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This is the most anti-clutch team I have witnessed in a long time. As soon as an opportunity is presented they choke. Bases loaded, 1 out and you strike out. Put the ball in play and give yourself a chance. A great game by Leake completely thrown to the wayside because this team can't score 1 damn run. In two games we've been shutout. The commentators say pitching is the problem, well I wouldn't say this offense is doing them any favors

And the odd thing is we've scored 26 more runs overall than we have allowed. As a general rule, if you score more runs than you give up then you are at .500 or better.

Finally! At least we avoided the sweep.

They were talking on the radio that the Reds are like 19-36 in one run games this season. That says a lot

Looking over the trade rumor websites, it looks like the Reds are targeting starting pitching. Last week the big rumor was Cincy was interested in Ubaldo Jiminez. While that has died a bit the big rumor going now is they are looking to acquire James Shields from the Rays. Adding fuel to the fire is the fact that the Rays reportedly sent scouts to the Reds AAA affiliate. They are saying Cincy would most likely have to give up Yonder Alonso to complete the deal. While I'm high on Alonso, he hasn't impressed me much as a left field prospect and Votto is blocking him at first. The biggest asset we have appear to be our catching prospects. Mesoraco has been lighting it up offensively but his defense and game calling needs work. Grandel apparently is great working behind the plate but his bat just doesn't have the pop like Mesoraco's. In any case I'm predicting that Cincy will add another starter and Mesoraco, Grandel, or Alonso will be playing for another club come Aug 1st

I guess this means the talks for Ubaldo are dead. I never bought into them much anyway.

Good series. I thought with Karstens on the mound today we'd have a sweep, but the errors and lack of hitting caught us today. Oh well, 2 out of 3 ain't bad.

As much as you guys say enough of Renteria, Cordero, etc., I'm 1000 times more sick of seeing Overbay in the lineup. No power, below average glove this year, and today maybe cost a run by not being able to pull a ball with no one out and get McCutchen to 3rd. I'm done with him.

Next time we meet is a month from now, should be interesting to see what the division looks like then. Good luck

GO BUCS.

I wouldn't say dead, here was the article today on Jiminez

Ubaldo Jimenez Rumors: Wednesday

By Tim Dierkes [July 20, 2011 at 2:25pm CST]

Yesterday the Red Sox joined the list of teams that have reportedly checked in on Rockies' ace Ubaldo Jimenez, while the Reds' interest was said to be strong.  The latest:

One MLB official says the Rockies never seriously intended to deal Jimenez, according to Jayson Stark of ESPN.com (on Twitter). It still sounds like he's staying put.

The return in a Jimenez trade "would have to blow everybody away," GM Dan O'Dowd told Woody Paige of the Denver Post.

The Rockies have yet to receive a single official offer for Jimenez, report Yahoo's Tim Brown and Jeff Passan.  The Tigers, Reds, and Yankees are said to be the "most smitten" clubs.  The writers add that a Tigers package would have to include pitching prospect Jacob Turner, the Reds would have to part with catcher Devin Mesoraco, and the Rockies inquired on Jesus Montero and Manny Banuelos of the Yankees.


The Rockies just aren't goint to part ways without getting a Kings Ransom in return, as they should

Here is the piece on Shields

Is James Shields Available?

The Reds are targeting Rays righty James Shields, tweets ESPN's Buster Olney, which might be why Tampa Bay scouts have been evaluating the Reds' Triple-A team this week.  Baseball Prospectus' John Perrotto says the Rays have "quietly let it be known that right-hander Shields is available for the right price."  The Rays "will listen to just about every trade proposal thrown their way," writes Olney.

With a 2.60 ERA, 8.8 K/9, 2.2 BB/9, 0.9 HR/9, and 46.1% groundball rate, the 29-year-old Shields has the ability to shake up a trade market that is light on starting pitchers aside from perhaps Ubaldo Jimenez.  Shields' contract offers the ultimate in flexibility, with reasonable club options on his 2012, '13, and '14 seasons. 

Shields' ERAs have bounced around plenty over the years, but his skills have always supported sub-4.00 and this year he's pitched like an ace.  Plus, he's never been on the disabled list and averaged over 220 innings from 2008-10.  This year, he leads the Majors with seven complete games and has averaged over 7.4 innings per start.

