John Clay’s Sidelines

It’s human nature to question your own intelligence when you devote time to such a thankless endeavor as following the daily disappointment that is the Cincinnati Reds. And then, even in the mid-May morass of mediocrity, a single play pops up to remind you why you were watching in the first place.

I caught the first three or four innings of the Reds-Marlins game last night on the tube before switching over to Idol. Stuck with that for the whole hour. Ryan Seacrest has to go, by the way. And judging by her attire, Paula must be reading the gossip about her predicted ouster. Simon’s eyes always tell the story. I liked Syesha, but she had to go. David vs. David was destined from the start. David A. is cute, cuddly, a bit odd, with a stage dad, and a Disney Channel vibe. Despite what Ken Levine believes, I don’t think he wins. David Cook seems more the Idol-type to me. But that’s a guess. And enough about that.

Back to the Reds, which I did after the Idol finale. By the time I made way back to Channel 66, the game was tied. Marlins had scored six runs in the top of the ninth. So it’s 6-6.  Now it’s the bottom of the 10th inning. There were Reds on the bases. At the plate was rookie Paul Janish.

Let’s back up here. The night before had been a heartbreaker. I didn’t see it – Dancing and Idol on the same night, are you kidding – but apparently Jeff Keppinger fouled a ball off his his kneecap with such force it broke his something or other. Life isn’t fair. Keppinger is a great story. Former Georgia Bulldog. Journeyman infielder. Hit everywhere, stuck nowhere. Then the Reds picked him up last year. He’s done nothing but hit since. Saturday, in the second game of a doubleheader at New York, Kep went five-for-five. Two days later, he’s on the Disabled List.

(Nice story here on how Ken Griffey, Jr., kept Keppinger’s spirits up after the injury.)

Back to Janish. He’s at the plate. Two outs. It’s his second big-league at-bat. He’s 25 years old. He had just been called up that day from AAA Louisville. In fact, his mom was driving to Louisville to visit her son, got the news, re-programmed the GPS, and found her way to Great American Ballpark. Janish fouls off the first pitch. He swings through the second. Third time is his charm.

Janish sends a line drive to the right field corner.

This one belongs to the Reds.

The Reds burst out of the dugout like happy Little Leaguers. They try to ride Janish like a bull at the rodeo. He’s fighting (sort of) to get away. They keep riding. Finally, in all the flailing, someone catches Janish right across the schnoz (sp?) and the rookie ends up with a bloody nose. Two things he’ll never forget.

Make it three.

Final camera shot, there’s the rookie with the bloody nose, hugging his mother.

That’s why you watch.

Two days since Big Bob Castellini sent Wayne Krivsky in the showers, and gave good buddy Walt Jocketty the big office.

Here are some reactionary links:

• Fired Krivsky blind to reality. [Tracy Ringolsby]
• Move to ax Krivsky should have come as no surprise. [Jon Heyman]
• Is Bob Castellini impatient or imprudent? [Paul Daugherty]
• Old-school Jocketty values positivity. [MLB.com]
• The Big Red Turnover Machine. [cbs.sportsline]
• "I don’t know this team anymore." [On Baseball and the Reds]
• Krivsky: A clarification. [Hal McCoy]
• Jocketty should bring October baseball back to Cincinnati. [Richard Justice]
• Translating Jocketty’s quotes. [Chris Sabo Goggles]
• Irony all around in Jocketty hiring. [St. Louis Post-Dispatch]

Wayne Krivsky was in a no-win situation.

When he took over as the Reds’ general manager three years ago, Krivsky inherited farm system was still suffering from Jim Bowden’s neglect.  The major league roster wasn’t much better. So Krivsky did what he could. He wheeled. He dealed. His goal was to improve the talent without hurting the future. He traded the pipe dream that was Wily Mo Pena for Bronson Arroyo. He picked up Brandon Phillips for a song. He acquired Jeff Keppinger for next to nothing. He got Josh Hamilton and Jared Burton through the Rule 5 draft. They were improvements. Not enough to change the team’s current losing course, but improvements nonetheless.

