Sunday's Scoreboard Stumper

What five players have at least 330 career home runs with a career batting average of .330 or better?

Cordero Reds' all-star

The Reds announced at today's game that Cordero was named to the All-star Game as the Reds' representative.

Update

Maybe I don't like Dusty. In a 5-2 game, with one on, Dusty pulls Owings for Herrera to face the lefty Rasmus. As Thom predicted, LaRussa then went to Ryan Ludwick. Massett is already warming up (you know Herrera won't face Pujols) so why not just bring him in to face Ludwick? After all, it's a three-run lead with one on and Pujols on deck. Predictably, Herrera gives up a hit to Ludwick, so now Pujols is the tying run. Of course, Dusty then goes to Massett. To be continued . . .

Baseball absolutes

There are two absolutes in baseball. One, there are three bases and one batter. Two, when Albert Pujols (pronounced poop·hōl) is up in the late innings at Pretty Good American Small Park, he's going to go yard. So with three bases and a batter, a 3-0 lead is not safe against the Cardinals. What you need is either a 4 or 5 run lead, or a working knowledge of the unintentional, intentional walk.

So here's the set up. The Reds are up 3-0, with Homer Bailey having gone seven innings of two-hit ball. He gave up a lead-off single to start the game and walked the next guy. He then struck out Pujols and cruised from there, giving up only a hit-by-pitch through 6, with 4 k's. He got the first two guys in the 7th, gave up a double to Molina, and then got out of the inning on a ground out. Then the bottom of the 7th. Dusty allows Homer to lead-off the inning and he flew out. As mentioned above (with three bases and a batter) a 3-0 lead is not enough. Granted Homer was pitching great, but why not take him out after 7 and turn the game over to the pen with a little cushion? Plus, as mentioned, a 3-0 lead isn't enough. At lead-off, we needed a pinch hitter, not Bailey.

Leading off the 8th, Homer gave up a single to Rasmus. Bailey then got Ryan to fly out. So you figure with two lefties coming up, two bases open (remember there are three total) and Pujols lurking Bailey's done for the night and Rhodes is coming in. Because, of course, with three total bases and one batter the worse possible thing you can do is walk guys to get to Pujols. Of course actually walking Pujols is an intriguing idea, but we're getting ahead of ourselves. Instead, Homer stays in and walks Schumaker to put two on with Duncan up and Pujols on deck. (Basic math: that equals 4.) So with no margin of error (we have a three run lead at this point, but see the two absolutes described above) Rhodes comes in and walks Duncan to load the bases. The rest, of course is history.

Now, when I say no margin of error, that's not 100% true. Even with Pujols up with the bases loaded and a 3-0 lead, there is another option. You could walk Pujols. I'm not suggesting an intentional walk, but just don't throw him anything good. He walks, the Reds are up 3-1 and they try to get the next guy (Ludwick, who was 0 for 4 with an intentional walk).

I like Dusty and hate to harp on him like I did above, but I really think he blew it last night. I think he might be taking the approach that to be a player in the division we have to compete with the Cardinals, not duck them. But going toe-to-toe with the Cards does not require a 3-2 fastball in the strike zone to Pujols with the bases loaded and a 3-0 lead.

Kudos to the Reds for coming back and tying the game at four in the bottom of the 8th. And the Reds put the winning run at the plate in the bottom of the ninth, but it just wasn't enough. Also kudos to Bailey, who threw a great game. And kudos to the Reds for a great fireworks show. All-in-all it was a pretty nice night, but a win would have been sweet.

Reds' brain trust meets

The Reds' brain trust met this afternoon after the season ticket holder luncheon to discuss what could be done about adding a bat to the Reds' roster. Reds' GM Walt Jocketty discussed the upcoming meeting during the question and answer period at the luncheon. This picture was taken at the news conference following the meeting and included the Reds top brass, Jocketty, the owner and team president, Bob Castellini, and frequently cited blogger, Dave Zahniser. No announcements regarding specific players were made, but Jocketty reportedly was considering Zahniser's suggestions of trading for Matt Holliday or (more likely) Wilson Betemit.

Cleveland Rocks!

This is Rachel, guest blogging for Dave. Last weekend, we went to Cleveland to watch two games of the Indians/Reds series. Since moving to Cincinnati and becoming a Reds fan, I've wanted to go to Cleveland for the Battle of Ohio, but we've always had a conflict until this year.

