Series Recap: Reds Fall to Brew Crew, Ugh

Rise. 

Well this weekend wasn't very much fun. Reds (74-57) lost 2-of-3 to the Brewers (57-73) and frankly the team didn't look good at all. The Reds fell behind early in each game and only in Game 2 were they able to stage a comeback, so excuse me if I'm a little down in the dumps.

Joey Votto hit two home runs, one on Saturday and one on Sunday. After being called out on-strikes in Game 2 Joey returned to the dugout, showed some emotion and threw some shit around. The next at bat resulted in a first-pitch home run. Please let this continue, this is the time of season where every contender needs to find their so-called "edge."

The Reds hitting was dominated by Milwaukee starting pitching, especially Shin Soo Choo and Jay Bruce. This is not the time of year when Cincinnati can avoid any slumps by the 1-thru-6 hitters in their lineup.

On Deck:
Once again, that series is in the past and the Reds are still in the NL Central Pennant race thanks to mediocre play by the Pirates (76-54) and convenient match ups for the Cardinals (76-54). The next month of the season will determine the fate of our team.

Monday, August 26: 7:00 PM;        M. Leake (11-5, 3.12 ERA) v. T. Lyons (2-4, 5.09 ERA)
Tuesday, August 27: 8:15 PM;        M. Latos (13-4, 2.93 ERA)  v. J. Kelly (5-3, 3.01 ERA)
Wednesday, August 28: 8:15 PM;   H. Bailey (8-10, 3.71 ERA) v. A. Wainwright (15-7, 2.58 ERA)

If the Reds fail to take home the NL Central Title, they will be forced to play in a one-game playoff against the other NL Central Wild Card team. Honestly it's going to come down to facing either Adam Wainwright (15-7, 2.58 ERA) or Francisco Liriano (14-6, 2.74 ERA) in this playoff, with preseason presumptive No. 1starter Johnny Cueto still injured at this point. The Reds have done well against Liriano so I guess in regards to that, go Cardinals (shutters)?

The Championship defense begins now as we play the Cardinals and the Pirates 12 times throughout the rest of the season. This next week will be especially tough with 3 games in St. Louis, Thursday off, and then a weekend series in Colorado (beware pitching staff). So, here goes nothing....

If you look at the top comment of this video you're going to have a bad time.

Random Musings:
-Edinson Volquez, a former Red who was shipped off for Mat Latos, was optioned to AAA by the Padres this week. The Latos trade was a stroke of genius, as he is now the ace of the team. In December of 2007, the Reds traded for Volquez and pitcher Danny Herrera by sending off Josh Hamilton, who would later go on to produce at All-Star levels for Texas.

-There are rumors going around that the Cubs are looking to sign both Bronson Arroyo and Choo, one or both of whom the Reds will not be financially able to sign following the season.

-Besides Latos, is Bronson really the most reliable member of our starting rotiation? According to the Milwaukee series he is. He has not walked a batter in almost 30 innings. 

-Regarding pitcher injuries: Jonathan Broxton is done for the season, another example as to why you don't blow money on relief pitching. Broxton was signed to a 3-year $21 Million dollar deal that will keep him with the team through 2015. Rookie Tony Cingrani will be out for 2 weeks. Sean Marshall (boy, I forgot he's on this team) is on his way back. Johnny Cueto is more slowly on his way back; look for him to pitch out of the bullpen late in the season and hopefully in the playoffs. Hopefully we can get our arms healthy in the coming days.

-The Reds #1 fan has been getting some flack lately for being #1, this is bullshit.

Vamos Rojos,

Nate