Reds: 18 games over .500 and 3 games up on the slumping Cards.

**Scotty doesn't know** · 08-19-2010, 01:51 AM

Looking at where the Reds were a week ago, after being swept by the Cardinals and being down by one game, some fans were talking about how the BEAST in the central had been awaken.... However, I think that the Card fans may have spoke to soon, writing off the Reds and thinking that the tides have turned. The Reds, since being swept have now won 5 straight and now have a 3 game lead after the Cardinals continue to slump against the Cubs and Brewers AT HOME. I think that the BEAST that was awaken due to that series may be the REDS!
I am so proud to say that they are 18 games over .500 for the first time in in around a decade and 2/2 on this pivotal 9 game west coast swing! Reds have the solid rookie Travis Wood on the mound tomorrow against Joe Saunders who is 7-12 with 4.48 ERA. Come on Reds keep these wins a-comin!!

**BCF4L** · 08-19-2010, 08:50 AM

Loving every minute of it. I'll be honest and say that I was one who was thinking the Reds were finished when they got swept by the Cards. The only thing that bothers me is the fact that they are 5-10 against St. Louis. Can the Reds make a legitimate World Series run against teams like the Cards, Rays, Yankees, etc.?

**Scotty doesn't know** · 08-19-2010, 12:10 PM

BCF4L Wrote:Loving every minute of it. I'll be honest and say that I was one who was thinking the Reds were finished when they got swept by the Cards. The only thing that bothers me is the fact that they are 5-10 against St. Louis. Can the Reds make a legitimate World Series run against teams like the Cards, Rays, Yankees, etc.?

At this point, it looks like the Cardinals are going to have to fight tooth and nail to get that wild card if the division does not work out. I think that the Phillies, Giants and Cardinals will be the duel the rest of the year with the Phillies coming out. So going with the current standings, the NL would be:
NL West-Padres
NL Central-Reds
NL East-Braves
NL Wild Card-Phillies
I feel fine against any of those teams. I think that our pitching short of Harang has been solid enough for us to take it series by series! This is just so exciting to even talk about it for the first time I can remember (last time 97 right).

**BCF4L** · 08-19-2010, 01:53 PM

Well, when comparing the Reds against the other division leaders and the wildcard leader, their record looks like this:

Padres- 1-2 (final series with the Padres is next week)
Braves- 2-3
Phillies- 2-5

They have yet to play any of the division leaders or wildcard leader in the AL.

But looking at the above stats against the NL favorites, the Reds are a combined 5-10 against them, which is the same as their record against the Cards. They haven't faired well at all against the top teams. Let's hope that changes if they make the playoffs.

**Scotty doesn't know** · 08-19-2010, 07:47 PM

BCF4L Wrote:Well, when comparing the Reds against the other division leaders and the wildcard leader, their record looks like this:

Padres- 1-2 (final series with the Padres is next week)
Braves- 2-3
Phillies- 2-5

They have yet to play any of the division leaders or wildcard leader in the AL.

But looking at the above stats against the NL favorites, the Reds are a combined 5-10 against them, which is the same as their record against the Cards. They haven't faired well at all against the top teams. Let's hope that changes if they make the playoffs.

I think that the starting pitching has gotten so much better as the year has gone on and they will continue to gain experience and confidence as the year goes on and winds down. I think that put in that playoff atmosphere they will strive and do well!! At least I hope and pray lol!

**MVP2** · 08-19-2010, 08:25 PM

Well they are 2/2 so far on the road trip and on a 5 game winning streak.Reds have outscored opp. 31-15 since gettin swept by the Cards. I just hope they dont break down on the 2nd part of this trip @ SF and LA. I know in the past few years they aint played well on the west coast just hope they can keep on winning, hitting the ball and building up that lead on the Cards. Go Reds!

**Scotty doesn't know** · 08-19-2010, 11:07 PM

MVP2 Wrote:Well they are 2/2 so far on the road trip and on a 5 game winning streak.Reds have outscored opp. 31-15 since gettin swept by the Cards. I just hope they dont break down on the 2nd part of this trip @ SF and LA. I know in the past few years they aint played well on the west coast just hope they can keep on winning, hitting the ball and building up that lead on the Cards. Go Reds!

Dodgers dont scare me too much and I think that we get through the last 6 with a 3-3 record! Come on Reds prove me wrong!

