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By Thaq Diesel 

Well it’s a week into the season.  The start has been encouraging.  To wit:  The Reds have a better record than the Yankees and Cardinals.   A look at the 2006 Reds that are starting the long march through the Summer:

Pitching

1. The starters have been a pleasant surprise.  Four quality starts, three wins by starters.  Arroyo has shown that he likes the long ball (hitting rather than giving them up - who knew?).  I heard a couple radio commentators remind us that in Little League, the best athletes were always pitchers and those kids could always jack it out of the park.  They were also usually the coach’s son and played shortstop when they weren’t pitching.   Me?  I played second base, but I did play.
2. The bullpen has been abysmal, almost blowing most of the games.  David Weathers has had a good start with two saves in two appearances. 
3. Chris Hammond has an ERA of 189.00.  No, I didn’t transpose a decimal place.  Regardless of the fact that it’s early, I’ve never, ever seen an ERA that high.  And this from a guy who spent an entire summer playing Super Baseball Simulator 1,000 on Super Nintendo.    

Wins

1. It’s tough to complain; bottom line, a 4-2 start beats most other scenarios.  It’s tough to feel great when you beat up on the Pirates who have the worst record in the majors right now.  And it’s tough to feel great about your prospects when you give up an average of 7.8 runs per game.   Tough thoughts all around.  Let’s enjoy it while it lasts.
2. The Reds have found a way to win high scoring games.  My brother-in-law and I both agree that the Reds are the Texas Rangers circa 1999.  They give up lots of runs and score lots of runs.  When the batting gets cold, it’s probably not going to be pretty.

Miscellaneous

1. Why the hell do the Reds open the season by playing one day then taking a day off?  I just don’t understand it.
2. Tony Womack has been a pleasant surprise in platoon duty. 
3. Who would have thought that Rich Aurilia would be leading the team in RBI a week into the season?
4. Which starter goes to the bullpen when Paul Wilson comes back?  Does it matter?
5. The Cubs will be a good litmus test for how this season will go.  They seem to have their stuff together.

The reason most teams have a day off after their opener is so if opening day is rained out, they have a day to drop it without having to deal with a home and home doubleheader or scheduling it three months from now.

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Posted by Brian on April 11th, 2006 at 6:45 am

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