Predict the Opening Day Pitching Staff
via pro.corbis.com
Micah Owings has put up some excellent numbers in his four Spring Training starts. He certainly hasn't nailed down the fifth spot in the rotation as Homer Bailey has pitched almost as well (lower ERA but far fewer strikeouts). Most folks see Nick Masset as having fallen out of serious contention (though to my knowledge Dusty has said boo about it). But most folks who are aware that Masset is out of options also seem to think that he might still earn a spot in the pen. But what would his role be? Long man? Sixth man? Does that mean that the loser of the Bailey/Owings battle heads to Louisville?
So, what say you, Red Reporters?
0 recs |
33 comments
Comments
News you can use
From Sheldon:
Another tweak to the spring rotation — Homer Bailey will pitch in a Minor League intrasquad game during Monday’s day off to stay on his regular turn. Daryl Thompson will also pitch in that game behind Bailey.
"I accidently put the night light in the washing machine."
by Fat Vegas Alan on Mar 15, 2009 2:14 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs
i think Owings gets the 5th spot
and Masset is the long man in the ’pen. Homer starts in AAA.
My millions are unconventional!
by Charlie Scrabbles on Mar 15, 2009 2:57 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs
Maybe one of the vets in the pen would be traded?
I just feel like Bailey’s earned at least the long man spot, and I’d hate to see him pout because he got skipped for Nick freakin’ Masset. Of course, you can’t trade the guy you traded Griffey for. Maybe something’ll happen that will allow them both to be on the roster.
...because there's already someone posing as Jacob Brumfield
by Cy Schourek on Mar 15, 2009 4:08 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
im with Chuck
1) Owings is Walt’s guy and he was the centerpiece of the Dunn trade. He has performed well this spring and has a track record of performance when healthy. Masset is out of options and he is also Walt’s guy. Brantley brought up a good point in today’s broadcast where he said often those without options have a leg up on their competition. That said….its Nick frickin Masset, dammit. I think Homer would benefit from the camaraderie of being one of the fellas in the bullpen.
2) Owings doesnt have a long track record of staying healthy. It might behoove the organization to have Homer starting every fifth day in Louisville and ready to be called up as opposed to having him be a mlb reliever.
3) I dont like the chatter about trading Arroyo. Bailey and Owings are question marks and Arroyo has a defined track record of taking the ball whenever asked. Having too many starting pitchers is one hell of a nice problem to have!!!
"Hey! Look at the kid in the sombrero!"
by obc2 on Mar 15, 2009 4:18 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
Aaron Heilman'd
I hope he doesn’t get put in the pen, and how often does a long man get used, especially with are baller rotation.
"balls"-Slyde
by The Crushinator on Mar 17, 2009 9:15 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
I think it's...
Harang
Arroyo
Volquez
Owings
Cueto
Cordero
Burton
Bray – DL for roster space reasons
Rhodes
Masset
Bailey
Lincoln
Weathers
It's all fun and games until someone gets herpes. - Fox 4 News
by PeteyHendrix on Mar 15, 2009 4:19 PM EDT reply actions 3 recs
I love that AAA will likely include:
Homer Bailey – The Brushclearer
Danny Ray Herrera – Lefty Smurf
Matt Maloney – Foray
Robert Manuel – Middle MANuel
Ramon Ramirez – Ram-Ram
Josh Roenicke – Jersey Boy
Daryl Thompson – Leatherpants’ed
Pedro Viola – Violin (a junior version of a Viola)
Nicknames subject to change.
It's all fun and games until someone gets herpes. - Fox 4 News
by PeteyHendrix on Mar 15, 2009 4:27 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
Petey I am in absolute agreement with you Brother, and it ain't all that bad. No Fogg this time.
and obc too...remember
1. You can never have enough quality starting pitchers
2. You can never get too high
Jesus gave us the two Commandments
I give you the two Observations
Why is obc so mean to me when I offer an introduction to a beautiful 25 year old Red's Cheerleader.
by Madville on Mar 15, 2009 5:06 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
Fogg acquisition link
http://www.redreporter.com/2008/2/20/194927/309
"Hey! Look at the kid in the sombrero!"
by obc2 on Mar 15, 2009 5:32 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
wow i actually wasn't hostile
and had a calm and well reasoned reaction.
"Oedipus ruined a great sex life by asking too many questions!"- Dr. Stephen T. Colbert DFA.
by justin007000 on Mar 16, 2009 10:13 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
is this not the greatest week ever?
Steak and BJ day, Selection Sunday, St Patrick’s Day and the first two rounds of March Madness. Plus mix in some spring baseball and it is perfect!
90 wins in 09!!
by Caleb on Mar 15, 2009 5:42 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs
BJ Day?
I fucking love BJ Day!!!
"Hey! Look at the kid in the sombrero!"
by obc2 on Mar 15, 2009 6:15 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
steak AND bj day!
Made from 100% recycled awesome,
by chandrathan on Mar 15, 2009 6:43 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
at the same time....
"balls"-Slyde
by The Crushinator on Mar 17, 2009 9:17 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
What kind of weird ass farm did you grow up on?
