hamilton, or the pitcher turned outfielder story of Rick Ankiel, but what about the life story of Danny Herrera. Both Hamilton and Ankiel were destined to be great players, Herrera was not. He doesn’t have the flam throwing arm or the excellent power behind the plate.. all he has is 12 different pitches none that reach over 81MPH. He throws pitches that are normally thrown in a wiffle ball game. Herrera is more than an underdog story… his story is a miracal. So Reds fans… who is your “stop-to-watch” player??

First off, let me apologize for not posting anything for about a week and a half. My life has been pretty crazy, however, I’ve still manage to catch every reds game. As you know the Reds are looking pretty decent, besides their hitting, oh and Volquez and Lincoln.

Taking 2 out of 3 against Houston was great but man… taking 3 out of 4 from the Cubs was even better! I sure do hate the cubs and watching Votto tear them up was just so sweet to watch. Every Reds fan knows they aren’t hitting right now and every fan knows that Volquez is struggling (walking 5 straight batters in one game… JESUS) but some fans might not know the unfamilar facts and stats that are listed below:

1. Is Chris Dickerson a strike out machine or what?! What happened to the old Dickerson from last year… apparently he went away. 16 SO in 42 AB… GOOD GOD MAN!

2. Does AGon look smooth at short or what?! Man, he sure has been playing really good D lately. I forgot how nasty he once was. Although he is still struggling, he does have a hit in each of his last 5 games.

 3. Ramon Hernandez has played much much better lately… bringing his average up to .255. He has had two hits in each of his last three games.

4. Jay Bruce has brought his average up to .286 with 34 total bases. If he can lower his strike outs, he would be much much more consistent.

5. I made this bold because Mike Lincoln is the most frustrating player on the entire Reds team. The guy has pitched 7.1 innings and given up 12 ER!! That is TERRRRRRRIBLE. He has a 14.73 ERA and has walked 9 batters. He has WALKED more batters than IP! WOW. What is the world is he doing on this team?!? I hate hearing over and over from the announcers that he did great last year and hadn’t pitched in 3 years blah blah blah. I don’t care if he didn’t pitch for 3 years or 10 years.. ending the year with a 4.48 ERA doesn’t mean you “great” and “spectacular”.

Today, the Reds announced that the PTBNL in the Jeff Keppinger trade is Drew Sutton and infield prospect who will be assigned to AAA Lousiville. There was a rumor last week that Sutton was the player the Reds were going to get but I thought no way…. this kid is too good! Boy, glad I was wrong!

Drew Sutton=Stud

At only 25, Drew Sutton still has alot of life in him to become a Major Leaguer. He hit an outstanding .317 in AA Corpus Christi last year with the Astros. He had a .408 OBP and drove in 68 runs!

We got him for a guy we didn’t have any room for. I know J-kepp is tearing it up right now, but reality will sink in and soon Astros fans will realize he is not an everyday player.

PS. Check out the Astros message board if you have time.. they are PISSED that Sutton was the PTBNL.

You hear it folks, the reds actually one a series on the road against a division oppennant. If you have been a reds fan for more than five years, you can contest that a win on the road against a division oppenenant is normally hard to do for the reds. Of course I would of loved a sweep but I knew, going into the third game, that the chance of us winning were pretty slim. Owings hadn’t pitched in two weeks and Looper always pitches well against the Reds.

Some positives about the series:

1. Bronson Arroyo- Dude looked NOTHING like his previous start as he went 6 1/3 giving up only 1 ER and 4 hits. I know the Brewers have a lineup dominated by right handed hitters but if Bronson can do half as good as he did this series the rest of the season it would really help out the reds.

2. Willy T- He went 3-10 in the series with 2 walks and 0 SO. Also, he scored 3 runs and stole 2 bases.

3. A Gon- ALthough I probably shouldn’t include him in the positive categories, I decided to due to the fact that he FINALLY got a hit! Also, he played some superb defense in the series.

4. Edwin Encarnacion- Is this guy clutch or what?! I know he only got one hit in the series but it was a big one- a grand slam. However, he made a bad throwing error at third… hopefully it won’t continue.

Sone Negatives about the series:

1. Edinson Volquez- He looked AWFUL. He gave up 6ER in only 5 IP and also walked 4. Volquez needs to step it up big time.

2. Jay Bruce- Although he hit a home run in the second game, that was his ONLY hit in the entire series. He struck out 4 times and looks completly lost at the plate. Give the man a day off…. PLEASE.

3. Jaret Burton- I hate to put him on the negatives list cuz I like the guy alot but he he single handly blow the game for us on Wednesday or what?! Giving up 4 ERA in 1 inning.

PS Congrats to Mike Lincon from lowering his ERA from 34.71 to 24.30. It’s a big step.

Yesterday, the reds completed their fifth game of the season. Winning 1 out of 3 against the Mets isnt too bad and was what I expected. The mets have one of the highest payrolls in all of baseball, and competing very well in each game says alot about this ball club. Splitting the game with the Pirates was ok as well, considering we had to face Paul Maholhm. A lefty and a damn good one at that. Below I listed some positives and negatives from these two series:

Positives:

1. Aaron Harang- Good Lord! This guy looks nothing like last year. Pitching that complete game, 0er and only 3 hits was an AWESOME thing to see. His line of 14IP, 10 Hits, 3BB, 11SO, and a 0.64 ERA is impresive.

2. Joey Votto- Hard to put this guy second. He has been hitting the SHIT out of the ball. Hitting .400 with 7 RBI and 2 HR!

3. Brandon Phillips- Hitting .357 with 4RBI’s and 5 BB

4. Edwin Encarnacion- Although his average isn’t up to par, he does have 7 walks- the most on the team. Is this the year he has better plate discipline and turns into the player we have been wanting??

