Redleg Lifestyle
Bronson! Jock! There! (via Rockin' Redlegs)
You gotta love when FS Ohiya keeps it real and doesn’t bother to creatively frame out stanky jock straps during post-game player interviews. This one of Bronson (props to Rockin’ Redlegs) reminds us of another stanky jock that photo-bombed an interview from last season.
Orlando Cabrera and someone's Rockin' Jock
By the way, our mates at Rockin’ Redlegs are flat-out killin’ the game right now. If you’re not checking them out on the daily, you should.
I also love Pearl Jam’s State of Love and Trust. The vid above is from the 2010 Pearl Jam show in Columbus, Ohio. Bronson Arroyo gives Mr. Vedder a custom Reds BP jersey and requests SOLAT. Still a little bummed I missed that show.
Thanks for the heads up on the video, @mraike.
We’ll never look at Mt. Adams the same again.
Let me preface this by saying I’m not hating, just presenting facts.
It fascinates me the way people talk about how strong our starting rotation is and the impressive field of candidates for the No. 5 spot in the rotation – when Opening Day starter Aaron Harang is 12-31 over the past two seasons.
And yes, I’m well aware that Harang finished fourth in Cy Young voting in 2007. But put into perspective just how badly he struggled in 2008 and 2009.
Harang had a .261 winning percentage in 2008 (45th out of 45 National League starters who pitched at least 162 innings) followed by .300 in 2009 (46th out of 46 NL starters who pitched at least 162 innings). That’s pretty incredible to finish dead last among NL starters (with the minimum 1 inning pitched per game played by his team) in consecutive seasons.
He’s got by far the worst winning percentage among that group of “workhorse starters” over the two seasons combined.
And he was only two losses away from becoming the first since 1979-1980 to lead his league in losses in consecutive seasons.
And he’s not just part of our rotation … he’s our Opening Day starter!
Hard luck, you say? The Reds don’t give him any run support?
Then explain these numbers …
2006: 3.76 ERA, 1.27 WHIP, 9.3 H/9, 8.3 K/9, 1.1 HR/9, 2.2 BB/9
2007: 3.73 ERA, 1.14 WHIP, 8.3 H/9, 8.5 K/9, 1.1 HR/9, 2.0 BB/9
2008: 4.78 ERA, 1.38 WHIP, 10.0 H/9, 7.5 K/9, 1.7 HR/9, 2.4 BB/9
2009: 4.21 ERA, 1.44 WHIP, 10.3 H/9, 7.9 K/9, 1.3 HR/9, 2.4 BB/9
In 2008, just once did he leave the game in position for a win but the game was blown by the bullpen. (In comparison, that happened to Johan Santana seven times that season.) In 2009, it happened again to Harang – once.
I’d love to know what the worst previous-season record was for ANY Opening Day starter – which not even baseball-reference.com can tell you.
But as far as the Reds are concerned, Harang’s win-loss is as bad as it’s been.
In 2004, Cory Lidle was coming off a 12-15 season. In 2002, Joey Hamilton was coming off a 6-10 year (between the Blue Jays and Reds). Those are the worst going all the way back to the Big Red Machine; Mario Soto was coming off a 12-15 season when he started in ’86, but his ERA in 1985 was a respectable 3.58.
Finally, to the question posed in the subject of the post …
Harang had great 2006 and 2007 campaigns after making Opening Day starts both years. But in 2008 he led the National League in losses with 17 (accompanied by just six wins) and he followed that up with 6-14 in 2009.
Split decision. But before Harang, there’s no denying that getting an Opening Day start for the Reds hasn’t done any hurler any good for quite some time.
2005 Opening Day starter Paul Wilson went 1-5 that season, his worst – and last – as a Major Leaguer.
2004 Opening Day starter Cory Lidle was 7-10 with the Reds that season before getting traded to Philadelphia (where he finished strong – 5-2, 3.90 ERA – of course).
