Redleg Nation‘s ninth season begins with more preseason optimism about the Reds than at any time I can remember. We’re all expecting a great season, right? Well, let’s get on with it!
The Queen City’s annual holiday will see Johnny Cueto facing the Angels’ Jered Weaver. That’s right, the Reds are playing the Angels; it’s the first time Cincinnati will face an AL opponent on Opening Day. No matter who the opponent, I expect it will be a fun day. Opening Day always is.
While you’re waiting for the game to begin, listen to our two season preview podcasts: first, with MLB.com’s Mark Sheldon, and the most recent, with Reds broadcaster Chris Welsh.
Here’s your game preview. Go Reds.
@preach: As a man at work, about to go into a meeting, I strongly agree.
Stuck at work and then class and also in MN, so I won’t be able to watch or listen, but I’ll be following in spirit.
What’s the temperature like up there in Cincy, looked cloudy earlier. El perfecto down here in AZ.
@preach: If it was between he and Hoover, though, you gotta go Hoover.
@preach: Lefty vs. Righty matchups is such an archaic philosophy.
Happy Opening Day everyone! 🙂 🙂
This is a great feeling. Not going to the game today, but I’ve got my tickets for Wednesday’s game and I can’t wait.
For today, I have a sixer of High Life and a giant sub from Jersey Mike’s. I just doesn’t get much better than baseball, beer and giant sandwiches.
Love seeing Jim Day and Jeff Piecoro (sp?) on my TV again. I also loved watching the Astros stomp the Rangers last night. It felt strange to root for the Astros, but I would love to see them succeed in the AL.
Poor college student in Utah and my slingbox isnt working… anyone know a free site to watch the game on?
@Farney: Farney, I’m not absolutely sure, but you might want to check WatchESPN or espn3.com to see if the game will be broadcasted there.
@Farney: If you find one, let me know. FSN TN is not broadcasting it today…boo!
I’ll have to listen to Marty and the Cowboy and watch MLB network for updates.
I might call in sick on Friday just so I can watch all three games against the Nats. Cueto Strasburg, anyone?
Ah yes… Between this and Reddits hat bs… my work productivity is ZEro… can it be a negative number? Go Reds!
@Sultan of Swaff: What happened to pinson343?
buy me some peanuts and cracker jacks… I can almost smell the hot dogs & brats. Nothing like Opening Day in Cincinnati. I wish I was there, but as the late great Bob Shreve would say, I live a “fur piece” from Cincinnati. Gonna be an awesome season. Go Reds!
drives me crazy that home games are blacked out on MLB TV here in TN —
but it’s probably a good thing as far as keeping my job goes……………
I wonder why my little smiley face icons won’t post.
@Matt WI: O.K. Thanks for the info.
@renbutler: I agree. If your in the lineup then stepping in the batters box comes with the territory.
Going to need a win today to keep pace with those Cubbies!
Being off for Opening Day is the sole reason I became a teacher. That, and the amazing salary…
Can’t wait for the first pitch!!!https://redlegnation.com/wp-includes/images/smilies/icon_biggrin.gifhttps://redlegnation.com/wp-includes/images/smilies/icon_lol.gif
Can’t wait to hear the the lineup.
Alrighty, now to sit back and feed my addiction after the long withdrawal. Any guesses on who hits the first bomb for us this year? I’m guessing Bruce. Mostly because I just like using capslock afterwords.
Lineup:
Choo, CF
Phillips, B, 2B
Votto, 1B
Ludwick, LF
Bruce, RF
Frazier, 3B
Cozart, SS
Hanigan, C
Cueto, P
How sweet was it to NOT hear Marty say “and leading off for the Reds Drew Stubbs. Sweet.
Boy was that sweet to watch.
Cueto’s offspeed stuff looks good so far.
The Reds should GO. Seriously. Please GO, Reds!
Stuck at work later than I hoped, but ASAP will be hitting the nearest TV + beer establishment. Wings, too, perhaps…
I’m going to stretch out on the couch and listen to Marty and Cowboy call the game. Now that’s what I call sweet.
@preach: BP has been known to swing for the fences every now and again.
@preach: I don’t think you can get the audio anywhere without an audio subscription from MLB.com
There’s no way to listen without getting the MLB audio subscription, which isn’t too pricey. 30 bucks i think…
Well, they made Weaver work more than JC I suppose. We’ll see if Weaver finds his control as the game goes on. If not things will heat up soon.
