Jonny Gomes Curselog, Day 4
It's so hot I fried the egg the Reds laid against the Mets on the sidewalk. It tasted like hopeless desperation.
Two good stories on the hill today. Both minor league deals last offseason. Ryan Vogelsong began his major league career in '98 with the Giants, put up an even 6.00 ERA after 6 years in PIttsburgh, spent 2007-'09 playing in Japan and replaced an injured Barry Zito in April. At 34, he's a Cy Young candidate. D-Train you know. He signed as an amateur the same year Vogelsong made his MLB debut. While Willis is trying to re-ignite faded glory, Vogelsong is seeing it for the first time. The pitching richs of the Giants have swollen again this year. It's enough to make a Reds fan bitter. Two of our team's most promising talents before the season - Volquez and Wood (both of whom I honestly expected to be no worse than #3 starters) - are remediating in AAA. The Giants find another rotation ace underneath their couch cushions.
The Reds need to break out of their funk. If for no other reason than their own mental health. It's really not a persistent funk, seeing as how they've won series against both the Cardinals and Braves since the Break. But like countless stretches this season, it's been deeply frustrating and self defeating. The pitching meltdowns, errors, the mismanagement, the non-quite-good-enough hitting. The binging. The shame. Remember? You're the team that put a right beating on Lincecum in San Francisco.
I'm still happy to see Willis out there. But not excited about much else.
Code Red.