Maybe some Voodoo priest cursed Bob Castellini? Did Dusty Baker in some prior life kill a holy man? I heard its bad luck. Three batters into the game Albert Pujols crushes a line drive off Homer baileys ankle/foot and Homer has to leave (x-ray proved to be negative, but Homer later said that it has swollen up to beach ball size (thanks to reds.com.)
This season of bad things happening continues to roll onward to its inglorious conclusion (thank God when it’s over).
Still there are things, important things to do for next year. Michael Leake needs to be signed. Young pitching talent must be evaluated. Sensible deals for Harang and Arroyo must get done. In all, it should be a very busy time for Walt Jocketty and the Reds.
Are the Reds going to keep Harang and Arroyo? Let’s look realistically at their performance. On a contending championship team, by their records, Aaron Harang and Bronson Arroyo are fourth and fifth starters. Bronson Arroyo takes the ball every 4th day and breaks even on wins and losses. This makes him an excellent 4th starter for a contending team. He is no more than that!
Harang for the last 2 years has lost more than he’s won. Yes, he can have overpowering stuff, yes he is a great club house guy, but the fact remains that on a contending team, by his record, he is a number 5 starter. He does take the ball every fifth day and he keeps his team in the game-this makes him a number 5 starter on a good team!
A realistic view of the bullpen is also in order. Coco Cordero is wasted on the Reds. Do I want to see him go? Hell, no, same exact thing for Arthur Rhodes. Nick Masset, Danny Herrera, Carlos Fisher, and Kip Wells are simply not ready for prime time relieving. The trades of Josh Roenicke, Robert Manuel, and prospect Zach Stewart is especially troubling unless the Reds keep Rhodes and Cordero.
Jared Burton and Bill Bray are 2 guys the organization needs to decide on now. My best instinct is to release both, same for Mike Lincoln.
What once seemed to be an item of strength has now turned into a glaring weakness. Some important decisions need to be made and need to be made now, Stay tuned!
Big D
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
No comments:
Post a Comment