Trouble was, the man who hired Krivsky wants to win now. "No more losing," said Reds’ owner Bob Castellini when Krivsky’s firing was announced on Wednesday. Never mind that the Reds don’t really have the talent to win now. Not big. Not enough to challenge for anything other than the possibility of a wild card spot. Maybe. If everything breaks right.

Krivsky said he was shocked, but should not have been. The day Castellini hired his old friend Walt Jocketty, the former St. Louis general manager, as special adviser, Krivsky’s fate was sealed. That the pink slip was given this early is a bit of a surprise. The Reds had only played 21 games. But Castellini is an impatient man. And Jocketty has done it before, building Oakland into a contender, then guiding St. Louis to a World Series title.

Can Jocketty do it in Cincinnati? Yes, if he builds on what Krivsky started, while avoiding the mistakes. The Austin Kearns trade to Washington two years ago hasn’t done much for either team. Krivsky overspent on Mike Stanton, Alex Gonzalez, Juan Castro, Corey Patterson. Hopefully, Jocketty’s experience eliminates those mistakes.

Some numbers concerning the now 8-12 Reds:

• 
  Matt Belisle allowed 12 hits and five earned runs in his first start since being on the disabled list.

• Relief picther (for now) Jeremy Affeldt has dropped his ERA to 2.35.

• Reliever Todd Coffey has not allowed a run in his last 4 1/3 innings. His ERA has dropped from 8.00 to 5.40.

• In his first outing out of the bullpen, Josh Fogg allowed two runs in two innings. His ERA is now 12.46.

• Catcher Paul Bako has three hits in his last six at-bats.

• Adam Dunn has one two-hit game all season. Dunn has played in 19 games.

• Edwin Encarnacion has raised his batting average from .083 on April 8 to .273 after last night’s game. Encarnacion is hitting .381 (16-42) over that stretch.

• Scott Hatteberg does not have a hit since April 10.

• Brandon Phillips has seen his batting average drop from .320 on April 12 to .250 after last night. Phillips has just three hits in 26 at-bats (.115) during that stretch.

• Joey Votto has hit four homers in his last five games.

Cincinnati wraps up a once-promising now near-disastrous road trip with a 2:10 p.m. first-pitch today at Wrigley Field (WGN), and the Reds need a win in the worst way.

After starting off the nine-game trip by taking two of three at Milwaukee, Dusty Baker’s club dropped three straight at Pittsburgh, and have been outscored 22-7 in two games at Chicago.

Notes:

• After allowing nine earned runs in just two-plus innings, Josh Fogg’s ERA jumped to 13.09. With Homer Bailey (1.42 ERA at Louisville) and Matt Belisle (3-0 with 1.09 ERA in three re-hab starts) pitching well in the minors, Fogg has to be on a short leash. Fogg’s next start would be next Monday against Los Angeles. It might be his last.

• With Alex Gonzalez still out thanks to a compression fracture in his knee, Lexington’s own Andy Green might be a candidate for call-up. Thing is, Green is off to a .217 start with the AAA Louisville Bats.

• Adam Dunn is 12th in the NL in on-base percentage at .431.

Yesterday’s post about the Reds’ lost weekend in Pittsburgh brought this rebuttal from P.W., who wrote:

"Yes there is no denying this was a lost weekend (swept by the Pirates???!!)  But even after this weekend, there are many signs of hope with this year’s team:

1.  Despite a stagnant offense so far this season, the Reds are 6-7 and are winning with pitching.

2.  As odd as it is to see Dusty Baker in a Reds uniform, you have to like the job he has done so far.  The Reds are playing more fundamental sound on defense, the running game looks good, and he has done an excellent job of developing a strong bench.

3.  The offense will heat up (probably as soon as the weather does).  And Junior, Dunn, Phillips and crew won’t have to drive in 7 to 8 runs a game to win.

