Falcon hoopsters finish recruiting strong

There's going to be eight new faces in Orange and Brown next Fall, no doubt a record for our school. The Blade has the story on the new class.

The news here is the arrival of Brian Moten, from Saginaw. He's a shooting guard (a "pure shooter" who originally committed to Virginia (that's the one in the ACC), and then had academic problems and went to prep school for a year. Scuttlebutt is that in addition to those factors, his parents wanted him closer to home and to be with a disciplinarian. Check these numbers out:

As a senior at Arthur Hills High School in Saginaw, Michigan, Moten averaged 28 points, five rebounds and four assists last season. He finished fifth in voting for the Mr. Basketball award in the state of Michigan.

Reports are he has qualified.

For review, here are the eight new guys:

• Darryl Clements, 6-4, G, Detroit (Rogers)
• Jeremy Holland, 6-8, F, Austin, Ind. (Austin)
• Erik Marschall, 6-7, F, New
London, Ohio (New London)
• Brian Moten, 6-4, G, Saginaw, Mich. (Eldon)
• Dusan Radivojevic, 6-7, F,
Serbia-Montenegro
• Martin Samarco, 6-2, G, Ypsilanti, Mich. (Schoolcraft College)
• Lionel Sullivan, 6-6, F, Detroit (De Porres)
• Nick Wilson, 6-4, G, Trenton, N.J. (Central)

Let's hope these guys host the MAC Trophy over their head. And, let's hope that we get to hear them on the senior day, and that we've recruited guys who will fit in our system. In turn, I hope we don't hear that when one of them leaves "why would we want him, anyway."

The class is very promising, and I'm looking forward to watching it play itself out on the court. We've all struggled with the direction of the program, and I applaud the desire to "reboot" the system. Let's hope we can get it done.

Vandelay Sports PigSkin Preview

Vandelay has the Pigskin Preview for the MAC. This is one of the top (if not the only) MAC specific sites. He is calling for the Falcons to go 9-2, with losses against Boise and Miami, but an EAST title, and a MAC title, and closing the season off with two straight victories over the hated Rockets....

and that would be sweet.

Most questionable call is having Miami lose at OU, in the final game of the season with a title on the line. Somehow its hard to see that happening, but it is a rivalary game and its in Athens and OU does have Frank Solich. Still, he's only thinking they are going to be 4-7, and its hard to envision a new QB leading that team over Miami with the title on the line. And we'd need that due to our loss to Miami.

Well, its all conjecture. He does have us beating Wisconsin. My own game by game predictions will be coming out something in August, but its fun to start to gear up for football.

Reds looking at Twins aide to replace O'Brien

USA Today has this story today on the Reds looking for a new GM in the AL.

Some Reds fans apparently think that they should have hired this guy in the first place.

I had to reason to post this except to use the new photo feature on blogger

Danny Graves as Met still sucks

So, for all of those who thought cutting Graves was misguided, he was tipping his pitches, he was misunderstood, he was on the comeback trail, he was a sign of the Reds inability to make personnel decisions...

his ERA with the Mets in four games is 7.71, almost exactly what it was for the Reds.

So there.

Strat goes back into college football

Don't know how many people are into this, but as someone who grew up playing strat-o-matic games, and doesn't have the dexterity to play the Playstation games, I recently found that strat has introduced a new college football game featuring all I-A and I-AA teams. Its a probablity based game, not a video game, and follows closely on their excellent pro football game.

You might be interested in checking it out....

Reds get blown out in Cleveland

That cell phone posting thing is so cool, just had to do it.

Reds absolutely blew chunks last night, but can still win the series today, which will be a nice addition. The pitching was awful, and our lack of depth is apparent. Luke Hudson, who I like a great deal, has not had an auspicious start, but its not like we have anyone better. Case in point: Eric Milton.

Here's an interesting thread from Red Reporter I thought you might like.
Its an analysis of the Reds fire sale trades over the past few years. My comments are include, pass your own along if you like.

Someday, we will find out what Jason Romano is using to blackmail Dan O'Brien. Maybe he was the bartender at Neverland...however you slice it, its hard to understand what Romano is doing on our field (yes, I know he had a hit last night).

Finally, let's hope EE is in the lineup tonight. I assume he is going back down after today's game, so let's hope he can get another start.

Live from the Jake via cell post Reds win 5 4 Junior goes deep twice

We win series over first place Cardinals

Adam Dunn went yard twice, and the Reds won a series over the team with the best record in the NL--even though they tried as hard as they could to lose (led 7-0 at one point), but hey, a win is a win. Ryan Wagner continued to pitch horribly.