**Cardinalfootballguy** · 08-22-2010, 07:00 PM

Reds just beat the dodgers to win 2/3 against them.. Man the Reds are looking good

**Stardust** · 08-22-2010, 08:53 PM

CardinalAlum Wrote:Reds just beat the dodgers to win 2/3 against them.. Man the Reds are looking good

This has already been an INCREDIBLE West coast trip for the Reds. They have already won more than they typcially win in an entire West Coast trip.

**MVP2** · 08-22-2010, 09:19 PM

^^ I know, its great to see the Reds already won 5/6 with 3 more to go on this road trip. I hope they dont break and win this series against the Giants who have droped two straight. Go Reds!

**Scotty doesn't know** · 08-23-2010, 01:27 AM

MVP2 Wrote:^^ I know, its great to see the Reds already won 5/6 with 3 more to go on this road trip. I hope they dont break and win this series against the Giants who have droped two straight. Go Reds!

I am hoping like mad that they can get 2 out of the 3 games before returning home to Cincinnati. I think that with the Cardinals playing against the Pirates, there may be a good chance that the Cards get a game on the Reds at some point in the next three games. But I will take that when considering that when the Reds took the field after being swept by the Cards they had 3 against the Marlins, Diamondbacks, Dodgers, and Giants waiting with the Cards facing the Cubs, Brewers, Giants and Pirates (first three series at home). With the Reds actually taking advantage of the Cards losing 5 straight against the Cubs and Brewers at home, the road trip has gone as well as anyone could have hoped. It has allowed the Reds to create a little lead in the division and gain a little control and respect within the division.

**MVP2** · 08-25-2010, 09:50 PM

After the long road trip on the west coast, the reds won 6/9.The reds took 3/3 from Dbacks,2/3 from the Dodgers, before the Gaints took 2/3 from them.Dispite the Reds losing 2/3 to the Gaints, Cards also lost 2/3 to the Pirates and the Reds remain 3 1/2 games ahead of them for the Divison lead. I'd say this was an overall great road trip for them. The Reds return back home to take on the Cubs (54-74) and Brewers (59-66) before going on the road to St Louis. I hope they take care of bussiness before making that trip. Go Reds

**Stardust** · 08-25-2010, 10:25 PM

MVP2 Wrote:After the long road trip on the west coast, the reds won 6/9.The reds took 3/3 from Dbacks,2/3 from the Dodgers, before the Gaints took 2/3 from them.Dispite the Reds losing 2/3 to the Gaints, Cards also lost 2/3 to the Pirates and the Reds remain 3 1/2 games ahead of them for the Divison lead. I'd say this was an overall great road trip for them. The Reds return back home to take on the Cubs (54-74) and Brewers (59-66) before going on the road to St Louis. I hope they take care of bussiness before making that trip. Go Reds

When is the last West Coast swing that the Reds even came close to .500. This was completely unexpected, especially after the Cardinal Series.

**Redneck** · 08-26-2010, 10:48 AM

All I know is, AS SOON AS the last out was recorded in last years World Series, I picked the Reds to win it this year and alot of people on here told me I was crazy, said they had no shot at winning their division or gettin the wild card. Things are lookin good right now, I just hope they can keep it together.

**Scotty doesn't know** · 08-26-2010, 03:18 PM

Redneck Wrote:All I know is, AS SOON AS the last out was recorded in last years World Series, I picked the Reds to win it this year and alot of people on here told me I was crazy, said they had no shot at winning their division or gettin the wild card. Things are lookin good right now, I just hope they can keep it together.

Man you would be like 1% of the country and maybe even a low percent of Reds fans. I know I never have picked them to make it that far. Congrats.

Reds have a fantastic team this year, but it was always talked about that next year was the time that they start contending. Not too many people looked at them (other than most Reds fans), and realized that they have a really solid team. I think that the pitching staff has exceeded expectations and mix that with a career/breakout year for Votto, solid play from Rolen, Phillips, Janish, and the duo of catchers and they Reds had a great formula to breakthrough. I am so excited about this team and how much of a chance that they have to get to the post season. The injury bug is biting (Phillips, Nix, Edmonds) but they have a lot of interchangeable parts that can step in a be productive.

**Stardust** · 08-26-2010, 09:23 PM

Since returning from Louisville with my story about the "Cuban Missile," a lot of people have asked me, "So, is he ready?http://news.cincinnati.com/article/20100...ig-leagues

They refer, of course, to Aroldis Chapman, the kid with the $30 million arm. His nickname refers to his country of origin, his body type (6-foot-4 and 185 pounds) and his payload: a 104 mph fastball.

