Leadoff woes
Reds are hitting .166 in leadoff spot....30th in MLB.
A's are 29th hitting .199.
Reds OBP from leadoff spot is .200. Orioles are 29th at .258.
Reds have 52 K, 9 BB, 1 SB from leadoff spot
From leadoff this year
29 starts: Cozart 25 for 127 .197/.233, 6 BB, 30 K
8 starts: Stubbs 3 for 36 .083/.215, 2 BB, 13 K
6 starts: Phillips 5 for 24 .208/.240, 1 BB, 4 K
3 starts: Heisey 2 for 14, .143/.143, 0 BB, 4 K
2 starts: Harris 0 for 8, .000/.000, 0 BB, 1 K
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Stuff
ESPN: High praise for UC's Walter Stewart
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Happy Birthday: Eric Davis is 50
On this date 1994
Reds acquire Deion Sanders in exchange for Roberto Kelly
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Thanks
Thanks for a fun week last week. I enjoyed the conversation and input. I appreciate you tuning in, following on Twitter and checking out the blog!. Catch you Tuesday 3-6pm on ESPN 1530 and at 6:05 with the Inside Pitch on 700 WLW.
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Stuff
More weird injuries........Lucroy goes on DL after suitcase falls off bed and breaks his hand.
Casey goes to bat, comes up with miracle
Pittsburgh Post Gazette
"The Mayor," they have called Casey since his playing days in the big leagues as a .302 career hitter and a three-time All-Star. To say he has a warm, wonderful, infectious personality wouldn't be doing him justice. It long was his dream to build a Miracle League field for special-needs kids and young adults in his hometown. There was just one problem. "I had never raised a dollar in my life," Casey said.
Now, more than $1 million later ...
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Reds
Offense: 6 hits, 1 double
Hanigan 2 hits, double....now hitting .320 w/ .383 OBP
RISP: 1 for 8
3rd inning: 1st and 2nd....0 outs....Stubbs bunts into force, Valdez K, Votto fly out.
5th inning: 1st and 2nd....0 outs....Costanzo pop out, Stubbs K, Valdez ground out.
Dusty sat Frazier and Cozart to get Valdez and Cario AB's. Sounds like Little League.
Pitching: Bronson was poor. Simon and Hoover very good again.
After turning in 6 straight quality starts during the winning streak the starters have produced four straight non-quality starts.
Reds have won 8 of 10 and hold .5 game lead over Cards.
Living and dying by the longball
Reds record
When hitting HR: 21-5
When not hitting HR: 6-16
Simon says
Alfredo Simon pitched 3 scoreless innings Sunday.
Last 10 appearance for Simon: 17.1 innings/1 ER.
Since 1st appearance of season (April 7 Marlins 1 IN/2 ER)......22.2 innings, 2 ER in 12 appearances. Reds have a record of 1-12 in games he appears in.
In a pinch
The Reds PH entered play Sunday with a .296 batting average (16 for 54).
#2 in NL to the Marlins.
Dragging that PH average down are Willie Harris (0 for 10) and Mike Costanzo (1 for 11).....a combined 1 for 21 this season.
PH
Frazier 5 for 7
Heisey 4 for 7
Ludwick 2 for 6
Rolen 1 for 1
Cozart 0-2
Phillips 0-1
Costanzo 0 for 10
Harris 1 for 11
Cairo 3 for 8
Valdez 0-4
Looking for options at Louisville? There isn't much there: AAA Stats.
Hottest LH AAA bat Danny Dorn (13 last 35 .371) has hit in 8 of 9 to raise BA from .174 to .214.
The Reds signed LH CF Joey Gathright Thurs. He was hitting .240 for Bridgeport Bluefish of Atlantic League. Has hit .263 in 425 ML games.
Home sweet home
Reds offense: 24 home games/24 road games
Home: .248-.312-.447-.760 (4.45 runs)....HR every 22.0 AB
Road: .235-.301-.373-.673 ((3.54 runs)...HR every 46.4 AB
Home/Road
Votto: .390/.259
Bruce: .296/.216
Phillips: .291/.253
Heise: .245/.302
Frazier: .257/.268
Cozart: .311/.174
Stubbs: .202/.263
Hanigan: .271/.367
Mesoraco: .167/.257
Ludwick: .189/.229
Rolen: .146/.196
Cairo: .053/.308
Valdez: .294/.107
Pitching
Home: 15-9 3.48
Road: 12-12 3.45
Clip and save
Tweet, Tweet
From Denny Knobler, Sr. baseball writer, CBSSports.com (@DKnobler)
One rival scout on Red Sox: They've got to trade Youkilis. Middlebrooks has as much power as Mark Trumbo. Has to stay.
