The Short Version: Why isn’t this season over yet?
| Final | R | H | E |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cincinnati Reds (64-87) | 0 | 8 | 2 |
| Milwaukee Brewers (86-65) | 8 | 11 | 0 |
| W: Miley (5-2) L: DeSclafani (7-6) | |||
| FanGraphs Win Probability | Box Score | |||
The Good
hahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahah
The Bad
–Anthony DeSclafani wasn’t particularly sharp, but he entered the fifth inning having allowed just one run on three hits. That’s when things fell apart. By the time the third out was recorded, the Reds were losing 4-0 and the game was all but over. I’m still very much optimistic about Disco being a solid member of the rotation next year, but he’s fading a bit after a pretty good stretch of baseball (4-3 over ten starts, with a 3.95 ERA, striking out 50 while walking 13).
–The Reds were only charged with two errors — both by Eugenio Suarez — but they made at least two others that the official scorer screwed up. Incredibly shoddy performance tonight.
–Wandy Peralta and Jesus Reyes weren’t good in relief.
Not-So-Random Thoughts
–Only 11 games to go. Four losses in their last five, and I can’t wait for this season to end.
–There was one player I wanted the Reds to acquire this off-season. That player was Christian Yelich. And Yelich — who hit for the cycle today, the second time he’s done that against Cincinnati this season — is doing everything he can to make me cry every time I see him play. Thanks for letting a division rival acquire him, Reds.
–Curt Casali had a couple of hits, so that’s fine. Scooter Gennett got a hit as he tries to stay ahead of Yelich in the batting race.
–I’m pretty bullish on the Reds’ chances in 2019 — as you’ll see in my Cincinnati Magazine column later this week. But watching my team — a team that made no effort whatsoever to win in 2018 — embarrass themselves against a team that actually went all-in to win last off-season, with a player the Reds should have targeted leading the charge…well, that’s a little much for me right now.
Today’s Tweets
Just to add a bit of context: Christian Yelich definitely does not play for the Cincinnati Reds. https://t.co/MWKDkUntP0
— Chad Dotson (@dotsonc) September 18, 2018
Christian Yelich has played 12 games against the #Reds this season: 23 hits (.547 OBP), 7 HR, 15 RBI, 12 R. Unreal. #Brewers leading 4-0 after Yelich's 2-run HR.
— Bobby Nightengale (@nightengalejr) September 18, 2018
Chad you fool… take out the games against the Reds and Yelich is nothing but an overpaid Scooter!
Just kidding, I “cried and peed” when the Reds twiddled their thumbs and the best player on Team USA from the WBC just slid up to Brewtown.
Oh yeah, my bad, the thumbs weren’t twiddling, they were stuffed up their @$%*&$!!!!
It may be the case that DeSclafani is simply worn out given that he was injured last year. However, looking at his numbers since August 23 makes me wonder if he is injured and the Reds are not revealing what is really going on with him.
If he is injured, and the Reds know about it and continue to send him out there, it would constitute gross misuse of an asset I assume they’re counting on for next year. I’ve wondered if it is just fatigue from not pitching the past couple of years or if there is something more going on that he hasn’t revealed to the medical staff (his bad if that’s the case). Hopefully just fatigue. Brantley on the TV broadcast was guessing that he’s just not trusting his stuff and trying to throw too hard the 2nd time through the lineup.
Yeah, last I checked, he doesn’t pitch. I would love to have Yelich, sure, but I’d rather not have him and trade half our current lineup if we could put together a top 5 MLB rotation.
Well, we have been wondering that for two straight off-seasons and we got crickets. I will go out on a limb and say…NO.
I am cynical beyond repair about the paralysis in the front office and in Bob’s owner suite. I am all but certain they’ll find a way to overpay a BELOW-average SP in Harvey so we can have SP4 and SP5’s in our SP1, SP2 and SP3 spots with no payroll flexibility.
Eric Milton redux. Bob and his silent sidekick Walt will continue to make the key decisions that will keep the Reds in the cellar for the foreseeable future.
