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Remember a few days ago when this team was kicking some ass and we thought everything was awesome? Well, at least the weather's been great!
Here's a fun stat: Micah Owings has taken the loss in each of his last 7 starts going back to June of last season. Okay, it's not so much fun as sucky, but in the words of the great Dusty Baker, "he's due." Owings hasn't been all that effective on the mound or at the plate as a starter this year. His average fastball has been nearly 2.5 MPH slower than it was just two years ago, and the movement is down on all of his pitches so far. Luckily for Owings, Homer Bailey hasn't exactly been lights out either in Triple-A.
According to Wikipedia, Kenshin "Kawakami is known as a crafty veteran who is said to throw a 90 MPH fastball, a slow curveball, and a very good cutter." A crafty veteran who is also a rookie facing the Reds for the first time? Thank goodness he's not left-handed or the Reds would be better off just forfeiting this game.
The Reds were reportedly interested in Kawakami during the off-season, but that rumor didn't carry on too long as the Braves signed him to a 3-year, $23M deal in January. He's pitched alright so far, but has given up a few more walks than I'm sure he'd like. It's sad, but once again, the Reds best option may be to try to exploit the walks, if they happen. I have very little confidence in this offense otherwise.
It's going to be another beautfiul day at the ballpark, with temperatures inching close to 90 degrees. Hooray for Summer baseball in the Spring! Hopefully we'll see the Reds salvage one game in this series today!