This Narron dude can really manage.

We're going to the Tribe game Friday, and I just checked in to see who was starting...it was ERIC MILTON! OHHHHHHHHHHHH NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!

Vern Ruhle, do your stuff.

Hal McCoy on Fall Guys

Hal McCoy says Miley and Gullett are fall guys for the failings of the front office.

Well, thank god Hal is there to spell that out. I mean, perish the thought! Making the manager the fall guy? It can't be true.

We should have fired Miley long ago!

Brilliant managing, put Dunn sixth in the order!

Just kidding. Nice win. Everything looks better after a nice win. A win tomorrow and a series win would be nice, but tough. Let's hope the bats wake up and we can get some respectability back.

(And Stone was awesome now that Gully's gone!)

Breaking News: Miley and Gullett gone

The Reds fired Dave Miley and Don Gullett today, and replaced them with Jerry Narron and Vern Ruhle, respectively. Its 3:04, and a press concerence has just started in Cincy.

Here is MSM approach from the Enquirer.

Here's the Red Reporter take.

Here's what RedLeg Nation says.

And there's 147 people on Redszone working a thread like this...

I think its safe to say that the Reds Nation approves of this move. I don't see too much defense of Miley and Gullett. My own thoughts?

Well, first of all, I don't think Miley has done a good job with the team. Having said that, last year about now I was demanding he get the job. So, I'm an idiot, too. I don't like where he bats Adam Dunn, and I don't like how he handles pitching. That being said, I don't think anyone else could have done much better given the pitching talent that was in front of him. Everyone says we look better on paper, but I'm not sure we are really as good as we look on paper. And, I'm not sure he's a bad enough manager to turn that kind of talent into this kind of record. With the pitching this team has, we would be lucky to be as good as we are.

Now, for Gullett. In the off-season, I wrote that it was GIGO with Gullett. You put garbage in, you get garbage out. Put quality in, he got quality out. But, I don't believe he was any kind of transformational leader. He failed in the Bowden plan (claim 50 stink bombs and let Gully turn them around), and he failed in the OB plan (sign free agent pitchers who are on the second tier). We needed a change in that part of the game.

Having said that, I say this: Vern Ruhle?

Nothing more to say.

Anyway, we were starting to wonder if this was the worst team we ever had, and it shouldn't be, so I suppose something had to be done. Let's hope it helps, even a little. I don't think Narron is any great shakes either, but maybe he can do a little better with this team.

To agree with a Red Reporter poster, look for bodies to move. Guys are going to be shipped out. I believe there will be a major firesale for this team, and in reality, Narron will have much less to work with than Miley did.

Worst Reds Team Ever

Could this be the worst Reds team ever. This morning, our winning percentage is .382, which projects to a 62-100 season. And a review of records confirms the instinct--in our history, we have rarely been this bad, and we're just a little slippage from being as bad as we ever were.

The 1982 team was the only other team to lose 100 games--their 61-101 record sets the franchise record for most losses in a season. Clearly, that record is in danger.

Percentage wise, we've had some worst seasons in years when the schedule was shorter. For example, here are the seasons below .400 in the NL Only.

1934 (.344)
1937 (.364)
1982, 1931 (.377)
1930 (.380)
2005,1933 (.382)
1932,1914 (.390)
1916 (.392)
1945 (.396)

In other words, based on today's record, the Reds have only had five worse seasons than the one they are having right now. And that just shouldn't be. But we shouldn't be under any illusions about how bad we are right now, because its very, very bad.

Not as bad, I might add, as when the Reds when from 1930-1934, with a winning % below 40% every year. That had to really suck. But we are historically bad for our franchise.

And we are, in my view, relatively healthy. What's missing is that our team went out and got players who are performing really badly.

By the way, that team had a guy named Si Johnson who was 7-22 with an ERA over 5, which was pretty bad in that era. Despite this, and thanks to the war, he pitched until he was 40--17 big league season...some of which were better than 1934 was for him.

The Blogosphere is Hot on this One

Reds nation is jumping all over this from the venerable Hal McCoy, who says the Reds signed Wilson knowing he had a partial labrum tear. As you know, he's out for the season and his career is in jeopardy. And our club put long-term $$ behind him.

Here's what the doctor said:

The shocker is that Kremchek admitted the Reds knew Wilson had a partial tear in his rotator cuff and labral deterioration three years ago when they signed him.

"We signed him anyway," Kremchek said. "Dr. Jim Andrews, who did his operation 10 years ago, said, 'Hey, don't worry, Paul is doing quite well.' His MRI hasn't changed in three years. I could name 10 pitchers in the majors pitching with worse-looking MRIs."

