Deadline Decisions

No, i didn't forget about America's pastime, it's just that Ohio baseball in July hasn't been nearly as interesting as hockey in July...but without further ado, baseball returns to The 17th Member.

With their recent three game sweep at the hands of the Los Angeles Dodgers and the division rival St. Louis Cardinals acquiring left fielder Matt Holiday from the Oakland A's, the Cincinnati Reds have managed to bury themselves near the bottom of the NL Central without much hope of making the playoffs.

Now, would it be impossible for the Reds to all the sudden learn how to hit and climb their way back into the playoff chase; no, but is it likely; not really. Thus leads to the conclusion that the Reds should be sellers, not buyers at the trade deadline.

So, who should the Reds ship off to the real contenders? The Seventeenth Member breaks it down. Here are some possibilities:

Catcher Ramon Hernandez: There are many contenders out there that could use a veteran catcher with the skill set of Hernandez. With the emergance of Ryan Hanigan, Hernandez is an expendable asset to the Redlegs. The rookie Hanigan is batting .313 in 60 games and has performed very well behind the plate.

RHP Francisco Cordero: As Dayton Daily News writer Hal McCoy correctly stated about the subject, "Who needs a closer when there aren't any important games to close?" The Reds owe Cordero $25M over the next two seasons.

RHP David Weathers: The 39 year old veteran has been reliable all season posting a 2.97 ERA in 38 appearances.

LHP Author Rhodes: Like Weathers, Rhodes is a 39 year old veteran who has pitched well all season. Plus, he's a lefty, who would want to add that to their pen?

RHP Aaron Harang: He's supposedly the ace of the staff, but the Reds haven't won with him yet and he's due to make $12.5M next season.

RHP Bronson Arroyo: Same story as Harang. Got $12.5M coming his way in 2010 as well. That's a lot of money the Reds could spend somewhere else.

It's pretty clear that the Reds are not going to win this year. But with names like Joey Votto, Johnny Cueto, Edinson Volquex, Brandon Phillips and Jay Bruce, the team's first winning season in fourteen years may not be too far down the road.

“I’m just looking for what is the best way to improve the club, Said General Manager Walt Jocketty. "I will not do anything that is going to be short-term. It has to be something to help the team down the road.”

If Jocketty is able to free up some salary and add some young guys to complement the guys previously mentioned, the Reds could be a contender for years to come. For now, we wait.

Reds Defend Cup

With an 8-1 victory Sunday afternoon at Progressive Field in Cleveland, the Cincinnati Reds were able to claim their second straight Ohio Cup, and more importantly, take four of six games from the Indians.

After losing game one to the Tribe on Friday night, the Redlegs were able to take the final two games in the series culminating in the win Sunday afternoon. The return of Joey Votto to the lineup had a positive impact on the team as Red's hitters torched Indian's pitching for eight runs on fifteen hits. It was a sign of life for a offense that has been struggling as of late.

Brandon Phillips did work against his former team, going 3-5 with three runs and three RBI.

Hernandez and Taveras also both went 3-5 with Hernandez adding three RBI of his own. Micah Owings improved to 5-8 with the win, pitching six innings and allowing one earned run while David Huff was credited with the loss for the Tribe, going five innings allowing six earned runs.

Since the reinstatement of the Ohio Cup in 2008, the Reds have gone 9-3 against the Indians, claiming the cup both years. With the win, the Reds were able to push their all-time record against Cleveland to 31-32 and ran their all-time interleague record to 83-104.

In other news, the Indians traded away third baseman Mark DeRossa to St. Louis in exchange for right-handed reliever Chris Perez and a player to be named later. Perez, who will turn 24 on Jult 1st, is 1-1 with a 4.18 ERA and one save in 29 appearances with the Cardinals.

Who Wants It?

With the influx of injuries the Cincinnati Reds have experienced this season, many of the younger guys have had an opportunity to step up and play a lot of innings and get a lot of at bats. Extended stints on the injured list to names like Joey Votto, Edwin Encarnacion, Alex Gonzalez, and Willy Taveras have allowed guys like Ryan Hanigan, Chris Dickerson, Laynce Nix, Jerry Hairston Jr, and Adam Rosales to show what they can do, and many of them have performed. In fact, some of them have performed so well that manager Dusty Baker is eventually going to have to make a decision on who gets the starts at each position.

