I don’t know about you, but I’ll be pretty happy when the Cardinals leave town. Monday night’s ninth inning debacle was enough, but with the Cards up 7-0 in the fifth over the Reds, it looks like the they’re on their way to their seventh straight loss.
You’ve got a little bit of everything. One run losses (four of them), blowouts (like tonight), and then the game we “should” have won. Danny Graves has one of the most backward strikeout to walk ratios (3/8) I’ve ever seen out of a closer. I’m not even sure how much we can blame Brandon Claussen tonight, because he hasn’t thrown in almost a week. If the Reds give up another run, their ERA will go over the 5.50 mark.
The loss (yes, it’s eventual) will put the Reds 8 1/2 games back, and if the Pirates beat the Astros (they’re down 2-0), we’ll slip into sixth place.
May 4, 1975 Reds 3, Braves 2 (14-12)
The Reds got just enough to beat Hall of Famer Phil Niekro. With the game tied at 2-2 in the seventh, Dave Concepcion doubled in Don Gullett to win the game.
Gullett threw a very nice game, going seven innings and giving up only seven hits and two runs. Pedro Borbon threw the final two innings to earn his first save of the season.
In what could possibly be the finest collection of minds around, five Reds bloggers got together and had a lengthy discussion on things like a cure for cancer and world peace. While we solved both of those, I figured I’d post the part where we talked about baseball, since this is a Reds site.
But don’t read on quite yet. Below is part four of the chat. You can check out the first three installments as follows…
Part 1 – Cincinnati Reds Blog
Part 2 – Reds and Blues
Part 3 – Red Reporter
And be sure to check out part 5 at Redleg Nation.
Without further ado….
Joel: There was a quote in the paper today by Griffey: “As a team, we
just haven’t really clicked on all cylinders. We’ll have a good pitching
performance and won’t hit, and vice-versa.” Is it possible that the
team is only good enough to win if it is clicking on all cylinders?
JD Arney: I think it’s probable. The Reds need every break to go their
way to be successful this season I think. I think they could have a
decent season without everything going their way (80-85 wins) but they’re
not a playoff team without everything breaking their way.
sweaver: Most teams will win if clicking on all cylinders except the
D-Rays. Like a pitcher has to learn to pitch without his best stuff,
teams have to learn to win if everything doesn’t go their way
Joel: JD, I agree on the 80-85 wins, but I think they fail to win too
many games, that is, throw winnable games away.
JD Arney: Yeah, I agree.
Blade: The one thing on their side is the offense really hasn’t gotten
started yet and that’s the strength of the team. If it does, then you
could see them put together a nice run or two. We all knew the
pitching would be mediocre at best, and that’s been on point. We just need to
get the bats going.
Joel: That’s true Blade. Many people are acting like this offense will
be terrible all season, but I can’t see that happening. There’s just
too much talent.
sweaver: Getting Aurilia out of the lineup would help, not to beat a
dead horse
Joel: What do you make of the team’s inability to create runs at this
point in the season?
sweaver: Freel created a run the other day, but it didn’t help much
Joel: Do you think Casey is a liability batting in the 3 spot? I
happen to think that he should be moved lower in the lineup until he gets
his power stroke back.
Blade: I don’t know if I’d call it a liability, but it definitely
doesn’t make a ton of sense.
sweaver: Casey’s not a liability in the #3 spot…but there are better
options. He’s not hitting yet either
JD Arney: I dont mind it all that much. I try not to worry about the
lineup.
Blade: But if he doesn’t hit there, who does?
sweaver: Dunn!
Blade: I like Dunn at two.
JD Arney: I would like to see dunn higher in the order.
sweaver: Freel/Dunn/Pena/Griffey/Casey/Randa/Lopez/LaRue – That’s my
lineup currently.
Joel: Maybe liability was the wrong word. What I’m wondering is, is
the slow offensive start just a matter of slumps or is it something else?
sweaver: Most of it is slumps and some wrong people in the lineup.
JD Arney: The Reds have faced some great pitching. Plus, there’s Rich
Aurilia. I mean, it all comes back to Aurilia.
Joel: He is the black hole of the lineup.
sweaver: Pena has to play…
Blade: Yeah, the four outfielders is becoming a pain. They need to
pick three and ride them.
JD Arney: The reds really should deal someone.
sweaver: Kearns should just play against LH until he starts hitting
Blade: Miley has to play all four until something happens, and I think
it might be becoming a distraction. In that he doesn’t neccesarily get
to play his best three.
sweaver: I don’t know that it’s bad, in that one of the five (counting
Casey) will often be hurt, like Wily Mo the last few days with the bum
leg.
Joel: Chambliss needs to spend some time with Kearns and teach him to
hit the inside pitch. Much like Reggie Sanders, pitchers have found a
hole and keep exploiting it.
JD Arney: What do you guys think of the coaching staff? Should
something be done about Gullett?
sweaver: I’m starting to think Gullett is part of the problem, not part
of the solution.