2003 Opening Day starter Jimmy Haynes went 2-12 in ’03. In ’02, Joey Hamilton went on to go 4-10.
2001 Opening Day starter Pete Harnisch went 1-3 in seven starts, never pitching in the Majors again.
In ’99, Brett Tomko was 5-7 in his final season as a Red. In ’98, Mike Remlinger was 8-15.
In ’97, John Smiley was 9-10 as a Red and then 2-4 as an Indian … and then he, too, was done in the Majors.
In ’96, Pete Schourek went 4-5 (a year after finishing second in NL Cy Young voting at 18-7).
It’s impressive, really: You have to go all the way back to Jose Rijo’s four-year string of Opening Day starts from ’92 to ’95 (and even Rijo only went 5-4 in ’95 before calling it quits for the first time) to find a Reds Opening Day starter who didn’t struggle badly during one of the seasons in which he had made the Opening Day start. But they are all pitchers who had performed well enough for a year or two before that managers felt they were deserving of Opening Day starts.
It’s uncanny the way many of these guys went on to suffer the worst year of their careers after opening the season for the Reds.
Go back any further, by the way, and the jinx doesn’t apply, because you run into names like Browning, Soto, Seaver, Billingham, Gullett, et al.
I realize Bronson Arroyo reportedly turned down the opportunity to start on Opening Day, but I still find it somewhat mind-boggling that the Reds are giving Harang the start again in spite of his struggles over the past two seasons – regardless of what you blame them on (pitching four innings of relief on two days rest in the 18-inning loss to the Padres in May of ’08, coming out after the 2-hour rain delay last season … or whatever excuse).
Has Harang – who will make his fifth Opening Day start – fared particularly well ON Opening Day itself? No, he’s 1-3 (though they’ve lost 2-1 and 4-2 the past two years).
I hope Harang turns it around and has a great year as much as the next Reds fan … just one of those things that make you wonder.
Here’s a great little video from Corey Brinn, who works for the Reds single A affiliate Dayton Dragons. Apparently, the sprinkler system went off during batting practice at one of the Reds’ minor league practice fields out in Goodyear. Great stuff.
Speaking of video – Corey has some footage of Bronson Arroyo from Thursday night’s Woodjock. Check it out.
If you’re not, make sure you follow Corey’s personal blog as well as the Dayton Dragon’s Inside the Clubhouse. They are both great looks into minor league baseball and the Dayton Dragons.
It’s a shame we missed this before. If you need a refresher, or you want to re-live the excitment of the orginal J.T.M. productions, just click it.
Round shell, strawberry filling, white icing, red sprinkles.
Good morning, Reds! Have a donut on us. We designed it especially for you. But, maybe wait until later to eat it. You’ve got some wind sprints to do on that hill this morning and we don’t want you jacking on Bronson Arroyo’s cleats. He’s not cool with that.
Arroyo, Perez and Youk
First saw this on John Fay’s Reds blog … Bronson Arroyo and former Angel/Red/Cardinal/Devil Ray/Indian/Mariner Eduardo Perez – the son of Doggie – will have cameos in an independent film called “Goat” (currently being shot with a release date set for later this year). They’re apparently shooting the scene this weekend.
We’ve learned that Arroyo’s former teammate with the Red Sox, Sycamore High School and University of Cincinnati alum Kevin Youkilis, is also set to appear (in the same scene, we assume). OMGReds has love for Youk, and we try not to make a big deal out of the fact that one of us grew up in the same neighborhood with him :D
The IMDB page for ‘Goat’ lists Arroyo as an executive producer and “Edguardo Perez” as an associate producer. Hmmm … not sure they’re actually producing it but …
So you know Arroyo is coming off a FILTHY second half of the 2009 season. But what’s Eduardo up to, you ask? Wikipedia says he’s managing the Leones de Ponce in Puerto Rico, and was named 2008 Manager of the Year in the Puerto Rico Baseball League.
