Latos gets his first win
Mat Latos earned his first victory in a Reds uniform last night with a stellar performance against the San Francisco Giants. The big right-hander allowed just four hits and two walks in seven shutout innings.
Latos look like a completely different pitcher than the one that struggled through his first two starts of the season. He was efficient, threw strikes and kept his composure.
So… What was different about last night?
Devin Mesoraco caught Latos in his first two starts. Last night, Ryan Hanigan was behind the plate. I do think that Mesoraco deserves to be in the big leagues and will be the everyday catcher in the near future. However, Latos needed Hanigan last night.
Hanigan has the unique ability to take a pitcher like Latos (immensely talented, easily rattled) and guide him through a ball game. Driving a Lamborghini is great, but it’s useless if you don’t know where you’re going. Hanigan, like any good catcher, is the pitcher’s GPS.
I hate the Cardinals, but this is a fake
Over the last couple of seasons, the Reds and St. Louis Cardinals have developed a rather intense rivalry. Whether it be Tony La Russa complaining, Chris Carpenter crying, or a scrub catcher yelling from the bench, the Cardinals continue to confirm the fact that they are whiny be-otches.
Scott Sloan, a radio personality on 700 WLW, posted “proof” that the Cardinals are serial cheaters. I hate the Cardinals as much as anyone, but this is nothing more than a doctored photograph.
The seams on a baseball are red. Hitters recognize breaking pitches based on the pitcher’s arm action and the rotation of the seams. If the seams were white (like in the picture), it would be nearly impossible to pick up a breaking ball.
Why is this picture a fake?
- The pitcher is wearing a road uniform. Baseballs are supplied by the home team.
- The pitcher never carries a ball to the mound. Any new baseball comes from the umpire. A batboy will bring new balls to the umpire, but no baseball goes in play without being put there by the home plate umpire.
- If, somehow, a ball like that slipped by the umpire, a batter would recognize it after one pitch. The pitcher would be immediately ejected.
Reds get win number 10,000
With a 9-4 victory over the Cubs on Friday, the Cincinnati Reds became just the sixth Major League Baseball franchise to record 10,000 victories.
Red-letter day: Cincy reaches 10,000 wins
Reds ownership shows “small market” is just an excuse
The Cincinnati Reds have always been considered a “small-market” team, incapable of competing for big-name free agents because of financial constraints. Other clubs have gigantic television deals, fill their stadiums on a regular basis and reside in major cities like Boston or New York.
Fans, media members and owners themselves have long complained that the system is not fair. Anyone see Moneyball?
I have always believed that the system doesn’t put all teams on an equal playing field, nor should it.
The Reds have now sent shock waves through the baseball world by (Gasp!) retaining big-name free agents and signing them to long-term deals. Bob Castellini promised to bring winning baseball back to Cincinnati. He has certainly put his money where his mouth is.
It is realistic to think that Joey Votto and Brandon Phillips will both finish their careers in Cincinnati. It’s an exciting time to be a Reds fan!
