Yardbarker: Johnny Cueto

2009 Offseason: Starting Pitching

Mon, 06 Oct 2008 19:53:07 -0500

In this 2009 offseason extravaganza I plan on looking at each area of the team including, starting pitching, relievers, positional players, bench, and what ever else I feel like coming up with. In this section I'm going to start with the teams starting pitching.

In 2008 the Reds starting pitching ranked 14th in the NL with an ERA of 4.97. While that seems terrible the fact is that the starting pitching wasn't all that terrible outside of the 5th spot. I define the 5th starter as every pitcher who gets a start that isn't a pitcher who is in the top 4 in starts for a team. I really don't care what anyone else defines it because only my opinion matters right now. If you don't like the way I play the game get the shit out of my kitchen pussy, but please keep reading and click on the ads kthanks. I love you.

The Reds got 748 2/3 innings of 4.41 ERA baseball with a combined record of 47 wins 47 losses (126 starts) out of their top 4 starters (Harang, Arroyo, Volquez, Cueto). The rest of the teams starters added up to 168 2/3 innings of 7.47 ERA baseball with 4 wins and 21 losses (36 starts). Just to put those numbers in context a little the worst any other team in the NL Central did with their 5th starter(s) is an ERA of 6.64 by the Pirates 5th starter.

Now how the shit do we go about improving that 5th starter?

We could:

Spend the money to bring in a guy
Hope one of our young pitchers can fill the void
Make a trade
Go with a 4 man rotation like the good old days.

Personally I'd just flat out love it to go out and sign someone because I have no money invested in the team and really don't care if it can afford it or not. Those options can be seen here. It's a long list of free agents so I'll just list a few of the not so shitty options.

A.J. Burnett (can opt out of his contract)
Ryan Dempster
Jon Garland
Rich Harden (team option)
Randy Johnson
Derek Lowe
Pedro Martinez
Mike Mussina
Brad Penny (team option)
Oliver Perez
C.C. Sabathia
Ben Sheets

Obviously as all Reds fans know most of those guys are probably not going to be even an option. If I was going to pick which one of those guys has a decent shot at becoming a Red I would have to say Derek Lowe. He's a groundball pitcher, probably wont take an absurd amount of cash or years to sign him, and he was also one of Bronson Arroyo's closest friends when they both were with the Red Sox.

Option number 2 is probably the route the Reds will go just because of the many options they have and the fact that they will come cheap. Ramon Ramirez, Homer Bailey, and Daryl Thompson are probably the main guys that really have a legit shot to be on the opening day roster next year. You could toss Matt Maloney in there as well seeing that

Option 3 and 4 are a waste of my time to even discuss. Hard to predict trades, and the 4 man rotation is never coming back.

That's it for now because honestly this is getting quite long for my attention span, and I really don't feel like typing any more right now. Plus Blogger doesnt feel like saving this so I'm going to just go ahead and post it, and possibly return to talk more about the starting pitching later.

Thread for Games--2,--3 / Cubs @ Reds

Sat, 06 Sep 2008 19:10:53 -0500

If advertisity really does build character, the Cubs are on their way to having a locker room full of Albert Schweitzers and Abraham Lincolns. Since August turned into September, the Cubbies, losers of six in a row for the first time since last June, are hitting .228 and the pitchers have a cumulative 6.32 ERA.

Saturday: Jason Marquis (9-8, 4.46; first appearance vs. Reds in '08) vs. Johnny Cueto (8-12, 4.65; 1-2, 3.66 vs. Cubs in '08)

Against the Astros last time out, Marquis whiffed a season-high 8 and allowed just 2 ER and 5 hits over 6 IP, though he took a loss. Cueto makes his first start since 8/24, when he suffered an elbow strain. Not coincidentally, perhaps, the 22-year-old Cueto is about to break his personal professional high for innings pitched in a season (155 IP so far against a previous high of 161.1 last year as he rose from 'A' ball to Triple-A).

Sunday: Sean Marshall (3-4, 4.03; 0-0, 6.00 in 3 IP vs. Reds in '08) vs. Aaron Harang (4-15, 4.24; 0-3, 7.27 vs. Cubs in '08)

Young Marshall fills in once again for Carlos Zambrano after the lefty had a bumpy 5 1/3-inning go last week against the Phillies (9 hits and 5 ER). Harang is 1-4 since his own visit to the Disabled List with forearm problems, but has a 2.84 ERA over his last three outings.

