| | |
Jason Schmidt last pitched in the Majors on June 16, 2007. He last faced the Reds on August 16, 2005. There are 3 players on this current Reds team who were in the dugout for the Reds that day. Without looking it up, who are the three players?
At 36, Schmidt is a long-shot to be able to make a full comeback, but he was decent in the minors over 44.1 innings pitched. Given the Reds inability to score runs, or hit for that matter, some would say he's being eased back into the Majors. I'd like to see the Reds prove those some wrong (me being one of them).
The key for the Reds is to get the lead early. The Dodgers are 52-9 when leading or tied after 6 innings this season. Then again, the Reds aren't too shabby in that regard either, going 40-8 when leading after 6 innings. The problem for the Reds is that if they get down, it's basically over. They are 4-24 when trailing after the first inning. The Dodgers are actually 9-7 in those situations. That tells you two things about these teams. One, the Dodgers simply don't put themselves in a hole early very often. Secondly, the Reds have no ability to come from behind, which is why they are team with a losing record and the Dodgers have the best record in the league.
The Reds head into Dodger Stadium having lost 17 of their last 20 to the Dodgers, including 9 in a row at Dodger Stadium. I think it's safe to say that the former rivals have owned the Reds of late.
On a positive note, Micah Owings has more career home runs hit than Jason Schmidt, hitting 8 to Schmidt's 7. This game is so ours!