Head-scratcher

I apologize for being an ass and kind of poking fun but believe me when I say I'm doing so in as good-natured a manner as possible (while still being an ass).

Just saw another Craigslist posting ... check it out ... and tell me if this deal sounds a little shady to you, too.

And before you call me an ass for poking fun, what have I really done wrong? Heck, I got this guy a few extra hits on his Craigslist posting that he wouldn't have otherwise gotten, that's all :D

Good deal?

Diamond seats for July 4 game for $395 each. Face value is $230, right? Am I missing something? Do you get like an unlimited supply of Jay Bruce Bobbleheads in the diamond seats or something?

OMGPitchersduels

The Reds' 1-0 win against the Diamondbacks Wednesday night was one of three 1-0 results in the National League on Wednesday (along with Mets over Brewers and Dodgers over Rockies). Out of 8 games played. Crazy.

Also kinda bizarre ... in seven out of those eight games played in the NL, one of the two teams only scored one run. Florida 5, Washington 3 was the only NL result from Wednesday that didn't feature a 1 in it.

And on a Reds-related note, guess who tied for a game-high with two hits and scored the game's only run? Our lead-off man: Chris Dickerson. If only he could lead off every night. :)

Corklehead

You thought we were kidding right? Of course you didn't. You know we're goofy enough not only to own a Corky Miller bobblehead, but still actually have it. In our defense, we did have to dig deep into OMGreds warehouse storage to find it. He was safely wrapped in a Cincinnati Enquirer newspaper... about the only thing an actually newspaper is good for these days.

Funny thing is, if you do a Google image search for "Corky Miller Bobblehead" you actually can't find any. Heck, you find images from our Sam LeCure LeVote before you find any of Corky. Well, here ya go... TWO photos of Corky's legacy to the Chattanooga Lookouts. It's like we're doing the internet a friggin' favor or something.

The Eric Davis Fan Club

So, is anyone out in OMGland a member of the Eric Davis Fan Club?

We first heard of the ED Fan Club (haha) last week leading up to the Civil Rights Game. It was mentioned in a couple of Reds PR releases the week before and announced at the game last Friday that he was going to be at the Reds Hall of Fame and Museum posing for photos with members of the fan club last Saturday, the morning of the Civil Right Game. Word on the street is that he didn't actually show up - but that is unconfirmed.

The dudes here at OMGreds are big fans of Eric Davis (At least I think we all are? Are we?), just like most everyone else in the Redleg Nation. I mean, that catch in the '90 World Series was stuff of legend, right? So, ED having a fan club or whatever is pretty cool, really. But, have you seen the membership prices? Depending on what membership level you choose, you can pay up to $239.40 for a membership! Oh, and no, there is no $19.99 option for a mildly interested fan, the cheapest your going to get is 119.40. SAY WHAAAAT?

Seriously, who on earth is going to pay that? Yeah, you get a couple of signed items and periodic "interactive" emails but really, what on earth would get someone to pay that kind of money for an Eric Davis Fan Club Membership?

Okay, there is one really cool part of the Fan Club - You can have a "WebVersation" with Eric. Dude, just call him anytime - 555-555-5555. Do it, we dare ya.

ED - really... we love ya. But, don't play us like this.

Chilly Willy

Here's the lineup for tonight ... keep in mind we're doing our darndest to try to avoid being swept ...

CF Willy Taveras
3B Jerry Hairston Jr.
2B Brandon Phillips
1B Joey Votto
DH Jonny Gomes
C Ramon Hernandez
RF Jay Bruce
SS Paul Janish
LF Chris Dickerson

It would be great to get Hanigan's bat in there, but I think the biggest problem I have is that Willy Taveras is leading off again. It's not just that June has been a nightmare for Willy. He only has a .269 OBP - second-lowest on the team - for the season! Why would you want the guy with the second-lowest OBP on the team - who doesn't work the count or walk or do the things you want your leadoff guy to do - batting leadoff every night?? Doesn't make any sense.

The Reds are going to play themselves out of this race if they keep losing - dropping 5 out of 6 is not good. If Willy keeps batting leadoff despite his inability to contribute, we might just have to start following the Florence Freedom pretty soon. I checked and OMGFreedom.com is available.

OMGRandom nitpicky observations

• Nice touch with the wall wrap to commemorate tonight's festivities ... but have somebody proofread it before it gets printed. BTW, if any of my friends did this ... I'm an ass and I apologize. Easy mistake to make and overall I thought the wrap looked very sharp. Please let me know and I'll remove this part of the post. Thanks-



• I know you really don't have to, but it might make for a cooler keepsake for those who attended if you printed CIVIL RIGHTS GAME on the tickets. People do like to keep the stubs, and it was kind of a big deal that it was the Civil Rights Game tonight, right?