Kremchek said the partial tears are from a decade ago. He said medical advancements in the past 10 years enabled him to fix Wilson's shoulder with one procedure.

"Now we can fix anything," Kremchek said. "This will make him stronger and better than ever. We want him back next year and for four or five years."

So there.

Hal also notes that Adam Dunn is bitching about being off last night, and both he and Austin Kearns are mad that Austin got sent down.

Some of this has merit, but when you aren't winning, it makes everything taste bad.

Meanwhile, Eric Milton, of the nearly 8 ERA goes against Jorge Sosa, a hot young Braves arm. It doens't look good for bringing the losing streak to a close. In our little streak against top flight teams, we are 2-5.

I was going to do an around the blog for the Reds, but Redlegnation already did . Anderson Machado is back, most notably.

Finally, a semi-rhetorical question. When does the fire sale begin. Because Uncle Carl sure isn't going to roll on with this payroll and this record. He could suck this bad for much less.

Bad To Worse

I'd be posting more, but its just too depressing. A little glimmer of hope, and then five losses in a row.

Paul Wilson is out for the season, and probably done for his career. More cursed Red luck on his new contract.

Reds Offensive Explosion

When I was listening to the game yesterday, I thought, hey, we're getting some starting pitching, scoring some runs, winning some guys--even against good teams. Hey, I thought, this is a formula success.

Along comes Baseball Musings, one of my favorite sites, with an analysis that says I was half right. We were scoring runs. We weren't stopping them as well as I thought. This anlaysis shows us with a brutal ERA in June.

Of course, if you get a smaller sample--and I know that no statistitician worth anything EVER does that--I think the story is a little better. Let's look back over the last week. What you see is some guys eating some innings up, and with that, you finally get a bullpen getting some rest and you're at least in some games.

Now, one last trend to note. Who got lit up tonight, and who was the last guy to get lit up before that. That's right, the brutal Eric Milton. That guy has got to be thrown into the bullpen to see if he can put it together. He may be the worst FA acquisition we have ever made.

Ortiz lasted 7 IP--though a poor outing.
Claussen went 8.
Harang went 7.
Hudson went 6.
Milton went 5.

Breaking news...

Austin Kearns was sent to the minors today. Kenny Kelly recalled (?) in his place. He's going to be POed. Problem is, when he was on his rehab last year, he showed he can eat up AAA pitching. Question is big league pitching...

Is the career on life support? Blinking yellow? Or is this a mere bump in the road.

Every day, the meter begins to tip toward real worry on Austin. He's 25, so there's time. But tick-tock.

Brandon Claussen Coming on

A while back, I posted an Rx the Reds, which included keeping the faith with Danny Claussen. I cross-posted on Reds Reporter to get some feedback, and got some feedback that sending Danny down was the thing to do.

Danny pitched well last night, and has slowly brought down his ERA to below 4. He is becoming a reliable rotation maintay on a staff this is slowly turning the corner.

Danny has made nine appearences. Here is how they stack up.

Bad Outings

4/19 CHC (3 ER in 5 IP)
5/4 St. Louis (7 ER in 3.3 IP, against a high octane attack.)
6/5 @Colo (5 ER in 5.3 IP, at Coors).

Now, that's 67% appearences, and two of the three are certainly understandable and defensible.

Good Outings

4/24 @FLA, 0 ER in 5.3 IP
4/29 @ MIL, 1 ERA in 4 IP
5/10 SD 0 ER in 3.3 IP
5/24 WAS, 0 ER in 6 IP
5/29 PIT, 2 ER in 7.6 IP
6/11 BAL, 1 ER in 8 IP.

With the exception of the Coors start, three of his last four outings have been strong. Not that he's out of the woods, but I think he's emerging as someone we can rely on.

Now, is this some kind of short term illlusion that's hiding a weakness that can't be sustained over the long-term?

Let's look at the other metrics.

The most worrisome stat for me is the K/9. One of the benchmarks for me is that starting pitchers don't have long careers unless they get about league average in K's. Brandon is stiking out 5.81/9, while the league average is 6.4. This represents a problem...you seem to have to be able to get a K when you need it.

Other notes:

WHIP (1.48) above league average (1.39)
SLB (.453) above league average (.414)
OBP (.344) above league average (.330)
H/9 (9.94) above league average (9.16)
BB/9 (3.38) right on league average
HR/9 (1.31) way above league average (1.02).

