The Hunt for a Red October 5/8

Not a good week for the Redlegs who dropped 2 of 3 games to both the Astros and Rockies and have started this weeks series vs. the 'Stros with a loss. The Reds record stands at 14-18 and find themselves 8 games back of the division leading Brewers. Being 8 games back is more than at any point in 2006. As I said in my post last night, Wayne Krivsky needs to do something before its too late. Now time to take a look at the good and bad of the past week.

Good

• The offense. One of the reasons for the poor start by the Reds is a lack of offense. In the past 5 games offense has not been a problem. One reason for the recent offensive surge is the return of Ken Griffey Junior to the lineup. Another reason is the sudden offensive emergence of Alex Gonzalez.
  

• Josh Hamilton. Josh is showing no signs of slowing down. So far this year Josh is hitting .292 with 8 HR, 17 RBI's and an OPS of 1.022. He is also getting it done on the field showing the league that its best not to test his arm.
  

• Starting Pitching. You can't blame the losses on the starters. So far this season the starters have usually done enough to get the win. Unfortunately their records don't reflect how well they have been due to the early season offensive woes and the recent bullpen woes.
  

Bad

• The Bullpen. I only need to list one thing in the bad category and it is the bullpen. The bullpen has been horrific and it is regularly costing the Reds games that they should be winning. Todd Coffey and Mike Stanton have been the two biggest offenders out of the pen. I don't think anyone would be too upset if Coffey were sent to AAA and Stanton were DFA'd. The Reds desperately need Bill Bray, Eddie Guardado and Gary Majewski to come back ASAP.
  

Player of the Week

Ken Griffey Junior. This was a tough one to pick and it could have easily gone to Alex Gonzalez or Josh Hamilton but I'm going with Junior. Griffey had been battling some illness earlier in the season but has come back on fire. In the last 10 games Jr is batting .371 with 4 home runs, 7 RBI's and 6 runs.

Upcoming Week

The Reds are in the middle of a 4 game set vs. Houston and then will travel to Los Angeles for a weekend series vs. the Dodgers. So far this season Houston has owned the Reds with a 5-1 record. The Dodgers have started the 2007 season very well with a 19-13 record which is good enough for 1st place in the NL West.

Unfortunately I don't see this week going well for the Reds. I predict the Reds split vs. Houston (lose tonight and take the last two games) and will go on to lose 2 of three to the Dodgers (win the opening game of series but lose next two).

Team Outlook

The state of the Reds is not good right now. It is way too early to pack it in but the bullpen needs to be fixed ASAP. I still have some hope because I doubt Bob Castellini and Wayne Krivsky will just sit around and do nothing while the Reds blow game after game. I also am not confident that the Brewers will continue their torrid start (although they do have the look of this years surprise team like last years Tigers and the 2005 White Sox).