Cincinnati Reds Mediocre Start: Putting a Positive Spin on it

The Cincinnati Reds have been very inconsistent this young season. Strike that your Honor, let’s say it this way: The Reds are playing .500 baseball despite losing Ryan Madsen, Nick Masset, Bill Bray, Mike (yes you can call him Mike) Cairo, and most recently Scott Rolen.

Their current two-game skid at home is alarming. I take that back Judge, shall I rephrase? Is there a better pitching staff than the Washington Nationals? If there is I wish they would stand so the jurors could see them.

Gio Gonzalez was beating the Reds like they stole something Friday night. I will withdraw that statement your most High Excellency. Let’s go this way: The Reds need to be commended for their ability to stay within Grand Slam distance against a pitcher with nine strikeouts in five innings.

Mike Leake was pitching as poorly as anyone on the Reds’ staff this season in that game. That sounds rough, too negative you know? Move to strike your Honor. Look at how good the Nationals looked against Leake. Good on ya Mike! Especially since they are without Jayson Werth, Mike Morse and Mark DeRosa.

I bet they could have really lit it up with those guys on the card.

If the St. Louis Cardinals weren’t losing as well the Reds would be 5.5 games back. That was clearly a negative remark Mr. Eastham. Sorry Judge, move to strike. Watch this: Even playing .500 ball and in the midst of a two game losing streak the Reds find themselves firmly entrenched in second place.

The Reds are getting nearly nothing in the way of offense from their left-field experiment. C’mon Judge how can I spin that around? Wait, I got it. If Chris Heisey and Ryan Ludwick would go on a crash diet, they would soon be batting their weight. Ahh, much better.

Matt Latos pitched as well as he could for as long as he could last night. It just wasn’t good enough. Thank you Jose Arredondo.

I can really spin this one, stand back. You should have seen how pretty the first pitch was that Arredondo offered up to Danny Espinosa. It must have surely been to his liking as he placed it deep into the seats in right-center field.

That, in effect was your ballgame right there.

So far in this series, the Reds have struck out 26 times in 18 innings. Sorry, I apologize. Gonzalez and Jordan Zimmermann came into Great American Ball Park and pitched as though they were Sandy Koufax and Don Drysdale (may he rest in peace).

Too much spinning, feeling dizzy, queezy, I can’t go on much longer.

In the final game of the set, the Reds will send veteran Bronson Arroyo to the hill against Edwin Jackson. Oh, by the way, Jackson already pitched what was arguably the best game against Cincinnati all season long.

On April 14, he pitched a two-hit gem allowing one run, yielding only one walk while fanning nine in a complete game which he threw only 92 pitches in.

The moral of this story is that you cannot always find something pleasant to write about if you want to foster discussion among the troops. Call me negative, call me Stormy, call me Caesar Cliffius, just don’t call me Polyanna.

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