JC meanwhile is just grooving.
Can someone just tell Bruce that his ceiling is Adam Dunn and not Joey Votto? Just get your 40 homers and 120 RBI and move on.
@CP: I’m just saying that I’d rather him focus on his strength (power) than worry about improving his weakness (contact).
If there are Lego Redlegs then I need to buy that for my nephew.
Anybody else have a perma-smile going on? Nothing sweeter than a post-winter opening day.
Super Todd!
First hit of the year.. Super Todd!
I just got the boot from WLW
Bleh.
Anyone with video care to divulge the location of the Iannetta HR pitch? Did Cueto miss?
belt high fast ball…
Reds down 1-0 after two and a half. Panic!!!
@Chad Dotson: lmao
Choo Choo!!
Atta boy BP.
We’ve got a wide strike zone today, boys
No sac bunt, was just a hopper up the middle that advanced the runner.
Brandon Phillips and Joey Votto, leaving guys in scoring position. Cue up the complaints about hitting with RISP.
Chugga chugga CHOO CHOOOOOO!!
Nice hustle CHOOOOO!!!!! Hope Ludwick is okay.
Looks like he jammed his shoulder pretty good, hopefully nothing serious.
Dislocated if I had to guess.. he didn’t lift his right arm once.
Choo-Choo Express. New nickname. Mark it down!
Every year I say the same thing: how did Pete Rose manage to slide first every year for 23 years and never get hurt, yet these guys get hurt every time they try it? And oh by the way, Pete was running through walls, running over catchers, etc., etc. Amazing.
(Headfirst, obviously.)
Will the Reds ever get another hit with RISP? ** Sarcasm Alert! ***
If ludwick goes on the DL, will they recall Hamilton?
I highly doubt it. They’d go heisey/paul and leave hamilton to keep getting consistent AB’s. Gotta think they’d pull someone up to be a bat off the bench tho, but not hamilton
Love that he threw the slider on a 3-2 count there! ACE.
I don’t think Weaver comes back out next inning unless this one is super quick. His pitch count is really up there for the first start of the year.
Wow. I think I jinxed it.
4 pitch inning. Sorry about that guys.
John Fay tweeted that Lutz has a good chance of getting called up if Ludwick is hurt badly because he has a hot bat right now.
Mostly like a guy watching JC pitch a great game from a nice seat.
Heisey just got robbed on that call.
Looked safe on the replay.
Is there work in the pen right now?
@Brian Van Hook: Call up Hamilton!
C’mon, Johnny. Get out of this silliness.
Wow, that is a gutsy pitch to call there.
And Weaver is out of there. I love National League baseball.
JC is the man. 9 K’s and none sweeter than those last two.
Here’s Johnnnnnnnnnnnnnyyyyyyyyyyy!!!
Way to be Cueto
He may not get the win, but Johnny smoked it.
Johnny’s pitching like it’s June, not April.
So clutch, now they need to get a run on board this half inning to get Cueto set up for the W.
Holy crap, the memory of this Cueto was starting to get fuzzy after the game-that-shall-not-be-named. Go Reds!
Pretty sure the Whoo! just made a comeback
Nice play by Josh there.
@RedZeppelin: I will also take 97 wins again.
You forgot the stellar relief pitching and the 97 wins.
Too bad Broxton’s not good enough to close.
That was great because now even if it goes extras we’ve still got Marshal.
Boy it would be great to have Billy H. up here to steal some bases as a pinch runner now…
Chugga chugga chugga!
Choo Choo Choo
Angels seem determined to give us every chance to score this inning.
Now why wouldn’t they want to pitch to Joey?
I think I’d rather see BP hit into a DP than Heisey and Bruce strike out with the bases loaded. Prove me wrong!
nice call
What a letdown, Heisey.
where does one sign up for the “i hate giving up outs with our #2 hitter and setting up an easy walk of our MVP club?”
Plural wits? How about halfwit?
Way to take the bat out of Votto’s hands. The Dustman will just never learn.
That was ugly
Man, Bruce is Stubbsing it today hard.
Bruce with an afternoon to forget. 7 LOB. Ouch
I hate taking the bat out of BP’s hands only to get a walk for Votto.
pretty upsetting that Heisey can’t make contact there.
Hope John Fay asks Dusty about that move later. But I doubt it.
Nice game by Jay Bruce. 0-4 with 3Ks. Did Jay Bruce morph into Drew Stubbs?
