Reds winning (surprise!) with unusual tool- pitching

[CincyRedsFan30]

5/2/2006

Reds winning (surprise!) with unusual tool — pitching

CINCINNATI — Genuine article or a one-month mirage?

The Cincinnati Reds, supposed cannon fodder, have the best record in baseball. There they are, 19-8, after slapping around National League bullies Houston and St. Louis four times in the past five days. And as we know, numbers don't lie.

But sometimes they tease.

You remember the Reds. No winning season since 2000. Finished 27 games out of first place last year, hitting more home runs than any team in the league — a noisy feat that was ruined by having the worst pitching.

The only magic number with the chronically non-contending Reds lately has been what date Ken Griffey Jr. would go on the disabled list. He's there now, by the way. Something about the muscle behind his knee. Due back soon.

And yet the Reds rarely lose these days. They're 11-3 in close games — those decided by one or two runs. They pitched three shutouts in April. All last season, they had one. They're relying less on home runs and more on fundamental baseball, and teams like that have to be taken seriously. At least until they gave us a reason not to.

"The attitude in the clubhouse now is we believe we can play with anybody in baseball," infielder Rich Aurilia was saying Tuesday after the Reds beat the Cardinals 3-2.

"As individuals it's always fun to prove people wrong. As a team, it's even more fun. That's just not one person, it's 25 guys going there trying to do it together."

That makes 11 wins in the past 13 games. They took two of three against the Astros over the weekend, and swept a two-game quickie series with the Cardinals, a team that destroyed them the past two seasons, going 25-10.

"It makes a statement," pitcher Aaron Harang said. And that would be?

"We're just as good as you guys are. We're here to play."

But are they here to stay?

"These guys really think we can be competitive and win a lot of games and stay in it," manager Jerry Narron said. "I know it's early (if he didn't use that cliché, we would have had to). But facing the two best teams, it means a lot to win four out of five."

The Reds are rising with pitching. Boston import Bronson Arroyo is 5-0. The other pitchers have seemed to tag along. The earned run average the past nine games has been barely over 2.00.

"Everything in this game is contagious," Arroyo said.

Arroyo keeps this up and he's a Cy Young candidate. Know how many of those Cincinnati has had in its long and mostly offensive history? None.

These Reds have discovered the knack of producing runs. Before, it was homer-or-bust. Not that they still don't distribute ample souvenirs to the bleachers, and allow them, too. Through Monday, the Reds were No. 2 in the league in home runs hit, No. 1 in home runs allowed.

This place is like a missile silo. There have been only nine homer-less games of the 254 played in Great American Ball Park. Still, it takes more than muscle. Eighty-nine losses last year showed that.

But Cincinnati is on a roll. Just down the street, the Bengals made it to the NFL playoffs for the first time in 15 years. Now the Reds are playing like contenders. Even if they're a novelty act at the moment.

The pitching will need to hold together. The confidence will need to hold together. Griffey will need to hold together. April does not prove anything. But 19-8 gets your attention.

"Teams like St. Louis are going to say, 'You know what, we'll see what happens in September,' " Arroyo said. "It's going to take to the All-Star break for people to realize we're the real deal. If we can keep it up.'"

Contact Mike Lopresti at mlopresti@gns.gannett.com

[Wally Mo Pena]

screw this guy and his "long and moslty-offensive history" crap. I guess with all the other facts he got wrong in this article, it's not surprizing that he would forget that the reds are one of the most storied teams in all of baseball, and won maybe the single greatest world series ever.

I'm so ready for this season to keep going so dicks like this are forced to recognize.

[Geki Ace]

...The Reds, even with their best teams, have almost always been offense-based teams.

[Wally Mo Pena]

oh, right. he probaly was talking about offense in baseball. I first read it like he was saying our history was offensive, as in, we suck.

[NFLman2033]

...The Reds, even with their best teams, have almost always been offense-based teams.

1990 Reds really wasn't about the Offense as much as about the Bullpen.

[Geki Ace]

The 1990 Reds were a great pitching team, no doubt about that, but they were a very balanced team overall.

[NFLman2033]

The 1990 Reds were a great pitching team, no doubt about that, but they were a very balanced team overall.

If by Balanced you mean, Great coatching and managing, Good Starting Pitching, Fantastic relief pitching, Very Good Defense, slightly above average hitting and average power. Then yes