Reds ST thread

[missionhockey21]

Great outing by Chapman. So good that I rewatched the highlights on my MLB At Bat app the next day.

[redsrbetter]

The outing was good, but he still isn't 100% yet IMO. He looked like he had some control issues to me. When he missed, he really missed. But his changeup was disgusting and kept hitters off his fastball. Pretty sick outing to watch though for sure.

[redsrbetter]

News is out that Lincoln will no longer be a 5th starter candidate and they are working him out for the bullpen now. This was all but a guarantee from the beginning IMO. I hate that they even toyed with the idea because it was nothing but a waste of innings. Perhaps Dusty has a reason to stretch a bullpen guy out a bit. I think he is just coddling some guys a bit and hopes they realize they are not starter material anymore once they get beat up in the spring. Then again, what would Dusty do if Lincoln dominated this spring? I still have a hard time finding room for him in the bullpen race.

[redsrbetter]

Cuts are being made today.

GOODYEAR, Ariz. -- The Reds made the first of their expected moves on Thursday morning, optioning 1B Yonder Alonso and LHP Bill Bray to Class AAA Louisville and RHP Jordan Smith and LHP Philippe Valiquette to Class AA Carolina.

The team also assinged RHP Jon Adkins and OF Josh Anderson to Louisville.

Manager Dusty Baker said this morning he expected 11 cuts from the big league camp today, some after the game.

"I've got to send some guys out, it's not a pleasant day," Baker said. "I don't care how many times you do it, it's not pleasant. There's no easy way to do it. So many guys know they're probably going to go."

[redsrbetter]

Well MLB Network is supposed to be airing the Reds game right now. I turn it on only to see the Brewers 30 Clubs In 30 Days. This is the second scheduled game on the new netwrok, yet for some reason it is also the second time we Reds fans are disapointed to see otherwise.

[missionhockey21]

Really? I caught a game on it this weekend, the Giants-Reds one. Of course that was a huge waste of time (boring game, showcase of the Giants) so maybe that wasn't TOO lucky.

[redsrbetter]

Looks like Wood will be the 5th starter.

Thursday was supposed to be the big cutdown day for the Reds, instead, just two decisions were announced, and neither unexpected.

The Reds reassigned catcher Corky Miller to minor league camp and optioned reliever Carlos Fisher to Class AAA Louisville.

"We'll have most of them tomorrow," Reds manager Dusty Baker told MLB.com.

Baker also told MLB.com's Mark Sheldon that the decision on the team's fifth starter had yet to be made.

"There are a few things we have to discuss first. We'll see," Baker told Sheldon. "There's a lot more to it than just being the fifth starter."

That could be a tip of the cap toward left-hander Travis Wood, who among other things is already on the Reds' 40-man roster. Wood is in competition with Mike Leake, last year's first-round pick. Leake has not thrown a single minor league inning.

The final spot in the rotation is not the only decision left for the Reds.

Here's how the roster shakedown looks heading into the last weekend before Opening Day.

Starters: Aaron Harang, Johnny Cueto, Bronson Arroyo, Homer Bailey, Wood/Leake. It looks like it'll be Wood.

Bullpen: Francisco Cordero, Arthur Rhodes, Nick Masset, Daniel Ray Herrera. Those four are pretty certain, from there, there's two or three of the following: Micah Owings, Mike Lincoln, Logan Ondrusek, Jared Burton and Matt Maloney. The guess here is Owings, Lincoln and Burton. Owings allows you to treat him as two players -- a long reliever and a pinch hitter.

Outfield: Jay Bruce, Drew Stubbs, Jonny Gomes, Chris Dickerson. Then it comes down to Laynce Nix and Wladimir Balentien, Balentien is out of options and that may make the biggest difference. The team could also keep both and make a decision when they need a fifth starter (April 11).

Infield: Joey Votto, Brandon Phillips, Orlando Cabrera, Scott Rolen, Paul Janish are locks. If the Reds take 12 pitches, that leaves just one more spot. Although Juan Francisco has impressed, look for Drew Sutton to get the call in part because of his versatility. But Francisco may be the first player to get the call if someone gets hurt (especially if that's Rolen). Aaron Miles is a wild card -- he's owed a lot of money and has a history with Walt Jocketty, but he's not impressed this spring.

Tomorrow is going to be pretty interesting. I am going to like to see where many of the minor leaguers end up. Like, will Chapman start in Carolina or Louisville? Or will he actually be the 5th starter? Tomorrow could be very interesting.