• There were a lot of disappointed folks who didn't get the Frank Robinson mesh jerseys given away to the first 20,000. I'm not saying they should have given away more - that's their call - I just honestly couldn't believe they were gone by 6 p.m. - 1 hour and 40 minutes before the first pitch and the giveaway is gone. That's got to be a record at GABP, right?



• This isn't Civil Rights Game-specific, but I've been meaning to go off about this for awhile. The playground is for the bigger (and crazier) kids; the bounce house is for the younger kids. The rules posted at the bounce house specifically state that it is for kids 10 and younger. PLEASE hire a kid (the employee who sits there hating life that they got assigned to it and tells kids when they can enter the bounce house) who can say "no" when a 19-year-old tries to convince him that he's 10. Otherwise some cute little 4-year-old kid is going to get hurt when kids 3 and 4 times his age are in there roughhousing, and that would be bad. (By the way, there were definitely more than 4 in the inflatable at a time on several occasions tonight, and that bounce house NEVER stays open until the end of the eighth inning as that sign suggests.)

• Good thing our criticism of Willy Taveras lit a fire ... Willy is 3-for-5 tonight, raising his average to .227 for the season, further distancing himself from the Mendoza Line. Way to go Willy! If Willy keeps this up, we're going to have to turn our attention to Adam Rosales, who has 3 hits in 32 at-bats (.094) in June.

• Danny Richar AND Nick Masset - the two players the Reds acquired for Junior - make appearances against their former team. OMG! Think the Reds were trying to send a message just a little ... like "aren't you glad you gave us these two impressive young players in exchange for a washed-up (though future Hall of Fame) outfielder you hoped would propel you to the World Series?"

Photos courtesy of my cell phone

How bad is Willy

Some numbers:

• As of right now, Willy is 0-for-3 today, and his batting average this season is .221. Our lead-off batter's on-base percentage is .271.

• Willy is hitting .025 in the month of June - 1 for 40. (I know, I know, count the end of May and his slump is actually 1 for his last 46).

• Our lead-off man - whose job it is to get on base, help set the table, etc. - hasn't walked since May 23 (yeah, I realize he missed a few games, but he hasn't had a base on balls in the 14 games in which he's appeared prior to today ... and he's had 4 or 5 at-bats in 12 of those games). He has walked 14 times the entire season. Edwin Encarnacion has walked 13 times - and he's got 63 at-bats (to Willy's 210). Also, catcher Ryan Hanigan has more walks than Willy this season in 100 fewer at-bats.

• I know you don't expect your lead-off guy to get a lot of RBIs, but you'd like him to luck into a few more than 9 by June 18. Micah Owings has 7! Willy has 210 at-bats; Owings has 36. It's pretty rare when you can say the fifth pitcher in your starting rotation is a far better hitter than your everyday lead-off man who the manager won't sit or move down.

I hate to bash the guy, but he's absolutely killing us, no?

In the wake of Taveras' epic slump, I had a request to dig up my post about Willy when we were first reportedly pursuing him back in November. Here's the link:

Willy Taveras? Really?

PING!

UPDATE: Leake was scratched from today's start. He's getting a couple days of rest because of his workload recently, according to ESPN.

Check out Reds #1 draft pick Mike Leake in action today as he attempts to silence the aluminum bats of UNC in the College World Series.

BONUS: Also check out UNC's catcher and Reds 4th round pick Mark Fleury.

The game airs on ESPN at 2 p.m.



Photo courtesy of bsstahl, flickr

Post-game thoughts

Just when you thought the Reds' offense couldn't look any more pathetic ... it's an 80-pitch! complete game by a guy who has spent most of the season at Triple-A. If you were wondering how that game only took 2 hours and 12 minutes, that's why ... Hochevar only threw 80 pitches. And 8 Reds batters managed one single and one walk the entire night ... turns out Jonny Gomes can't win a game all by himself.

I just wonder if we might've scored more than one run and/or finished with more than 3 hits if we'd had a guy leading off who wasn't now 0 for his last 28. And 10 for his last 82. With an on-base percentage on the season of .288. How good a chance do you give your team to win when you start a guy whose on-base percentage is .288 and have him lead off?

It's nights like these - losing to the third-worst team in baseball a day after losing to the worst team in baseball - that makes us want to root for guys who are from Cincinnati instead of the guys who play here. How about a quick OMGReds shout-out to Sycamore High School grad and former University of Cincinnati star Kevin Youkilis, who homered tonight (his 11th of the season) and is hitting .350 this season, second only to Ichiro in the American League. WAY TO GO YOUK!

Reds vs. Royals

Ah, yes. Thank God for interleague play. Our buddy Ray at www.RoyalsonRadioetc.com asked if we could do a series preview. It would be our pleasure.

THE REDS ENTER ... 31-28, third place in the NL Central, 1 1/2 games behind the first-place Brewers. They won their first two in D.C. against the worst team in baseball before a heartbreaking 3-2 loss yesterday afternoon (in a series Hal McCoy said the Reds HAD to sweep). The Reds are 5-5 so far in June.

