Reds Fans, We Have Been Spoiled

Sometimes, you simply cannot not help but be amused at what you see. That amusement was directed, of course, at the #Reds column on Tweet Deck that was sent a-scrollin’.

I can only assume that since the Reds have dropped three consecutive games that the season is now over and the Reds, for lack of a better word, suck. The ten game winning streak has cured no ills. All it did was cover up what weaknesses our beloved Good Guys have.

For the record, the Reds are 6-4 in their last 10 games, tied for best in the division along with the Cardinals.

Plus, I’m going to let you in on a secret…every team has a weakness. Every team. Some even have more than one. All you have to do look. Honeslty. Look at the other NL teams with 60 or more wins. They have one, too. At least one.

The Nats have issues with the back end of their bullpen. Reds fans have seen that. The Reds have taken advantage of that. The Braves have run into issues with their starting rotation at times. They have also experienced offensive shortages. The Pirates have shown inconsistency in scoring runs. Of the 12 games where the Reds and Bucs have squared off, the Buccos have scored more than four runs in a game only three times. Yes, Pittsburgh has won all three of those. Flip side. The Reds have scored more than four runs in five games…with the Reds winning all five. The season series is at 6-6. The Cardinals pitching, especially the bullpen as a whole, has been suspect. Health and age have also been concerns for the majority of the season. The Giants hit 60 wins last night. They aren’t exactly pushing a ton of runs across the plate either. In the same number of games (110), the Reds have scored more runs (473) than SF (455).

These are the teams in which the Reds are contending with for a division title (the bigger goal) and/or a wild card spot (well, at least it’s postseason). Again, they all have flaws. They all have issues.

It’s also no secret that our Reds have their own “flaws” or “issues”. We’re not the only ones aware of that. Why do you think teams load up with lefty hitters against Bronson Arroyo? Lefties hit him well. Why do you think opposing pitchers are not afraid to challenge Zack Cozart and Drew Stubbs? They know there are issues with the top of the batting order getting on base. Why do you think opposing teams press so hard to score within the first six or seven innings of a game is because, well, that’s now obvious with the likes of Sean Marshall, Jonathan Broxton and Aroldis Chapman at the back end of the ‘pen.

There are others…

The run the Reds made to win those ten straight games was simply improbable, darn near impossible. The run without Votto is the exact same. No one saw either coming. No one with any degree of baseball sense could have predicted these amazing runs. If you’re saying you did, the aliens will be landing shortly, too.

When we first heard of Votto needing surgery, most of us were hoping for a .500 record during his absence. We will more than likely get a winning percentage higher than that even though #19 is still out. Now we have to ask if the current Votto-less record of 16-6 will be good enough? Guessing it is for the team, but not for some fans?

And now the explosion of doom and gloom over losing three straight? Grab a hold of your senses. Here, look at this…

The Pirates had to finagle their rotation to get their ace to hurl the final game in the series. What I find funny/strange is that even though we had heard that the series wasn’t important, it obviously was or the move to take Erik Bedard down in favor of A.J. Burnett is not made. The Reds have had issues facing Burnett this season so that loss shouldn’t be a huge surprise.

And not only was there no Votto…no BP.

The other night, Yovani Gallardo most likely pitched his best game ever against the Reds. He is a good pitcher. Some call him Milwaukee’s ace especially in light of the Brewers trading Zack Greinke to the Angels. And last night Mike Fiers, who pitched well against the Reds his last time he faced them, was perfect through six innings. Sometimes, you tip your cap and say “Good game”. Apparently, that’s a little difficult for some…

I could understand negativity if the Reds had lost to three consecutive crap pitchers. They didn’t. Burnett is the Burnett baseball witnessed prior to his days before heading to New York and is a legit contender for the NL Cy Young. Before the start of Monday night’s game, Gallardo owned a career record of 62-42. Yes, the Reds have owned Gallardo for most of his career, but good pitchers find a way to stem the tide and turn things in their favor. Fiers is considered a rookie, but he has a nice looking future. He might be the only one where you could logically say there was something missing.

I can’t take every “doom and gloomer” and convert them into looking at the positive side of things. If I could, I would bottle that formula and make many a dollar.

There are a few that aren’t meant to be “converted”. They simply thrive on the negativity.