Now, I don't have the energy to deduct out those crappy starts and see if that makes a difference. ERA for starters is rarely too much of an illusion, and he's above the league average in that. For the year, right now, you have a guy who is below average in Ks, but you don't get a control bonus with that. So you have a guy who doesn't have big K's with more base runners and homers than the league average. And he's a fly ball pitcher in a ground ball league.

And, there should be no doubt of this: his numbers are all moving in the right direction, and he's still young. His P/IP is down almost 2.4 pitches since last season, and the others are moving in the right direction.

Let's hope we're riding an upward arc. If Hudson can bring it around, and Harang continues, at least we've got three starters who might be consistent and effective.

Finally, a win today would be great. Winning the Oriole series would be one of the season's bigger accomplishments. At least today, sweeping the Nats was impressive, as well.

Let's hope the inconsistent Ramon decides to be consistent today.

This topic is also brewing elsewhere in the Redleg Nation. Note a fine comment from Glenn here.

Lions sign RW McQuarters

Its been all Reds all the time lately, but here's some news from Lionland. We've signed providing vital depth to the d-backfield.

I like it. With Bly and Bryant, it means we go go comfortably into nickle situations. This team has had its best off-season in memory.

Hal says Mets tell Danny he was tipping his pitches

Hal has the story on Mets saying Danny was tipping his pitches. Shouldn't Gully the Great have notied this? And, skeptically, shouldn't someone we traded IN to the Reds told him, if true.

If it is true, watch for him to return to form, and we look like fools.

Sweeeeeeeeeeeeeeeppppppppppppp!! Again

We swept what is a pitiful Dray team, witnessing an atrocious pitching performance in which the Reds had one of their highest scoring three game series ever. They positively blow on the road, too. It must be making Lou crazy.

That being said, we will take it.

Going back to our little 16 game test against many of the worst teams in the game, we ended up 9-7. It could have been worse. Still, with even a little consistency in Houston and Denver, even more was possible.

Luke Hudson didn't end up with great numbers, but the return was not without promise. Rich Aurilia is playing better since coming off the DL, but Lopez should still get six starts a week, minimum.

Now we hit a rough patch. Let's hope we can get .500 out of that. If we do, that will be an accomplishment. A total meltdown is just as likely. This team has never shown any inclination to enjoy success.

So Marty Says

I don't know how, in good conscience, Dave Miley can keep running Eric Milton out there.

Hear, hear. Luke Hudson is back, and that's at least some ray of hope for the staff. He's got to be an improvement over Belisle and Ramirez. Let's hope he's healthy and picks up where he left off last season.

UPDATE: For the second night, we've rallied past abysmal starting pitching to win a shoot out. Couple things...great to have Wily Mo back. And this must just be killing Lou Piniella. Just killing him. I can't see him hanging on for another year of this.

Could this be...the end?

I'm watching the Reds right now. The crowd is booing, and Ramon Ortiz can't get anyone out. The Devil Rays are lighting him up.

This morning, Hal McCoy had the news of a Reds manager hanging by an absolute string.

And tonight's results can't help. This article is right on, in my opinion, and very sharp considering its Hal.

It was so silent in the post-game clubhouse Sunday in Denver that one could hear a managerial contract hit the carpeted floor, even if it was torn into small pieces.

Dave Miley remains manager of the Cincinnati Reds today, but he knows, the coaches know, the players know, it could change at the drop of two or three more games.

Normally, any time is a good time to play the Tampa Bay Devil Rays. Not now. Not for the Cincinnati Reds. They are on notice. They must win. They have to win. That's added pressure, even if it is against the Devil Rays.

When you are on the road for the last day of a six-day trip and the boss flies three hours for a closed-door meeting, that's not a good thing, whether you are a marshmallow salesman, a truck driver or a baseball manager.

Club president John Allen's surprise, "Hi, I'm here," entrance into the Reds clubhouse Sunday was a message as clear as if he had it stamped on his forehead: "This is not acceptable. Heads will roll."

Allen made it clear to Miley and the coaches, and he made it plain and simple to the media and the players: "Last place is not acceptable and losing to last-place teams is not acceptable."

After his meeting with Miley, Allen said, "We're not saying we're better than the St. Louis Cardinals, but we expected much more than this."

When CEO Carl Lindner approved a payroll increase of $17 million this year — pushing it to $60 million — he wasn't paying to be an extra-large punching bag on which the dregs of the National League practiced left hooks and right crosses, even if a few of the investments are duds.

It was expected that the Reds would put something together on the just-completed trip and in the first three home games after the trip. They had nine straight games against last-place teams — three in Houston, three in Colorado and three at home against Tampa Bay.

