Bronson Arroyo is really doing his damndest. If the entire team could have stepped up half as much as Bronson has then things would be a little different.
Quick thoughts:
- Bronson Arroyo in September: 4-0, 32 IP, 25K I feel pretty good about having this guy for the next two years.
- David Ross, showing some signs of life. He's really struggled lately, but it's tough to complain with the year he's had.
- At the end of a season it's tempting to point at performances against a certain team or two and say "That was it. That was the difference." Losing seven games to a terrible Cubs team has really hurt the Reds this season. Combine that with getting swept by the Dodgers, and that's your year. Baseball is all about walking a fine line between success and failure, even with a huge 162 game schedule.
- Chris Michalek tomorrow. At this point I'm mostly just pulling hard for 82 wins. The Reds need nine more wins to reach that mark, with 15 games remaining. I think 9-6 might be a tall task for this team, but it'd sure be a nice achievement. In a way it would make me feel like all of this wasn't for naught, that this is a team on the rise. Silly, maybe. After all, there's not really much difference between a team with 79, 80, 81, or 82 wins, but that .500 line is a very clear barrier between the good and the bad. I'd like for the Reds to finish on the right side of that line this year. It's been awhile.