I miss the old days of the internet when men were men, hot girls were middle aged men, and hot underage girls were FBI agents.....
by jch24 on Mar 18, 2009 10:40 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
Ass farm
That’s where ass chickens are raised, right?
"The latter part of a wise man's life is taken up in curing the follies, prejudices, and false opinions he had contracted in the former."
by Fat Vegas Alan on Mar 18, 2009 12:30 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
Even I won't GIS "ass chickens"
I miss the old days of the internet when men were men, hot girls were middle aged men, and hot underage girls were FBI agents.....
by jch24 on Mar 18, 2009 1:06 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
It's a long forgotten part of the Red Reporter meme.
I highly doubt it’s in the wiki but a search of the site might reveal its origin.
I’ll look for pictures on the internet.
"The latter part of a wise man's life is taken up in curing the follies, prejudices, and false opinions he had contracted in the former."
by Fat Vegas Alan on Mar 18, 2009 1:19 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
Owings
I like Owings first and foremost ‘cause he’s pitching well. Second, if he’s on a regular schedule as a starter, I think it gives Baker some extra leeway to use him as a pinch hitter on his off days. It’s not often you get to look to your pitchers to get that extra bat off the bench. I like it.
Any smart people out there know of a time/place where a pitcher was used regularly as a PH?
Youth wins games; veteran presence wins championships!
by ben nevis on Mar 15, 2009 8:25 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs
Milwaukee used that one dude a couple of years ago
I hope that was helpful
Made from 100% recycled awesome,
by chandrathan on Mar 15, 2009 8:28 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
brooks keeshner
or something like that
Made from 100% recycled awesome,
by chandrathan on Mar 15, 2009 8:31 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
keishnick
My millions are unconventional!
by Charlie Scrabbles on Mar 15, 2009 8:32 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
thx
Made from 100% recycled awesome,
by chandrathan on Mar 15, 2009 8:34 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
St. Louis is still using Ankiel
they’ve even resorted to starting him in the field!!!
Reds fan for 40 years!
by gejoe on Mar 15, 2009 10:05 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
hmmmmmm
i wonder if he’ll ever take the mound again. it sure would be interesting to see him pitch in an emergency situation. i can see an extra innings game in the second half of a doubleheader situation….
"Hey! Look at the kid in the sombrero!"
by obc2 on Mar 15, 2009 10:21 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
And then he loses his confidence again...
and forgets how to hit, too?
We want to build long period of time. I didn’t come here for the shot run.
by Gray on Mar 15, 2009 11:07 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
And THEN he opens his bar, right?

"I accidently put the night light in the washing machine."
by Fat Vegas Alan on Mar 15, 2009 11:17 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
There was a guy named George Herman something...
The Reds passed on him, IIRC. He was a LHP who had a pretty good stick, so they used him in the field when he wasn’t the starting pitcher. I think he came up with the Red Sox a while back.
![]()
It's all fun and games until someone gets herpes. - Fox 4 News
by PeteyHendrix on Mar 16, 2009 1:47 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
I think it would've been before the war
But there’s no easy way to search for PH PAs for pitchers. Some of the recent guys have been used a few times – Dontrelle has 20 career PH PAs, Hampton and Zambrano have a few less.
by ken on Mar 16, 2009 2:05 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
I'm skeptical
about how much the team would actually PH Owings on his off days.
Many pitching coaches are skittish about pitchers hitting anyway; add to that the strict structure that many pitching staffs observe on their off days. (although, it seems like many of them attempt to swing golf clubs.)
Granted, Owings’ legitimate ability to hit and Baker’s legitimate ability to do stupid things with pitchers make the Reds’ situation a little different, but I have a feeling that we’ll see less of Owings as pinch hitter than we expect.
Ashbakerlovepheasant
There's action across the street. It's Snowman! Take him!
by Man Mountain on Mar 16, 2009 8:06 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
Fay on Bailey's intrasquad start and Dusty's comments:
Reds manager Dusty Baker said today it’s possible that Homer Bailey will fill the long-reliever role and that he expects to make those types of decisions soon.
When discussing Bailey, Baker mentioned several top pitchers who started out as long relievers, including Bob Welch, Pedro Martinez and Nolan Ryan.
On Monday, Bailey went five innings in a minor league intrasquad game. He allowed three runs on four hits, walked one and struck out six.
"He did pretty good," Baker said. "His control was pretty good. I saw him the last couple (of innings). He slowed down. He’s learning how to control himself."
Asked about Bailey taking a long-reliever spot, Baker said, "that’s something we’ve discussed. It depends on if we feel that’s better for him in the long run to be pitching or the fifth guy."
Baker said he’s not sure if Nick Masset will get another start. He said he’ll discuss that with his coaches.
"We’ve got to make some decisions pretty soon. There’s not going to be enough innings," Baker said.
Baker said the final decision also will be influence by which players have options.
Bailey has options; Masset doesn’t.
"I accidently put the night light in the washing machine."
by Fat Vegas Alan on Mar 17, 2009 4:48 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs






