The only change I would make would be to switch Phillips with Dunn or Junior in the lineup.  What do you think about that?  Oh, and don’t get me wrong, I like the pitcher the Reds got from Texas, but is there anyway we can get Josh "Roy Hobbs" Hamilton back?"

What do I think about Phillips hitting clean-up? Not a big fan of that, because of Brandon’s speed. I’d move him up in the order. I think you’re suggestion of Phillips hitting third, would be a good one.

And you’re right. There is hope. Part of that hope comes from the farm report, where Homer Bailey and Bill Bray have both pitched well in Louisville.

• Bray has allowed just one hit in 4 1/3 innings. His WHIP (walks and hits per innings pitched) is a terrific 0.92. It’s easy to forget that Bray is just 24 years old. If Todd Coffey continues to struggle, as he did Sunday in Pittsburgh, we could see Bray in place of Coffey, even though Bray is a lefty.

• Bailey pitched 6 1/3 innings of five-hit, two-run baseball on Monday for the Bats. He has a 1.42 ERA and an 0.89 WHIP for his three starts thus far. Best news, Bailey is throwing strikes. He has walked just three, while fanning 13. He threw 81 pitches on Monday, with 54 of those for strikes.

By the way, Reds and Cubs are on Fox Sports Ohio tonight at 8:05.

The Cincinnati Reds had some momentum with a 6-4 start and two straight wins at Milwaukee.

But then a weekend series at lowly Pittsburgh killed all that.

As John Fay reports in the Cincinnati Enquirer, and Hal McCoy attests to in the Dayton Daily News, the Reds’ offense was abysmal as Cincinnati was swept by Pittsburgh host. The Reds stranded runners, couldn’t get a big hit, and finally rookie sensation Johnny Cueto endured his first bad outing.

Some notes:

• The Reds scored four runs in three games in Pittsburgh.

• The Reds left 32 runners on base for the three-game series.

• The Reds were six-of-35 at the plate with runners in scoring position, including a 1-for-8 showing.

• Edwin Encarnacion is hitting a bit better, his average up to .179. But the third baseman was just three for 12 in the series and left 13 runners stranded.

• Ken Griffey, Jr. was two of 13 for the series and left 12 runners stranded.

• Cueto gave up five runs on five hits in six innings on Sunday. His ERA went from 2.03 to 3.72. The rookie walked his first batter of the year. He has 24 strike outs compared to one walk.

• Not counting the 12-4 win over Milwaukee on April 9, Cincinnati has scored 13 runs in six games.

• The Reds are hitting .213 against left-handers thus far this year.

Welcome to the thaw.

Had to happen sooner rather than later. Chris Lofton is too good a player to continue shooting the basketball the way he had been shooting. And in Tennessee’s 93-85 win over Alabama last night, Lofton proved that yes indeed, he is warming up.

The senior guard scored 23 points as the Vols, now 5-1 in the SEC, toppled the Tide in Tuscaloosa. It was Lofton’s third straight game of 20-or-more points. He drilled five-of-nine three-pointers, bringing his total to 17 made three-pointers in 32 attempts over his last three games. That qualifies has heating up. In Lofton’s previous three SEC games, the ex-Mason County star was a pedestrian 5-of-16 from behind the line.

Lofton was obviously starting to regain his touch the first half at UK on Jan. 22. He was quiet in the second as Kentucky rallied for the win. Tennessee coach Bruce Pearl claims that experience made Lofton realize he did have to score for this UT team to win. He’s certainly picked up the pace in the last two games, scoring a season-high 27 against Georgia and then 23 more last night.

