It's A New (Red) Day - Rebuilding the Big Red Machine (OOTP 16)

[jasontoddwhitt]

October 9th, 2012 -- NLDS Game 3 -- Game tied at 1, Top of the 10th

Bouncing ball...Rolen off the chest...bobbles...throws to first....NOT IN TIME! A run scores! The Giants have the lead! The normally sure-handed Scott Rolen, an eight-time Gold Glove Award winner, bobbles and can't make the play.

The high watermark of the Reds regime under Dusty Baker. Homer Bailey had turned in a masterful seven inning, ten strikeout performance. The Giants managed to scratch a run in the third inning with a hit by pitch, a walk, a sacrifice bunt, and a sacrifice fly. The Reds bats were silent, and the Giants managed a run off of Jonathan Broxton in the 10th.

The Reds went on to become the third team in NLDS history to blow a 2-0 lead. The Reds have yet to win a postseason game at Great American Ballpark (0-4) and have a seven game home losing streak in the postseason, losing their last three postseason games at Riverfront Stadium, including the 1999 Wild Card playoff loss to the New York Mets.

2013 would see the Reds contend for the NL Central crown again in a three way battle with the St. Louis Cardinals and the upstart Pittsburgh Pirates. However, in the final week of the season, the Reds suffered a complete meltdown, losing their final six games of the season, including the Wild Card game against the Pirates. Three days later, manager Dusty Baker was fired and his pitching coach Bryan Price assumed the managerial role.

Injuries would derail the 2014 Reds. Joey Votto was limited to 62 games due to an ailing knee he originally injured in the 2012 season. Brandon Phillips was limited to 121 games. Jay Bruce also spent time on the DL. Bailey and Mat Latos were limited to 23 and 16 starts respectively.

There is optimism for the 2015 season. Johnny Cueto returned to Cy Young form in 2014 and Mike Leake continued his steady progression. 2014 also saw Todd Frazier rebound from his sophomore slump in 2013 and the emergence of Devin Mesoraco as an offensive threat the Reds haven't seen behind the plate since Johnny Bench was the backstop. If Votto, Bruce, and Phillips bounce back from their injury plagued 2014 seasons, the Reds will have a solid offense.

Or will they?

This team also has plenty of questions. SS Zach Cozart is as good as they come with the glove who provided a little bit of punch with the bat. But last season, he provided zero punch with the bat. Round 2 of the Billy Hamilton experiment is set to begin, with the Reds hoping that Hamilton has figured out major league pitching. Marlon Byrd will be an upgrade over Ryan Ludwick in left, but how much of an upgrade?

The depth of the rotation will be tested. Bailey will begin the season on the DL after off-season surgery. The trades of Alfredo Simon and Latos will see youth inserted into the rotation. How will Anthony DeSclafani (acquired in the Latos deal) fare in his second MLB season? Who will fill out the backend of the rotation? Josh Smith showed promise two years ago in Double A, but struggled last season for Louisville. Dylan Axelrod showed enough in his cup of coffee last season to warrant a spot. Then there is the Cuban sensation Raisel Iglesias, though the Reds will probably want him to start in Louisville first.

Then there are the questions surrounding the maligned bullpen, which in one season went from one of the best in baseball to one of the worst. Will Aroldis Chapman pitch more than an inning at a time? Will Sean Marshall's ailing shoulder ever heal? Will JJ Hoover, Sam LeCure, and Manny Parra bounce back from disappointing 2014 seasons? Will Tony Cingrani acclimate to the bullpen? Is Jumbo Diaz a flash in the pan or the new setup man for Chapman? Can Burke Badenhop pitch in GABP? Will rookies Iglesias and Michael Lorenzen warrant spots in the bullpen?

A lot of things will have to go right for the Reds to contend in 2015.

[jasontoddwhitt]

Re: It's A New (Red) Day - Rebuilding the Big Red Machine (OOTP 16)



March 2015

I'm one very nervous person. I just realized who I'm in the room with. There's my boss, scouting director Chris Buckley. There's our boss, general manager Walt Jocketty. And then there is everyone's boss....Mr. Castellini. Bryan Price is also in the room. Having only been on the job for a couple months as the new director of analytics, a position that was just created much to the chagrin of the old school Jocketty, I'm decidedly nervous and have pretty much decided to not say anything unless directly asked something as far as team projections.

