Yeah, I went to bed last night at like 8. I've been on a bad schedule lately, and it caught up to me. While I definitely regret missing the game, it was a nice surprise to wake up and see a Reds win.
Quick thoughts:
- When I quickly scanned the box score and saw the 3 spot in the sixth, "Franklin" popped in my head, and would you look at that, I was right. Someday Jerry will learn. Maybe. With all the talk of how bad the bullpen is lately, I think it's worth pointing out that everyone else that pitched last night did well. I had thought Ryan Franklin was being brought over from the Phillies as a long man / spot starter, so I have no clue why Narron's using him the way he is. It really doesn't make sense.
- I'd almost feel sorry for Jason LaRue if he weren't making over $5 million next year. He's had a rough year, and I understand a little better now what it's like for a catcher to completely lose his skills at a relatively young age. At least he had a nice moment last night.
- Rich Aurilia is carrying this team. I honestly wouldn't have guessed he'd be good enough to do so much singlehandedly, but he obviously is. I'd love to hear his opinion on why he struggled so badly for a few years before turning things around in Cincinnati, because I'm sure there's an interesting story there.
- I don't know what the Reds do now that Eric Milton is hurt. There's a large part of me that wants to say it's fate, and that Bailey needs to be brought up. Five innings of Homer Bailey is a much more appealing option than starts by Michalek or Kim or (God forbid) Jason Johnson. The Reds still have a few days to make a decision on what to do, but if they win the next few days I think they have to bring him up.