Another Borek Morning: Talking Cincinnati Reds Baseball 6/4/2014

Mandatory Credit: Christopher Hanewinckel-USA TODAY Sports

Let us all be honest with ourselves; we wanted another no-hitter from Homer Bailey last night.

 
Not that settling for a win is ever a bad thing, but it would have been ironic, and so fantastically fulfilling.

 
Regardless, Bailey still pitched well enough to hold down the Giants offense and allow the bats to come to life. That, and he did not implode with a lead.

 
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It appears not only is Billy Hamilton going to be okay, he is better than ever. Completely shifting the landscape in last night’s contest, Giants starter Tim Lincecum even admitted after the game that he was in his head while on the mound.

 
Not only was his baserunning a serious issue, his running grab of Pablo Sandoval’s smash in the top of the third inning saved Bailey from losing an early lead. After Hamilton made the grab, he spun around and heaved a throw into the infield; there appeared to be no lingering effects on that elbow.

 
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Jump for joy; but not too high, you want to avoid hurting your knee on the way down at any costs.

 
Optimistically, Joey Votto may be manning first base at some point on this homestand. Should all go well during his rehab assignment, it seems he would be able to join the Reds on the road, shall he need some extra time down on the farm.

 
It is no coincidence that when the team’s best hitter is on the sidelines, the offense has scuffled. Just Votto’s mere presence to a lineup does unfathomable things to the opposition. As much as Brayan Pena has done an admirable job filling in, he is no Joey Votto.

 
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Were it not for Devin Mesoraco, it is frightening to think where the Reds may be.

 
Playing in just 28 games thus far this season, Mesoraco has driven in 27 runs while clubbing nine long balls. His slash line of .347/.391/.693 is MVP-like, granted for him, the season is still early.

 
Is regression in order for Devin? Potentially. But, there comes a time for some ball players to simply get over the hump. For Mesoraco, there is no “back of the baseball card” statistics, because he has not had this many opportunities to play before.

 
Should he continue to hit like this, the Redlegs may have found themselves their clean-up hitter for the next decade.

 
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Tonight’s start for Tony Cingrani is a big one—and he knows it.

 
Mat Latos is not far off the horizon of making his return (within the next few weeks, ideally) and someone currently in the rotation is heading towards the bullpen.

 
This could be a right place, right time situation for Cingrani. Starting the middle game of this Giants series, he will get a look at an offense that is not used to banging the ball around the yard. Although Hunter Pence and Pablo Sandoval have been hot of late, the Giants lineup is not quite as fearsome as some others Cingrani has faced this year.

 
Back home with the ability to feed off a frenzied crowd, Cingrani may be due for a big-time performance.

 
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Unless, of course, it rains. There is currently a cloud covering the city that would implore Batman into action, but alas, our best form of a superhero is Aroldis Chapman.

 
I am definitely hopefully we can get the game in this evening, although a twin bill on Thursday sounds like a great way to spend a day.

 
Thanks for stopping in this morning (afternoon?) as always, and Let’s Go Reds!