Random Opening Day Thoughts

A few quick hits on Opening Day:


**People are already killing Joey Votto for his approach, but am I the only one who thought he swung early and often yesterday? In fact, he saw 14 pitches and swung at 7 of them.

**Johnny Cueto looked great, but still uses the Tiant-twist. He'd better be right that the twist isn't causing his injuries, because we can't afford another oblique strain.

**Interesting to see the Reds using more defensive shifts, even if they didn't always work. I wonder who generates the data they use to determine how and when to shift.

**Billy Hamilton was abused by Wainwright. John Kruk was right, Wainwright had him "taking strikes and swinging at balls."

**Cozart is still tremendous on defense and something far less than tremendous on offense.

**Very heady play by Todd Frazier to steal 2nd base off of Wainwright and Molina without a throw. He's always been a high baseball IQ player.

**Interesting contrast in bullpen usage by Price and Matheny. Matheny played matchups in the 8th inning and may have illustrated the problem with batting Votto and Bruce back-to-back in the lineup, as they both faced Siegrist, while Ludwick and Frazier both got Carlos Martinez. It'll be interesting to see how Price's view on left/right matchups plays out over the course of the season in terms of both bullpen usage and lineup construction. As of now, he doesn't seem to care about L/R matchups on either side of the ball.

**I'm concerned about the catcher position, because Brayan Pena clearly isn't the answer and I'm not sure Devin Mesoraco is either.

**I'm still confused by our bench, but I guess injuries to Skip and Hannahan opened up jobs for unexpected guys.

**Trevor Rosenthal's 87 mph changeup with massive arm-side run is a nasty pitch.

**Brandon Phillips still seems heavier and slower.

Random Thoughts in August

*** Through Thursday's games, the only team in the NL Central who has scored MORE runs than they have allowed is the Chicago Cubs (RS: 607, RA: 559). Even the mighty BrewCrew has faded to the point where they have allowed more than they've scored. The Comedy Central lives on.

*** The Reds have been playing great baseball as of late, it's just unfortunate that it took them so long to play up to their potential. They've always had the talent, but the bullpen never allowed the team to succeed.

*** Aaron Harang continues to amaze. After the Pirates took both games of the Tuesday doubleheader, Harang stepped forward and played the role of stopper to perfection. We haven't had a top flight pitcher like Harang on the Reds in a long time. If the Reds had a better team, then he'd be in the mix for Cy Young consideration. Jake Peavy is having an unbelievable season and should win the award in a walk, but Harang should at least be in the discussion.

*** Brandon Phillips is quickly approaching a 30/30 season. He has 26 homers and 25 steals on the season and ranks as one of the great acquisitions in baseball over the past decade. Hopefully, the Reds will keep him in Cincy for years to come.

*** Much like 2006, the bullpen this year has taken a big step forward after the All Star game. The emergence of Jared Burton and Billy Bray coupled with the continued excellence of David Weathers has given the Reds something resembling a solid bullpen. Bray and Burton have finally given the Reds a bridge from the starters to the 9th inning and David Weathers. Bray, Burton, Coutlangus, and Marcus McBeth could be the foundation of a rock solid bullpen in the future.

*** Interesting to see Bud Selig weighing in on the future Houston manager. In an interview, Selig threw his support behind interim manager Cecil Cooper and pointing to the importance of minority hiring in baseball. While I agree about the importance of bringing minorities into the ranks of MLB managers, it seems odd and inappropriate that the commissioner would express his preference before the hiring process has even gotten underway.

*** Another day, another loss for the ChiSox, another tirade from Ozzie Guillen. As much as I enjoyed watching him as a player, I can't imagine it would be much fun to play for Ozzie the manager. Here's a glimpse:

"I'm tired of seeing that [expletive], day in and day out. And I don't want to spend a miserable September seeing the same [expletive]. If I have to see the same [expletive], I told [team GM Kenny Williams], 'Bring somebody up. [Expletive] it.' If it's my fault, I should be moving out of here then. If it's my fault, [expletive] fire my ass and I'll be fine. I have the job to do, and I get paid a lot of [expletive] money to make this club work, but it's not easy to work with people like that. It's not easy.'' ''You see this since April,'' Guillen said. ''I keep giving people a chance to succeed. A pat on the back. I wish I played for a manager like that. I swear to God I wish I could have played for a [expletive] manager like that. Every time you fail and keep putting guys out there who fail day-in and day-out, that's easy to play."

Ozzie Guillien isn't the type of manager that seems likely to have a long tenure. That kind of volatility doesn't play well in a losing clubhouse. If the Sox don't turn things around soon, Ozzie might not be long for the job.

*** It's still very earlier, but despite the Reds recent resurgence they are still likely to have a high draft pick. At this point, UCLA shortstop Brandon Crawford looks like the real deal. As of late, the Reds have been focusing on adding prospects who play premier defensive positions (Stubbs, Mesoraco). Crawford looks to have the complete, well-rounded game that would make him a fine addition to any team. Maybe the Reds will give him a look in next year's draft.