It’s time to win a fucking ballgame open game thread

Sat, 06 Sep 2008 16:12:50 -0500

B-REF PREVIEW | GAMEDAY | WEATHER | ACB CHAT ROOM Jason Marquis vs. Reds hitters: 29-109, 5 2B, 4 HR Johnny Cueto vs. Cubs hitters: 18-70, 6 2B, 3B, 2 HR When and Where: 6:10 on CSN 79°, 20% chance of rain. It's time to win a fucking-my-mother ballgame!

Game 125 Thread / Reds @ Cubs (1 of 3)

Tue, 19 Aug 2008 19:20:28 -0500

Game Chat | Press Pass | BR Preview

SP	Johnny Cueto	SP	Rich Harden
	8-11, 4.90, 136 K, 53 BB, 145 IP	(NL)	2-1, 1.80, 49 K, 14 BB, 35 IP
LF	*Chris Dickerson	LF	Alfonso Soriano
SS	Jeff Keppinger	SS	Ryan Theriot
RF	*Jay Bruce	1B	Derrek Lee
2B	Brandon Phillips	3B	Aramis Ramirez
1B	*Joey Votto	CF	*Jim Edmonds
3B	Edwin Encarnacion	C	Geovany Soto
CF	*Corey Patterson	RF	*Kosuke Fukudome
C	*Paul Bako	2B	Mark DeRosa
P	Johnny Cueto	P	*Rich Harden

That sure seemed like the longest one day break from baseball for some reason. Back to the Friendly Confines, where the Cubs have already surpassed their 44-win total from last year with a 45-17 record. The Reds limp into town, depleted and desperate enough to start Corey Patterson. And in honor of Dusty's return, let's discuss the Cubs leading the majors in walks with 501 and on pace for 655 which would break the club mark of 650 set in 1970. Of course, those walks don't mean much if you're not driving them in. The Cubs compliment those walks with an NL leading .284 batting average and .834 OPS with runners in scoring position. That's base-clogging done right.

Reds at Cubs open game thread

Tue, 19 Aug 2008 15:37:22 -0500

B-REF PREVIEW | GAMEDAY | WEATHER | ACB CHAT ROOM Johnny Cueto vs. Cubs hitters: 14-48, 2 HR, 3 BB, 13 K Rich Harden vs. Reds hitters: 4-9, BB, K When and Where: 7:05 on CSN

MLB Start 'Em, Sit 'Em - Week 21

Tue, 19 Aug 2008 07:56:49 -0500

Screaming Sports' Phil Yoon goes over a week of upcoming matchups and determines who you should sit, who you should start and why. Surprisingly, there are three pretty big names that should be riding the pine this coming week.

GameDay #121 vs. Reds

Mon, 18 Aug 2008 00:23:05 -0500

Reds (53-68) at Pirates (55-65)
7:05--PNC Park, Pittsburgh
Johnny Cueto (7-11, 5.01) vs. Ian Snell (4-9, 6.06)
[Preview]
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It's one of those stupid Skyblast games (which I've never witnessed since I'm always on vacation, like I am now). REO Speedwagon performs after the game. How lame is that?
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Adam LaRoche is back. He's batting fourth. His brother is batting fifth. That is pretty awesome.
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The Bucs signed 6th rounder Robbie Grossman, an OF from a Texas high school. Grossman went so low because he was considered to be difficult to sign--he's very good and was expected to hold out and go to college. Great sign by the Bucs--that's two big ones in two days--but the clock is still ticking for Alvarez. The Giants hurt us on that front today by giving a massive contract to first-round pick Buster Posey (who the Bucs were considering).
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Snell and Cueto tonight. Neither of them have been too good lately, but they strike me as similar pitchers. If they're both on, then it will be spectacular. If they're not, it will be very, very ugly.
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It's a rubber match, but I'm too lazy to put up a picture of a rubber duck. I know you're terribly disappointed.
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[Box]

Leaders & Laggards: Pitcher HR/F

Tue, 29 Jul 2008 10:59:23 -0500

It's amazing to me how popular BABIP has become, as I seem to be reading about it now all over the place, when just last year, no one except the Baseball Forecaster and Baseball HQ and Baseball Prospectus were basically talking about it. Yes, Patrick also talked about it in the first incarnation of the blog, but the metric was virtually missing from most pitcher analyses. Anyway, although BABIP has caught on, and I've been seeing a lot more about strand rates as well, it seems as though the pitcher HR/F allowed has been ignored.

Under my microscope: Delgado picks it up

Sun, 20 Jul 2008 03:05:42 -0500

Trade rumors are swirling around Brian Fuentes, but he's pitching impressively in the meantime, says Mike Harmon. Also, fantasy news on the Mets and latest injury updates on Takashi Saito, Chris Carpenter, Bobby Jenks and David Ortiz. How will Scott Kazmir's and Dan Uggla's performance in the All-Star game affect them?