Things began fittingly, a victory in Houston in a game started by Roger Clemens. The Reds displayed puffed-up chests for one day. They lost the next two in Houston and three in Colorado, each loss going from homely to ugly.

What they have turned out to be is a doctor from frontier days, the ol' doc who rode a horse from town to town, curing people as he went. That's what the Reds are doing for oft-beaten teams, curing what ails them.

And as Allen said over and over, "This is not acceptable."

After he delivered his message as if he were a combination of Fed-Ex and UPS — Fed-UP — Allen watched the Reds do it the way they've done it so often this season.

They lost Sunday to the Rockies, 8-6, because they couldn't hold two leads, they couldn't hit with runners on base and the bullpen was more bull than pen. To Allen, it was Groundhog Day.

"Our message to our fans is that we're not sitting around twiddling our thumbs," said Allen. "We do care."

There has been too much thumb-twiddling on the mound and in the batter's box, and fans in Great American Ball Park (those showing up) are voicing their loud-larynxed displeasure.

Noise is one thing, lack of cash flow is another.

Miley's major problem, if it is a problem, is that he is highly protective of his players. He does not criticize them publicly, doesn't throw them under the Greyhound.

This works twofold against him. Players know they won't be held accountable in the media by the manager ... screw up and he'll cover up. And it gives the fans the false idea that Miley isn't tough on his players, that he permits them to make the same mistakes over and over.

All this is not Miley's doing. Others are accountable, too, from the front office to the playing field. The club's top two pitchers, Paul Wilson and Eric Milton are busts — Wilson at $8.2 million over two years and Milton at $25.5 million over three years.

Second baseman D'Angelo Jimenez was signed to a $2.82 million one-year contract and sat on it, sulking when he didn't play and sulking when he played poorly.

Bullpen acquisition Ben Weber is hiding on the disabled list and infielder Rich Aurilia is a body waiting to be traded or released.

The mishandling of the Danny Graves situation was not Miley's doing, but it was his recommendation that something be done "because we couldn't keep running him out there." The way it was handled, tossing Graves into the compost, was divisive in the clubhouse because Graves was ultra-popular.

Miley lost points when he removed the massage lounge chairs from in front of the dressing stalls of Adam Dunn and Ken Griffey Jr., two of his most visible clubhouse inhabitants.

Somebody, though, has to pony up. Status quo stinks right now. Whether he deserves it, Miley is on his back staring at the undercarriage of a bus. And it's probably moving.

If you haven't lost your appetite, here is a SHORT list of season lowlights.

By Hal McCoy

Dayton Daily News

*Some of the lowlights as the Reds head into tonight's game against Tampa Bay with a 21-35 record and in last place in the NL Central:

* Reds have been outhit by their opponents in 34 of 56 games.

* Late-inning magic? Not this year. Cincy is 1-30 when trailing after seven innings.

* Eighteen losses have come after holding a lead.

* Reds are outscoring the opposition in only two innings (second, eighth).

* 6-21 road record (shouldn't get much better with upcoming trips to Boston, Cleveland and St. Louis)

My prediction. When Miley goes, they all go. And it will be very soon. I like Hal's analogy. It may not be right, but Miley is looking up at a bus running him over.

6-1 in the middle of the first.

UPDATE: Now that its tied, Miley should get a contract extension.

UPDATE II: 9-6 REDS. MI-LEY! MI-LEY! MI-LEY!

And the futility rolls on

Reds fan are justifiably disappointed to have lost 5 or 6 to last place teams. So much so, that John Allen made an odd trip to Denver (the team is home today already) to discuss next steps with....someone. He was interviewed on FSN Ohio, and talked extensively about how its "not acceptable", "Mr. Lindner is a winner," etc.

I know this, they can't be happy about spending $15M more and being this bad. We could have been this bad at our former payroll.

Want to understand the futility...the normally shillish and compliant John Fay said this in the Enqurier.

The Trip

The Reds lost the final five games of the six-game road trip to Houston and Colorado, both last-place teams.

The Reds won the first game, which was started by Roger Clemens, 9-0 before the Astros won the second two.

Then, the Reds were swept by the Rockies, who entered the series 16-36.

The Reds are 6-21 on the road.

What a difference

After 56 games last season, the Reds were 34-22, in first place by two games.

Since the last time they were over .500 last season - 50-49 - the Reds have gone 47-72.

Won't get easier

After three games with last-place Tampa Bay, the Reds will face Baltimore, Boston, Atlanta and St. Louis, which have a combined winning percentage of .585.

The Rockies were 16-36 coming in. Did you see that?

