So whats more important for you.. Celebrating Valentines day with your loved one or Celebrating that the Reds pitchers and catchers reported today?? Following a physical, pitchers and catchers will report on the field at 1:30 today. 29 pitchers are reporting and 8 catchers.

Aaron Harang, Fransico Cordero, Bill Bray, Jay Bruce, and Chris Dickerson came to came early. They got their before the weekend. I appreciate that. Especially from veterans like Aaron Harang and Fransico Cordero.

I’m really hoping for Micah Owings for that 5th starting spot. Hopefully he will be healthy and pitch well enough to earn the 5th spot. Besides Owings, we don’t really have a dependable 5th starter.. Malony is a couple years away and who knows with Homer!

It’s about that time of year again which all reds fans look forward too- Spring Training. I personally am heading down for two games in the second week in March. Should be great to get away from the cold and rainy weather and be able to relax, drink some beers, and watch some baseball. LOL. Going into this ST without Dunn and Griffey penciled in as starters, poses a lot of questions.

1. Like the previous blog I posted, who is going to be our left fielder? Almost too many options to list!

2. Walt throughout the whole offseason was stressing the fact that the reds need a right handed run producer. Well Walt, we didn’t exactly acquire one. So, who is going to step up? Gomes? Hairston?

3. Do we have a dependable and serviceable catcher? Hanigan has alot to prove and Hernandez didn’t prove ANYTHING last season.

4. Volquez and Cueto. Can Volquez pitch like he did the beginning of the year and can Cueto pitch more innings and avoid the “sophomore slump”?

5. Will Harang pitch in his 08 form or his dismal 09 form? That will make or break out pitching rotation this year.

6. Who will step up to be the 5th starter? Josh Fogg was PATHETIC last year and so was pretty much everyone else they put into that spot.

7. Micah Owings. Owings has been kind of overlooked this offseason and could surprise. He is definitely a serviceable 5th starter when healthy and the guy can flat out rake. I can see him as definitely being a fan favorite.

8. Can Crusty Dusty not play favorites and prevent Jacque Jones from being a Corey Patterson clone?

9. Is Alex Gonzalez healthy? The guy hasn’t played in forever and is 31.

10. Homer Bailey. This is the season for decision time for Homer and the Reads. If Homer doesn’t show any promise, he is gone. However, if he does he could contend for the #5 spot.

11. Arthur Rhodes. A good, low risk signing in the offseason but can he fill the shoes of Affeldt. Many people overlooked the great job Affeldt did for us against lefties last year. If Rhodes puts up the same performance he did in 09 against lefties he could be an all-star.

The Cincinnati Reds scored six runs in the bottom of the seventh inning as they came from behind to beat the Florida Marlins on Monday afternoon. The 7-5 victory over the Marlins was a one game makeup game that the two teams had to play on what should have been an off day.

Joey Votto was one of three players to finish the game with two rbi. Votto had a solo home run and a rbi double in the game. The other two players with two rbi each were Jerry Hairston Jr. and Andy Phillips. Ryan Hanigan also chipped in with one rbi as well in the game. Great comeback by the offense in the seventh inning to pick up the pitching staff.

Aaron Harang picked up his sixth win of the season and is now 6-16. Harang tossed seven innings and gave up eight hits and four runs. It was a decent start for Harang but he did allow two walks and two home runs in the game. Reds closer Francisco Cordero allowed one run to score in the ninth inning but was able to record his 33rd save of the season.

The Reds will now head to Houston to take on the Houston Astros in a three game series.

- Reds Blog

The Cincinnati Reds and Houston Astros finished up a three game series on Thursday afternoon and it was the Astros coming out on top by the score of 3-2. With the one run loss, the Reds dropped two out of three games down in Houston and dropped their season record to 58-76 but not like it matters at this point in the season.

Aaron Harang tool the loss and is now 4-14 on the year. He didn’t throw the ball that badly as he did pitch seven innings. Harang gave up seven hits and three runs and the Reds offense wasn’t there to back him up.

At the plate, Jay Bruce had a rbi triple in the seventh inning and then Corey Patterson knocked him in with a rbi single. Those were the only two runs the Reds would get on the day as they struggled at the plate and struckout ten times.