Thom B irritates me.
That was just wicked.
Oh come on. Where are those missing?
Uh oh. I smell a Scott Rolen comeback.
Wow.. this umpire has a terrible strike zone all day.
at least we dont have to worry about Cairo in the 2 hole this season.
It’s perfect Dusty logic. With 2 men on and no outs, BP has to bunt. But he’s good enough to bat in clean-up in a pinch.
Why is Chapman pitching in a tie game?
@desertred: Its managing by the book.
So now he calls the exact same location a strike…
Call me crazy…but i would move Hanny to the 2-hole. We’ve seen BP asked to bunt twice today to move Choo over. I’d rather have Hanny, who can hit well oppo and lay down a bunt, get the bat taken out of his hands than BP. Move Hanny to 2nd, then BP/Frazier to the 4 and 6 spot. Thoughts?
@concepcion13: I like BP in the 2 hole, but Dusty is a fan of moving the runner over. With Choo getting on base more than what we’re used to, it’s going to take the bat out of his hands more than I’d like to see. I completely agree with bunting him over though. The though of a runner at 2nd with Votto up must make Dusty ecstatic!
Chapman starting to dial it up now that he got ahead.
Well whatever.. he calls 2 in that location a ball and 2 in that location a strike.
I promised I wouldn’t talk about it anymore…but I can think about it awfully hard…
@Tourniquette: Im with you.
Now they must face the wrath of the mustache.
@Mwv: That’s the funniest thing I’ve heard so far this week
Why did Cozart get taken out anyway? I really feel like Cozart could have made that play.
Double switch so that LeCure could pitch more than 1 inning if they need it.
Or the new spokesman for Wendy’s. I’d buy that.
Starting to get an uh oh feeling…
Here’s a crazy thought. With Chapman stretched out, and no game tomorrow, and his spot due up first in the bottom of the 10th….why not let him pitch another inning?
@Eric the Red:
Then he wouldnt be available to possibly pitch the 9th Wednesday.
That’s what ya call a hairy inning.
@CharlotteNCRedsFan: Hello CharlotteNCRedsFan. Fortunately I have yet to meet my untimely demise. I commented a couple times at the beginning of the game, then stretched out on the couch. You can guess what resulted in me doing that. C’mon Reds lets Go!
Heisey took a souvenir from a fan. 🙂
Phewwww
Do not bunt him over, Dusty.
Are the Angels really this bad defensively?
@Eric the Red: It’s pretty cold out there, that probably has a lot to do with it. Remember, they are from LA. Do they even know what snow is out there?
that’s what he should have done in eighth with bases loaded?
So we bunt and take away the opportunity for Bruce…c’mon Dusty
C’mon Hannahan
TOS!
Our bullpen is just unreal.
unlucky, untimely
No one can accuse the HP Ump of calling strikes like he has a dinner reservation. (Hey Charlotte I replied to your earlier commet : )
How bout that Hoover, Wow!!!
This bullpen is amazing…almost good enough to spare Chapman to the rotation!
I wish there was a thumbs up icon to click on. Lotta great comments today.
@Brian Van Hook: Ahhahaha You know, I haven’t even thought about the defibrillator, but now that you mention it I better make sure its tuned up and ready to go. Feel free to borrow it any time.
@LWBlogger:
Wat?
@RedZeppelin: Hes real good at clapping and slapping butts
This walk I agree with.
C’mon Hoover…
And the feared Howard Kendrick was intentionally walked why?
There were two outs. If Hoover can’t get Howie out, then what’s the point. it’s not like it was Pujols or Hamilton batting. And if Hoover was gassed, why was he still in there? Leake’s got five or six days before his next start.
Well, that hurts.
Sound the bugle boys. Charge!!! C’mon Reds lets come back and win this baby.
The Reds batters need more spring training. And they need to apologize to the bullpen and JC
Knock the ball outta the park Heisey
@preach: wow. where was that the rest of the game?
Three hits in 13 innings… where’s Milton?
two of Heisey’s swings were out of zone…ouch
If nothing else it was great to see the old gang o’ mine are back for another season of great conversation, and cheering our Redleg’s to a N.L Championship and more. We’ll get em Wednesday. Go Reds!!
I’m not worried about the Reds hitting. Pitching is always ahead of the hitters at the beginning of the season. You know baseball, the next game could be a 9-8 affair.
@Brian Van Hook: We all make misteaks. : )