Dick Williams, son of one of the ownership partners, is safe in his job to speak the correct platitudes to encourage the dwindling fan base.
This is Reds winning baseball.
Even if those prospects had to be traded to acquire Yelich, they are just prospects not realizations. Other than Suarez, what other prospect acquired by the Reds in the last few years has turned into a bonafide All-Star. Is it guaranteed that Senzel or Trammell will have the same productivity as Yelich? Yelich is still young, entering his prime, and contract-friendly for a few more years. So yeah I want the Reds to build a team with really good players – Yelich would have been a significant piece to that winning puzzle.
“There was one player I wanted the Reds to acquire this off-season. That player was Christian Yelich. And Yelich  who hit for the cycle today, the second time he’s done that against Cincinnati this season  is doing everything he can to make me cry every time I see him play. Thanks for letting a division rival acquire him, Reds.”
Chad, my sentiments exactly. I feel your pain. Misery loves company.
I am tired of these comments that essentially claim that the Reds are better off not to have acquired Yelich. Maybe in Bizarro/MLB world that would be the case. I think in any sane situation would consider having Yelich in the lineup is a major upgrade to what we have now and probably of most of the team’s prospects. Which one of the prospects that the Reds have is a guarantee All-Star and possible batting title champion?
The reasoning that the team’s record would not have made much of a difference this season is unproven and irrelevant. Many close games were lost because of a lack of run production and clutch hitting. Replace BillyH with Yelich in the lineup (esp with RISP) and there would have been a really big difference according to the numbers alone. For the sake of argument, let’s suppose that the team’s record would not have changed much with Yelich. A ball club with a genuine winning culture needs a plurality of very good players. Yelich could have been another big building-block piece. As a Reds fan, I would rather see the team in the Brewers place contending for the playoffs after trading for and signing good players, like Yelich. In the meantime, Reds fandom’s cause for celebration is not having another +100 loss season (without Yelich). Yeah! Go Reds!
Problem is that if you thought that the brewers overpaid for yelich, its hard to justify torches and pitchforks now. Sure you can be disapointed in hindsight but getting upset by it comes across a little hollow.
Our very own Chad Dotson expressed some reservations when the trade went down. Another thing we can blame him for perhaps. 🙂
And he was affordable and controllable. Makes it even worse.
This team isn’t making the playoffs next year. They couldn’t sign enough pitchers to pass the rest of the central teams. They sign Tim Adelmans and Scott Feldmans. This off season will be quiet and a joke.
“For the record”? Wow I wish I had your optimism. We don’t even know if he can get through a full season without an injury or vertigo sidlining him.
That’s the Reds way of winning baseball! Play your worst offensive player every night, and hope he stays forever. And sometimes he even leads off.
I would have done that in a heartbeat. I would wager Greene has less than a 50/50 chance to make it to the majors. Senzel might be an injury prone player.
Yelich could win the NL MVP this year.
Yelich would have been an awesome addition, but I’m not finding his pitching statistics? So, he helps our offense. That’s not the problem…..for 5+ years and counting.
Reds are going to keep Hamilton and Gennett for around $20 million in 2019, I am not finding their pitching statistics. Reds have cost controlled players to replace them and that money could be used for pitching.
As some have said, why would a pitcher want to come to Cincinnati where a fly ball is a home run or where the defense looks like a colander.
Sorry Chad, but your disappointment over Yelich seems like Bill Hall syndrome at this point. You wanted the reds to get Yelich but were not sure if you would have been happy to give up what the brewers gave up.
The numbers he put up this year against the reds is salt in the wound, but it’s water under the bridge at this point. No point in ruining your day over it.
Seriously though, when was the last time a player had two cycles in a season, let alone against the same team. A baseball quirk to be sure.
