Ludwick's return comes with team's best chance

Even though it is still only August with over a month of regular season baseball left to play, there are few chances like the upcoming seven games for a team to feast on lower level opponents. The Reds have a chance to get on a roll against the Cubs and Brewers, two division rivals with just over fifty wins. The Pirates and Cardinals are faltering right now, and the Reds find themselves within five games of the first place mark. The Reds have had trouble getting over fifteen games above .500 this season, but they have a good chance to do so by executing in two winnable series.

The Reds are going to insert Ryan Ludwick back in left field tonight in the sixth spot in the order. Ludwick is an explosive bat even when he is not necessarily hitting well. Even the threat of a power hitter like Ludwick will change the way pitchers approach the Reds' lineup. Ludwick will probably need multiple at bats to hit like he did in the second half of last season, but he allows the Reds to shift their order to benefit the top of the lineup.

The Reds are now rejuvenated by the likes of Ludwick, Jonothan Broxton, and Ryan Hanigan, three players who are now ready to insert their veteran sway into the clubhouse. Broxton provides another security blanket for Aroldis Chapman to help close out tight leads. Hanigan is just the ideal catcher as a pitcher's best friend. He hasn't hit all season long, but that's not why the Reds need Hanigan. Hanigan just provides a comfort level that is unmatched behind the plate. Homer Bailey will benefit most from having his no hit catcher back in action.

The Reds came up with an extra inning win against the Padres on Sunday. The Reds haven't had clutch victories really since the beginning of the year when Shin-Soo Choo and Todd Frazier were hitting the cover off of the ball. Yes, that was a long time ago. However, Joey Votto is starting to find the gaps in his hitting once again, rather than accepting walks. Brandon Phillips is also regaining his stroke after a forty plus game slump. All of these factors are contributing to the Reds now having a final chance to make a push for the division. Things are really starting to come together nicely for the heavily favored Reds, a team that was expected to break through and dominate in 2013.

The Reds get to turn to their best stretch of the rotation against the Cubs with Mat Latos, Homer Bailey, and Bronson Arroyo all taking the hill. Latos and Bailey are the two hard throwers of the staff, and both have been impressive against Chicago. Latos is 4-2 with a 3.28 ERA against the Cubs, while Bailey has collected seven wins against Chicago. Bronson Arroyo is the best of them all against the Cubs with twelve wins and a 3.04 ERA with over one hundred strikeouts.

Reds injury report

The Reds are missing a total of six players who have participated in games at the Major League level for the team due to relatively serious injuries. This has forced Cincinnati to call up minor league subpar talent such as Curtis Partch, Pedro Villareal, and Corky Miller to fill innings and buy time to get the regulars healthy. The Reds would be lucky to get a majority of these players back before September call-ups in order to make a run at the end of the season. It isn't always the best team that wins the World Series. It is usually the hottest team that makes the playoffs at the end of the year that carries its success over to the late rounds of the playoffs. The Reds could use some reinforcements to make that run.

Ryan Hanigan: Hanigan has missed almost a month now as he tries to regain his starting catcher form after a sprained wrist. Hanigan is the best catcher in the league with the exception of Yadier Molina at handling pitching staffs. Devin Mesoraco has stepped up at the plate for the Reds with some home runs and a .253 batting average, but he was behind the plate when the Reds gave up almost thirty runs in two games against the Cardinals. Hanigan is a steady presence in the bottom part of the order and a solid veteran. The latest reports say Hanigan is set to return either tomorrow or Friday in the second game against Oakland or in the opener of the Padres series. The Reds will probably hold off Hanigan until that game Friday because of Mesoraco's sudden hitting burst.

Ryan Ludwick: Everyone wants to see Ludwick back in action playing left field for the Reds. The Reds played their best baseball last season with Ludwick in the fourth spot in the order in the second half of the year. Ludwick is working on his third week with a rehab assignment, currently sporting a 2/28 line for the Louisville Bats. Ludwick is working the rust off and can't be expected to start off with a hot streak when he returns this weekend, but just having a proven commodity in left field and a revamped batting order should kickstart the offense. Ludwick's freak shoulder injury on Opening Day is now behind him and he should be able to focus on helping to get the Reds back to the playoffs.

Sean Marshall: It's a mystery as to whether or not Marshall will return to the bullpen this season. Marshall, Jonathan Broxton, and Aroldis Chapman made up the best 7-8-9 bullpen stretch team in the league, and one of the best trios the league has seen. Marshall had been progressing in his bullpen sessions and probably would have been sent on a short rehab assignment if not for a setback on his shoulder and re-examination on July 30 after throwing. Marshall is the most far off from a comeback besides Johnny Cueto and obviously Nick Masset. Marshall shouldn't be counted on until September, although he may not find his way back at all this year.

Jonathan Broxton: Broxton last threw in a game on August 3 and now the big news of the day is that Broxton will return tomorrow and be available to pitch. Broxton has been missed while the Reds have covered for him with a mixture of Alfredo Simon, Sam LeCure, and JJ Hoover. Despite a tendency to pitch himself into trouble at times, Broxton has a career 3.17 ERA and was an outstanding setup man after coming over at the trade deadline in 2012. Pedro Villareal is the most likely candidate to head back down to Triple A with the Broxton move, which will instantly upgrade a shaky bullpen.