Related links:

• Tennessee uses long-range shooting to down Alabama. [Birmingham News]
• Vols shoot past Tide. [Mobile Press-Register]
• With Lofton back in form, Tennessee looks tough. [Clarion-Ledger]
• Vols exorcise demons to win at Alabama. [Knoxville News-Sentinel]

Here is Lofton’s game-by-game breakdown in the SEC:

• Date     Opp           Min    FG      3P       FT     O-D-R   PF   TP   A   TO   BS   S
• Jan. 9    Miss           30     3-9      2-5     2-2     2-1-3     0    10    2    1    1    1
• Jan. 12  @SC            28     2-6     1-5      0-0     0-3-3    3     5     0    4     0    0
• Jan. 17  Vandy          32     4-11   2-6      1-2     1-1-2     2   11    0     2    0    2
• Jan. 22   @UK           30     7-14   5-10     3-3    0-2-2     4    22    0    1     0    0
• Jan. 26    Ga            30     9-17    7-13     2-2    0-0-0    2    27    1    0     0    0
• Jan. 29    @Ala          33    8-13     5-9     2-2    2-1-3     1    23    2    1     0    0

Big weekend at GABP. The Cubs are in town. That means plenty of Cub fans are in town, especially with sweet Lou Piniella’s surging squad now only two games in back of the first-place but bobbling Brewers.

The Reds are 12 1/2 games back, but a different team under new manager Pete Mackanin. Or so it seems. Cincinnati is 13-8 since the new skipper took charge, including winning three of four from the Brewers. Two were extra-inning victories. Javier Valentin knocked in the winning run in each.

How is Mackanin doing it? Getting everyone involved has been a help. For example:

• Journeyman infielder Jeff Keppinger came to Cincinnati swinging a hot bat and has stayed in the lineup because of his hot bat. His bases-loaded, two-out triple spurred the Reds to a 7-3 win over Milwaukee on Wednesday. His two-out single on Thursday drove in two runs. Keppinger is now filling in for Alex Gonzalez at shortstop. Even when Gonzalez returns, Keppinger will be hard to sit.

• Mackanin has inserted Jared Burton, the Rule 5 pitcher picked up from Oakland, in tough situations and Burton has excelled. The rookie picked up the win on Thursday, his second in three decisions. Burton throws hard and goes right after the hitter. Can’t say the same for some of his older teammates.

• Mackanin said from the start that Valentin would play more under his watch. The manager has kept his promise. Even before David Ross fractured his pinkie, Valentin was catching at least twice a week with Mackanin in the manager’s chair. His rhythm at the plate and behind it has improved. He’s a clutch hitter.

• The underrated Norris Hopper came off the bench Thursday to deliver a pinch-hit double, then scored the run in the ninth that sent the game into extra innings. Mackanin has shown he won’t hesitate to sub Hopper for Ryan Freel or Adam Dunn.

When it comes to Reds’ all-time worst trades, the name Justin Germano might be added to the list.

The San Diego right-hander is currently 6-3 with a 3.55 ERA. He pitched 6 1/3 innings of four-hit, no-run baseball yesterday against Arizona. Germano was drafted by the Padres in the 13th round in 2000. When the Padres were making a playoff push in 2005, they traded Germano and Travis Chick to the Reds for third baseman Joe Randa. Ex-Reds GM Dan O’Brien made that trade. But last year, with the Reds trying to stay in the playoff hunt, new GM Wayne Krivsky traded Germano to Philadelphia for veteran pitcher Rheal Cormier. The Phillies then placed Germano on waivers this March, when he was taken back by San Diego.

Germano’s numbers in the Reds’ organization were not bad. He was 3-2 with a 4.01 ERA in eight starts with Triple-A Louisville in 2005. He was then 8-6 with a 3.69 ERA with Louisville in 2006. He was 0-1 with a 5.40 ERA in just six major-league innings with the Reds last year.

Germano got off to a flying start with San Diego this season, going 4-0 with a 1.73 ERA over his first five starts. He slipped a bit toward the All-Star break, giving up five runs in 6 2/3 innings to the Dodgers on July 1 and seven runs in just four innings against Atlanta on July 6. He bounced back Sunday.

As for Cormier, the 40-year-old hasn’t pitched in the majors since April 18. He was designated for assignment on April 28.

Meanwhile, Germano is 24 years old.