Cincinnati

[Franchise]

Does anyone watch this team on a regular basis and come away impressed with their in game strategy?

I am watching the pitch selection and defensive choices turn a 1 run inning into a rally. They are pitching around Michael Bourn??? Really if someone is going to try and hit a sac fly I want it to be him. No, let's pitch him carefully, walk him and then surprisingly he doesn't take second on our catcher that can't throw anyone out. If the Astros tried to run on Hanigan they could have blown the game open in the 3rd inning.

I was equally confused by their handling of last night's game where they let it get blown open when Leake clearly had nothing going.

If I'm missing something let me know. I wish I had seen this sooner so I could have started fading them when there was more value.

[Stifler's Mom]

Because Dusty Baker is their manager. Worst one in baseball, and probably the only buffoon that could have managed to lose the WS with that stacked '02 SF team to a team with half the talent but who outplayed them and showed they wanted it more.

He also took over a good cubs team and reduced it to a mess till he was finished there, if I remember correctly.

He just plain sucks as a manager.

[CBXU]

We are terrible, in my opinion we kind of caught lightning in a bottle last season to make it to the playoffs. Our offense is terrible, as you briefly mentioned their approaches at the plate are absolutely horrendous. Outside of Votto and sometimes Phillips, Hanigan, and Rolen when hes healthy (which I dont see being more than 60ish games this year) we just go up there hacking and have terrible ABs filled with pop ups and strikeouts. Jonny Gomes is terrible is does not deserve to be playing every day. The offense really needs Rolen back.

The thing that has me lost is our pitching has been terrible. I didnt expect much of anything out of Leake, so him struggling doesnt surprise me, I thought he just had a somewhat lucky run. Wood struggling really surprises me though. Arroyo is what he is. Volquez is the biggest model for inconsistency ever. Homer is coming back tomorrow and Cueto is coming back sunday. Cueto has gotten rocked in his rehab outings so depending on the line I think that would be a very good fade/over bet.

Overall its just been very brutal to watch over the past couple of weeks. If anyone has some extra money/patience I would suggest taking the Cardinals at +200 to win the Central, I honestly have no clue who could beat them in the long run.

[CBXU]

Because Dusty Baker is their manager. Worst one in baseball, and probably the only buffoon that could have managed to lose the WS with that stacked '02 SF team to a team with half the talent but who outplayed them and showed they wanted it more.

He also took over a good cubs team and reduced it to a mess till he was finished there, if I remember correctly.

He just plain sucks as a manager.

Agreed, I hated the Dusty Baker hire from day one, I had to take most of last year off of complaining about him because somehow he got us to the Playoffs, which actually may end up being a curse because now we will keep him around a few more years.

[Franchise]

I know Dusty's a moron and usually he grinds his pitchers into the ground but that was usually when they were going good for the Cubs. Now his pitchers are going bad and he keeps letting them getting beat around. Last year I thought the Reds were a fluke and would come back to earth and somehow they never did. And apparently that was enough for me to jump on their wagon and back them a few times this season. I wish I had watched the game more closely last night so I would have went and backed the Astros today, they were a great price.

In general I am not a fan of Cueto or Volquez, they just walk too many guys for me and it seems they are trying to set up the big inning.

[CBXU]

And of course this is all until the 9th Inning...another comeback Win...

[Franchise]

Well now I am glad I didn't have money on the Astros. And that should help keep the perception of the Reds up for now. Wow.