Johnny Cueto: Cueto still hasn't started throwing again since his last start and re-injury of the lat muscle that has plagued him since Game 1 of the NLDS in 2012. Once Cueto does start to throw off the mound again, he might need to rethink his approach and change his windup. Cueto has been missing from the rotation since June 28, and although Tony Cingrani is 5-1 with an ERA in the low 3's, Cueto is the best pitcher on the team. Much like Marshall, Cueto won't be counted on until right before the playoffs. It will take some time before Cueto can make it back to pitching in the big leagues, so he will need multiple bullpen sessions and a second rehab assignment. Cueto is 4-2 with a 3.33 ERA despite his inability to pitch in multiple consecutive starts.

Nick Masset: Will Masset ever reach the MLB and pitch again? It's a fair question after Masset's surgery on his shoulder last September. Masset looked like he would be back with the Reds before that surgery in 2012 and even this year before he was shut down in June after a bullpen session. The bottom line is Masset cannot stay healthy after pitching with his best stuff in trial runs on the mound. He hasn't been with the Reds since 2011 and won't be back until Spring Training in 2014. That might be his last shot to regain his position in a MLB
bullpen with the Reds where he pitched 75 innings with a 3.71 ERA in 2011.

Rich Hidy
Cincy Sports Spot

Homer goes the distance for second no hitter

Let's take some time today not only to celebrate America's independence, but also to remember and give proper recognition to Homer Bailey's pitching performance on Tuesday night. Bailey threw his second no hitter in two years on Tuesday against the Giants. To put into perspective how rare this performance is for baseball players, all time great pitchers Greg Maddux and Roger Clements have never quite performed to the no hit level throughout their careers. Bailey has thrown the last two no hitters in the majors in his fifth and sixth years in the majors, showing just how far he has come from being the stubborn young pitcher who got himself in trouble by relying on his explosive pitches just a few years ago.

Bailey is still just 27 years old, and to have already thrown two no hitters is remarkable. Bailey joins fellow Texan Nolan Ryan as one of 31 pitchers to throw multiple no hitters. Since Brian Price has joined the Reds as the team's pitching coach, Bailey has progressed more and more and is now considered a solid number two pitcher in a rotation. Bailey has come a long way since being drafted in the first round out of high school by the Reds and entering their minor league system in 2004. He has always had the talent to become a premier pitcher in the game, but it was a matter of maturing and learning the art of pitching for Bailey to succeed. 

Bailey's fastball is his best trait as a pitcher and he certainly has relied on that pitch during his time with the Reds. When Bailey needs to throw his best pitch and locate a strike, he will dial up the fastball at speeds that reach 97 miles per hour. For a long time, that's the only pitch Bailey seemed to use. Bailey was overconfident in that single pitch, throwing it over and over to major league hitters until they caught on and started crushing the ball. Bailey's low point came in 2008, when he went 0-6 with a ballooned 7.93 ERA. Bailey was sent back to Triple A three times before he finally remained in Cincinnati on a full time basis from 2011 to present day. 

The last two seasons have initiated the resurrection of Bailey's first round potential. Not only has Bailey recorded the two no hitters, but he has kept his ERA right around three and a half. Bailey threw over 200 innings last season and won 13 games. This is thanks in large part to a self developed split finger fastball and two above average pitches, a slider and a curveball. When Bailey can locate his off speed pitches consistently, he is a tough pitcher to make contact with. 

The 6'4, 230 pound Bailey looked like a warrior on Tuesday. He was locked in and unbelievably focused throughout the game. The old Homer Bailey would get overanxious from the pressure of the last few innings with a no hitter in tact, and make a mistake by throwing an elevated fastball over the plate. The 2013 Homer Bailey was calm and collected, reassuring himself that he had already thrown one no hitter before this one and that he had the rare ability to do so again. Bailey was one pitch away from a perfect game, executing his lone walk on a 3-2 count. Bailey's pitch count wasn't elevated even heading into the final stretch of the game. He threw under 100 pitches heading into the ninth inning. He struck out nine hitters, including the Giants' star hitters Pablo Sandoval and Hunter Pence. The only trouble Reds fielders had to go through to preserve the no hitter occurred when Joey Votto made a heads up play to force the Giants to ground into a fielder's choice by firing the ball to Todd Frazier at third base and getting Gregor Blanco by a step. Ryan Hanigan should get a great deal of credit for Bailey's pitching as well. Hanigan is second only to Yadier Molina in handling pitchers, and has molded his game with the Reds to become an elite defensive catcher. Hanigan set up Bailey's pitches with special skill, and the catcher and pitcher were on the same page the entire night.

Homer Bailey will continue to improve to work towards consistent dominance. Bailey has just one more year before his contract runs out, and if he wants to cash in big in Cincinnati, he needs to continue to pitch like he has the last couple seasons. The city of Cincinnati certainly appreciates a pitcher who can entertain fans on any given night with a masterful pitching performance like Bailey's no hitter. Former Reds pitchers with no hitters Tom Browning, Jim Maloney, and Johnny Vander Meer would be proud of Bailey's feat. Bailey still has plenty of time to earn more no hitters. He could easily play 10 more seasons in the big leagues, and at the rate that he is throwing no hitters right now, who knows, Nolan Ryan's record of 6 could be in trouble.