Reds at Cubs open game thread

Wed, 09 Jul 2008 19:03:35 -0500

B-REF PREVIEW | GAMEDAY | WEATHER | ACB CHAT ROOM Johnny Cueto vs. Cubs hitters: 6-21, HR, BB, 7 K Carlos Zambrano vs. Reds hitters: .264/.353/.452 in 292 at-bats When and Where: 7:05 pm on CSN Soto is 2-2 with a home run against Cueto and Theriot is 2-3. No Cub has any decent amount of plate appearances against Cueto though. Adam Dunn has 6 home runs against Zambrano and Griffey has slugged nearly .700 against him. The wind is blowing across the field towards the 1st base line at 11 mph.

A Redleg answer?

Thu, 03 Jul 2008 06:44:54 -0500

Disgusted? Let me tell you about disgusted. I am in the Army. I spent all of last season in Iraq. I got to watch a total of two games last season. This season, I'm not in Iraq, but am stationed in Hawaii. I HAVE TO PAY FOR A SUBSCRIPTION on MLB.TV to watch the Reds games!!! That's disgust boys and girls. To race home from work to catch the last three innings, see a lead, only to watch that disgusting David Weathers throw each and every outing. Or see Dusty play his pal from his Chicago days Patterson who couldn't hit a softball off a tee. That is disgust. Dunn is not the problem. Yes, the guy strikes out a lot, but he gets on base and DOES drive in runs. National League: He is 13th in OPS at .900, tied for 4th with 21 home runs, is easily on pace to knock in over 100 RBI, has led more walks than anyone else at 67, has the 13th highest OBP at .389, top 20 with a slugging % of .516, and on a sidenote: His fielding percentage is .967. I repeat, Dunn is not the problem. As for Junior. How can you people turn on him like you have? The guy is much more valuable than anyone is admitting. Everyone knows, if not for the injuries, we have the best baseball player in the history of the game. And the injuries only affect the stats. We all know that he was, is, and always will be the best. And even if you don't agree, you have him in the top ten OF ALL TIME. Have we forgotten what that means for a young ball club, to have an EXTRA SEASONED veteran, if not the best, one of the best, just for advice, instruction, encouragement? We need him. He is still hungry. He is worth more than we can put a price tag on. And when we take our kids to the park, we can show them the best while he is still playing. Griffey IS NOT THE PROBLEM EITHER. We can win while keeping Junior. Trading him is not the answer. It is not the answer. Yeah, he's only batting .240, yeah, he's only hit 10 HR, yes, he's only driven in 36 RBI, yes, he's only got an OPS of .745, yes, he's only drew 46 BB...but compare that to Derek Jeter. Aside from Jeter's .279 AVG, Griffey is ahead of him in every category. You don't see the Yankees demanding his trade. Chicago's Fukodome is batting .290, and is just slightly ahead of Junior in OPS, but Junior betters him in every other category. and the Cubbies are in 1st place. Arizona's Justin Upton's stats are almost identical to Junior's. And guess what. They are winning and in 1st place. My point. WE CAN WIN WITH JUNIOR. GRIFF IS NOT THE PROBLEM. So I've given my two cents on what the problem ISN'T. So here's my two cents on what the problem IS. #1 - Pitching - The declining quality of decision-making on the mound from Harang, Arroyo, and Cueto. While we can and SHOULD expect Cueto to make bad decisions while on the mound, he's a rookie, we should not see the same mistakes out of our two veteran hurlers. But this does not fall solely on them, it is a combination of the catchers and the pitching coaches not taking control when needed. The majority of the time it comes down to either a bad pitch, or a bad scouting report. #2 - Pitching - The absence of a 5th spot on the rotation. Belisle was given too many opportunities to turn it around and should have been converted to a bullpen pitcher much sooner. Dusty hit the nail on the head. He's okay until he's facing batters for the 2nd and 3rd time. Homer Bailey is turning into a certified dud, and Daryl Thompson just isn't ready. #3 - Pitching/Managerial - DAVID WEATHERS. The guy is a bum who has pulled the shades over lots of peoples' eyes for 18 years too long. Reds fans have consistently watched him give wins away all season long. The guy will never save 33 games again. He'll never save 33 out of 39 opportunities again. He is a waste and a downer for the team. Why hasn't he been released or traded? Why is he being paid $3.3 MIL? To keep the team in the cellar? #4 - Patterson/Managerial - Bronson Arroyo has a higher OBP than Corey Patterson. He's hitting .188, the same as Jannish, which we expect from a rookie. Not from a guy who's been playing for 8 years. Since June 5th, after being recalled from AAA where he was sent to "find" his swing, he's 7 for 46. That's .152, and he's only accounted for 5 runs. Is that $3 MIL production? Is that what a MLB player is paid to do? CUT HIM. Bottom line: REDS 11th in NL scoring with 367. Which is descent, but could be much better. They're not hitting with RISP. For example, in the June 10th - June 19th homestand, they were 6-for-57 (.105) with runners in scoring position. They were 2 and 7 in that homestand and could have very easily won 3 of those games if not for choking with runners on the bags. And it's the same story of late, losing to the horrid Pirates now two straight. But, that also goes back to the pitching, since they gave up a total of 48 runs in those 7 games. But that's no excuse for hitting .105 with RISP. Those were games that could have been won. 5th in NL HR with 92. Out of the 4 teams who hit more: Florida, 1.5 games out of 1st place - Philadelphia, 1st place - Milwaulkee, 8.5 ahead of the Reds, and 4.5 out of 1st - and Chicago, 1st place. hmmm... Defense - 5th in NL in Errors committed with 58. But the Diamondbacks have committed one more and are in 1st place, so this can be overcome. So, in short. It's not because of Dunn or Junior. Trading them is not the answer. The answer is not just one statement, and it is not simple. But for starters, they can stop giving the ball to Weathers, take the bat out of Patterson's hands, strike fear in the heart of Dick Pole if his boys Arroyo and Harang aren't brought under control, maybe even look for a trade for one of them, if not both. With the offensive numbers put up by the team, if Arroyo and Harang can get their acts together, and Weathers (and Patterson) are cut/traded/assassinated, then the team can have a great second half and get within striking distance of the playoffs. But it has to start soon, and it has to begin with the pitching.