Shields' suitors probably won't match up directly with those of Jimenez, as I imagine the Rays would prefer not to trade him to the Yankees or Red Sox.  Still, my contender wish list post yesterday shows the Indians, Tigers, Rangers, Cardinals, Reds, Pirates, and Diamondbacks as other clubs seeking starting pitching.



And another article on who else Cincy may be looking at


Reds Eyeing Wandy, Figgins, Crisp

By Tim Dierkes [July 19, 2011 at 8:40pm CST]

Danny Knobler of CBS Sports has three new names on the Reds' radar: Astros lefty Wandy Rodriguez, Mariners third baseman Chone Figgins, and Athletics center fielder Coco Crisp.

The Reds have strong interest in Rockies ace Ubaldo Jimenez, says Knobler, and have looked into Rodriguez.  Wandy would be much easier to acquire in general, though there is the wrinkle of trading with a division rival and a GM who might fear losing his job in Ed Wade.

Figgins and Crisp would fit the Reds as leadoff types, though neither is getting on base much this year.  The Mariners would likely pick up much of the $19.9MM that will be owed to Figgins through 2013.  Figgins or Crisp would presumably play left field for the Reds

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I thought with Karstens on the mound today we'd have a sweep

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Good thing Cueto was opposing him, with his 11th straight quality start.

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Reds Eyeing Wandy, Figgins, Crisp

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I'm not a big fan of any of these guys, well I did like Figgins a few years ago but his average has dipped quite a bit over the past couple seasons.

Gimmie Shields.

Rumors.

Yeah I just went back and counted

There have been 34 games this season decided by one run.

The reds are 13-21 in those games. That's still pretty bad

Here's an article by Mark Sheldon (Reds beat writer) from the Reds website

Jocketty ready to buy before Trade Deadline

Shields, Jimenez among names that could bolster rotation

By Mark Sheldon / MLB.com

Thursday, July 21, 2011 11:33 AM ET

?CINCINNATI -- Many of the recent trade rumors about the Reds could possibly be false, but there is no disputing the fact that Reds general manager Walt Jocketty is in a buyer's mentality as the July 31 non-waiver Trade Deadline closes in.

"Oh yeah, definitely," Jocketty said. "We would like to improve our club since it's easier to do before the 31st. There is some urgency -- but not tremendous urgency. I still have a lot of confidence that we're good enough to win, but if there is a chance to upgrade the club, we would try to pursue it."

Of course, this immediately begs the question -- who might the Reds be pursuing?

The two leading names linked to the club in various reports have been pitchers Ubaldo Jimenez and James Shields.

After starting for the National League All-Star team last year and winning 19 games with a 2.88 ERA for the Rockies, Jimenez has a more pedestrian 6-8 record and 4.00 ERA so far in 2011 for Colorado.

As for Shields, he has a 2.60 ERA and seven complete games for the Rays this season.

Both pitchers have something attractive in common besides their quality right arms -- both have affordable long-term contracts.

"I'm not going to be specific about guys, but I'd prefer guys who are under contract for a while," Jocketty said. "I'm not sure anything will develop. We're trying to win this year, but we want to stay full of talent so we know we can compete for years to come."

Jimenez, 27, is being paid $2.8 million this season and is owed $4.2 million in 2012. He has a $5.75 million club option for 2013 and an $8 million club option for 2014 that can be voided if he's traded.

Being paid $4.25 million this season, the 29-year-old Shields has club options each of the next three seasons, valued at a combined $28 million.

A relatively younger veteran player with long-term certainty usually means a high price must be paid in return. The Reds have strong depth with young prospects. The Rays, who are seeking help at both catcher and first base, could find fits with top catching prospects Devin Mesoraco or Yasmani Grandal. Yonder Alonso, currently blocked at first base by Joey Votto and playing left field at Triple-A Louisville, would give Tampa Bay a left-handed slugger. As part of a bigger package of players, Alonso would also be a solution for Colorado when mainstay first baseman Todd Helton is ready to retire.

Just because the Reds are flush with prospects doesn't guarantee they will deal them.

"Obviously clubs know we are deep in talent, but there are a lot of high expectations about players who we wouldn't move," Jocketty said.

Rather than syncing into a groove and pacing their division as expected before the season, the Reds have mostly sputtered. At 48-50, they are only four games out of first place entering Thursday's day off, but they are looking up to three other clubs in the NL Central.

Every time the Reds go one step forward, they just as quickly seem to move one step back. Case in point -- they got stellar pitching this week, but still dropped two of three to the Pirates. The Reds were shut out twice by scores of 2-0 and 1-0, and won Wednesday's game by a 3-1 score.

