Reds 6, Cubs 5

I have a rule. When the Reds get down by 5 runs, I pause and reflect on life. If I perceive the Reds to be exquisitely sucking, then I stop watching/listening/following and resume my life as regularly planned. If I sense they have some spirit, some drive, some intensity left, I will continue to watch/listen/follow until it is clear they will lose. Today I turned off the television after the fourth inning, the Reds down 5-0. After class, I check online to see what happened. And what happened? Naturally, the very next inning, the Reds put together 6 runs for the win. Silly me. I should have learned from watching Boise State defeat Oklahoma to never turn my back on a game while it is in progress.

Anyway, I turned it off because it appeared that everyone on the Reds had the EdE symptoms from Wednesday night. Since Narron benched him, I thought he might as well bench everybody that was playing for the Reds in the first four innings. It was bad. Zambrano turned into the Reds Killer, as nobody appeared to have plate discipline particularly well. Hamilton lost a ball in the sun (first time at Wrigley, I know) but picked it up nonchalantly. Harang looked like a lethargic monkey out there. What's his deal? And when will people start listening to me to put Arroyo first in the order? He's the #1, will be this year anyway. Not that it matters too much, but Harang has been pretty weak so far. Javier Valentin, who we all know is not going to win Defensive Catcher of the Year, was particularly awful. He let baserunners do whatever they wanted out there, couldn't make a throw for his life, and was calling generally all the wrong pitches. All that bad stuff happened in the first four innings and it was hard to support a team that just looked like it didn't care. So I turned it off and was surprised to find that the Reds got it going in the fifth inning, knocking Zambrano out without an out recorded and making him the losing pitcher on the day. Not sure how Todd Coffey got the win, pitching the 7th, when the Reds went up 6-5 in the 5th. Someone should explain that to me. And good thing the Reds didn't give up anymore runs after the 4th inning, because they barely hung onto the lead. Hard to rip on the Reds after they scored 6 runs in an inning, but to have the bases loaded with no outs and strike out 3 straight times? That just blows right there. Anyway. A win is a win is a win. Is a win? A win. David Weathers for the save, seems like he's the guy. Although he did make it interesting, like he is apt to do.

The Reds had 6 hits on their 6 runs, whereas the Cubs had 15 hits on their 5 runs. Ouch. They were definitely the better team today, just had a worse inning than any of the Reds innings combined. Which is great news, because the Cubs remain winless at Wrigley. Which is awesome. And they lost while the Reds won. You have to love that double bonus, especially when the Reds sucked enough to lose it today. Too bad I missed it, but that's just me. You all have your own demons to deal with. Rock on.

Mavs are #1

Best record in the NBA. It was inevitable and now it's here.

Time to rest the superstars and we'll see you in the Playoffs.

Reds lose first series of the year

The Arizona Diamondbacks took 2/3 from the Reds this week, both losing games for the Reds came when they had the lead late in the contest. Come-from-behind wins are hard to take, especially for the hard-luck losers that were pitching - Arroyo and Lohse. The game they won saw Matt Belisle pick up his 2nd win of the year for the Reds, although Weathers thought about losing it for him.

We see a clear picture developing with the 5-4 Reds. Offense is a huge problem. And I don't think it's one that is a beginning of the season problem, this one could last throughout the year. There will be games when the Reds bust out and score a zillion runs and there will be stretches when they are hitting well, but it will be a problem. Combine that with the shaky pitching the Reds will no doubt see, and they may be in for a tougher year than any of us realize. Thankfully, the Reds pitching has been very solid. From pretty much everybody, even Milton's horrible outing wasn't too horrible. But this can't last. The Reds are not yet built to be a pitching & defense team. This is not the team that was an offensive superpower a few years ago, though they will crank out the homers.

This could be problematic, so watch yourself.