So as expected, after playing well against the Yankees, the Reds looked like crap in losing two of three at Toronto, and the swoon continued with a dismal loss to the Indians last night.
This team just doesn't have enough solid pieces to go anywhere. Bob Castellini needs to realize this team is just not close to contending at all, and whoever convinced him it was before the season (Krivsky? Mrs. Castellini? JoJo the Circus Clown?) needed to have their head examined. Without Harang (who continues to look terrible) the rotation is one ace and four question marks, and the one ace is young and is still going to have his ups and downs (just look at the Toronto start, Volquez has had a great year but he's young). The assumption coming into this year was that Bronson had an unlucky 2007 and would revert to 2006 form, but that hasn't happened, and after his start Tuesday his trade value has to be nil, or close to it. Cueto is up-and-down as expected, and Thompson looks to only have a fastball (a good fastball, but this is the majors, you're eventually going to get tagged if you don't throw something else).
The bullpen has a few reliable parts. Bray, Burton and Cordero have all been good-to-excellent this year. Affeldt has had his moments. It's hard to adequately describe the awfulness that is Gary Majewski, though. His stirrups are truly a classic look, but he's just been horrible. His BAA is .375 right now, opponents are just killing him. It's excruciating every time he enters the game. Lincoln Logs has been okayish at times, terrible at others. Weathers' numbers actually are okay, but it's hard to feel secure when he's tossing his slop to the plate. You have to give it up for him, though, because Reds fans have been saying that for about four years now, and he keeps getting guys out.
John Fay was on the broadcast last Saturday and said the guys he thinks will see the most interest on the trading block are the relivers. We heard that last year, too, and the only guy that ended up moving was Jeff Conine, and that was after the deadline. Griffey is finished, Dunn has had trade rumors seemingly since he was called up in 2001 and nothing has ever happened, and all the other pieces are either untouchable or unwanted. This team is staying like it is, for better and for worse.
And lately it's definitely been for worse, because this team is in another funk. No hitting, poor pitching, the works. One win in Cleveland will clinch the Ohio Cup for the Reds (yay), and I'm not sure if they can get it. Cueto goes tonight against Paul Byrd, and Bronson goes against some guy tomorrow. Bronson's numbers are Miltonesque after the Toronto debacle (I almost wanted them to leave him in longer just to see how bad that would get) and it's a day game, so if the win doesn't come tonight, the Reds are in trouble. They've been in trouble since 2001, though, so it's nothing new. Living on the edge, right?
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