I’m Back!!!

Thaq and Brian held down the fort admirably while I took some time off.  I headed up north for some much needed rest and relaxation.  And while I was sleeping in a tent, I was never that far away to where I couldn’t keep tabs on the Reds.

The Tony Womack era had ended after only 18 at bats.  The recent emergence of Brandon Phillips (NL player of the week) made Womack expendable, and the trade for Cody Ross sealed the deal.  I saw Ross play here in Detroit a few times and he was a fan favorite.  Unfortunately the team had a log jam of outfielders so they sent him out west.  He had a solid season last year in Triple A and actually got off to a nice start this year for the Dodgers.  He became expendable when Nomar came off the disabled list.

Adam Dunn is off to a typical start.  He’s hitting just below .250 and he has almost as many walks (22) as he does strikeouts (28).  His OPS is still above 1.000, which is the key.  It looks like it’s going to be another great season for the future Hall of Famer.

I knew Austin Kearns could do it.  And while I know there’s still a ton of games left, he’s hitting over .300 with some power.  His strikeout to walk ratio (20/5) isn’t much to write home about but he already has twelve extra base hits.

You also have to be happy with Edwin Encarncion’s start.  He’s walked eleven times versus nine walks, and his OPS is on the north side of .900.  He also leads the team in RBIs with 18 and that was before the four he’s driven in tonight.

On the pitching side, Bronson Arroyo is the stud.  He stands at 3-0 and has a miniscule 3.04 ERA.  The team is still giving up well over five earned runs a game, but Arroyo is getting the job done.

More importantly, the Reds are in second place in the standings.  They’re 12-7 and they are well on their way to winning today’s game.  They’re only a half game back of the Astros, who are also winning tonight.

Regardless, you have to be happy with the Reds so far.  If you would have told me the team would start 13-7, I would have jumped all over it.  It helps when your team leads the major leagues in runs scored and homeruns.

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