With the absence of Joey Votto at first base and the lack of another first baseman on the big league roster, starting catcher Roman Hernandez was forced to move over to first. Subsequently, the move allowed rookie catcher Ryan Hanigan to become the everyday guy behind the plate. Hanigan responded well. Through 39 games, the rookie has compiled a .316 batting average, which leads the league among all rookies, along with one home-run and eight runs batted in. That is compared to Hernandez, who's average currently sits at .246.

When Joey Votto returns later this month and reclaims his spot at first base, Baker will have to make the decision as to who will remain as starting catcher. Baker has proven to be very loyal to the vetern players, so don't expect the young Hanigan to get the nod just because he has the higher average. Instead, expect Baker to run a platoon system behind the plate in which both guys see a good amount of time at the catcher position.

Baker has been running that same platoon system in left since the start of the year with Nix and Dickerson. Both players have been seeing a good amount of playing time with Nix getting the slight edge due to recent success behind the plate. But now that center fielder Willy Taveras is struggling with the bat, could we see Taveras be replaced in center by Dickerson who is playing much better as of late?

And what will happen to Jerry Hairston once Ediwin Encarnacion reenters the lineup? Encarnacion has been on the disabled list with a fractured wrist since late April and is expected to return sometime later this month. In 19 games played this season, Encarnacion batted a mere .127 with one home-run and six runs batted in. Hairston has batted .246 with seven home-runs, nineteen RBI and five stolen bases. Adam Rosales, who was called up from triple-A Louisville earlier this year, has also seen significant time at third base, playing in 38 games and compiling a .216 average. With the return of Encarnacion, Rosales is likely to return to the role of primarily a pinch hitter/runner, but what will happen to Hairston? Will he be pushed out of the regular lineup into a utility man position?

It is anticipated that when all the aforementioned players do return, that for the most part, we will see the big name and big contract players return the their positions in the lineup, and the other guys such as Dickerson and Hairston return to a utilty/pinch hitter role. Although, if they continue to perform, do not be surprised to see the non-regulars on a more regular basis, or to see manager Dusty Baker run a platoon system not unlike what may happen at the catcher position.

But for the most part, we have seen that Dusty Baker is very loyal to the veteran ballplayers. Take for example what happened last year with Corey Paterson. Paterson, who played under Baker in Chicago, struggled all year but Baker continued to pencil his name in on the lineup card each night. I don't expect this year to be any different, but I guess we'll just have to wait and see.

Don't Apologize for the Division

After being one of the better divisions in baseball a year ago, a year where two of its members qualified for the playoffs, statistically as far as wins, the National League Central is one of the worst divisions in baseball in 2009.

With one hundred games to play, the Reds have compiled a 32-31 record and currently sit 3 games back of division leading Milwaukee. Although sitting a game above .500 at this point in the season is respectable, it would usually not be good enough to keep you within three games of first place. But, for the Reds, it is, and no one's complaining.

The only division currently in worse standing than the NL Central, is the American League Central. The Indians, who stand at a meager 29-38 sit only six and a half games out of first place.

The fact that the Redlegs sit a mere three games out of first gives them a hope the rest of the season. With one of the top pitching staffs in all of baseball, the Reds look like a real playoff contender. The Reds currently have the forth best team ERA in the National League at 3.86 and are only .04 behind the Cubs in that category, the only other NL Central team in the top four.

In the past, while the Reds have been close to the top of the league in terms of batting and home runs, they have struggled as far as pitching. This year, the club has solid pitching, and if they can get the bats working, could be a definite threat in the Central.

The team has been without superstar Joey Votto for a large portion of the year and has also played much of the season without third baseman Edwin Encarnacion and shortstop Alex Gonzalez. The Reds should expect to see a big boost in offense When Votto and Encarnacion return to the lineup.

Also, if the Reds are still in the division and/or wildcard race come July 31st, don't be surprised to see them make a move for that reliable right-handed they were looking for last off-season. Playing a poor division isn't a bad thing, and if the Reds can lose the injury bug, keep pitching well, and get the bats going, it could really pay off come October.

Trade Talk

Major League Baseball's trade deadline is July 31st, which for many teams means changes on the roster. For Ohio teams, it could have two distinctly different meanings. For the Reds it may mean acquiring that big bat to that can carry them into the playoffs, for the Indians however, it may mean unloading some salary cap, and looking toward the future.

