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Reds might see new faces
Sweep by Cards is discouraging
By Marc Lancaster
Post staff reporter
The Reds' brain-trust was careful, as it always is, not to make any pointed pronouncements, which it rarely does.
As everyone involved was quick to emphasize, it was just a quirk of the calendar that the entire coaching staff and all of the key front-office personnel gathered for a 2 ½ hour meeting before Wednesday's game. The fact that the meeting came with the team in the midst of its worst slump since the dog days of last season was merely happenstance.
From the vague statements made by the principals afterward, though, it sounded as if the gathering came at exactly the right time.
Manager Dave Miley characterized it as "very, very productive," and general manager Dan O'Brien concurred.
"It was," he nodded when told of Miley's assessment. "A lot of honest exchange of thoughts and ideas, and sort of put in place a plan going forward."
No details were spilled, but it didn't take much reading between the lines to guess that the Reds' roster could look a bit different when the team takes the field Friday against the Los Angeles Dodgers.
Wednesday's night's 7-3 loss to the Cardinals, the Reds' seventh consecutive defeat, did nothing to discourage any adjustments that may have been decided upon in the meeting. In fact, the first alteration put into effect worked out nicely despite the loss.
For the first time this season, Felipe Lopez was in the starting lineup at second base. With Ryan Freel leading off in center field as Ken Griffey Jr. got a day off, the Reds had their two fastest players atop the batting order.
"We're just changing the composition of the lineup, trying to generate some more consistent (offense)," said Miley. "If we can create a little bit more speed at the top, maybe we can generate some stuff."
Freel and Lopez produced two of the three hits the Reds managed off Cardinals starter Mark Mulder, both infield singles, but no runs were in the offing as the left-hander breezed through his seven innings. Later, though, with the game all but over, the duo produced the Reds' first two runs of the game. Freel led off the ninth with a walk and Lopez sliced a two-run homer off reliever Carmen Cali into the Cardinals' bullpen down the right-field line.
It was Lopez's third home run in his last three starts, a number that could serve to reinforce the Reds' decision to keep D'Angelo Jimenez on the bench for a while.
The regular second baseman, signed to a one-year, $2.87 million contract in the offseason, has been slumping almost since day one. After grounding out in a pinch-hitting appearance Wednesday, he's hitting .195 (15-for-77) with a .287 on-base percentage.
Lopez has had only 34 at-bats, but is hitting .294 with a .351 on-base percentage, and his nine RBIs are three times Jimenez's total. There's also the speed factor. Lopez doesn't have a stolen base this season, but he is a threat, and his range in the middle of the diamond is demonstrably better than either Jimenez's or shortstop Rich Aurilia's.
Having adapted dutifully to a backup role so far this season, Lopez isn't about to lobby for a regular job, but he said he feels good about the contributions he has made.
"I'm over that stage of trying to show them what I can do, because I'm sure they know by now," said Lopez. "Every time they give me the opportunity, I just try to do something to win."
Without committing to playing Lopez regularly, Miley praised the player's showing Wednesday night.
"We've got to find a way to be more consistent scoring runs. If we have to go that route - we didn't do a bad job tonight," said Miley. "He made a couple nice plays at second, too."
When the Reds reconvene Friday, there may be some more tweaking in store with the lineup. O'Brien said the batting order would continue to "evolve" over time.
http://news.cincypost.com/apps/pbcs....505050318/1027
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Originally Posted by CincyRedsFan30