Blade: It’s really hard to say. He’s either getting mediocre talent,
or damaged goods
Joel: Definitely…but the problem is that pitch-to-contact doesn’t
work with mediocre stuff.
sweaver: The Reds are going to have to bring along young pitchers the
next few years. I am not confident Gullett is the right guy for that
assignment. I don’t think Gullett has ever had success with a young
pitcher….not that he’s had a lot to work with. Brandon Claussen is the
litmus test, in my mind. Gullett had success with Schourek, and some
other vets.
Joel: It’s hard to tell whether Gullet has had a lot of success with
anyone. When things were bad people always said that it was talent. But
why does he get credit for ones that are good?
Blade: I guess one gauge would be that no Red pitcher has really gone
on to greatness after they’ve left
JD Arney: What about brett tomko? He’s turned into a relatively solid
pitcher and the Reds had nothing but problems with the guy.
sweaver: I think he’s the best out of the system the last few
years…and Tomko is simply not that good.
Blade: I almost spit water all over my computer, I’m sorry I forgot
about Tomko. He’s hardly a world beater.
JD Arney: That wasnt really in response to what you said Blade, more in
response to what he’s had to work with. He’s had a little bit of
talent, not much, but a little, and he hasn’t done much of anything with
anyone young.
Blade: Got it
Joel: Reitsma? Remlinger? I know they are bullpen guys, but they
ended up being good after they left the Reds.
sweaver: Reitsma is OK, but not great. He was good with the Reds, the
same with the Braves now. Remlinger was hardly young.
Joel: I know, I was just trying to point out that pitchers don’t always
tank when they leave the Reds
sweaver: No, they don’t tank when they leave, and they don’t spring
into success either. So that’s a point in Gullett’s favor.
Joel: Which I think again goes back to the fact that Reds have had very
little talent pass through in terms of pitching. So, yes, a point for
Gullet…I guess. Bad pitchers will almost always be bad pitchers,
though…except when they are good.
Blade: Joel, is the philospher in you coming out
Joel: Sorry to get so deep on that one.
sweaver: But there is more talent coming….Richie Gardner has an ETA
of soon….maybe very soon.
Joel: I hope so…the Reds need a young stud to breathe some sort of
life into the organization.
Blade: Do the Reds have enough down on the farm to put together a
really good team?
sweaver: Yep.
Joel: Dunn, Kearns, Pena, and EdE are doing it with their bats…Now we
need a couple of complementing pitchers
Blade: Seems like by the time the good ones come up, they’ll have to
make tough decisions with players like Dunn, and Kearns.
JD Arney: Gardner is struggling at the moment, I’m worried that he’s
injured. And I cant find anything on Thomas Pauly, so that’s the two
biggest pitching prospects for the Reds, both struggling.
May 3, 1975 Reds 6, Braves 1 (13-12)
George Foster’s two run shot in the sixth inning put this one out of reach. He also doubled and scored in the third inning. Dave Concepcion added three hits and two RBIs to account for the bulk of the Red’s offense.
Gary Nolan threw a complete game five hitter, giving up only one run in the sixth inning. He struck out six and walked three.
May 2, 1975 Braves 6, Reds 5 (12-12)
The Reds and Braves went back and forth, but it was the Braves who scored last and walked away with the win.
Atlanta got on the board first with two runs in the second. The Reds answered immediately, getting a run in the bottom half of the inning on an RBI double by Tony Perez. The Reds added two more in the sixth with an RBI double by Dan Driessen and an RBI double by pinch hitter Terry Crowley.
Then in the top of the seventh, the Braves took a two run lead with a three run shot by Braves’ pinch hitter Cito Gaston. The Reds weren’t quite done because in the bottom of the seventh, Pete Rose led off the inning with a walk, and then scored on Dave Concepcion’s RBI double. Joe Morgan then drove in Concepcion with a single, so after seven innings, the score was tied 5-5.
Clay Kirby relieved starter Fred Norman in the eighth, and got the Braves out in order. But in the ninth, Larvell Blanks hit a solo shot to give the Braves a 6-5 lead. The Reds threatened in the bottom of the ninth, getting runners on first and second with one out, but couldn’t tie the game up.
Since starting the season 4-6, the Reds were stuck in this rut where they were within one win or loss of .500. It’s hard to believe that a team that eventually wins 108 games got off to such a slow start.
The good news, we didn’t lose our fourth straight one run game. The bad news is, we lost our fourth straight game by a ten run margin.
Maybe Ramon Ortiz should have stayed on the DL a little longer. All five Reds pitchers gave up at least a run as the Brewers put 13 runs on the board. This should push the team ERA further into the 5+, worse then everybody but the Rockies category. Sigh.
I can’t even really find a bright spot to this game. To make matters worse, we have the Cards coming to town. I don’t see an end to this four game skid coming too soon.


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