Negatives

1. Jay Bruce- hitting .200 with 5SO and only 1BB

2. Ramon Hernandez/Jerry Hairston/Alex Gonzalez- hitting a combined 2 for 29. They all look lost at the plate and swing and very bad pitches. Alex Gonzalez is still waiting to get his first hit of the year. It’s hard to watch these three.

3. Mike Lincoln- 34.71 ERA– IS THAT EVEN POSSIBLE!?? 2.1 IP with 9 ER. That is NOT GOOD.

Many of you who are reading this post, probably already know that the Red’s lost their opening day game 2-1 on Monday. I still don’t know how we only lost by 1… seems like I was constantly thinking we should be down by 4 or 5… OH WELL!

After reading reds blogs and message boards daily for over three years, I really believe that Cincinnati has the most pessimistic fans in all of baseball. People are gripping over the reds opening day offensive output and claiming that the reds will not hit all year. Jesus… do you realize who we played and had to hit against?! Yeah the reds didn’t hit but they had to face not just a lefty, but the best lefty in ALL OF BASEBALL and ,not to mention, a very improved bullpen with the best closer in ALL OF BASEBALL. COME ON REDS FANS!

Jeff Keppinger hit a game winning broken bat single last night for the Houston. And who would of guessed it, I got on the reds message board and all I read is about how dumb trading keppinger was and how we need him on this team. The same people complaining how we traded Keppinger yesterday were the same people rejoicing and saying it was a “great move” the day he was traded. COME ON REDS FANS

There were many people on the reds message board yesterday complaining about my man Danny Herrera and how he needs to be sent down and that he is “trash and worthless”. I couldn’t believe what I was reading. The guy was flat out nervous and you could tell. He hit his spots all ST, having excellent command. Just because he was nervous and pitched a bad inning, doesnt mean he is trash and should be sent down. Thats ridiculous. I’m sure when Herrera ends the season as being one of the best pitchers in our bullpen, those same people will be saying how great and awesome he was and how glad they were to have him on our team. COME ON REDS FANS!

I have a message to ALL Reds fans: Relax and take deeps breaths. Just because a team loses their first game doesn’t mean their season is over.. there is 161 more games. Just because an offense may have a bad night doesn’t mean they will struggle all season… there is 161 more games. Just because a pitcher has a bad inning doesn’t mean he should get sent down to AAA… there is 161 more games. It’s one thing to criticize a particular player for their ability or critic the fundamentals, or the lack their of in a game, buts its completly another thing to say a season is over after opening day. Reds fans need to sit back and take a few deep breaths. They say in football that you cant judge a draft pick till three years down the road… I feel like the same thing can be applied to baseball.. You can’t just a season until at least the all star break. COME ON REDS FANS!

Jeff Keppinger was traded to the Astros yesterday for a PTBNL. The PTBNL will be made soon. I think it wasn’t a bad plan for the Reds and was definitly a good thing for Jkepp. Jkep hasn’t been the same since he broke his kneecap and seemed last year to prove that he wasn’t anything but a player off the bench. Bench players are something the Reds have an abundance of and Jkepp is someone they could trade to get somebody in return. Jkeep benefits because he will probably get a chance to play everyday, probably at his best position- 3B. I wish Jkepp my best and I’m sure all Reds fans will do the same.

I’m not sure if this is completly accurate but the average height of a Major League pitcher is 6′2.

The Reds Pitcher Danny Herrera is 5′6.

With Danny Herrera, I have had nothing but positive things to say about him ever since he got a chance to pitch last year. Dude is a stud and I really hope he makes the team. He is a long shot but man, he is such a great story! He is 5′6, 140 pounds and has an 86 MPH fastball. He apparently has 12 different pictches in his arsenal and is a screwball pitcher. How sweet is that!

You have got to be kidding me. Three days after I post about Jacque Jones still being on the team, he FINALLY got sent down! It’s unknown if he is going to accept the Minor League deal because he may want to test the free marker and see if anyone is going to give him a Major League offer. Jacque, come on man, NO ONE is going to give you a Major League deal.

Not only did Jones get sent down, Pedro Viola and Josh Roenicke got sent down as well. That was nothing to surprising.

Hello All!

Let me first start off my saying that I’m sorry I haven’t been able to post an blogs for awhile. I went down to Florida for a week, caught two reds games, and have been busy busy ever since. Anyways…

Well Jacque, you’re not the only one who is lost. Every Reds fan is lost as to why in the world you haven’t been cut yet. As if a .141 BA and a below .250 OBP wasn’t bad enough last year, you are hitting a wopping .105 in Spring Training with a .171 OBP. HOW HAVENT YOU BEEN CUT YET?!? Not only havent you been cut yet, you have got the 4th most AB’s on the team! Go ahead and cut him Dusty so Gomes and Taveras can get more AB’s. What do you think the chances of Jacque making the opening day roster? With Dusty at the healm, i’d say 292939%.

Since my last post, cuts have been made but no one significant or surprising. More recently the two players you have actually probably heard of (HAHA) that got cut were Daryle Ward and Juan Francisco. They both got optioned down to AAA, Juan being for the purpose of getting some AAA time and Daryle to get some extra practice. My guess is that Daryle Ward, once he has found his swing, will get called up to be that Left handed pitch hitter of the bench. But hey… if Micah Owings can hit, which he can, do we need him??

We all know the comments that Spring Training mean nothing and blah blah blah but take a look at the battle for the #5 spot. Both Owings, 1.23 ERA 14 IP 16 SO, and Homer, 2.25 ERA 14IP and 12 SO, have pitched great. Owings has looked like he has fully recovered from his surgery and Homer really looks as though he has found his control. My opinion, give Owings the starting job and put Homer in the bull pen.. but we’ll see that happens!