Cleveland is a great weekend trip for Cincinnati folks. The drive is right around four hours. We stayed at the Crowne Plaza on St. Clair and East Ninth--a terrific deal at $80 thanks to Priceline.

From our hotel, we walked to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame--my favorite museum in the world. The Hall of Fame is a must-see for any rock music lover. I particularly enjoy seeing the artifacts like handwritten music lyrics and costumes from music videos and concerts. Who knew that the lyrics of Walk This Way were so dirty? Or that We Didn't Start the Fire was first called Jolene? Tina Turner's red dress from the Private Dancer video was on display. She gave it to VJ Martha Quinn because Martha said that she liked the dress. Martha then wore the dress to the VMAs. How cool is that? I always learn something new from the Hall of Fame--for example, Elvis performed only a few concerts out of the U.S. (in Canada), despite being offered millions of dollars to perform in Europe, because Colonel Tom Parker was an illegal immigrant. In memory of Michael Jackson, one of the theaters in the Hall of Fame ran his videos. We watched some of the Off the Wall and Thriller videos; the songs are still excellent, but the videos are very dated.

We went to the Saturday night and Sunday afternoon games at Progressive Field. I'm not going to report on the games, but on the game experience from the casual fan. (This is from someone who calls GABP her favorite outdoor bar in Cincinnati). Our tickets the first night were in the upper deck between home and first base. I was disappointed in the concessions--very basic hot dogs and pizza. I went with the nachos--nothing special. In Cincinnati, we have local restaurants like Skyline and LaRosa's even in the upper deck. After the game, we had drinks out on the deck at the Thirsty Parrot, a bar across the street from the field. On Sunday, we had tickets in the lower section just past third base. I was happy to sample some local flavor with the Great Lakes Burning River. I still did not see any local foods. So GABP definitely wins out in that respect.

At the end of the top of each inning,the Indians set off fireworks, to my surprise. It was like celebrating the fact that the Indians only gave up four runs that inning. The Reds reserve fireworks for a big deal--a home run or a win. (When you hear fireworks around downtown Cincinnati when the Reds are playing, you know something good happened--not that the visitors had a four-run inning.)

Members of the Ohio State band performed during Sunday's game, which meant the Ohio State fight song and Hang on Sloopy. I was happy when a guy behind us chanted, "SEC, SEC."

Despite the poor food selection at Progressive Field, the Cleveland trip is highly recommended, if just for the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. The fact that the Reds won both games enhanced the trip immensely.

M*A*S*H

Here are the updates for my team today on the bgal website:

Morneau leaves with tight groin
Longoria needs more frequent days off
Gordon to return less than 100 percent
Redmond takes foul tip off arm
Sonnanstine to make Triple-A start
Sizemore likely needs elbow surgery
Lowell should be back after break
Raburn leaves game with dry eyes

No wonder I'm in 6th place.

Rant ineffective, Blue Sox robbed

My recent blog post ranting about the Blue Sox has apparently had no effect on the team because they dropped another point last night. All of a sudden, no one can hit. I feel about as effective a motivator as Lou Pinella.

But here's what has me perplexed. I don't know if you saw the Yankees game last night or not (first let me point out that I forgot to set my line-up for the Yahoo league yesterday, so I missed Joba's start -- whick worked out okay considering his line) but the Blue Sox should have had a win. I turned it on at 3-3 in the 6th. Joba was gone and Coke was pitching out of a jam. He did, and it stayed 3-3. Hughes came in and pitched a perfect 7th, which sets me up for the win if the Yanks take the lead, which they promptly did on an A-Bomb from A-Rod. Why Girardi didn't leave Hughes in is beyond me, but he can certainly pitch two innings. Instead he went with Bruney, who coughed up the lead. The ironic part: it was Blue Sock Russell Branyan who knocked in the tying run. He was up with one out and the bases juiced. I'm thinking, "okay, I'll take the grand slam for the win." But instead I get a sac. fly, which gives me 1 rbi for the win. Of course, the Yanks take the lead in the bottom of the 8th and go on to win, but I had already lost interest and was on to playing impossible-to-win-solitaire on the I-Phone.