Maybe we should stop saying we're really not this bad. Maybe we are. Is it time to start talking 100 losses again?

Another great piece from the Redleg Nation

Brian, in a typically strong content piece, looks at the misery that was May.

Some excerpts:

As mentioned Dunn and May have had their problems since his first May in 2002.

June is particularly a good month historically for Dunn .267/.399/.547, hopefully the pattern will continue

The 2005 Reds scored more runs in May (145) than any team since the 1976 Cincinnati Reds

152 Runs in May 1976

There was a little debate about Adam Dunn and May on Redszone. OK, May isn't his month. I noted there his OPS is 13th among NL Ofs with 100 PAs during the month, and that's not too good. If he goes on a tear and evens things out, all the better, and there's no reason to think he won't.

Finally, he just kind of slipped that last thing in. We haven't scored this many runs since 1976 as a team--almost 30 years. And yet we stunk...(I think I recall the 1976 team was pretty good). Gee, think its the pitching?

Another loss, 4 in a row

Ok, so everyone says when you suck, you have to look to the future.

Redszone, one of the premier communities in sports, has some ideas. Here's an article from jmmclain19 on the top 30 Reds prospects, and how they are doing.

And how are they doing? Here is his post. Candidly, I'm not too enthusiastic afer reviewing this. Players who are excelling, IMO, are marked (by me) in red, and those who are not are in blue. Maybe every organization looks this way, but to me, it looks like a lot of injuries, and some guys who are not getting it done. And some of the high guys we've seen, and they don't seem to have much.

Go to the bottom, and note Phil Drumatrait and Bubba Nelson, two Jimbo firesale guys who seem to be coming along.

Reds Top 30 Prospects per Baseball America - Thru June 3rd
1. Homer Bailey - RHP
Lo A: 30.1IP, 24H, 10ER, 16BB, 43K, 131TBF, 2.97ERA, 1.32WHIP
2. Edwin Encarnacion - 3B
AAA: 189AB, 52H, 8HR, 90TB, 23BB, 41K, 5/7SB, .275AVG/.353OBP/.476SLG
3. Richie Gardner - RHP
AA: 49.2IP, 67H, 35ER, 17BB, 38K, 230TBF, 6.34ERA, 1.69WHIP
4. Joey Votto - 1B
Hi A: 173AB, 43H, 7HR, 73TB, 22BB, 55K, 3/3SB, .249AVG/.333OBP/.422SLG
5. B.J. Szymanski - OF
Lo A: 16AB, 4H, 0HR, 5TB, 2BB, 3K, 0/0SB, .250AVG/.333OBP/.313SLG
6. Thomas Pauly - RHP
INJURED - DNP
7. Todd Coffey - RHP
AAA: 8.2IP, 8H, 5ER, 2BB, 5K, 5.19ERA, 1.15WHIP
MLB: 14.0IP, 20H, 10ER, 2BB, 9K, 6.43ERA, 1.57WHIP
8. William Bergolla - 2B
AAA: 132AB, 43H, 2HR, 61TB, 5BB, 8K, 4/5SB, .326AVG/.350OBP/.462SLG
MLB: 35AB, 5H, 0HR, 5TB, 0BB, 9K, 0/0SB, .143AVG/.143OBP/.143SLG
9. Tyler Pelland - LHP
Hi A: 37.1IP, 41H, 17ER, 20BB, 49K, 168TBF, 4.10ERA, 1.63WHIP
10. Paul Janish - SS
Lo A: 203AB, 49H, 4HR, 75TB, 27BB, 38K, 5/7SB, .241AVG/.339OBP/.369SLG
11. Elizardo Ramirez - RHP
AAA: 38.0IP, 41H, 14ER, 5BB, 27K, 3.32ERA, 1.21WHIP
MLB: 18.2IP, 25H, 14ER, 8BB, 9K, 6.75ERA, 1.77WHIP
12. Chris Dickerson - OF
Hi A: 164AB, 45H, 7HR, 77TB, 27BB, 46K, 8/9SB, .274AVG/.378OBP/.470SLG
13. David Shafer - RHP (He would have been Red until he was called up to AA).
Hi A: 11.2IP, 7H, 0ER, 2BB, 16K, 46TBF, 0.00ERA, 0.60WHIP
AA: 9.2IP, 10H, 8ER, 11BB, 11K, 50TBF, 7.45ERA, 2.17WHIP
14. Kevin Howard - 2B
AA: 178AB, 46H, 4HR, 63TB, 18BB, 26K, 6/9SB, .258AVG/.337OBP/.354SLG
15. Ben Kozlowski - LHP
AA: 57.1IP, 68H, 25ER, 16BB, 45K, 251TBF, 3.92ERA, 1.47WHIP
16. Miguel Perez - C
Hi A: 133AB, 38H, 0HR, 46TB, 6BB, 31K, 4/4SB, .286AVG/.317OBP/.346SLG
17. Javon Moran - OF
Hi A: 46AB, 16H, 0HR, 18TB, 3BB, 3K, 2/3SB, .348AVG/.385OBP/.391SLG
18. Steve Kelly - RHP
AAA: 64.2IP, 58H, 22ER, 21BB, 44K, 267TBF, 3.06ERA, 1.22WHIP
19. Dane Sardinha - C
AAA: 138AB, 30H, 2HR, 41TB, 6BB, 36K, 0/0SB, .217AVG/.268OBP/.297SLG
20. Rafael Gonzalez - RHP
Lo A: 26.0IP, 24H, 27ER, 24BB, 22K, 123BF, 9.35ERA, 1.85WHIP
21. Daylan Childress - LHP
No longer a Red - Claimed off waivers by Minnesota
22. Chris Denorfia - OF (with a bullett, at least for now).
AA: 188AB, 62H, 7HR, 106TB, 17BB, 38K, 4/7SB, .330AVG/.391OBP/.564SLG
AAA: 25AB, 7H, 0HR, 8TB, 3BB, 7K, 2/3SB, .280AVG/.357OBP/.320SLG
23. Anderson Machado - SS
INJURED - DNP
24. Jesse Gutierrez - 1B
AA: 100AB, 31H, 4HR, 53TB, 8BB, 20K, 0/0SB, .310AVG/.360OBP/.530SLG
Injured – Out for season[/i][/b]
25. Chris Gruler - RHP
INJURED - DNP
26. Calvin Medlock - RHP
Hi A: 44.0IP, 42H, 20ER, 14BB, 35K, 183TBF, 4.09ERA, 1.27WHIP
27. Carlos Guevara - RHP
Hi A: 20.0IP, 16H, 7ER, 8BB, 26K, 86TBF, 3.15ERA, 1.20WHIP
28. Matt Belisle - RHP
Cincinnati: 19.0IP, 25H, 13ER, 6BB, 16K, 86TBF, 6.16ERA, 1.63WHIP
29. Stephen Smitherman – OF
AA: 38AB, 7H, 1HR, 13TB, 2BB, 13K, 0/0SB, .184AVG/.225OBP/.342SLG
AAA: 141AB, 35H, 1HR, 47TB, 5BB, 34K, 1/1SB, .248AVG/.272OBP/.333SLG
30. Craig Tatum - C
Lo A: 128AB, 24H, 1HR, 36TB, 10BB, 19K, 2/2SB, .163AVG/.189OBP/.204SLG
-Injured – Out for Season