Knobler: Youkilis isn't what he once was, and Red Sox likely would need to eat some of $12 mill salary, but feeling is teams would be interested.
From MLB Trade Rumors
It's not yet known if Twins outfielder Josh Willingham will be available but he'll be in demand at the trading deadline or when the Twins feel they’re in a sell-off mode. One GM said of Willingham, "Of all the guys out there, he’s one who can significantly impact your offense immediately."
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Down on the Farm
Billy Hamilton stole bases 50, 51 and 52 on Monday
Hamilton runs theft total to 52
MILB.com
"I had 100 last year, and I want to double it each year," Hamilton said, then laughed. Perhaps 203 is out of his reach, but what about 144, the California League's all-time record?
"I mean, it's possible," the shortstop said. "I think 144 is possible, but I'm not saying I'm going to go out and get 144. I knew [103] would be tough to double, but I didn't set any goals. I just want to get better, come work on my jump, and whatever happens, happens."
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Flashback video of the day
April 5, 1992: Exhibition game between the Cleveland Indians and Cincinnati Reds in Columbus, Ohio.
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Stuff
New Jersey to allow betting this fall
You can bet on it: Legalized sports wagering on the way
SD Union Tribune
“If someone wants to stop us, then let them try to stop us,” he said. “We want to work with the casinos and horse racing industry to get it implemented. Am I expecting there may be legal action taken against us to prevent it? Yes. But I have every confidence we’re going to be successful. We intend to go forward.”
Legalizing sports gambling is smartest bet yet
Yahoo Sports
In the United States of America, it is illegal for a mathematician to sit in his home, fire up his computer and employ his analytical skills in a game of online poker for money. Politicians say it's about protecting him from the ills of gaming or some such nonsense.
Of course, he can go down to the bar, get bombed and blow his life savings on endless games of mindless keno.
The gambling laws of this country have never made sense. They are a confused maze of miscast morality, government money grabs and special-interest favoritism.
Colts experience post-Peyton ticket slump
ProFootballTalk.com
Don Muret of SportsBusiness Journal explains that the Colts have hired a local firm to help sell tickets after a seven-percent drop in season-ticket renewals. Currently, the team has 3,000 season tickets to sell, prompting the organization for the first time in a decade to hire interns, who will target customers that previously bought single-game tickets. The interns also make a second pass through a waiting list that apparently is made up of more than a few folks who are willing to wait even longer.
Local surgeon first to offer advanced arthroscopic technique
CINCINNATI – May 1, 2012 – An advanced arthroscopic procedure to treat repeated shoulder dislocation and instability caused by bone loss is helping area athletes, particularly young males, get back to their active lives and avoid multiple surgeries.
More than 70 percent of shoulder dislocations occur in men and nearly half occur in people between 15- and 29-years-old, usually the result of an injury sustained during sports or recreational activities.[1] For many, surgery is often necessary to repair or tighten the torn or stretched ligaments that hold the shoulder in place to prevent dislocation or instability.
28 things that will remind you of elementary school
Steal X3
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Bengals
Top 10 defensive tackles
The Sporting News
2. Geno Atkins
Think Tank
Geoff Hobson, Bengals.com
With the first week of voluntary camp in the books, it's time to pay homage again to Cincinnati TalkMaster Lance McAlister and Sports Illustrated NFL maven Peter King with another session of Things I Think I Believe:
Don't forget WR Marvin Jones in Bengals' stellar draft
CBS Sports
Forget the "Bungles" moniker and the wisecracks about team owner Mike Brown's unwillingness to spend free agent dollars or even field a "complete" scouting staff, the Cincinnati Bengals are quietly developing into a legitimate Super Bowl contender. Perhaps most impressive of all, they're doing precisely how every other team in the league likes to claim they're doing it (but few actually do) -- by building through the draft.
Green-Ellis embraces fresh start
FoxSports Ohio
“I felt like it was a good fit,” Green-Ellis said of signing with the Bengals. “We’re a young team with guys who want to win and feel like we’re ready to win. This was a playoff team last year, and we want to push that further. I wanted to go somewhere I can contribute, and I think this is the place.”
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