Last week I wrote that I wished the Reds were more like the Bats. The Reds had just come off their brawl and were in the midst of getting swept by the team they are fighting for the division. The Bats were rolling, seemingly untouchable. Well, I think someone misunderstood. Sure, the Reds did a good Bats impression this weekend, but apparently karma decided the Bats needed to be like the Reds, as they went into Columbus and got swept by the team they are fighting for first place. They even went so far as to incorporate a couple of Reds, Travis Wood and Aaron Harang, into the rotation for the series. Things didn't go so well.
Things also aren't going well for our three stale prospects, but for different reasons. As for our fresh prospects, there are some faces you know and maybe one you don't.
Juan Duran
Juan is still striking out a lot. I mean, a LOT. But he's also walking a fair amount, and is seemingly starting to hit the ball harder, as he has put up a .351/.400/.622 line over his last 10 games, including 2 homers. His OPS on the season is up to .759. It's a nice step in a positive direction after his terrible 2009.
Wladimir Balentien
Wlad has been collecting hits like the Russian mafia lately. He's OPSing 1.316 with 10 XBH in his last 10 games. His yearly OPS is up to .857, which is pretty respectable for a corner outfielder who plays good defense.
Kris Negron
The player the Reds got for Alex Gonzalez last year is quietly putting together a decent season for Carolina. He's OPSing 1.167 in his last 10 games, and his yearly OPS is up to .772. Kris has decent power and a very nice ability to get on base (.361 OBP this year). I have no idea how his defense is at shortstop, but if it's even average he could be a guy to keep an eye on for the SS carousel down the line.
Jason Isringhausen
With Francisco Cordero struggling as closer lately, I'm sure Walt Jocketty is frustrated that Izzy is sucking so bad right now. How bad has he been? In just 5.2 innings he has given up 2 homers and walked 7, resulting in a 9.53 ERA. He's running out of time to put himself in the mix for the playoff roster.
Josh Fellhauer
Not a good season for the Hellflower. He hasn't been very good over his last 10 games, but this is as much a cumulative season honor as it is a "what haven't you done for me lately?" He's been playing all 3 outfield positions, but his line of .246/.304/.342 doesn't really play at any of them.
J.C. Sulbaran
This one's really a shame. We all had such high hopes for this kid, and it's way too early to give up on him, but I had hoped to see better than a 4.99 ERA from a kid repeating a level. Now he's on the DL and hasn't pitched since July 17. Hopefully he can use the time off to make some adjustments and finish the year strong.
Follow the jump for a recap of Louisville's bad weekend as well as the rest of the action.
- Louisville lost Friday night 12-4. Sam LeCure and Jason Isringhausen both struggled mightily on the mound. At the dish, Yonder Alonso and Wladimir Balentien each had 2 hits. Wlad's were a triple and his 21st homer. Saturday the team got shut out 1-0. Travis Wood threw 2 shutout innings, and Matt Maloney was the hard luck loser, allowing just the 1 run in 6 innings. The Bats only mustered 3 hits, but 2 of them were a double by Dave Sappelt and a triple by Daniel Dorn. Sunday the team finished rolling over, losing 7-3. This loss was largely on Aaron Harang, who in his first rehab start since injuring his back in late June, lasted 5 innings, giving up 5 earned runs. Guess he's not quite ready to join the rotation again. Dave Sappelt must have sold his soul to some nefarious creature, as he went 3-5 and is hitting .353 since his promotion. Chris Valaika also collected 3 hits. Up Next: The team gets a much needed off day.
- Carolina lost Friday 7-2. Jose Castro was 3-4 with 2 doubles, Luis Terrero doubled twice, and Kris Negron hit his 11th homer. Saturday they won 6-1. Matt Klinker had a nice bounceback start, lasting 7 innings, giving up 1 run and striking out 7. The offensive start was Devin Mesoraco, who went 4-4 with a double, triple, and 2 RBI. Sunday the Mudcats lost 1-0 in a 5 inning game shortened by rain (I assume). The team was actually no-hit through those 5 innings. That's kind of unusual. Up Next: Tom Cochran starts at 7:05.
- Lynchburg won 6-1 on Friday. Josh Ravin had a strong start, going 6 shutout innings, giving up just 1 hit and 1 walk while striking out 6. Andrew Means and Neftali Soto each had 2 hits. One of Soto's hits was his 18th homer. Saturday they won 3-1. Justin Walker gave up 1 run in 6 innings and struck out 8. Donnie Joseph earned his 15th save, striking out 2 in 1.1 innings. Brodie Greene, Chris Richburg, and Kyle Day each had 2 hits. Sunday the team won 6-4. Donnie Joseph struck out 2 more in his scoreless inning to record his 16th save. Between 2 levels this season Joseph has 96 Ks in 57 innings. Other fun facts are that his dad is a doctor, he lettered in basketball and football in addition to baseball at the University of Houston, he majored in industrial distribution, and was a member of the National Honor Society. I bet your girlfriend would sleep with him too. Up Next: Curtis Partch takes the hill at 7:00.
- Dayton lost on Friday 2-1. Josh Smith and Blaine Howell combined for 4.2 shutout innings of relief. Justin Reed had 2 hits. Saturday saw the team earn a rare win, 4-2. 19 year old Daniel Corcino made his second start after being promoted from Billings and was strong, lasting 5 innings, allowing no runs, and striking out 6. Sunday they went back to losing, falling 5-2. DiDi Gregorius had 2 hits, one of which knocked a deck chair to the other side of the Titanic. Up Next: Jacob Johnson will take the hill at 7:00.
- Billings won 3-0 on Friday. Tanner Robles was great, throwing 6 shutout innings and striking out 7. Hopefully he's putting his miserable start to the year behind him. Jefry Sierra had 2 hits, and Juan Duran hit his 4th homer. On Saturday the Mustangs fell 3-2. 19 year old Jonathan Correa, recently promoted to Billings (probably to replace 19 year old Daniel Corcino) struggled a bit, giving up 3 runs in 4 innings. Still, it's good to see the Reds challenging their young talent with promotions. Donald Lutz and Juan Duran each hit their 5th homers of the year. The team was off Sunday. Up Next: Daniel Tuttle starts at 9:00.
- AZL Reds lost 7-5 on Friday. Ronald Torreyes and Yovan Gonzalez each had 2 hits including a double. The team was off Saturday. Sunday they played a game that went really late. Here is the box score if you are interested. One item of note is that Kyle Waldrop, the HS athlete the Reds drafted in the 12th round and gave a lot of money to sign, made his debut. He was 2-4 at press time. Up Next: Someone will start at 9:00.