Let's not do this again
To be absolutly up-front, we do have a touch of inside knowledge about the 2010 Reds Bobblehead lineup. That one peice of knowledge is…. drumroll….. the Reds will feature FOUR bobblehead games in 2010, one being a “Fan’s Choice” similar to last year’s giveaway that resulted in an Edison Volquez bobblehead. Yeah, we know… it’s pretty cool to have such great inside knowledge right? Don’t be so jealous!
Alright, what we don’t know is who will be featured on those four bobbleheads. That’s the fun part though, right?. In the past (’08 ’09), we’ve tried to fortell the future, to only mixed results.
As a primer, here’s a rundown of Bobbleheads of Reds past.
Without further adieu, Here’s our stab at the 2010 Reds bobblehead lineup:
Francisco Cordero
Coco is a lock. Cordero was the Reds’ lone All-Star representative in 2009 and had a pretty good season anchoring the bullpen. Given he hasn’t been featured in any Reds giveaways up until now, it’s likely the Reds will honor him with his very own nodder in 2010.
Drew Stubbs
Like Joey Votto and Jay Bruce last year, the Reds will most certainly give props to their promising young center-fielder after his coming out party in 2009. You can’t deny that this city is a little Stubbs-crazy right now. Expect Stubbs to get “The Nod.”
Johnny Cueto
We’re not solid on The Big Cue being in lineup, but it makes sense. He’s becoming a fan-favorite and it’s another opportunity for the Reds to honor another young arm. We’re not sure where he finished in the Fan’s Choice vote from last year, but we’ll bet he was in contention. Did he get more votes than Sam LeCure? Well… it had to have been close.
Fans’s Choice
Option #1: We’ve heard that the Fan’s Choice vote will be done a little differently than it was last year. We’re not exactly sure what that means, but we’re thinking it may feature a vote of players from the 1990 World Series team. 2010 is, after all, the 20th anniversary of the last Reds team to win a world championship. Now, here’s the trouble with that – several popular players from that team have been featured on bobbleheads in the past – Barry Larkin (twice), Chris Sabo and Eric Davis. Of course, who would get end up winning in a vote from the 1990 team? You got it – one of those three guys.
Option #2, AKA Thinking Too Hard: So, here’s another option, and one that we would fully back: A Fan’s Choice ballot that features players from the Reds Hall of Fame, possibly excluding players that have already been immortalized in ceramic. That would lead to an interesting vote considering that a lot of the Big Red Machine and Wire-to-Wire guys would be off the list. We would love to see it, but it seems a little complicated and everyone that got shafted on Johnny Bench Bobblehead Night in 2002 would want a second chance to get a Benchy Bobble and can’t.
Option #3: They just open up the 40-man roster and let the vote fly. It would be a little boring, but it would be interesting to see who folks vote for. Would Votto or Bruce get another bobblehead? Would a guy like Chris Dickerson get a lot of support? Does Rolen get a shot after only spending a month+ in a Reds uniform in 2009? Janish?
Opción de Cuatro: The Reds come up with some insane category: Clutch players, long-ball specialists, players from the ’60s, journeyman outfielders, mullets from the ’90s, Reds whose last name starts with the letter “Y“, players who remind Cincinnatian’s of Peter Edward Rose, guys who didn’t pet Schottzie before games, this list just goes on and on…
Of course, we’re probably completely wrong on all of this. We can hear the Reds promotional staff laughing at us right now. It hurts, too. No worries, we’ll get over it.
Here’s a few more thoughts on guys that might sneak there way to bobblehead glory:
Chris Sabo
Even though he achieved glory with his own bobblehead in 2002, it’s not going to stop the Reds from making another one of him. With his recent surge in popularity with his impending induction to the Reds Hall of Fame, he’s a hot ticket right now. Reds fans have always loved him too. It just all makes sense. We would include him as a “lock” for a bobblehead this year, but we’re heard that he might show up in bobblehead form in a different type of giveaway, as in not a traditional stadium giveaway. It’s not a certainty, and we really don’t know much, but there may be a twist. If that doesn’t happen, expect Spuds to get his due along with Coco, Stubbs and others.