Other notables

Kenny Kelly – OF
AAA: 189AB, 63H, 3HR, 83TB, 17BB, 44K, 13/17SB, .333AVG/.388OBP/.439SLG
Chris Booker – RHP
AAA: 24.0IP, 12H, 5ER, 13BB, 31K, 96TBF, 1.88ERA, 1.04WHIP
Phil Dumatrait – LHP
AA: 40.0IP, 38H, 13R, 18BB, 32K, 178TBF, 2.93ERA, 1.40WHIP
Ryan Hanigan – C
AA: 97AB, 30H, 2HR, 41TB, 6BB, 22K, 1/1SB, .309AVG/.362OBP/.423SLG
Lance Caraccioli – LHP
AA: 58.1P, 53H, 24ER, 28BB, 52K, 252TBF, 3.70ERA, 1.39WHIP
Bubba Nelson – RHP
AA: 27.1IP, 29H, 12ER, 9BB, 35K, 122TBF, 3.95ERA, 1.39WHIP
Norris Hopper – OF
AA: 185AB, 66H, 1HR, 79TB, 14BB, 12K, 16/19SB, .357AVG/.408OBP/.427SLG
Kyle Edens - P
Hi A: 36.2IP, 41H, 16ER, 12BB, 31K, 161TBF, 3.93ERA, 1.45WHIP
Bobby Basham - RHP
Hi A: 34.1IP, 41H, 16ER, 4BB, 24K, 141TBF, 4.19ERA, 1.31WHIP
Jeremiah Piepkorn – 3B
Lo A: 97AB, 32H, 4HR, 57TB, 7BB, 10K, 0/1SB, .330AVG/.394OBP, .588SLG
Phillippe Valiquette – LHP
Lo A: 36.0IP, 37H, 19ER, 25BB, 29K, 167TBF, 4.75ERA, 1.72WHIP
Brad Morenko – P
Lo A: 51.0IP, 52H, 13ER, 9BB, 27K, 217TBF, 2.29ERA, 1.20WHIP
Blake Hendley – RHP
Lo A: 28.0IP, 14H, 4ER, 5BB, 28K, 101TBF, 1.29ERA, 0.68WHIP

Just when they were looking like progress....