THE ROYALS ENTER ... 25-34, last place in the AL Central, 7 1/2 games behind the first-place Tigers. They're 2-11 in their last 13 games. They're 4-16 in their last 20 and 7-23 in their last 30. And this is a team that started the season 18-11. Ouch.

Like the Reds, the Royals also suffered a heartbreaking loss on Thursday, falling 4-3 in Cleveland when the game-winning hit struck a seagull in one of the most bizarre finishes in recent memory. If you haven't seen the video, it was pretty nuts. The Reds won't have to face Zack Greinke, by the way, as he started Thursday's crazy game.

WHO'S HOT FOR THE REDS

Jonny Gomes is 4 for his last 12. Ryan Hanigan is 6 for his last 18 (and 20-for-60 over the past 30 days).

WHO'S HOT FOR THE ROYALS

Second baseman Alberto Callaspo, the only Royal hitting better than .300 so far this season (.308), has nine hits in his last 23 at-bats. Catcher Miguel Olivo has homered in each of the past three games.

WHO'S NOT FOR THE REDS

Geez, take your pick. Ramon Hernandez is 2 for his last 23. Laynce Nix is in a 3-for-19 slump. Also slumping are Adam Rosales (10 hits in his past 60 at-bats), Chris Dickerson (3-for-16), and Jerry Hairston Jr. (5-for-26). Willy Taveras is hitting a whopping .128 (10-for-78) over the past 30 days. Jay Bruce is hitting .170 (16-for-94) over the same period.

WHO'S NOT FOR THE ROYALS

Outfielder Coco Crisp (the unfortunate victim of the seagull incident from yesterday) is hitting .200 in June. Mike Jacobs is hitting .154 with 1 home run in 26 at-bats in June.

FRIDAY PITCHING MATCHUP

Matt Maloney (0-0, 3.00 ERA) vs. Luke Hochevar (1-2, 7.85 ERA). Maloney looked sharp (6 innings, 2 runs) in a no-decision in his first big-league start last Saturday against the Cubs. He became the first left-handed starter for the Reds this season.

Hochevar helped end the Royals' recent eight-game losing skid with an impressive effort (6 2/3, 2 runs) last Saturday. He was recalled from Triple-A Omaha - where he was 5-1 with a 1.50 ERA by the way - to make the start. Before he got sent down, he had a 10.80 ERA in 11 2/3 innings with the Royals. Hochevar was the No. 1 overall pick in the 2006 first-year player draft.

SATURDAY PITCHING MATCHUP

Bronson Arroyo (7-4, 5.00 ERA) vs. Kyle Davies (2-6, 5.13 ERA). Arroyo has looked great in five of his last eight starts. Not just quality starts either ... you can't ask for much better than 8 shutout innings (May 1), 3 earned in 7 innings (May 17), 1 earned in 8 innings (May 22), 1 earned in complete game (May 27) and 1 earned in 7 innings (June 7). Yeah, there's always a chance you could get the May 6 disaster (9 earned in 1 innings) and there's a good chance he'll give up at least one bomb but only four National League pitchers have more wins this year.

Davies pitched the second complete game of his career last Sunday. Unfortunately he was facing the best pitcher in baseball in Roy Halladay. Davies had a nice outing, though, giving up four runs in eight innings. Coming off a career-best nine-win season (in 21 starts in 2008), he's been very inconsistent this season. He had four quality starts in April and three consecutive quality starts in May, but he's also given up at least seven hits in half of his starts this season.

SUNDAY PITCHING MATCHUP

Johnny Cueto (6-3, 2.33 ERA) vs. Brian Bannister (4-3, 4.69 ERA). Cueto has been outstanding, and if he keeps this up he should really be an All-Star. It's hard to even pinpoint his most impressive numbers. At least seven innings in nine of his 12 starts. At least six innings in 11 of the 12. Opposing hitters' average: .210. His WHIP is 1.05. Oh, and on the road, he's 5-1 with a 1.72 ERA.

Bannister has been feast or famine. Four of his 10 starts have been quality starts, but he's only had one of those in his past seven. Much like his team, Bannister got off to a very nice start (2-0, 0.69 in April) but things have gone south lately (0-1, 9.35 in June). So far not nearly as impressive as his June two years ago. In June 2007, Bannister was one of two major league pitchers to win 5 games, going 5-1 with a 2.75 ERA in six starts - including a streak of 18 innings without an earned run - and was named AL Rookie of the Month.

In case you fell asleep ...

... Aaron Harang's teammates are still doing their darndest to make sure the big righty doesn't get wins when he deserves them. Unbelievable.

First blown save of the year for Coco, by the way.

UPDATE: Masset - filthy again.
Jonny Gomes - CLUTCH