The Cincinnati Reds were swept by the New York Mets today. It was another ugly game that makes you wonder why the Reds haven’t yet hired a general manager.

Then you remember, they do have one. And you realize, the season’s most likely over. At least, that’s what it feels like.

Walt Jocketty has seemed old and slow this year. Almost a month after he should have, he finally called up Zack Cozart. And then, for no apparent gain this season, he traded away Jonny Gomes. (I’m fine with that trade, but it does nothing to address needs for this or the next season.)

It’s just been frustrating. The team has so much talent, but is under-performing a lot. Manager Dusty Baker certainly has to take some blame. His “stay calm” demeanor worked well last year, but it’s exactly the wrong thing this year. It lead to feeling like he didn’t care when they continued sucking and losing this year.

I gotta say it again, after today’s loss, it feels like the season is over. The Reds are 50-55, with no signs of improvement and no seeming help from the alleged general manager on the way. It’s sad. I’d had hopes of a winning year again this year. I guess there’s always next year?

Remember when we were all counting back to June 15 when the Reds has last won two games in a row? They finally won two in a row again last night, so that June 15 game stopped being relevant. Until Brandon Phillips had the worst at-bat in the history of the world to finish tonight’s game in a loss and I looked back to realize that June 15 was also the last time the Reds won three in a row. It was a sweep of the Dodgers, hence the title of this post.

The next opportunity for the Reds to win three in a row will be Thursday, July 28. All they have to do it take the rest of the Mets series. As close as they were tonight, maybe it could happen.

I have a bias when it comes to baseball: I favor the young guys.

To me, it feels like they have more drive, more desire, more to prove, and a higher potential ceiling, if only because time hasn’t cemented their position in the majors. So I was in favor of Paul Janish over Alex Gonzalez last year. And this year, when Janish failed to be demonstrably better than Edgar Renteria, I wanted Zack Cozart called up.

Walt Jocketty did call up Cozart, albeit two weeks too late–he’s really been just a horrible general manager this year–and it proved very successful. Until tonight, when he hurt his left elbow in a bang-bang play at second base. The throw from Joey Votto arrived at the same time as the runner, and Cozart exploded from the base in pain with his left elbow hyper-extended.

The Reds won, but are still wondering what the final prognosis will be on Cozart.

Renteria came in off the bench and helped power the Reds to the win over the Atlanta Braves. But you know who also helped? Freshly called up Todd Frazier.

Frazier was called up when 3rd basemen Scott Rolen was placed on the disabled list officially for a case of a sore shoulder, but really a case of the olds and can’t hit for shit anymore. Frazier, with the bases loaded, did what few Reds has been able to do this year, doubled off the top of the wall and cleared the bases.

I don’t know, but I feel more excited when the younger guys are playing. The Reds won tonight. Todd Frazier was playing, as was Zack Cozart and Chris Heisey. Play the young guys. They’re the ones with passion and a real desire to win that seems to come through the two-dimensional television screen.

Heck, play them on Sunday. Maybe the Reds will stop sucking and actually win 2 in a row.

The Cincinnati Reds had an off-day today, and talk turned to the looming trade deadline.

Every July 31st, it comes. This is the deadline to add players to the major league roster without having them pass through waivers. (The second trading deadline that requires players to pass through waivers and allow every other team a chance to claim doesn’t happen until August 31.)

So what are the Reds’ plans this year? Are they buyers or sellers? Looking at their record, one might think the would be interested in selling. Not so, says general manager Walt Jocketty.

“We’re looking to upgrade any area,” Jocketty said.

That sounds like buying to me. Which is good. Aside from Bronson Arroyo, Francisco Cordero, and Brandon Phillips, the Reds don’t have salaries to dump. Arroyo’s having a bad year and has no trade value; Cordero’s over-paid and struggling of late; and getting rid of Phillips might cause a fan riot on Fountain Square.

Having said that, the Reds do have holes. No losing team doesn’t. The Reds’ biggest one is starting pitching, despite what was seen during the Pittsburgh Pirates series. It’s easy to look good against a punchless offense, and despite their success, the Pirates’ offense is weak. Nobody besides Johnny Cueto can be relied on each start to go deep and give the team a good chance of winning.

Offense from left field and shortstop has been mentioned, but playing Chris Heisey more and finally calling up Zack Cozart–two weeks later than it should have been–seems to have improved that.

To me, starting pitching is the obvious area to target.

The Reds have been rumored to be interested in the Arizona Diamondbacks’ Ubaldo Jiminez and the Tampa Bay Devil Rays’ James Shields. Both are good young starters still under team control, which means they would cost a bundle. However, the Reds are loaded in the minors, with a team that would have rivaled any of the terrible Pirates teams before this years down in Louisville. They’ve got a surplus, and I’m hoping they spend it on something good.

Holy cow! It’s a win! The season has finally turned around!!

Just kidding, of course, but it’s hard when you know how good this team is not to succumb to the sense that every win is the start of something big. And we get to have that sense, like, every other game. Let’s hit some bullets:

• Homer Bailey was all manner of awesome today. It’s nice to think that maybe the team has two starting pitchers it can count on.
• And Fransisco Cordero didn’t even give up the one run he had to play with when he came into the game in the top of the ninth today. What’s going on?
• Zack Cozart has a 6-game hitting streak going on right now. Funny: that matches up with the 6-games he’s been with the team. What a nice bullet.

Could tomorrow be the day that the Reds finally win their second game in a row? They were saying on the t.v. today that that hasn’t happened in 25 games or something. To be fair, though, and they haven’t even had the chance to win two in a row since yesterday.