Monthly Archives: May 2013

May 14, 2013

Reds shuffle rotation and weekly blogger question

By
Zeldink
Posted at 1:09 pm

After going for so long without any days off, it feels weird as a fan of the Cincinnati Reds for them to have two off days so close together. There was no game yesterday, but the team still made some news by tweaking their starting rotation.

The Reds have pushed Tony Cingrani back a day in their rotation, keeping right-hander Mat Latos on his regular rest, pitching Thursday in Miami, with the lefty Cingrani pitching Friday in Philadephia.

Anything having to do with Cingrani and Leake, of course, makes the wannabe Walt Jockettys on Twitter fire up the speculation machine about what to do when Johnny Cueto successfully completes his rehab assignment. And that’s what this week’s blogger question on Red Reporter deals with.

With Johnny Cueto returning from the DL soon, who gets bumped from the rotation?

Really, weren't all of Bowden's trades wibbly wobbly?

Jim Bowden from 2003 and Walt Jocketty from 2013 navigate the time vortex to make a wibbly wobbly timey wimey trade.

Head over for the insight from your favorite Reds blogs. I’m partial to mine, naturally, as I feel I solve two issues in one transaction. We’ll just have to find a machine to navigate the time vortex.

Posted in Cincinnati Reds, NL Central, Wheeling and Dealing.
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May 13, 2013

In brief: Cueto to have 2nd rehab start

By
Amanda
Posted at 12:52 pm

Last Game
Donald Lutz got his first big league home run with some style yesterday. His 3-run dinger in the second inning put the Reds on the path for a 1-5 win and a series sweep of the Milwaukee Brewers.

The win gave the Reds a 4-2 homestand and puts their record at 22-16. Even that is only good enough for second place in the NLC, though, where the Cardinals have 1 more win and 3 fewer losses. And it only puts the Reds half a game up on the Pirates.

We knew the Central was going to be tougher this year with the departure of the Astros, but this is more contentious than I anticipated.

Next game
The Reds have today off, which is good because they’ve still played more games than anyone else in the division. After today, though, the Cubs and Pirates should have caught up, while the Brewers and Cardinals will still have played a game fewer.

Tomorrow the Reds go to visit the downtrodden Miami Marlins. The Marlins have half as many wins so far this season as the Reds, so it may be a good opportunity to put some distance between the good guys and everyone else.

Cueto is soon to be off the bench and back on the mound if this rehab start goes well.

Cueto is soon to be off the bench and back on the mound if this rehab start goes well.

Cueto to pitch second rehab start
Johnny Cueto pitched his first rehab start with the class-A Dayton Dragons on Thursday. He went 3.0 innings, allowing 1 run on 4 hits and 0 walks. He struck out 4.

Now, you’d think an ace like Cueto wouldn’t be allowing runs to single-Aers, but I suppose that’s not really the point of a rehab start. He felt good enough that they’ve scheduled him a second trip to the mound in Dayton. Tomorrow he’ll again face West Michigan with the Dragons.

As of this writing, there were 12 seats still available to choose through the Dragons’ website, so if you want to go, act fast.

What to say to sound smart at the water cooler
The Reds lead all of baseball in home wins. They are 16-6 when they play at home.

Posted in Daily Briefs.
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May 10, 2013

Hanigan activated and shows signs of health

By
Zeldink
Posted at 11:15 pm

Hanigan at the plateThe Cincinnati Reds activated catcher Ryan Hanigan from the disabled list before Friday’s game, and he was in the lineup to catch Tony Cingrani. And he showed that he’s healthy.

Before heading to the DL, Hanigan was miserable at the plate. In 38 at bats, he had 3 hits with a terrible .079 average. With his 5 walks, his on-base percentage was at .182, half of his career percentage.

But in his return to the lineup tonight, Hanigan went 2 for 4, nearly doubling his total number of hits on the season. And one of the balls he hit was the hardest ball I’ve seen him hit all year.

Of course, bringing Hanigan back means it’s time to say goodbye to lovable mustachioed mascot Corky Miller. Miller’s an entertaining, larger-than-life personality who just isn’t quite good enough to be a major league backup. It’s too bad, but I do hope to see him coaching some day.

Until then, the Reds are one step closer to full strength, with pitcher Johnny Cueto and outfielder Chris Heisey both a few weeks away.

Posted in Cincinnati Reds, NL Central, Wheeling and Dealing.
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May 9, 2013

Cueto cleared for rehab start

By
Zeldink
Posted at 1:59 pm

This is an old picture from 2009, but he was probably wearing about the same shirt yesterday.It’s been almost a month since Cincinnati Reds ace pitcher Johnny Cueto last was on a pitching mound in a professional baseball game. But today, while the Reds have a scheduled day off, Cueto will be making a start for the class A Dayton Dragons.

“I feel pretty good, but we’ll see tomorrow how I feel for the game,” Cueto said after the Reds’ loss to the Braves on Wednesday. “It’s a lot different in the bullpen than it is in the game. I need to throw in a game.”

The current plan is for Cueto to make two rehab appearances, building up his pitch count and arm strength before returning to the majors. That, of course, requires no further setbacks, which feels like a big if considering Cueto’s rehab was delayed once already due to oblique soreness.

It won’t be Cueto’s first time pitching for the Dragons. Back in 2006, when he was working his way through the Reds’ minor league system, he made 14 starts, going 8-1. Hopefully, he won’t be in Dayton that long for this go-around.

The game starts at 7:00pm. If you’re in the area, tickets are still available.

Posted in Cincinnati Reds.
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May 8, 2013

In brief: Reds walk off with back-to-back homers

By
Amanda
Posted at 11:20 am

Mexoraco's home run was just barely over the wall, which is just fine with these front-row fans. (AP Photo/Al Behrman)

Mexoraco’s home run was just barely over the wall, which is just fine with these front-row fans. (AP Photo/Al Behrman)

Last game
Reds win 5-4. It took back-to-back home runs from Devin Mesoraco and Shin-Soo Choo, but it was all awesomeness. Read the game wrap here.

Next game
It’s the rubber match this afternoon. The Reds have won all of their home series so far this year, so they need to win today to keep the streak alive. It’ll be a rough one, though. The Braves are sending out Mike Minor (LHP, 3-2, 3.26 ERA) who has retired his last 18 batters in a row. The Reds will counter with Mike Leake (RHP, 2-1, 4.15 ERA). First pitch at 12:35 p.m.

Reds on MLB Network Today
If you are the sort of person who finds themselves with access to a television in the middle of the day, then you’ll be glad to know that today’s afternoon game is being televised on MLB Network. Here’s the press release:

Secaucus, N.J., May 7, 2013 – The Atlanta Braves at Cincinnati Reds game tomorrow, May 8 at 12:30 PM ET will be available live on MLB Network in the Cincinnati television market. Mike Leake is scheduled to pitch against Mike Minor of the Braves.

MLB Network is available in Cincinnati on Cincinnati Bell, DirecTV, DISH Network, FAVE and Time Warner Cable, among other providers. Local channel listings are available here and MLB Network’s complete May game schedule is available here.

What to say to sound smart at the water cooler
Joel says the ending we got to last night’s game hasn’t been done since opening day, 1995 when Adam Dunn and Joe Randa teamed up to beat the Mets. Apparently Elias Sports Bureau is saying it hasn’t happened since 1977, but they’re only counting times when it was solo shots.

Posted in Daily Briefs.
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