All that to say, again, here's what has me perplexed. If the official scorer has the discretion to not award a relief pitcher a win in this type of situation, and then chooses to award the relief pitcher the win (Bruney got the win) than under what circumstances would an official scorer exercise such discretion? Bruney stunk, and gave up the lead. He did nothing to earn a win. I get it that he was the pitcher in the game when the Yanks took the lead for good, but if that's a hard and fast rule, say so. Don't pretend that the official scorer has discretion. And if he does have discretion, use it!

FF&A

The FF&A ten came up with a big win last night, beating our only upper division opponent of the year 20-7. Everybody hit (including yours truly) and, overall, the defense was solid. Most (if not all?) of the 7 runs we gave up were unearned, but some other solid play kept the opponents away from the big inning. That's the key in slow-pitch softball, keep the other team from getting the big inning going. We benefitted from several miscues by the opponents and had a couple of big innings. Next week its back to lower division opponents. Hopefully, our play will not revert back to the mediocrity we've displayed so far this year and will be more like this week.

Blue Sox in trouble

The Blue Sox are in serious trouble after dropping again in batting average. Right now I have a total of 39.5 points. Third place has 59, so I would have to gain 20 points (in only 8 categories) to finish in the money. What's so surprising is that I only have 18 hitting points, which is 7th. (I'm 6th overall.) I'm 8th in batting average, 7th in rbi and stolen bases, and 4th in home runs (thanks to Branyan). But I'm only 7 stolen bases out of 4th (13 out of 2nd) which would add 3 points, and could very easily move to 6th in average (2 points). I've been trying hard to make some trades for some steals guys, but haven't had any luck.

In pitching, I'm a little better off, having recently added CC Sabathia. I should slowly improve in era (I'm 9th with a team era of 4.69, but only .30 out of 5th) and strikouts. I now have CC, Beckett, Lackey, and Slowey, each his team's ace. I could easily move up a couple in wins, as well. With Fuentes doing well with saves, I may hold my tied for 2nd spot.

What's frustrating, though, is that I'm supposed to have a great offense. With Longoria, Kinsler, and Morneau, I have three top producers. And with Grady back and Branyan still on a tear, I've got a real chance for a big second half. My problem is is that I have too much dead weight, with guys like Navarro and Valbuena not producing and guys like Santiago, Raburn, Davis, and Redmond not playing regularly. Now, Lowell is on the D/L. That may put the nail in the coffin for worst trade ever: Lowell for Bailey. And to make it even worse, Frasor was a roster-balance throw-in in that deal and I cut him to activate Lackey. What I wouldn't give to have Bailey back.

So here's my plan: try to add one more big bat (or steals guy) via a trade, and maybe add a strong middle reliever to help with my era and maybe pick up a stray save or two and a couple of wins. Sonnanstine went on the D/L, so the new guy would take his spot. I may also look to add a bat for Lowell, but I do have Gordon coming back so I may just wait and see what happens there. Or I may keep Sonnanstine and Lowell on the active roster in case I can add a guy traded to the AL before the deadline.

I've got three guys going strong in the minors that could realistically give me a 12-15 homer boost if they're September call-ups, Lars Anderson, Justin Smoak, and Jeff Clement. But I really can't afford to have any of them called up before September. (Our rosters expand in September to include September call-ups without dropping another player.)

I'm open to suggestions.

Reds prospect news

Here's a blurb from Baseball Prospectus on Reds' prospect, Travis Wood:

Travis Wood, LHP, Reds (Double-A Carolina)
A second-round pick in 2005, Wood is a short lefty with a good changeup, but after putting up an ERA north of seven last year, few saw him as any kind of prospect. That's all changed this year, and by allowing just two runs over seven innings on Sunday, Wood's ERA ballooned to 1.36 in 99 innings. Wood's velocity is average only on his best days, but his changeup is now among the best in the minor leagues, with improved command and a new cut fastball adding to the effectiveness. He's officially back on everyone's radar.

Reds seek right-handed bat

Here is an interesting article from John Paul Morosi of FoxSports.com following the Mark DeRosa trade.

I've been advocating for the Holiday trade for some time. I also like the Lugo idea. I mentioned Gary Matthews, Jr., previously, but I can't see the Reds taking on that contract (nor should they) or the Angels eating most of it. As far as I know, Wilson Betemit is still available. I think he would be a cheap option and well worth the risk. He can play anywhere (although I'm not sure he's a good outfielder) and is a switch hitter.