The Indians have had success in the past dealing away big name pitchers in order to recieve young talent. In 2002, the club traded away Bartolo Colón to the Montreal Expos for 3 young prospects. Those kids go by the name Grady Sizmore, Cliff Lee, and Brandon Phillips and seven years later they have four all-star selections, three gold gloves, one Cy Young, and one Silver Slugger between them...in other words, great trade. Last year it was CC Sabathia, but what big name could we see the Tribe trade away this year? One posibility is the aforementioned Cliff Lee. With Lee's contract expiring after the 2009 season, he is due for a raise, and this seems like it would be the perfect time for him to get dealt if the team is looking to dump off some salary come July. Look for his name to be a big one come July if the Indians do not rejoin the playoff race.

If the Reds are gonna make a move to help them down the stretch, it is likely to come from somewhere on the farm. The club is still missing that right-handed power bat that they tried to acquire over the off-season, and it is unlikely they would trade away any of their pitching to come by the aforementioned bat. If the Reds are still in it come late July, don't be surprised to see them deal away some of the young talent in attempt to find that big bat that could push them into the playoffs down the stretch.

Streaking Reds

Sweep one series, get swept the next. That is how it has been this season for the Cincinnati Reds. The Reds took three straight games from the Arizona Diamond Backs May 11th through 13th, then proceeded to get swept by the Padres four days later on the 17th. Last week the Reds completed a three game sweep of the Houston Astros in Great American Ballpark on Wednesday only to get swept this past weekend in Milwaukee by the Brewers. How can a team go from playing well enough to sweep a team to playing poor enough to get swept? In the Reds case, it's all about run support. In those six games, three times the club did not manage to score more than 2 runs, and never did they score more than five. In the six games they won, the Reds lit up opponents pitching by scoring an average of nearly eight runs, and only once scored less than six.

For the most part, the pitching has been solid from front to back, starters and relievers, but if the Reds expect to compete for the Central, they will need to see more consistency from their hitters. Some may attribute these cold streaks to the fact that the team has not really had a consistent starting nine from game to game all season. This is in part due to injuries and missed time to such big names as Joey Votto, Edwin Encarnacion, Alex Gonzalez, and Brandon Phillips. Also because we have seen manager Dusty Baker run a platoon in Left Field between Lance Nix, Chris Dickerson and Johnny Gomes. If the team can get healthy, watch for bat production and run support to increase. Until then, the Reds will simply need a solid pitching performance every night to keep them in the game even if the bats are not working that night.

The Battle for Ohio

This weekend kicks off the first interleague games of the year in major league baseball, and as every year since 1997, the Reds and the Indians will face off head to head in what is commonly known as "the battle for Ohio", or "the buckeye series". This year, the teams will play six games, three in Cincinnati and three in Cleveland as they have since 1999. This also marks the second year that the in-state rivals will play for the Ohio Cup, a trophy given to the winner of the series. As they did last year, the teams will begin with a three game set in Cincinnati.

The Indians lead the all-time series 30-27, but lost 5 of 6 to the Reds in 2008. The Reds are 77 and 95 all time in interleague play while the Indians are 108 and 103. Although the National League used to dominate, the American League has had the upper hand winning each of the previous five years and taking the all-time interleague lead 1,536 to 1,420. The New York Yankees and the Oakland A's are tied for the lead in all-time interleague wins with 123 a piece.

Starting in 1989, the teams played an exhibition game in Cooper Stadium dubbed as The Ohio Cup, but stopped in 1997 when interleague play began. The teams have never met in the world series, and until 1989, they had never even qualified for the playoffs in the same year.

So far this season, the Redlegs have compiled a 21-19 record while the Indians are a meager 16-26 though the first 42 games. The pitching matchup for the series is as follows:

Friday: Reyes (1-1) vs Arroyo (5-3), Saturday: Huff (0-1) vs Cueto (4-2), Sunday: Lee (2-5) vs Bailey (0-0)

Regardless of Records, this series is sure to pack a lot of excitement, and draw in many fans. Enjoy!

-T17M

California Dreamin?

Once again the Reds travel to California near the top of the division, once again play lots of extra innings, and once again come away winless. What is it with California that makes the bats go cold? Is it time change difference? Maybe the different style of play? The warm weather? Whatever it is, it isn't good.

Since 2006, the Reds have won just one series on the west coast, and have compiled a 1-10-1 series record over the past 12 series with an 11-28 record overall. In this time, the Redlegs are winless against the Dodgers, 4-9 against the Padres, and 5-6 against the Giants. The Reds played two inter-league series in 2007 against the Mariners and A's and finished 2-6.

It seems like every year the team heads out to the coast at or near the top of the central, return a few slots lower, and are never able to make up the lost ground. If the Reds are gonna compete for the central, they're gonna have to win on the road.

-T17M