Red Reposter - 5/11/09

by Charlie Scrabbles on May 11, 2009 11:03 AM EDT in News

Injury updates from Hal o' Famer Hal: Alex Gonzalez took fielding practice this weekend and looked good, but he hasnt hit yet. Baker said, “Things are going pretty good, so we might as well stretch it out as long as we can, as long as it isn’t hurting us.” Did it not hurt to have only 2 bench players when BP and Votto were sick? I think the whole point of DL'ing Gonzo is to make sure that it doesnt hurt us. In the event that something happens (like, say, a rampant flu bug) then we would have enough bodies to field a baseball team. I'm sorry to rant on this again and again, but Dusty and Walt need to fix this.
Joey Votto will be back in the starting lineup tonight against the Diamondbacks in Arizona. He would have started Sunday if the Reds had been slumping, but the team was 3-0 with him on the bench. "If we weren't playing so well, he'd be in there for sure," Baker said before the game. "I figured this way he can get all of his strength back."
The Reds are 13-0 in games they have led after 5 innings. I'm not sure I fully appreciate just how good this bullpen has been so far.
Hal takes questions from the audience and suggests that Sean Casey might make a great coach, but is too nice to be a manager. "He’d try to play all 25 guys at once, and the last time I read the rule book that’s not permitted."
The Reds outfield has been good. Really good. Our pitcher's BABIP is at .289, which is tied for 5th lowest in the league. Ever wonder why the Reds were so eager to move Bruce from CF to RF?
The Hardball Times gives us their weekly rankings, and the Reds come in at #13. They also note the quality of the bullpen.

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Gonzalez & the DL

I was listening to the game yesterday and Marty was talking to Mark Sheldon. I meant to get on here and post it word-for-word, but I was a little busy. Basically, Sheldon praised Walt and Dusty for “not panicking” by DL’ing Gonzo and bringing someone up to take his spot. The quote was something along the lines of, “They could have panicked and brought up some young guy, but they didn’t, and it shows just how confident they are in the guys they have up here.”

by D-Rock on May 11, 2009 11:15 AM EDT reply actions

huh

that seems in keeping with all the rest of the bullshit.

Wear something sexy to my funeral.

by Pops Daniels on May 11, 2009 11:20 AM EDT up reply actions

isn't Mark Sheldon a paid voice for the Reds?

It’s like expecting the President’s press secretary to say “Yeah, Obama really shit the bed with that decision.”

Is that 5-inning stat true? And the BABIP, too? man…pitching and defense…

Ali Boombaye

by Cy Schourek on May 11, 2009 11:24 AM EDT up reply actions

yeah

Sheldon works for MLB.com. he might as well be in the Reds PR dept.

go look that up in your Funk and Wagnalls

by Charlie Scrabbles on May 11, 2009 11:24 AM EDT up reply actions

I would have liked them to make a bullpen move after that 14-inning game

They’d basically used the whole bullpen, plus they were just 4 games into a stretch of 13 straight days of games. An extra bullpen arm would give some flexibility to Dusty at that point. (note: this is all from the perspective of that point in time).

And then when BP and Votto went sick, they should have acted immediately and brought up another bat. Playing the game with 10 hitters for two straight nights is unnecessary and foolish. Thankfully it didn’t hurt them too much, but those games are just as important as any game in September. This team doesn’t have the talent to run away with a playoff spot, so every game needs to be treated like it is a crucial, must-win game.

"It seems like we're not hitting because we're not getting hits." - Dusty being Dusty

by Slyde on May 11, 2009 11:24 AM EDT up reply actions

you and i had the same thought

Bloop

by justin007000 on May 11, 2009 11:35 AM EDT up reply actions

then I want to change my thought

"It seems like we're not hitting because we're not getting hits." - Dusty being Dusty

by Slyde on May 11, 2009 11:37 AM EDT up reply actions

burn'd

not to mention, as one wise poster said a few days ago, this is Alex Gonzalez we’re talking about. It’s not like it’s a tragedy if he’s DL’ed and has to sit out 4 or 5 days longer than necessary because of it.

I would never wish harm on someone, but part of me wishes he would just break a leg so we can just DL him and move past this foolishness.

Isn't there a slanket somewhere you should be filling with your farts?

by nycredsfan on May 11, 2009 11:39 AM EDT up reply actions

i think i said that to

Bloop

by justin007000 on May 11, 2009 11:41 AM EDT up reply actions

I think he's playing okay

What’s the rush to get rid of him? It’s not like there are great in-house candidates to play SS

Hell, Dusty would end up playing Hairston there all the time and break my heart. Seriously, much like Adam Rosales is not the second coming of Christ, Paul Janish is not Honus Wagner. He should play more just to keep Gonzalez healthier, but they’re pretty interchangeable: the empty (and small sample size) BA of Janish versus the career power of Gonzo cancel each other out. Unless there is a marked difference defensively, I’m just not seeing it, Justin.

PS They SHOULD have DL’d him and brought up Stubbs. Stubbs could go all Wally Pipp on Taveras and make me feel better about the long-term success of the team

by timb116 on May 11, 2009 12:11 PM EDT up reply actions

Janish isn't going to do much offensively

but he is definitely, no doubt, 100% better than Gonzo defensively.

Gonzo’s defense is mostly reputation at this point, and Janish is truly good. I’m not saying we should get rid of him, I just figure there are going to be a ton of these niggling injuries all year and it’s going to hurt the team in the long run more than if he was just injured for the year right now. (again, not trying to sound harsh)

Isn't there a slanket somewhere you should be filling with your farts?

by nycredsfan on May 11, 2009 12:17 PM EDT up reply actions

I'm terrible with defensive stats

and I agree Janish is fine, but is there any objective fact which backs that up?

Just so you know, I’m not arguing with you, ‘cause I think it’s important to know.

Not that it matters, since a defensive statistic would as foreign to Dusty as not bunting would be to George “Somebody needs to lay down a bunt” Grand. But, I want to know

by timb116 on May 11, 2009 12:30 PM EDT up reply actions

well

the thing about defensive stats is that they arent as accurate at reflecting true value as offensive stats are. and defensive stats take a hell of a big sample to have confidence in them. also, minor league defensive stats (which is pretty much all we have on Janish) are even more inaccurate than ML stats. so the best thing to do in evaluating Janish is to go on what the scouts say. and they say he’s a monster.

as for Gonzo, his numbers have been above average for his career. which is good. an above average SS with his kind of pop is a valuable thing. but this year’s numbers (small sample) show him being awful. this could just be a small sample issue, or it could be a reflection of the devastating knee injury he suffered last year. we could just hope and let time tell the tale on Gonzo, or we could hand the reigns to Janish and do the same. that’s baseball.

go look that up in your Funk and Wagnalls

by Charlie Scrabbles on May 11, 2009 12:46 PM EDT up reply actions

Right now

Janish rates at +10 runs over the course of 150 games, and Gonzo is at -15.7 runs over 150 games. Problem is, that’s a crazy small sample size.

I’m pretty sure it’d play out similar to that, though

Isn't there a slanket somewhere you should be filling with your farts?

by nycredsfan on May 11, 2009 12:47 PM EDT up reply actions

Thanks

If so, I agree with you then. Neither of them are going to help that much offensively, so I’d just rather see the dude with the better glove play.

You know, had Walt listened to me in the off-season, these posts wouldn’t even be necessary. he would have sign Furcal and solved my lead-off/SS problem for three years.

by timb116 on May 11, 2009 1:13 PM EDT up reply actions