West Coast, Pitching Rejuvenate Redlegs

Jonny Gomes lays out for one of the best catches of the year.
AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill

What was once the most dreaded part of the season for the Reds has become less and less of a factor over the past two years. Cincinnati went 7-8 on the West Coast last year, including a 6-3 swing in August (Arizona is included in that trip, even though I didn't consider them part of the total on the Coast). And they are 7-3 out there this year. This includes a 5-1 mark in Dodger Stadium over the past two years, which is remarkable considering it was once a house of horrors for the Reds. They had lost 12 in a row out there until last year, but swept the Dodgers there just this past week. That, along with a 4 game split in San Fran against the defending champs, produced a satisfying 5-2 road trip that has brought the Reds to within 2 games of the front running Milwaukee Brewers and a game back of the hated St. Louis Cardinals in the Central. Even after the loss last night, nothing changed, with LaRussa's Cards in a free fall having lost 7 in a row, and the Brewers slumping having lost 4 of 5, including 3 to the Chicago Flubs. If the Reds pitching can keep up their roll, they could get through this murderous stretch of games and overtake both team come the break.

Mike Leake has been on a roll of late.
The Enquirer/Joseph Fuqua II

Now, with Homer Bailey set to return from the disabled list within a week, the Reds face the problem they believed they had back in spring training: too many starters and not enough spots. At one point, with the starting staff's ERA over 5, it looked like the Reds overestimated the depth of their pitching. Not any more. One would assume that Homer Bailey would be put back into the rotation, considering he pitched so well when he came back from injury the first time. But who goes? Mike Leake has been brilliant in June, producing a 2.48 ERA, and a pair of 8 inning starts. He's thrown 5 straight quality starts since returning from the minors. Travis Wood went 8 strong against the Giants, and got a win in LA with 6 good innings. But, he is fairly inconsistent, and could be a candidate to be shipped out. Even Volquez has seemingly figured it out, giving up just 3 runs in 13 innings since returning from AAA. We will see how he does tonight against Toronto. Arroyo obviously won't go anywhere, and he has a 3.60 ERA in his last three starts, going at least 6 innings every time, and 7 2/3 the last time out. Meanwhile, Johnny Cueto has emerged as the ace of the rotation, especially after logging 14 innings without giving up an earned run on the Coast against the Giants and Dodgers. He's 4-2 with a 1.68 ERA on the year.

Can the Reds' wealth of arms lead them back to the playoffs?
The Enquirer//Amanda Davidson

While the pitching does look fantastic once again, it cannot be discounted that much of the success has been against the likes of the Cubs, Giants, and Dodgers, none of which are known for their offensive prowess. How will they handle the Yankees, Rays, Orioles, Indians, Cardinals, and Brewers over this next stretch? That will be a preview for the second half. I like what I see, though. Pitching lifted the Reds last year, and it has to do the same this year. Good pitching wins games, bad pitching loses games. Ask the St. Louis Cardinals. They're the poster child for that. After a hot start to the year, their pitching has cooled off, and so has the team. They've gone from near the top in starter's ERA, to middle of the pack, and no longer look quite as formidable. The Central will be decided by the staffs of the Reds, Cardinals, and Brewers. The offenses of those three are a wash. St. Louis and Milwaukee might have a little advantage in their rotations, but does the Reds defense make up for that? We'll find out soon enough.

This is a good article on Brandon Phillips. For all the garbage he gets from St. Louis Cardinals fans, he is a terrific guy. However, what the heck did he mean by this: "It's going to be hard to keep me here. I'm not trying to break the bank. I'm just trying to be fair. I don't want Jayson Werth money or C.C. Sabathia money." .....okay. I just felt like it was a random comment from Brandon. He has always said he wants to finish his career in Cincinnati. I would assume Jocketty and Castellini would like that too. Hopefully they get something done.

Lastly, read this to find out how Jose Bautista could have been a Cincinnati Red. Man, that hurts to know that Lindner/Schott/the Reds messed that up. Granted it took him forever to figure it out, but how sweet would it be to have that guy in a Reds' uniform?