Reds Baseball Blog

Aaron Harang struggled on the mound as he only lasted 4 1/3 innings and the Cincinnati Reds lost to the Chicago Cubs by the score of 7-3.  Harang fell to 3-11 on the season as he gave up five hits and six runs including two home runs.  Definately not the way the Reds wanted to kick off their three game series with the Cubs.

Jeremy Affeldt also gave up one run in relief of Harang.  Gary Majewski pitched the seventh and eighth inning and only allowed one hit and zero runs.

The Reds struggled at the plate until the ninth inning.  They had two singles and a run early in the game off Ryan Dempster but then did not have a hit untl the ninth inning when they had three hits and scored two runs.  Paul Bako walked in the fourth inning with the bases loaded for one rbi.  Javier Valentin had a rbi double in the ninth inning before Jerry Hairston Jr. had a rbi grounded out in the same inning.

The Reds will try to get their first win of the series and tie the series at 1-1 on Wednesday.

Reds Blog

Ken Griffey Jr. hit a pitch hit walk off home run on Monday night as the Cincinnati Reds defeated the Pittsburgh Pirates by the score of 4-3.  The dramatic win was very big for the Reds as they were behind the entire game until Griffey Jr. took one swing and ended the game with the two run shot off of Matt Capps.

Jerry Hairston Jr. also added a solo home run in the game and Jay Bruce added a rbi with a fielders choice in the sixth inning.

Aaron Harang started the game for the Reds and threw six innings while giving up seven hits and three runs.  Harang was on the line to take the loss but got saved with the Griffey home run and instead got a no decision in the game.  Francisco Cordero picked up the win for the team and is now 3-1 on the season.  Jeff Burton also tossed one inning of scoreless relief in the eighth inning.

We will have to see if the Reds can carry any momentum over into Tuesday nights game against the Pirates.

Reds Blog

Walks to Norris Hopper and Paul Janish, a sacrifice bunt by David Ross, and a sacrifice fly by Jay Bruce manufactured the winning run in the top of the tenth as the Reds bested the Blue Jays 6-5 in extra innings.  Jared Burton picked up his fourth win in relief, and Francisco Cordero notched his 15th save.

Ken Griffey Jr. hit a two-run homer in the top of the first off Jays starter Roy Halliday.  Reds starter Aaron Harang had one bad inning, giving up a pair of two-run shots to Adam Lind and Joe Inglett in the third.

Bluzer runs RedlegStats.com, the home of Absolute Average, a better alternative to OPS.

Aaron Harang had a subpar start, lasted only five innings and suffered his tenth loss of the season, while young Dodger lefty Eric Stults stymied the Reds hitters for six innings to earn his first win of the year.  James Loney went 3-for-4, while Matt Kemp hit his sixth home run and drove in three for the Dodgers.  Brandon Phillips and Norris Hopper had two hits each for the Reds.  The loss completed a 2-7 homestand for the Reds.

Bluzer runs RedlegStats.com, the home of Absolute Average, a better alternative to OPS.

Jay Bruce got the Reds off to a good start in interleague play with a leadoff home run in the first, and starter Aaron Harang, setup man Jared Burton, and closer Francisco Cordero limited the Bosox to one run on five hits.  Harang got only his third win of the season, but looked like his old self.  Sean Casey, playing first base for the Red Sox, also looked pleasantly familiar.  Adam Dunn blasted a solo homer, and Joey Votto hit a run-scoring double.  Manny Ramirez drove in the lone Sox run.

Bluzer runs RedlegStats.com, the home of Absolute Average, an improvement over OPS.

The day after a demoralizing defeat, the Reds managed only three hits off a Double-A pitcher (Ryan Tucker, who was called up before the game) and three Marlin relievers, as Florida cruised to a 9-2 victory.  Aaron Harang’s season-long miseries continued as he gave up eight runs (seven earned) on eleven hits in five and one-third, to slip to 2 and 9 on the year.  Hanley Ramirez hit two home runs and drove in four runs for the Marlins.  Corey Patterson, a late-inning replacement for Ken Griffey Jr. (still at 599 and holding) hit a solo shot for the Reds.