Baker called Cashmoney ClutchRAM-on's game-ending fly out a ‘Hall of Fame play’
Or maybe he meant Justin Upton's catch. Needs dis-ambiguation. It was a tease of an ending in which the Reds threatened to pull out another dramatic comeback win in the bottom of the ninth. But it was hardly a game the Reds deserved to win.
Mark Sheldon muses on Travis Wood's playoff readiness
His defense-independent stats were sparkling last night: 5 IP, 8 K, 0 BB. But he's looked awfully hittable at times over his last six starts. Wood's body of work over the season certainly gives him a strong claim to being the team's #3 starter, but the club may be wary of Wood, in the playoffs, making the rookie adjustments to hitters having a better read on him. Volquez and Bailey need a strong showing in their last few starts in order to match favorably with Wood. On merit, Wood has to be the frontrunner. But in terms of risk, it may be a toss-up.
Fangraphs looked at the dilemma of the playoff rotation yesterday. What is undoubtedly a long-term organizational strength (starting pitcher depth) is a source of tsouris in the playoffs, when our very mean playoff competitors can unfairly stack three shut-down pitchers against us in a 5-game divisional series.
Big League Stew takes a look at the Reds' Sluggish September Sales (SSS)
BLS calls attention to something that I think Slyde pointed out on the hallowed ground of our main blog feed. Playoff caliber Reds teams have historically performed poorly in September, dating back to the Big Red Machine. It's something peculiar about the temperament and geographic distribution of Greater Cincinnati, but I'm willing to guess the current paltry box office take has something to do also with shaking the cobwebs of a decade of futility - and a little bit of recession austerity in there somewhere.
Red Hot Mama put out a rally cry for fans to come down to the ballyard. I rankle a bit at anything that seems like shilling for an MLB-franchise which should be taking care of its own marketing, but why not do it for you? Playoff baseball in Cincinnati has been a rare bird over the last 30 years. And despite the bright future and young talent, there's no guarantee it'llcome around next year.
Mike Leake has been long tossing, but is "still far from returning" sez official state news
I'd be just fine with Leake taking his sweet time. He's a long-term asset for the team - and a rushed return would at best give him a week or two in a long-relief, mop-up role. With the division all-but-close to being all but locked up, any Wlad Balentiens or Todd Fraziers that you feel deserve to be added to the 40-man also have to make a case that they should be on the playoff roster too. Unless Nix is placed on the 60-day DL (a real possibility), they're going to go with the army they've got. Playoff roster speculation turns now to how many arms vs. how many bats.
Reds 2011 schedule released, via Fay
OK cool, but I'm living in the now.
Notes on Edmonds, Bloomquist, Leake, Phillips
Don't forget, injury fans, Edmonds is also nursing an Achilles injury while his oblique heals.