Today is pretty much a discussion on the team moving forward. A lot of optimism looking ahead to 2015. Walt feels like we have a team that can compete for the division crown. In the back of the mind, I know this is all for show. We cut payroll this past offseason, and we are very dependent on a couple players returning to form to even have a chance of competing in a very tight NL Central. The analyst in me is screaming inside that the ceiling for this club is a .500 record.

Castellini cut Walt off though before he really completed the sale job.

“Gentleman, I'm a realistic person. I tasked you with cutting some payroll. I'm not expecting us to roll out as champions this year, though I have to admit, postseason play would be nice. I view this season as a retooling year. We need to make moves that have the next 2-4 years in mind so that by 2019, we have a championship caliber team.”

“Having said that, I want you to do everything in your power to lock up Cueto. We need him to be our ace.”

Ah, the pink elephant in the room finally came out. Johnny Cueto...our ace. We chose to pay Bailey because he was durable and Cueto wasn't. My, have the tables flipped. Cueto returns to Cy Young form and now he's wanting Lester and Scherzer money. Scherzer got over $200 million. Lester $140 million. If that's the low end for Cueto, it's still too expensive for this club.

Walt began explaining to Mr. Castellini how initial negotiations haven't been going so well, but he feels he can get the job done. I shake my head....and lean towards Chris to whisper something.

“Son, if you have something to say, you might as well tell everyone.”

Damn, caught by the big man. So much for staying out of the spotlight.

“I.....uh.....I wouldn't re-sign Cueto at that price range.” I felt like everyone in that room was staring at me. Hell, I felt the entire Tri-State area staring at me.

“I mean....you just said yourself that we're tooling for a 2019 run. By that time, Cueto would be in his mid-30s. Is he going to be the same pitcher? We'll have saved a bunch of money by then. Bruce will be off the books. So will Phillips. That gives us a lot of resources to bring in several good players. Do we really want to blow it all on one pitcher?”

You could hear a pin drop in that room. I felt like I was going to hyperventilate right there. I just dissed Walt's contract extension policy by pretty much calling the contracts of Bruce and Phillips albatrosses, and Bailey's as well to a certain extent.

Mr. Castellini placed his hand on his chin and began rubbing it. “I like your style.”

Well, that's one way to make an impression.

After a few more minutes, the meeting was adjourned. Chris and I began walking down the hall back towards our office.

“Bucking for GM or something back there,” Chris asked.

Does have a nice ring to it.

[jasontoddwhitt]

Re: It's A New (Red) Day - Rebuilding the Big Red Machine (OOTP 16)

April 2015

The roster was trimmed down to 25 men today, and there were a few surprises for the day. The biggest surprise was the demotion of shortstop Zach Cozart down to the minors as it appears that Billy Hamilton is going to be moved over to shortstop.

"Cozart is a defensive gem at shortstop, but unfortunately he struggled mightily at the plate last season and that carried over into spring training," said GM Walt Jocketty. "Hamilton originally came up through the minors as an infielder and we feel that this move makes us a better team right now."

Jason Marquis' comeback seems to have stalled out, as the Reds designated him for assignment. Also, Cuban rookie Rasiel Iglesias has been sent down to Louisville to start the season.

[jasontoddwhitt]

Re: It's A New (Red) Day - Rebuilding the Big Red Machine (OOTP 16)

Opening Day

[jasontoddwhitt]

Re: It's A New (Red) Day - Rebuilding the Big Red Machine (OOTP 16)

Reds Rally, Come Up Short Again

Cincinnati, OH - It was a day to remember for Pittsburgh Pirates third baseman Josh Harrison. The Cincinnati native collected three hits and scored two runs, including the go ahead run in the 9th, as the Pirates defeated the Cincinnati Reds 7-5 in game two of their three game set.