*** Homer Bailey continues to rehab at High A Sarasota, but the results haven't been great. At this point, the Reds might be better off leaving him in the minors and letting him start fresh next year.

*** Sad to see Bobby Livingston injured, as he was just beginning to establish himself in the big leagues. Livingston had to shut it down with a torn labrum of his left shoulder, which could be career threatening. His numbers had fallen off as of late, but he was interjecting himself into the picture for 2008. Livingston never survived on pure stuff, but rather guile and control. Whether that technique makes it easier or harder for Livingston to comeback remains to be seen, but I'll be pulling for him.

*** Early returns indicate that Wayne Krivsky may have found another diamond in the rough. In 15 ABs in Cincy, Jorge Cantu has posted a line of .400/.471/.667/1.137. While his glove may never enable him to be a full-time starter, the bargain basement price that Krivsky paid makes it acceptable for the Reds to use him in any role. Any production they get him out of him is pure profit. Krivsky strikes again!!!

Random Thoughts

**Nice to FINALLY see the Reds call up Mark Bellhorn from AAA. I've long wanted to see what Bellhorn could do in GABP, as he has the right type of swing to benefit from the park. The Reds have been wasting a roster spot on Juan Castro, who provides nothing more than solid (at best) defense, all season long. Given the state of the Reds, wasting playing time on someone like Castro is a mistake we can't afford to make. Bellhorn or Keppinger should have been given that roster spot long ago. That simple change could conceivably have earned the Reds another victory or two.

**The Reds have dumped the last four games in a row, so it looks like the Dead Cat Bounce or the uptick in performance gained from a change in manager is over. If you want to seriously consider Mackanin for the manager slot, NOW is the time to start evaluating him. The honeymoon is over, so it's time for Pete to work his magic.

**The Reds face 4 lefthanded starters this week (M.Chico, J.Lanan, M.Bascik, T.Gorzelanny). Given their struggles against southpaws, perhaps this losing streak shouldn't be a surprise. Perhaps the Reds can benefit from the incompetence of the Pirates, as they were scheduled to face a 5th lefty before the Bucs drastically overpaid to bring in righthander Matt Morris.

**It's finally time to see what we have in Phil Dumatrait. Personally, I'm rather skeptical. Dumi seems to walk too many and strikeout too few, but maybe he can be a serviceable, inexpensive back of the rotation starter. Whether he is a solid option or not, it's long past time the Reds brought him up so we can see if he should be included in the future plans.

**Cleveland reliever Fernando Cabrera was Designated For Assignment yesterday. It's unfortunate that it happened after the trade deadline, as it would've been great for the Reds to acquire him. He's got a live arm and tremendous velocity. If he can harness his stuff, maybe he'd be the setup man the Reds so desperately need. Unfortunately, now he has to clear waivers before he can be dealt, so the Reds are behind all the AL teams and couple of NL teams in the pecking order. Hopefully, he'll slide all the way through to the Reds, but that seems like a longshot.

**Two of my favorite players had huge days on Wednesday, as Jayson Werth went 3-6 with 4 RBI and a SB and Morgan Ensberg clubbed 2 homers in Petco Park. I must admit, it puts a smile on my face to see these two do well, even if it is too small of a sample size to be indicative of anything. I've long wanted to see each in Cincy, but I still enjoy their successes with other organizations.

**The Padres did very well at the trade deadline, as they added several undervalued players, rather than pay the exhorbitant cost for the big ticket items. Milton Bradley and Morgan Ensberg have paid immediate and substantial dividends for the Pads. Given how close the NL West race is, these moves could be enough to put the Pads over the top.

**Jay Bruce continues to pound the ball, regardless of the caliber of the competition. As a 20 year old at AAA, Bruce is now hitting .305/.374/.610/.983 with 6 homers and an 18/8 K/BB ratio. At this point, he is pushing for a chance at a starting job in the 2008 Reds outfield. I can still hear the sound of the triple he hit in the Futures Game at PacBell park thundering in my ear. It sounded like a rifle shot coming off the bat. Bruce is looking like the best prospect the Reds have produced in quite some time.

**It's rather sad to read that Adam Dunn's family can't listen to the Reds games that are being broadcast by the Brennamans. Both Marty and Thom are so hard on him that his family can't stand to listen to it. Someone should tell Marty and Thom that it is one thing to be objective, but it is an entirely different thing to be hyper-critical and negative. I don't think many would accuse Vin Scully, Jon Miller, or any of the other great broadcasters of being homers, but I also doubt those great broadcasters drive the families of players away from the telecast with their never-ending negativity. There's a fine line between "telling it like it is" and being an obnoxious loudmouth, sadly, far too many people (including, evidently, the Brennamans) mistake the latter for the former. Someone should remind them that it is possible to be objective without being negative and meanspirited.