Wait a minute, that subject line seems to imply that the Reds somehow got better with the flurry of activity which immediately preceded the trade deadline. That's right, the Reds Rocket has resorted to the lowest form of humor, sarcasm, to help cope with the terrible play of the Reds of late. For those of you keeping track, that's 12 losses in 13 games and a modest streak of 6 straight in the L column.The Rockies came in to Cincinnati and played good defense and pitched well enough to leave town with the first three games of the season versus the Redlegs. Arroyo pitched pretty well yesterday, going 7 and allowing on the the three runs. The offense even showed a little bit of uncharacteristic heart on a couple of bombs; a three-run shot by Nix in the 7th and a solo bomb by Votto in the 8th to tie it. But in extras, the offense vanished and Masset gave up an RBI triple to Fowler followed by a roller by Atkins that emphasized Gonzalez's arthritis in his throwing arm and that was it. Phillips was already in the left-handed batter's box on the third strike he took to close things out. Dusty looked disappointed but optimistic. He's got this team headed in the right direction and you and all of your friends know that.
Lehr was adequate Friday, in his first career start, but Bailey was less so Saturday. The team, courtesy of Gomes, actually provided him with a lead. But he wasn't all that interested in hanging onto it, giving up 5 over 5 +. He has a goal to finish the season with an ERA over 7.00, which the 5 runs were necessary to sustain. That's a good goal and the Reds Rocket encourages you, Homer, to reach for it. You can attain it.
Additionally, news, likely of the bad variety, yesterday it was reported that during his throwing session Volquez felt some tightness in his elbow and is going to hit the shelf for the remainder of the season. Tommy John may be necessary but no one really seems to know. As per team Dr. Kremchick 'there's some shit wrong in that motherfucker but that's all I can say at this point.' At least Hamilton's hitting in the seven hole and Herrera has had a nice season out of the pen. So, that's a bit of a set-back for the rotation which, at the beginning of the season, looked to be the major asset of the team. Sure, the Reds still have Harang getting shelled every outing, Cueto unable to find the strike zone and Arroyo's 4 good starts sandwiched in between 6 or 7 awful, so, nothing to be too down on. At least Scott Rolen's here and his helmet didn't crack when he was bonked in the dome yesterday. Technology is amazing.
Reds continue the successful homestand today. Go out there and support the team, you'll be happy that you did.
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