Blog Red Machine » 2011 » July

Homestand Hard to Handle

Steve Engbloom — Mon, 01 Aug 2011 02:15:21 +0000

The recently completed 10-game homestand saw the good guys go 5-5. Can’t make up a lot of ground playing .500 ball, but considering the whole “process”, we’ll take it. And with that produces a reflection of what has been a sticking point in the “What’s wrong with the Reds” questions: starting pitching.

I know, I know. The offense has been inconsistent and deserves to shoulder some of the blame. Some, yes. Most, no? All you have to do is look over the lines from the starting pitchers from the three series and it makes some sense on why the Reds were 5-5 over the past ten games. We’ll start with the Atlanta series.
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Going Forward

Steve Engbloom — Sun, 31 Jul 2011 21:40:07 +0000

Another non-waiver trade deadline passes and the Reds do not make a deal to improve the big league team. The only move Cincinnati made was sending Jonny Gomes to Washington for a couple of minor leaguers. If you want to catch a sneak peek on Bill Rhinehart and Chris Manno, head over to Seedlings to Stars. Nathaniel Stoltz has the skinny on those guys.

For me, this trade deadline was a little different from those in the past. I was not a pseudo Twitter junkie as I am now. It was interesting to see one of my timelines go absolutely non-stop between the hours of noon and the 4 PM closing of trade business. Something that really did not surprise me was the inactivity by the Reds. Outside of Ubaldo Jimenez and James Shields, there was little the Reds may have gained. Sure, Hunter Pence might have been a nice grab, but it wasn’t meant to be.

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Deadline Deals that Dissolved

Steve Engbloom — Sun, 31 Jul 2011 17:45:06 +0000

Yesterday, I took a peek at some of the deals that the Reds were rumored to be in on, but the string wasn’t pulled. Just for a little bit of fun, I thought I would review a couple of the players the Reds didn’t get and what the Reds may have been looking to go the other way. While I didn’t not go into the names attached to the rumors, I decided to go with the draft selection of the players involved. You’ll see what I mean.

The biggest of the names was that of Ubaldo Jimenez who is currently undergoing a physical in order to finalize a deal with the Cleveland Indians. The Tribe sent P Drew Pomeranz (who cannot go until next month due to MLB rules), P Alex White, P Joseph Gardner, and INF Matt McBride. Here’s where I started a “comparison”.
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