You win and split a series, and go into Houston and win the first game over the Rocket, and you're starting to think maybe things are moving in the right direction. Then, you lose the next three games, including a 12-4 shellacking last night at the hands of the Rockies in which Eric Milton pitched better than expected in Coors, but Ryan Wagner got positively lit up.

We were saddled from the beginning through a Dave Miley overmanagement move by keeping Dunn and Griffey on the bench against the RH (DOH!) Francis, on the theory that righties hit Francis better than lefties. (We're talking about our two power hitters at Coors, mind you.)

Here's what John Fay had to say about that.

Let's just say it didn't work.

But hey, he found room to get Rich Aurilia in the lineup.

Message to Miley: this team can lose enough games on its own. They don't need any help. Put Junior and Dunn in the lineup.

UPDATE: Reader BD points out that Francis was a LHP, which I guess I noticed. But so, I stand corrected.

Having said that, what about this statement from Fay:

Colorado left-hander Jeff Francis has had more trouble with right-handed hitters than left-handed ones.

Wouldn't you EXPECT Francis to have more trouble with RH hitters than LH hitters?

Update 2: Hal McCoy has the locker room reaction...note "Are we trying to win?".

As the Cincinnati Reds filed into the clubhouse early Friday and peered at the lineup card hanging on the wall, reactions mostly were stunned, confused ... or both.

"Are we facing Sandy Koufax tonight?" asked one. "Or is it Randy Johnson?"

"Are we trying to win?" asked another.

"Are Ken Griffey Jr. and Adam Dunn hurt?" asked a third.

No, no and no ... and neither Griffey nor Dunn were in the lineup for Friday night's game against Colorado Rockies left-hander Jeff Francis (4-2, 5.24 ERA).

Manager Dave Miley decided to stack his lineup with right-handed hitters, leaving Griffey and Dunn in the dugout, or, as Griffey said, "Leave 22 home runs and 63 RBIs out of the lineup ... in Coors Field."

Griffey has hit .360 with eight homers and 21 RBIs in 50 Coors at-bats while Dunn is at .333 with five homers and seven RBIs in 33 Coors at-bats.

"I came to the park early, all happy and smiling after a day off, ready to take some extra hitting," Griffey said. "Dunn said, 'Why are you so happy? You're not in the lineup and neither am I.' "

Griffey visited Miley's office to lobby for his spot, but Miley wouldn't budge. Dunn didn't try.

"I had a day off Thursday and don't need (another one), but I can't say anything because I suck," he said.

Graves Trade Not Happening--Note CW Index shifting

Hal McCoy has the story of a potential trade for Danny Graves going bad with the Marlins. I'm not too surprised, and the trade escalator in his contract doesn't help things. Why would someone trade for him when he's available for nothing shortly.

BTW, score on for the blogosphere, where the $500K trade escalator was a known fact.

Even more importantly, note McCoy spouting the conventional wisdom that is rapidly making its rounds--that the Reds gave up on Graves during a "slump." Note this from Ozzie Guillen.

Asked about sending him to the minors and releasing him, Guillen said, "He needs to work through his slump in the majors. If we sent down or released everyone who had a bad day, bad week or bad month we wouldn't have a team."

At last look, the White Sox lead the American League Central.

Meow. Thank god you are here, Hal. I think the point is, it wasn't just a slump. Graves was in the midst of what I viewed as a ongoing slide that culminated in being absolutely horrible this season. He was not a shutdown closer last year, or even close. He is giving up more gopher balls and striking out fewer than at any point before. I wanted him moved to long relief on the chance he would work his way out. Isn't that a better answer than Ricky Stone? But, I don't think cutting him was the awful mistake it is being portrayed as.

Not much to say

Terrible scoring team scored a little on us, but Matt Belisle pitched as well as we have a right to expect him to. No blow ups, no meltdowns, just two evenly matched below average ballclubs playing a competitive game. The Reds didn't get the runs they need to win. The line up is looking better.

Heard a great bit on the radio about Lopez. Check out, if you will, how he ranks among NL Shortstops in offensive production. If Aurilia starts again (except for an occasional spell, that's malpratice.)

Win the series.