Joey Votto
Yep, we’re calling it right here, right now. The Reds might pull a goofy one, ala this beauty, and get Joey nodding again for a second straight year. Votto in street clothes? Votto in an alternate uniform? Votto with a first baseman mitt? “Strange Brew” Votto? Finished 22nd in the NL MVP vote Votto? The sky is the limit, and the Reds might actually reach it on this one. You can pretty much count Jay Bruce in a similar category of duplication. Shoot, they might even put both of them on a dual bobblehead: The Bruce & Votto “Bosom Buddies” Bobble.
Homer Bailey
After his stellar finish to the 2009 season, fans are lovin’ him. Right there with Volquez, Votto and Bruce, he’s a young face of the franchise and ripe from some promotional marketing. Too bad he doesn’t have the long locks… that would be another Bronson-esque nodder.
Chris Dickerson
You can’t help but like this guy. We’ll venture to say that Dickerson is popular with the younger kids? Probably because the younger kids that kinda want to rebel against all their friends that proclaim Bruce or Votto as their favorite Red. Don’t worry, they’re sincere about it.
Scott Rolen
Stranger things have happened. We can’t ignore Rolen’s presence in the promotional landscape. He’s one of the best players of the last decade or so. Just because he hasn’t been a Red all that long doesn’t mean he doesn’t deserve a bobblehead. Now, will his promotional night draw a big crowd? That’s, of course, the big question.
Jonny Gomes
The Reds haven’t re-signed him yet, and it’s pretty early to call, but if a Gomes nodder features him with a sombero… it’s on. That’s a sell-out, folks.
Giving up the Ghost
There are a few bobbleheads we would love to put on the self above our computer in the spare bedroom, but we’re just not going to see ‘em. Ted Kluszewski, Johnny Vander Meer, Ernie Lombardi, Vada Pinson, Bucky Walters, Jim O’Toole… the list goes on. They’re all great Reds, but we’re not sure we’ll ever see ‘em in bobblehead form.
So there you have it. We’d love to hear what you think. Let it fly!
Joe Morgan, rollin' the Honda Del Sol
Now, settle down folks, we know you’ve had your eye on that Fit for a while now, but you’ll just have to wait. Joe Morgan Honda probably won’t be opening its doors until next summer, at the earliest. So, we have plenty of time to sit around and dream about how fantastically awesome the commercials starring the Hall of Fame second baseman will be. Early word* is the commercials will likely give Bronson Arroyo and Chris Welsh a serious run for their money. Let the showdown begin.
*Totally made up
Thursday: 7 innings, 5 hits, 1 run, 1 BB, 4 Ks. And another win.
That’s his 12th consecutive quality start. Go all the way back to July 22 for an Arroyo start in which he allowed more than 3 runs.
In his six starts in August, he posted a 1.99 ERA (fifth best in the majors for the month). So far in September he’s pitched 36 innings and allowed 8 runs (2.00 ERA).
His 2.34 ERA since the All-Star Break is fourth best in the majors (behind Wainwright, Greinke and Carpenter).
Just updating a recent post in which we acknowledged that Bronson Arroyo has been DEALING as of late …
Monday night: 7 innings, 6 hits and 1 run with no walks and 6 strikeouts. And a win!!!!
That’s his 10th consecutive quality start. Go all the way back to July 22 for an Arroyo start in which he allowed more than 3 runs. (But he’s only gotten three wins during that stretch.)
In his six starts in August, he posted a 1.99 ERA (fifth best in the majors for the month). So far in September he’s pitched 21 innings and allowed 4 runs (1.71 ERA).
His 2.33 ERA since the All-Star Break is fourth best in the majors. If he keeps it up for another start or two AND if it was the first half of the season instead of the second half, he’d be an All-Star.
