Road trip observations and doubleheader preview

The Reds began a treacherous road trip against West Coast teams on Monday starting with the defending World Series Champs on Monday and following with four games against the red hot Dodgers and three against the Padres. The road trip began on a high note with a dominant 11-0 complete performance by the Reds against Tim Lincecum. The Reds have to now move on to a doubleheader today as one of the games will feature the Reds as the home team because it is a makeup game of a previous rainout.

-The post no hit struggles continue for pitchers in the MLB. Tim Lincecum was the latest pitcher to falter after throwing a no-no in over 140 pitches before the All Star Break just like Homer Bailey before him and Johan Santana last season. Bailey gave up ten hits and four runs in less than six innings after his no hitter, and Johan Santana ended up with a fatigued arm that shut him down for possibly the remainder of his career. Everybody in the Reds lineup was making contact against Lincecum, who gave up nine hits and eight earned runs in not even four innings of work. Lincecum has been up and down this season, but mostly down. He is not the same pitcher that won the Cy Young a few years ago. Lincecum's ERA bloated to 4.73 and the Reds gave him his tenth loss of the year.

-Every position player the Reds put into the game yesterday with the exception of Neftali Soto earned at least a base hit yesterday. The Reds got on the Giants pitchers early, scoring eleven runs in seven innings, and were even able to rest Joey Votto, Shin-Soo Choo, and Brandon Phillips late in the game. Derrick Robinson showed some promise as a center fielder with a slick grab to end the game by robbing Jeff Francoeur of a homer in the ninth. Playing Robinson in center field might be the best primary option when giving Shin-Soo Choo a day off from time to time.

-Robinson, Devin Mesoraco, and Todd Frazier were the stars of the game. This shows the potential the Reds have when their secondary players get on base and help drive in runs. The stars can't do it all game in and game out. Robinson not only flashed some standout defense, but he also had three hits and scored three times to raise his average back to .266. Robinson is a solid contact hitter so it was surprising to see his average dip so much during his recent slump. Mesoraco also had three hits, including a long homer and two RBI's. The more Mesoraco is in the lineup, the better he is becoming both behind home plate and with the bat. Mesoraco is the type of hitter who needs to see as many pitches as possible and get used to the way MLB pitchers locate pitches. He is at the plate to swing the bat, and his strikeouts come from an unfamiliarity with the players he is facing. Mesoraco's stock is definitely on the upswing. Frazier really broke the game open with three RBI's in the first inning to make the score 3-0. The Reds never looked back and the early runs helped Bronson Arroyo display cool confidence and settle into a groove.

-Arroyo pitched his best game of the year on Monday. The rest from the All Star Break seemed to help Arroyo return refreshed on the mound with a masterful complete game shutout in which he didn't walk anyone and struck out six hitters. Sure, the Giants hitters looked disinterested at times with the large deficit, but for Arroyo to key in and pitch nine spotless innings of baseball is extremely impressive. Arroyo could have a monster second half with his contract situation looming in the offseason. If Arroyo wants an extension, he needs to help carry the Reds into the playoffs and win when he gets there. It wouldn't be surprising if Arroyo tied his career high in wins of seventeen in 2010.

-A split of the doubleheader today would be fine for the Reds, but a sweep is highly possible and I would even say the Reds are favored in both games today. Tony Cingrani has a 2.70 ERA in his last three starts and has become one of the top young pitchers in the league with his nasty lefty fastball. Cingrani today faces a pitcher who hasn't pitched in the MLB this season in Eric Surkamp, who is coming off of Tommy John Surgery last season. Greg Reynolds will get the call in game two of the doubleheader against a staple of the Giants' rotation, Barry Zito. Zito is 3-5 with an ERA of six against the Reds, and he has struggled in his last three starts with an ERA up over seven. Reynolds is a Triple A All Star and the best pitcher on the Bats this season. Reynolds is a terrific success story, and his resiliency after struggling with Colorado is commendable. Reynolds has the ability to have staying power in the big leagues after being selected in the first round in the second spot overall, and he will finally get his shot to start again in Cincinnati. Reynolds is not on the 40-man roster, so a move will have to be made to bring Reynolds up. Justin Freeman, Pedro Villareal, and Josh Ravin are candidates to be taken off of the 40-man roster. Reynolds is 10-2 with a 2.54 ERA in his Louisville starts, and now pitches in the majors for the first time since 2011. He may be able to stay on the club as a long reliever like converted starter Sam LeCure a few years ago. The Reds have had success with converted starters like LeCure and Alfredo Simon in the past, so I wouldn't be surprised if Reynolds takes the spot of Curtis Partch on the roster permanently.

Rich Hidy
Cincy Sports Spot