Despite the scoreline, it was a pitcher's duel for the first half of the game as Pirates starter Gerrit Cole and Reds starter Mike Leake threw up zero after zero. The Pirates finally broke through on Leake in the sixth inning. Cole helped his own cause by getting a line drive base hit up the middle. After Gregory Polanco sacrificed Cole to second, Cole scored on a ground ball by Andrew McCutchen that snuck between Todd Frazier and Billy Hamilton. The Pirates then took a 3-0 lead on a two-run blast to right by Pedro Alvarez.

The Pirates would chase Leake from the game in the seventh inning. Harrison singled and advanced to second on a Starling Marte sacrifice. Harrison then scored on a Francisco Cervelli line drive single to make it 4-0. Tony Cingrani relieved Leake, who allowed Cervelli to score on a Polanco single to make it 5-0.

The Reds finally broke through in the seventh inning. Marlon Byrd led the inning off with a line drive single to left. Brandon Phillips then singled to left. Brayan Pena hit an infield single to load the bases with nobody out. Skip Schumaker hit a deep fly ball to score Byrd from third to make it 5-1. Dan Johnson walked to reload the bases and Billy Hamilton laced a single to score Phillips and Pena to make it 5-3. Johnson scored on a Joey Votto ground out to make it 5-4. Hamilton scored on a wild pitch by Cole to tie the game at 5.

It wasn't to be for the Reds though. Aroldis Chapman came into the game in the ninth and failed to retire a single batter. Harrison singled to lead off the inning and advanced to third when Marte singled. Chapman unleashed a wild pitch, scoring Harrison, and then gave up a single to Corey Hart, which scored Marte.

Mark Melancon retired the Reds in order in the ninth to pick up his second save on the year.

Notes: Brayan Pena started today in place of the injured Devin Mesoraco. Mesoraco was diagnosed with a mild calf strain he suffered on opening day. He is officially listed as day-to-day.

[redsrule]

Re: It's A New (Red) Day - Rebuilding the Big Red Machine (OOTP 16)

Good stuff. I'll be following. Hopefully you can turn them around, but Votto's contact is such a big problem.

Sent from my SPH-L720T using Tapatalk

[jasontoddwhitt]

Re: It's A New (Red) Day - Rebuilding the Big Red Machine (OOTP 16)

Good stuff. I'll be following. Hopefully you can turn them around, but Votto's contact is such a big problem.

Sent from my SPH-L720T using Tapatalk

Thanks for following. Hopefully, I can work around Votto and Bailey's deals.

[jasontoddwhitt]

Re: It's A New (Red) Day - Rebuilding the Big Red Machine (OOTP 16)

Series Finale Rained Out

Cincinnati, OH - Sometimes you win. Sometimes you lose. Sometimes it rains.

Today's series finale between the Reds and Pirates was rained out. The two clubs will play a doubleheader on July 30th when the Pirates come back into town.

The Reds will welcome the St. Louis Cardinals into Great American Ballpark for a three game set.

Projected Pitching Matchups
Anthony DeSclafani (0-0, 0.00 ERA) vs Carlos Martinez (0-0, 0.00 ERA)
Johnny Cueto (0-1, 8.53 ERA) vs Adam Wainwright (0-0, 9.53 ERA)
Josh Smith (0-0, 0.00 ERA) vs Lance Lynn (0-0, 5.40 ERA)

[jasontoddwhitt]

Re: It's A New (Red) Day - Rebuilding the Big Red Machine (OOTP 16)

[jasontoddwhitt]

Re: It's A New (Red) Day - Rebuilding the Big Red Machine (OOTP 16)

April 11, 2015 -- Game 2 -- Cardinals @ Reds

[jasontoddwhitt]

Re: It's A New (Red) Day - Rebuilding the Big Red Machine (OOTP 16)

April 12, 2015 -- Game 3 -- Cardinals @ Reds

[jasontoddwhitt]

Re: It's A New (Red) Day - Rebuilding the Big Red Machine (OOTP 16)



Weekly Power Rankings



American League Player of the Week

SP Chris Archer -- Tampa Bay Rays 2-0, 16ip, 10k, 0.56era

National League Player of the Week

RF Ryan Braun -- Milwaukee Brewers 11/23 (.478), 2hr, 7rbi