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.

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 have finalized their 25 man roster for opening day.  Johnny Cueto, Paul Bako,  Mike Lincoln, Kent Mercker, and Corey Patterson all had their contracts purchased by the big league club and made the roster.

David Ross, Alex Gonzalez, and Matt Belisle were all placed on the 15 day disabled list.

Mike Stanton and Jon Coutlangus were designated for assignment.