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We finally get to see that fancy new splitter that we've been hearing about from Homer. Could this finally be the chance for him to live up to the hype? I'm not really that optimistic. Personally, I thought he should have to pitch in the minors for another couple of months before given another shot at the Majors. Sure, he's been dominating of late, but it's not like he hasn't had stretches of dominance in the minors before. He needed to be consistently dominant in the AAA before I'd have given him another shot in the big leagues. Hopefully he'll make me shut up tonight though.
In a season where the Reds are adding more and more pitchers to the Tomo Ohka All Stars roster, it would be pleasantly ironic if they were to beat up on the real Tomo Ohka tonight. He is 5-2 with a 3.34 ERA against the Reds in his career, compared to a 50-64 record with a 4.14 career ERA. His ERA isn't much different, but he sure seems to know how to beat the Reds more than other teams.
Despite my lack of endorsement of his start, I am looking forward to seeing Bailey pitch tonight. This team could some positive mojo, since Joey Votto's return hasn't single-handedly turned them into champions. A good start tonight by Bailey as well as the possible return of Edwin Encarnacion next week could start to stir things up for the team. Any movements in a positive direction would be a breath of fresh air for a team that has been trapped in a pit of suck over the last few weeks.