Getting a pitcher like Jimenez or Shields wouldn't help if the Reds' lineup can't score for them. Don't discount the possibility that offensive help could be brought in. The Reds have uncertainty in left field and at the leadoff spot.

"We're underachieving," Jocketty said. "A lot of guys are capable of doing better. I'm hoping we can get something going. We haven't had a real good run yet. We need to get our rotation and our offense clicking at the same time."

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"I'm not going to be specific about guys, but I'd prefer guys who are under contract for a while," Jocketty said. "I'm not sure anything will develop. We're trying to win this year, but we want to stay full of talent so we know we can compete for years to come."

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That's good to hear he's waiting for the right deal. While I hope we make a deal I doubt 1 or 2 guys are going to push us over the top.

If it's too costly don't do it, I'm used to waiting for next year.

And Cincy drops another heartbreaker...

Dusty needs to take the Greg Maddux approach with Arroyo; after 6 innings, regardless of pitch count you take him out. In 3 of his last 4 appearances the Reds have had a tie or lead going into the 7th only for Arroyo to give it up. And Masset, man talk about bad pitch selection. Its 3-2 and Uggla is swinging at anything (as shown by his attempt right before the HR) and instead of giving him a breaking ball down you give him a fastball right over the plate, jeez.

The frustrating thing is that this is not a bad team, but their play has just been horrible. Every night some facet of their game squanders. It wouldn't be so bad if they didn't have a good team (like the Browns, you're frustrated when they lose but you understand they just don't have the talent to compete), but the Reds have good quality players, they just can't put it together this season

Yeah...sucks.

I'm not sure they are as good as you think they are, there are some inconsistent, and frankly, not very good players on this team. Walt has some work to do yet.

Yeap, 11-2 victory today....hope tomorrow it's not 14-1 Atlanta.

Good game today with lots of great hitting and pitching.......let's see if we can win two in a row!

Like Julie said...don't use up all your runs in one game!

BP puts one on the board

Whoever is Alex Coles Goggles in the Tools of Ignorance league liked that one about as much as Beachy did.

Stubbs walkoff! When he hits to the opposite field, he is a deadly hitter. He hadn't hit a home run in the last month and now has 2 in the last 3 days. If he, Bruce and Votto get hot, we could be in for a run.

Bring on the Mets!

Interesting lineup tonight,

Stubbs back in the leadoff spot
Cairo batting second-this could be good, he has been hitting it well
Bruce - 3 spot
Phillips - cleanup
Lewis batting fifth @ LF (Jonny Gomes sitting- way to go DB)
Hernandez catching in the sixth spot
Frazier @ 1st base tonight - (no Votto)
Janish @ SS - stupid injuries
Leake on the mound - should be a good game if the bats don't go cold

Go Reds, let's make it three in a row and close the gap!

That's ok, Votto can use a day off. Oddly I kind of like this lineup with the exception of Stubbs leading off. And I'd like to see what Frazier can do. Hopefully it pans out.

Logo: Sorry about that, I think this is the first time all year I got something out of a Sunday night guy when I needed it. And McCann even hit one too, thanks for the luck

Gomes is gone; enter Yonder Alonso

Nationals Acquire Jonny Gomes

By Ben Nicholson-Smith [July 26, 2011 at 5:56pm CST]

The Nationals announced that they have acquired Jonny Gomes and cash considerations from the Reds for outfielder Bill Rhinehart and left-hander Chris Manno (Twitter links). The Reds have confirmed the move and announced that they're calling up Yonder Alonso in a corresponding move

This effort in the field looks like we've mailed it in for the year.

Keep selling.

So much for Jonny Gomes bobblehead night at Great America Ball Park.

Starting to get ugly? They are way past just starting to look ugly.

This season is lost. Even if by some miracle we are able to make the post-season we stand no chance to beat a team like Philly. If any trade goes down I hope its for building in the long term.

I agree with what you wrote and would like to add that even if you do get your heads kicked in the playoffs, it's better than not going.

get those young kids the October experience (and extend your viewing of baseball year by a week or so).

Maybe I worded that wrong, the Reds have a ton of quality prospects in the farm system. I'm more along the lines of rather than trade a bunch of them for one player; keep them and see if they can contribute down the line. Take Mesoraco and Alonso for example. I'm more inclined to keep them and see how they progress at the major league level rather than give them up for one player.