The Untouchables

Tue, 17 Jun 2008 17:29:49 -0500

Today on a radio interview Reds GM Walt Jocketty named 5 untouchables. * Johnny Cueto * Joey Votto * Jay Bruce * Edinson Volquez * Edwin Encarnacion Ill post more on then tonight when I have a chance. To listen to the interview click here. Its about 24 minutes into the clip labeled "Lance 6/17 Hour 1"

If we could just get the pitching on the same page...

Wed, 11 Jun 2008 20:17:10 -0500

Well, as of right now, it's not looking too good today. Top 7, and it's 7 to nothing... Yikes... That's where we're at Reds fans. We are day to day with our pitching for the most part, and it seems that bad bug has caught Cueto as of today. I won't say I'm really worried about him, I think today will be a rarity in his career, especially this season. We won't see it happen too many more times. As for Harang, Arroyo, and what seems to be that TBD fifth spot in the rotation, well...that's what has cost us so far all season long. I can't say that I really ever expected much more than a 10-10 season out of Arroyo, but wow am I astonished by Harang this year. What is wrong with him? Is there some injury no one is speaking about? Is he having a mental breakdown out there on the mound? Given, some of those games have just been nonexistent for the offensive side of the game, so I give credit where it is due, and the same goes for Arroyo. I also give credit to our bullpen. They've come in some tough situations this year and have pitched exceptionally well...with he exception of Weathers. How many times do I have to say it...OR SCREAM IT...before they cut his arse? So the past couple of days the bats haven't been swinging the best... (No big surprise in the Patterson column, huh) And the injuries...oh the injuries... Now we've lost Hairston for a few weeks to a month. Why can't we catch a break? Gotta give props to Edwin though, looks like he might start hitting like we know he can. Anybody got any suggestions on how the season can be turned around? (and I'm not talking about turning it around to .500, I'm talking about playoffs.) I've already suggested some things that have caught on...somewhat. (Belisle-minors/relief, Patterson-CUT, Weathers-CUT) Let the ideas flow... Peace, tHE dEG

MLB Buy 'n Sell (6/8)

Mon, 09 Jun 2008 09:04:07 -0500

Screaming Sports' Billy Smith break out MLB Buy 'n Sell and runs down a short list of players you should be buying or selling. Michael Young? Believe it or not, it's time to sell. Adam Dunn? Grab him while he's hot!

Beyond the Boxscore - Fantasy MLB News and Notes 06/06/08

Fri, 06 Jun 2008 23:58:57 -0500

A breakdown of all that was and how it will affect your fantasy team in the MLB on 6/4/08. Injury news, updates and advice.