Going through the motions is all that they are doing right now.Unless Disco is hurt I am not worried about him.The front office has a lot of work to do and if they do it then I can be bullish as well for 2019.Falling in love with players is the problem on this team and it has been for awhile.How could anybody be untradeable,most have been here for at least two years,on a team that is so bad.At the same time we have a top 5 prospect that has no place to play in the infield so he is learning to play the outfield to join that just dumb rotation.We must say good bye to Billy and package some of these players that are loved so much,they are good remember and get some starting pitching.Iggy is good and affordable as is Hughes and Hernandez not to mention all of these young power arms that weren’t really given a chance.Just for fun,the Duvall trade and the Winker/Scott injuries gave us a chance by default I guess to see Ervin play.Based on what he has done he could hit 270 with 15 to 20 homers and play a good enough outfield along with Scott and Winker.Of course Billy will return.Senzel will be in the 4 or 5 man platoon,the rest of our good players will return at the same positions doing the same thing while we pick up pitchers others throw away and lose 90+ again.But count me in,Lord willing,as being a fan for life regardless.
Man, you must be the best stock broker on Wall Street or you should apply to be one, since you are so sure of your speculations. I hope we live long enough to see these prophecies come to pass, IF they come true. I know that Cubs fans are enjoying the team’s forlorn success, but ask any of the long-suffering old-timers whether they would have preferred to see this a lot sooner or rather a lot later (80+ years later).
Don’t get me wrong. The Reds have what they have. As a fan, I hope you’re right and the team finds great success with the current list of top prospects.
Walt Jockey handprints are all over this team and he still has the owners ear. So the only real shot it seems at having a legitimate baseball team is if Castellini sells the team, because I think he is going to continue to listen to Walt.
I remain flabbergasted by the Greene hatred here. He was the youngest guy in the league, and did fine. And if he has TJ surgery, I’d recommend he go to the same guy who did Walker Buehler’s TJ surgery.
My take on Yelich is that the Marlins were utter nuts to trade him to anybody. Plus, there was a lot of skepticism about Lewis Brinson, the centerpiece of the deal, even if he was rated high on some Top XX prospect lists (which are inherently ridiculous).
The Marlins violated Big Ed’s Rule #1 of being General Manager: Never Trade An Excellent Contract. They correctly dumped G. Stanton to whoever would pay the contract, and I understand their off-loading Marcel Ozuna as he hit his high-dollar arbitration year. It made below-freezing sense to trade Yelich at all.
The whole point of being a GM is to collect excellent contracts. The Reds have one in Suarez. Barnhart’s is close, and the rights to Winker, Reed, Senzel and a couple of others are very favorable for the Reds. The Marlins had one, and gave it away.
There isn’t much point to lamenting the Reds’ not trading for Yelich, especially if you don’t know what the Marlins asked for. You might as well cry over their taking Mike Leake in the 2009 draft, instead of a kid from Millville (NJ) Senior High School named Mike Trout.
Well, obviously, if the Marlins knew beforehand that Brinson would hit 203/.243/.354, then they would not have done the deal. Hindsight is 20/20.
Siri was not regarded as a better prospect that Brinson at the time. In the MLB.com ratings in early 2017 (http://m.mlb.com/prospects/2017/?list=prospects), for example, Brinson was rated #13; Siri was not rated. The next season, after the trade, Fangraphs had Brinson listed as #13, and Siri at #93; Isan Diaz was #87. https://www.fangraphs.com/blogs/2018-top-100-prospects/
So, it is reasonable to think that the Reds would have had to give up Nick Senzel and Jose Siri and somebody else to get Yelich. Maybe even more; we don’t know and never will know, so there is no point in worrying about it.
When (if??) Senzel and Trammell are putting up big numbers in 2020, not dealing for Yelich will look a lot better.
I wholeheartedly agree. I live in Miami so I follow the Marlins as my 2nd favorite team. I hated that they traded away Yelich, but I was dumbfounded that the Reds did not acquire him. During the offseason, I came on this blog harping on the fact that Yelich was ripe for the taking, because the Jeter’s #1 priority to his investors was to unload contracts/reduce salary payroll (that was highly reported in the local news) and good prospects in return were the sweetener but not the priority.
Yeah, I believe that the Reds could’ve bested the Brewers offer without sacrificing all of their top prospects. But remember that a prospect is potential unfulfilled. Yelich is proven. Anyway, after the season is over I will stop crying over spilled milk. Wah!