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Today we have a matchup of two pitchers who finished in the top 5 in Rookie of the Year voting within the last 2 years. In 2009, after starting off his big league career 11-4 with a 2.89 ERA, Tommy Hanson finished 3rd in the NL Rookie of the Year award voting. In 2008, Edinson Volquez went 17-6 with a 3.21 ERA and finished 4th in the NL ROY. This may lead you to believe that Hanson is a better pitcher, but you have to factor in the fact that Volquez was not a rookie, but was so good that he got rookie votes. That is much more impressive.
I had dream last night that Glenn Braggs and Mike Leake were shopping at the same grocery store as me. I tried to get Braggs to buy some Hostess products - told him it would make him big and strong - but he didn't.
We really need Volquez to turn his game around. Maybe he's going out there and trying to be an ace, when really the Reds have shown that all you need to be is merely good in front of a solid defense to get the job done. What he really needs to cut down on is the walks, which he's had 10 of in 12 innings. Reds pitchers have been pretty good about not giving away too many free bases this year, but when they do it usually doesn't end up well. Don't be afraid of the strike zone. Your defense is pretty good.
I'm not sure I'll see much of this game today. Sleep is at a premium and my brain is all over the place. So, I'd like to wake up again in a world where the Reds won today and are in first place once again. Is that too much to ask?
Go Reds!