Now’s the Time

41-35. The Cincinnati Reds have streaked and floundered and slugged and whiffed their way to this record. It’s not the prettiest record but it’s good enough for third-best in the National League (granted, with the way the junior circuit is absolutely KILLING the NL, that is not saying much). The Reds are first in the wild card race and since the Cardinals just got stomped by the AL Central bullies for 6 games in a row, they find themselves only 2 back in the NL Central.

So what kind of team do the Reds have? A streaky offensive squad that cannot get the little hit in big situations and relies almost exclusively on the long ball. A maddening defensive team that is prone to making the spectacular play but cannot make the routine 6-4-3 in the late innings. A pitching staff where 3 of the starters (Arroyo, Harang, Ramirez) consistently make quality starts and have been the core strength of the team. This same staff has 2 starters (Milton, Claussen) who get crushed one outing then pitch like Warren Spahn the next. The bullpen consists of one reliable closer, a long relief man whose best pitch is a 65-MPH change up and collection of washed-up veterans (Merker, Yan, Mays) and no-name stiffs (Shackledford, Standridge). If you can sum of the 2005 version of the Cincinnati words in 6 words or less, I owe you a Coke.

41-35. I guess it doesn’t matter anymore how they got there. The Reds are there. And now tomorrow is the most important day. Actually, the next 6 days are all equally important.

The Reds begin six straight home games this Tuesday (6.27.2006) against the Kansas City Royals and the Cleveland Indians. The Royals are the worst team in baseball and were eliminated from postseason play during spring training. The Indians are already looking at 2007. These are the kind of home series a good baseball team should win.

The Reds have had poor home attendance. The players (indirectly) complain about the small crowds and the apparent lack of faith by Reds Nation. However, when the fans came out to the yard, the Reds rewarded them by falling on their face (Cincinnati is 1-8 in games in which 30,000+ fans were in attendance). If the Reds are EVER going to improve on their ugly 17-19 record at Great American Ballpark, the next two series are the ones to do it in.

If the Reds are serious about postseason baseball, they must win 4 of the next 6 games. Anything less in unacceptable.

There are no more excuses. These two teams are weak. Every starter should finish 6 innings. The hitters should be spraying balls all over the field. The defense should play at a professional level. This is where the Reds should display the separation between themselves and the weak.

And if the Reds crap the bed they deserve to play in front of a half-empty stadium. And if I hear another excuse why the Reds aren’t hitting, I think I may explode. The Reds are the only team I have EVER heard of actually COMPLAINING about facing rookie pitchers. Are they serious? This is a problem? The Reds claim that these rookie pitchers are tough because they have never seen them before. That is LAUGHABLE. Guess what, that means the pitcher has never faced the Reds hitters either. I would like to think that Ken GriffeyJr, an all-century player, would have an advantage over a rookie pitcher. But that’s just me.

I imagine that most teams would lick their chops if they saw a rookie pitcher warming up in the opposing team’s bullpen. Not the Reds. Apparently they fear the unknown. Teams are starting to schedule their rookie’s inaugural starts to coincide with match ups against the Reds. This is no accident.

The fact is the Reds have a bunch of hacks that have played too many games in GABP and are now trying to hit the ball out of the park on every swing. The strike outs that this team is racking up are staggering:

Adam Dunn – 86
Austin Kearns – 72
Felipe Lopez – 62
Ryan Freel – 41

We all know about the horror movie that is Dunn, but 72 for Kearns? 62 for Lopez? (the man bats 2nd in the lineup, traditionally reserved for a hitter that puts the ball in play and rarely goes down on strikes). 41 for Freel? How? Why?

I can forget all these shortcomings if the Reds just take care of business the next couple weeks before the all star break. The 4 teams (KC, Cleveland, Milwaukee, Atlanta) the Reds face range from below average to terrible. The combined records are 126-174 (a .420 winning percentage). The Reds should pile up the wins against these teams and it all starts with 6 games at home. I want 4 wins. The Reds need 4 wins.