Lil Red Machine

The NL central race at the beginning of the month, looked wide open, and up for grabs. It still is. The problem is, the Reds are no longer part of that equation. Teams built like Cincinnati don’t overcome a 7-game deficit in the standings, leapfrogging over 4 other teams in the process.
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I’ve always been a defender of Brandon Phillips. I know he makes crucial fundamental mistakes sometimes, and swings too hard, but overall, I think he’s a top notch second baseman in the NL, and has given the Reds solid play for the past few years.
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Starters

Johnny Cueto: Has been in a tailspin lately. He started off looking like a very likely all star candidate. His numbers at the break are still good–8-6/3.62 ERA, but he has looked like a fatigued pitcher lately. Mechanically, he’s falling off towards 1st base when he releases the ball. Also, he’s been doing more throwing as opposed to pitching. I think in the end, he’ll be alright, as he’s too talented to continue to pitch as poorly as he has been the past month
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C-Ramon Hernandez-Ramon has a very nice start to the season, faded badly, and then bounced back somewhat to close off the first half. Really, to get .253/5 home runs/36 RBI out of the catcher spot isn’t the end of the world. Him and Ryan Hanigan make a nice tandem. I’d take that duo over a lot of the ones in the NL.
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I’m a little late commenting on this. Been on vacation. However, the Cavaliers certainly haven’t been. The Cavaliers added a major piece to the puzzle by acquiring future hall of famer Shaquille O’Neal last week. How much does Shaq have left in the tank, how will he fit with LeBron James, and can he stay healthy?
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No Pirates or Nationals to feast on this month. The Reds have their work cut out for them. Starting Friday, the Reds host St. Louis, a team whom they are competing with at the top of the NL Central standings. Read more »

The Reds play in a division in which is up for grabs. No team is dominant. As the trade deadline approaches, the Reds have to ask themselves if they have a team capable of making a push in this division. As currently constructed, the Reds are pretty average. They have a way of doing things such as winning 3 out of 4 (or something similar). Once you think they can get on a roll, they come right back down to earth again.
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Here are the likely candidates, as of this point:

2b Brandon Phillips: He is having a very nice season. Chase Utley has the starting spot on lockdown, as he is clearly the best second baseman in the NL, which is reflected in fan voting. As of June 17th, Phillips is batting .282 with 10 homers and 43 RBI’s. He’s had his ups and downs this season, but has been the leader of the offense in the absence of Joey Votto. What I like is that .351 OBP. Noone will ever mistake Phillips for being a selective hitter, but all of last season (141 games), he had 39 walks. In 57 this year, he has 23.
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We are about 60+ games into the 2009 MLB season, and to look at the standings, Reds fans ought to feel pretty good. We are in a dogfight with Milwaukee and St. Louis, only 2.5 games out of first place as of June 12th. For a city that hasn’t had a winner since 2000, this is something that could potentially get fans out to the ballpark. Larger crowds means more money, and that could possibly lead to the organization making some trade deadline deals.

Well, I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but none of that is going to happen with the way the Reds are hitting right now. Literally, for the first time in YEARS, Cincinnati has pieced together a solid rotation and a bullpen that ranks up there with the best of them. However, the offensive is absolutely killing them. Our lineup is making a lot of medicore/average guys look like CY Young candidates.

Here are the ugly statistics: Reds are 25th in on base percentage (.320), 27th in batting average (.245 and, 23rd in total runs (257). We are near the middle of the pack in homeruns, but we are a team that as of right now, just doesn’t have enough offense. Joey Votto’s absence is absolutely killing this team. Lets get something straight, though. Votto isn’t a .360 hitter. Whenever he returns (who knows when that will be), he will probably tail off a bit. Out of the current guys healthy and active, only Brandon Phillips is looking worthy of being in a major league lineup on a nightly basis. He’s doing his job, but he is surrounded by guys who are clearly scuffling. In all fairness, left field has been reasonably covered by Jonny Gomes and Laynce Nix, but looking around them, Wily Tavares is having a horrible season, Jay Bruce’s batting average is creeping ever too close to the mendoza line, Ramon Hernandez has tailed off, Alex Gonzalez is an all field/no hit guy, and the Jerry Hairston/Adam Rosales combo at third base isn’t scaring anyone.

Well, what to do about it? First off, Wily Tavares has no business being in the leadoff spot. When you have a leadoff hitter who has an .OBP under .300, that absolutely kills the team. He needs to be bench, or platooned with Chris Dickerson. However, I don’t really think the Reds have anyone who can adequately handle the leadoff spot, as hardly anyone on the team consistently gets on base. I would keep Bruce up in the big leagues. There has been some chatter about him returning to triple-A, but I think they should just let him continue to learn at this level, as there is no better level to learn at. Also, I would examine the idea of putting Paul Janish as the full time shortstop. Alex Gonzales just isn’t hitting.

Of course, there are potential trades rumors that could happen, but do you want to part with key minors leaguers, guys such as Yonder Alonso, who could be an important piece to our future? Is a short term fix worth it? I think it is. Why can’t we be like the Milwaukee Brewers, who went out and got CC Sabathia last year? It created a buzz, filled the stands, and look at them now. They sell out almost every game, and are making money, which can lead to another big name potentially landing there. I think we need to take a serious look at Matt Holliday. Oakland isn’t going anywhere this year, and you know that Billy Beane is looking to deal him.
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Some people don’t really like the “hey, it could be worse” scenarios, because it can glorify a current state of mediocrity, and doesn’t offer a solution to change the current problem..

With that said, hey, it could be worse.
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