Bronson Arroyo made his ninth consecutive quality start last night, going seven innings and allowing two runs on four hits (and, of course, getting a no-decision).
That’s right … you have to go all the way back to July 22 for an Arroyo start in which he allowed more than 3 runs.
In his six starts in August, he posted a 1.99 ERA (fifth best in the majors for the month). So far in September he’s got a 1.93 ERA in two starts.
And what does he have to show for it? Two wins in those nine quality starts. Three wins since the All-Star Break.
His 2.42 ERA since the All-Star Break is seventh best in the majors.
We’ve all seen Bronson flex his acting muscles before. That dude in the backseat of the car playing guitar in the FreeCreditReport.com commercial looks awfully familiar, no?
0: Number of runs the Reds have scored in the first six innings of each of their past 3 games.
1: Reds’ starting pitcher this season whose record is better than .500: Edinson Volquez at 4-2.
2: Number of saves for Francisco Cordero, who is being paid $12 million this season, since he earned his 21st save of the season on July 7 – almost a month ago
3: Number of Reds’ wins since the All-Star break (team’s record is 3-16)
5: Wins by Reds’ starting pitchers since July 1 (Bronson Arroyo has 2 of those)
6: Biggest run total in a game since the All-Star break (they’ve scored six twice, once in a win and once in a loss)
6: Number of Reds’ position players who had at-bats tonight who have batting averages worse than .240 (the number of players with averages better than .240 is four). And our next two bats off the bench would’ve been Janish (.218) and Sutton (.174).
.214: Team batting average over the past 26 games
1998: The last time the Reds had a losing streak of 9 or more (they lost 11 straight from June 14 to June 24)
What I couldn’t find but I’d be curious to find out is when was the last time they lost nine consecutive games at home.
Since i moved here in July 2006 I’ve seen the Reds play at Dodger Stadium nine time (nine times?!)- The Reds have won exactly zero games in Chavez Ravine (my overall record of Reds watching as a Californian is 1-14. The lone victory was last year when Bronson Arroyo beat the Padres.
Other hi-lights of a disastrous career have been seeing Votto leave the game in Arizona and San Diego with dizziness/stress. Watching the Reds lose in 18 innings last year in San Diego and watching them lose again in 16 innings this year. I enjoyed the bonus baseball, but it really stinks when they lose.
Good thing I’m not superstitious.
despite the record i’m stoked to be going to the lovely Dodger stadium these next three days. Its truly a wonderful venue. High on a hill with a great view of the city. Its old school.
I will need to leave for the 7:10 game just before 5 pm if i don’t want to spend the first three innings in traffic.
More updates to come.
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.
From Reds Internal Affairs:
Now through April 30, fans can vote on reds.com to decide which Reds pitcher will be featured with a 2009 bobblehead. The Fans Choice Bobblehead will be given to the first 30,000 fans on Saturday, July 18 and is part of a collectible set of four bobbleheads that fit together to form a special ballpark background. The three other bobbleheads in the series are Joey Votto (May 9), Jay Bruce (July 4) and Brandon Phillips (Aug. 15).
Vote now at www.reds.com/fanschoice.
We were hoping for some old-timers in the Fan’s Choice spot, but your choices are limited to pitchers on the 40-man roster… or roughly that. We will stick with our prediction that Volquez is a lock for a bobblehead. We’re thinking fans will likely vote that way.
Overall, it’s a nice twist to the bobbleheads, even without a Red from the past.
Your choices:
Bronson Arroyo (Bobblehead in 2007)
Homer Bailey
Bill Bray
Jared Burton
Francisco Cordero
Johnny Cueto
Carlos Fisher
Aaron Harang (Bobblehead in 2007)
Daniel Ray Herrera
Sam LeCure
Mike Lincoln
Matt Maloney
Robert Manuel
Nick Masset
Micah Owings
Ramon Ramirez
Arthur Rhodes
Josh Roenicke
Daryl Thompson
Edinson Volquez
David Weathers
