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Current Series
3 game series vs Reds @ Minute Maid Park
Cincinnati Reds Tuesday, Apr 27, 2010, 7:05 PM CDT Aaron Harang vs Bud Norris Partly cloudy. Winds blowing in from right field at 5-10 m.p.h. Game time temperature around 80. Complete Coverage > | ||
| Wed 04/28 | 7:05 PM CDT | |
| Thu 04/29 | 7:05 PM CDT | |
Best word to describe the Reds this season? Surprising.
It's surprising that Scott Rolen is leading the team in home runs with five AND is hitting .283/.367/601.
It's surprising that Joey Votto was the National League's leader in steals up until recently.
It's surprising how bad Homer Bailey and Aaron Harang have been but that Mike Leake has actually been pretty good.
It's surprising that their outfield is hitting .196 collectively, even with super-prospects Drew Stubbs and Jay Bruce in it.
It's surprising that Francisco Cordero has saved seven of the team's eight games.
It's surprising that Micah Owings should be the team's second-best starting pitcher, but he hasn't started a game yet. He does, however, lead the bullpen in innings pitched with 11.
It's surprising how many pitchers on their staff have ERAs above five (Bronson Arroyo, Johnny Cueto, Harang, Bailey, Logan Ondresuk and Nick Masset).
It's surprising Dusty Baker still has a job.
It's surprising that an infield which boasts three Gold Glovers (Rolen, Brandon Phillips, Orlando Cabrera) and a pretty athletic first baseman (Votto) can be negative-7 in defensive runs saved to this point. Probably a small sample size issue, but still...
Suffice it to say Cincinnati is an enigmatic team. They were almost swept by the San Diego Padres and WERE swept by Pittsburgh. At the same time, they split a four-game set with Florida and took two of three from the Dodgers. It's tough to say where this team will end up this season, but unless Stubbs, Phillips and Gomes or Bruce start hitting, it could be a long season.
Harang, who opposes Bud Norris tonight, has a BABiP of only .333, which isn't terribly unlucky. However, the 32-year old right-hander is on pace to give up nearly three more hits per nine innings than his career average (9.3). Harang's strikeout rate has dipped some, which could explain the rise in BABiP. Still, it's not a good sign for a struggling team.
The Astros will face Leake on Wednesday as Felipe Paulino tests the promising rookie. Leake, as you may have heard, skipped the minor leagues completely when he made the Reds rotation out of spring training. The Reds apparently wanted to get started on Baker's plan to make his arm fall off. Unsurprisingly, Leake has thrown into the seventh inning in all three of his starts but has topped 100 pitches just once.
Houston will wrap up the series on Thursday as Roy Oswalt will face Bronson Arroyo. The quirky 33-year old righthander has struggled this season, but his problem has mainly been his control. Arroyo is walking almost a batter more per nine innings than his career average, which tends to negate the slight bump in his strikeout rate he's seen this season. It should be the first time Oswalt has pitched against a guy without shutdown stuff. Hopefully, the Astros will oblige him with some runs.
I hit most of the high notes regarding the bullpen and offense, but I would point out that former Rice shortstop Paul Janish has started four games this season and played in five more. The 27-year old utility infielder broke through last season, playing in 90 games and getting 292 plate appearances. He's one of a couple of Rice products to come through the Reds system recently and keeps their Houston connection alive that dates back to Ryan Wagner getting drafted out of the University of Houston.
PS - That is a really creepy picture of Harang.