I did not include the following six paragraphs in my story; I should have.

I asked Louisville Bats catcher, Wilkin Castillo, if he thought Chapman is ready for the big leagues.

The Dominican answered it this way in his lightly accented Spanish accent: "Slider on the corner, fastball low and inside. Right there. He is ready."

That said everything.

I like and trust Castillo. I have spoken to him before.

Right there.

It is Castillo's way of saying, "When Chapman is locating his pitches, nobody can hit him. It doesn't matter if they are Triple-A or major league hitters."

Chapman didn't pitch the night I was in Louisville, and so he wasn't allowed to talk with me afterward. (Those are "the rules," I was told; they emanate "right from Cincinnati.")

I wasn't after state secrets. I didn't care what the Cuban Missile thought about the Cuban government or whether Chapman had been able to talk with his girlfriend, toddler daughter or parents since he defected, or if the Cuban Missile could get me some Cuban cigars. I just wanted to do a human-interest story about a rich, young Cuban trying to acclimate to American culture.

**Scotty doesn't know** · 08-27-2010, 02:27 AM

Stardust Wrote:Since returning from Louisville with my story about the "Cuban Missile," a lot of people have asked me, "So, is he ready?http://news.cincinnati.com/article/20100...ig-leagues

They refer, of course, to Aroldis Chapman, the kid with the $30 million arm. His nickname refers to his country of origin, his body type (6-foot-4 and 185 pounds) and his payload: a 104 mph fastball.

I did not include the following six paragraphs in my story; I should have.

I asked Louisville Bats catcher, Wilkin Castillo, if he thought Chapman is ready for the big leagues.

The Dominican answered it this way in his lightly accented Spanish accent: "Slider on the corner, fastball low and inside. Right there. He is ready."

That said everything.

I like and trust Castillo. I have spoken to him before.

Right there.

It is Castillo's way of saying, "When Chapman is locating his pitches, nobody can hit him. It doesn't matter if they are Triple-A or major league hitters."

Chapman didn't pitch the night I was in Louisville, and so he wasn't allowed to talk with me afterward. (Those are "the rules," I was told; they emanate "right from Cincinnati.")

I wasn't after state secrets. I didn't care what the Cuban Missile thought about the Cuban government or whether Chapman had been able to talk with his girlfriend, toddler daughter or parents since he defected, or if the Cuban Missile could get me some Cuban cigars. I just wanted to do a human-interest story about a rich, young Cuban trying to acclimate to American culture.

Beautiful! I am so excited to have a pitching problem. Too many good pitchers!

**Stardust** · 08-27-2010, 08:41 AM

^ Agreed

**Scotty doesn't know** · 08-27-2010, 12:25 PM

Tonight the Reds can potentially make it a 5 game lead with Johnny Cueto on the mound against Grozelany for the Cubbies. Come on Nats, beat up on those cards!!!

**More Cowbell** · 08-27-2010, 12:54 PM

I am excited to see Chapman pitch against major-league hitters too, but I bet we won't see that happen until at least Sep. 1, when rosters expand.

**Scotty doesn't know** · 08-29-2010, 04:25 PM

Reds take 2/3 from the Cubbies!!! And the Nats take 2/3 from the Cards!!!! Could not ask for a better situation for the Reds heading into September. I think this could warrant a new thread.

**Jarons** · 08-29-2010, 04:34 PM

I cannot remember the last time the Reds had a five game lead at any point of the season. It is nice seeing the Reds as a contender. After so many losing seasons, it has been fun following the Reds this year. The best thing about this is their pitching. They do not have a starting pitcher where you know that they will chalk a loss. I feel good about their chances every game.

**Scotty doesn't know** · 08-29-2010, 04:44 PM

Jarons Wrote:I cannot remember the last time the Reds had a five game lead at any point of the season. It is nice seeing the Reds as a contender. After so many losing seasons, it has been fun following the Reds this year. The best thing about this is their pitching. They do not have a starting pitcher where you know that they will chalk a loss. I feel good about their chances every game.

Exactly. It is a whole different animal than the cardinals who are so top heavy that they have to restructure the bottom of their order to give them the best chance against certain teams. As of today, the Cardinals have now called up a pitcher to make his start thus allowing Wainwright, Carpenter, and Garcia to pitch against the Reds in the huge series next weekend.